Tears
Of A
Child
Episode 15 & 16
We got home that evening with Ada. I was very hungry and tired because I didn’t had anything throu-gh out my stay in the hospital. I stood behind uncle Mike’s car that was parked in the compound and prayed silently to God for restoring life back to uncle mike.
After a little stay outside, I walked in to the house and walked straight to uncle Mike’s picture that was hanged on the wall and stared at it. Beside it, was Jesus picture .
” Thank you Lord Jesus for everything you have done in our lives ” I spoke out loud as tears rolled down my eyes to the floor .
” Ha,ha,ha ” Chioma laughed . I never knew she was behind me on the dining chair re-ading a novel .
” Thank you Lord Jesus for everything you have done in our lives ” she mimed and cl@pped her hands to the air .
” That’s all you do. Praying to a picture that doesn’t talk nor listens . ” I slowly turned around facing her .
” Good evening sister chioma ” I greeted her wiping the tears on my face with my clothes .
Just then emeka her younger brother walked in.
” Sister did you beat him ? ” He asked . Just then I saw Ada with a plate of rice and a meat . The meat was dancing on her plate of rice the aroma made me swallowed silver down to my stomach.
Immediately i felt the Sting of nagging hunger in my stomach.
” I didn’t beat him ooh . He was looking at Jesus picture and that’s all oooh , he started carrying ” chioma replied .
” Sister Ada told me that nurse Jen said it was Ben’s prayer that brou-ght daddy to life . Is it true ?” Emeka asked .
At that point I wasn’t paying attention to their discussion as hunger gr@bb£d me from cloud nine ma-king my stomach cry .
I walked to Ada in awe and stood right in front of her facing her plate of rice . She gazed at me in amazement.
“What are you looking at ? ” She asked angrily. ” I don’t like it when am eating and someone is standing behind or in front of me . So Biko shift or go away from my side if you have nothing to say ” I heaved a de-ep sigh .
” I just wanted telling you that am hungry ” I replied to her in a stammering voice .
She looked at me for some minutes without uttering a word . I stood beside her in fear as my heart beat began to pound.
” come and have some with me ” she replied with a smile.
” Did she say I should come and have some with her ? Are we going to eat on the same plate ? ” I thought to myself in excitement.
I rushed to the kitchen and picked a spoon . I stood in amazement still gazing at her with the spoon on my hands.
” Won’t you eat ?” She asked
Immediately I dug my spoon in to her pate of rice and started eating with her .
Ever since I c@m£ to aunty Amara’s house I have never for ones eaten with them in the same plate as a human being instead they treat me like a dog .
” Aunty Ada, are you eating with Ben? Have you forgotten what mom told us? You are eating with a witch very soon he will kill you just as he planned to kill daddy but didn’t succeed” emeka her younger brother spoke .
I dropped the spoon on the dining table and slowly raised my head facing emeka .
” I don’t believe what Mom said about Ben. Beside nurse Jen said his God brou-ght father to life . So I have a strong feeling that he is not a witch ”
Chioma heaved a de-ep sigh and took her novel walking towards the door .
” Ben is a witch . I don’t believe you Ada . Beside mom is not gonna lie to us. They said he wanted killing his parents when they ran and left him”
” Shut up your mouth emeka” Ada thun-dered at him .
My eyes were we-t with tears as his words thun-dered my heart like a thun-derstorm. Slowly I threw my eyes to the floor and allowed tears to pour out of them .
I walked to my room straight loosing appetite to the delicious meal .
The next day , we were all seated in the sitting room watching movie on MBC action when Ada’s phone rang .
We all gazed at her because the ring tone of her phone rang so loud to everyone’s hearing .
We all gazed at her as she picked up her phone.
” Good morning Mommy ” She greeted . Then I knew it was aunty Amara that was calling her. She immediately put the phone on loud speaker because emeka was trying to f0rç£ his ears in to her phone.
” Ada, Ada, Ada” aunty Amara shouted her name three times . I began to wonder what the reason in calling Ada’s name was for . ” How many times did I called you ?” She asked .
Ada gazed at us in amazement wondering what went wrong without saying a word to aunty Amara on phone .
” Are you deaf ? Can’t you hear me ?” Aunty Amara thun-dered at her from the phone .
” Mommy , three times . I answered maybe you didn’t hear me clearly. ” she replied , dangling with her hands .
” Good. I was told that you shared your food with that evil boy that wanted taking your father’s life . I have warned you to stay off that evil child but you wouldn’t listen . Any ways. Your father and I will becoming home in two days time . As for that witch, I am coming for him , he wants to wipe away my family as he tried on his which he didn’t succeed” aunty Amara spoke wrathfully And ended the call.
” I told you that Ben is a witch but you wouldn’t listen now you have heard it from Mom herself ” emeka spoke out loud.
” I know you were the one that told her I shared my food with Ben . Ain’t you?” Ada spoke wrathfully at emeka and landing him a sl@p on his face.
” How dare you raised your hands on him because of a witch ? Chioma sparked. ” For your own information. he didn’t tell Mom . I did ” chioma replied angrily .
I slowly and quietly walked out of the sitting room and went outside. I raised my head to the sky with my we-t eyes . And slowly tears rolled down to my face and dropped on the floor.
*************
Episode 16
Author Williams’ Libr@ry
I was outside shedding tears when i heard a sound from inside the sitting room . The sound reverberated in my ears as fear gr@bb£d me from cloud nine .
I stood up and wiped my tears off and ran back inside . It was chioma and her younger sister Ada . They fought so seriously to the extent they both to-re their clothes ,giving themselves a wound mark.
I was only a child and the youngest among them . Who am I to talk to them that they will listen to.
” Chioma, you are heartless and wicked . Why would you tell mother that I gave Ben food ? Something that happened last night you have gone to tell her . Even if I give him food to eat so what ? ” Ada sparked wrathfully.
I closed my eyes and remembered when I was in the village. When I went to see grandma’s friend and how she treated me like their own son . I really felt at home not like Aunty Amara’s home .
I was t©uçhed and in thought because grandma had told me that aunty Amara is my mother’s sister . Meaning she is more to my mother. I thought with my eyes we-t.
“You can ask Mom that question when she comes back ” chioma replied cl@pping her hands to the air.
I didn’t utter a word to them. I quietly walked in to my room .
Two days later. We were both seated in the sitting room when we heard a car horn at the gate .
” Mommy and Daddy are back ” emeka jumped and shouted in excitement.
” Oh, God not again . Aunty Amara is back . plea-se lord, I commit my b©dy and soul on to your hands ” I prayed silently as my heart beat kept pounding for fear .
Chioma rushed and opened the gate . I c@m£ out but hide myself behind the flowers that were planted in the compound. I peeped as they both stepped out of the car .
Uncle Mike’s head was tired with a bondage . He slowly stepped out of the car hvgging his children. He looked around but couldn’t find me.
” Where is Ben ?” He asked . That was the first word that c@m£ out from his mouth the moment his stepped out of the car .
Where I hide myself , I sighted the look aunty Amara gave at him .
” You should be asking after your children not after a bastard child .” Aunty Amara replied in disrespectful manner . Uncle Mike bec@m£ angry and landed aunty Amara a sl@p on her face .
” Daddy , is ok not again ” Ada spoke wrathfully at uncle mike .
” Am i really the cause of this family problem? . At the mentioned of my name results to fight in this house. Lord plea-se, help your son bring peace in to Uncle Mike’s home . If really I am the cause of this family problem Lord, I do not nee-d any helper in this house .” I prayed silently with my eyes we-t .
” Your mother is evil Ada . When i married her she wasn’t like this . What an evil woman she is .” Uncle Mike thun-dered at her.
” Oh, you now call me evil simply because of that … That.. anyways ” she angrily kept quiet as tears rolled down her face .
” You can cry I don’t car . God knows I am only telling you the truth. If telling you the truth will always make you cry I don’t care. for I will keep on telling you Amara the truth” uncle mike thun-dered at her, As he called her by name .
” Where is Ben? Emeka ” Uncle Mike asked. ” I think he should be inside the house ” He replied.
” Didn’t he see me ? What is he doing inside the house all alone by himself ?” When I heard that uncle mike was looking for me . I c@m£ out from where I hide myself and ran towards him. I jumped on his b©dy like he is my father. I jumped on his b©dy just the way I used to jump on Grandpa’s b©dy when ever he returns home .
Jumping on Mike’s b©dy also made me remembered my father . For grandpa has ones told me that I used to jump on my father’s b©dy when ever he returns home . But as a child , I didn’t figure out nor remembered the face of my father.
I was in thought when uncle mike lifted me up , throwing me up to the sky like a baby .
” Daddy carry me up too ” emeka pleaded to his father.
” Hahaha” uncle mike laughed. ” You are no more longer a baby ” uncle Mike spoke with a smile on his face. He dropped me to the ground and lifted emeka up which after he dropped him down and walked inside the house holding Ada and Chioma’s hands .
I was outside with emeka about to follow uncle mike inside when emeka blocked me .
” Go and look for your own parents . Most especially your father. And st©p jumping on my dad’s b©dy . That’s if you really have one” emeka laughed and ran in to the house .
His words triggered my heart . His words hurt me de-ep inside like a sh0t of h0t drink in to the mouth. .
” I am not going to cry ” I said to myself. I struggled to make sure tears didn’t drop from my eyes . I tried all I could but my eyes were we-t. I tried looking up to the sky and tears poured out from my eyes . I wiped them off. But they didn’t st©pped puring on my face .
I stood outside for some hours when I heard emeka screamed my name .
I wiped off my tears immediately and went inside the house . Getting there, uncle mike was sitting on the dining table. Beside him was Ada, chioma and emeka .
” Come and have a seat ” he said .
Aunty Amara was not at the dinning table . ” She must be in the kitchen ” I thought to myself . As I walked to the dinning table and sat down with my eyes we-t .
“Why are you crying ? He asked .
I gazed at him in confusion . ” I am not crying ” I replied . He was about asking further when Aunty Amara brou-ght out a cooler from the kitchen and dropped it on the dining table .
I was amazed that aunty Amara didn’t get mad at me when she saw me seating at the dinning table . But still yet. my heart wasn’t fully at rest .
She uncovered the cooler and everywhere was stew . ” Your food smells nice today” her husband spoke with a smile on his face.
Aunty Amara smiled and dished a plate of rice with chicken to everyone seated in the dining table including I myself .
I gazed at aunty Amara and also at uncle mike. My heart was filled with joy as I pushed a spoon of rice to my mouth with so much excitement.
” Am I dreaming ? ” I thought to myself.
” If you nee-d more food let me know ” aunty Amara said to me .
I ate half of my food. aunty Amara didn’t allowed me to finish the one on my plate as she dished more rice and chicken to my plate.
” Thank you so much aunty Amara . You are the best aunty in the world .” I spoke in a stammering voice .
“When I was in the hospital . The only thing that was on my mind was to divorce your mother . But I am not going to do that . Only if she will take Ben as her son. And if only you my children will also take him as one of your own ” Grandpa spoke seriously at them .
That night, I ate with Uncle Mike’s family like we were truly one family. This has been going on for years ever since uncle Mike returned from the hospital. He had eyes on aunty Amara towards me .
I was s£nt to a public school with the helped of uncle mike. I finished my primary school and was s£nt to secondary school .
We were all seated at the compound taking orange and laughing . But I was truly scared of aunty Amara. I avoid anything that I know will get her angry.
” I will be traveling back to kaduna tomorrow. But I will be visiting time to time to find out how you all are doing ” uncle mike spoke.
My heart cut as fear gr@bb£d me.
” I am finish with aunty Amara if uncle mike finally travel back to kaduna” I thought to myself with my eyes we-t .
The next day , uncle mike dressed up and prepared to leave to kaduna . He gave us each a five hundred naira note and drove off to kaduna.
Immediately he drove off , I angrily stormed out of the house and went to a quiet place to think how my life will be without uncle mike .
” Ben , mommy is calling you ” emeka spoke, and left .
My heart began beating . My b©dy was shaking as I walked in to the house to answer to Aunty Amara.
TBC…