Tears
Of A
Child
Episode 17 & 18
Aunty Amara’s called triggered my heart . Fear began to chop me de-ep down inside. “Am I safe at all?” I triggered a question to myself, as my heart beat increase for fear.
I walked inside the house to answer to aunty Amara . She was seated at the right hand of the sitting room couch with a TV remote on her hand .
” Aunty you called me” I spoke in fear .
She glanced at me and continued changing the TV channels.
I didn’t uttered anymore words as I continued to stand before her . After she had finished changing the TV channels, she still kept quiet not uttering a word to me as she started watching ZEE WORLD.
” I don’t think aunty Amara called me ” I said to myself as I turned to walk away from here pres£nce.
I walked to the parlour cotton about to open the back door when I received a sounded sl@p on my face. I turned to look when I received another on my forehead .
I shouted “Jesus!!” As I began to cry .
” Oh, You, you have grown horns on your forehead that you think you can walked away from me?” She asked. pu-lling my ears Asif she wants to cut them off.
I shouted for pains as I cried . ” Shut that ugly mouth of yours before I help you shut it ” she sparked .
I held my cry but couldn’t hold on to my tears. My eyes were we-t , my heart was beating , I was breathing heavily as i allowed tears to poure down from my eyes slowly to the ground.
I felt pain again at 13years . ” I thought we have settled these ?” I triggered one more question to myself with tears pouring out of my eyes .
” You think, you can come to my house and make my husband control me in my own home ? No, no. My husband is not coming back anytime soon it will just be you and I in this house ” she spoke angrily.
” Dear God, I know you are up there watching . plea-se , don’t let me die in the hands of aunty Amara, even if I will, plea-se let me see my biological parents before I closed my eyes for good ” I prayed silently with tears dripping down my eyes to the floor .
” Go to the back yard and clear those gras-ses . I want the back yard to be as clean as anything ” aunty Amara ordered.
I left her pres£nce holding my cheek . I got to the back yard and began clearing it, I cleared and cleared until it was 7:15Pm.
” I have almost cleared half of it , I will leave the reaming when I return from school tomorrow i will complete it” I said to myself , as I went to wash my legs.
I went into the room but aunty Amara was no were to be found in the sitting room .
” Should I go and tell her I haven’t finished the work till tomorrow? ” I triggered more questions to myself .
“Ben you are done alre-ady ? Go to the dining you will see your food ” Ada spoke , as she pushed a spoonful of meat in to her mouth.
I walked from the sitting room to the dining . I got there but couldn’t find any plate of food in the table .
I checked un-der the table and in the kitchen but there was no food .
” I can’t find any food in the dining table ” I shouted from the dining .
“What?” I heard Ada shouted in amazement.
She c@m£ to the dining and didn’t find it . ” Where is emeka ? She asked leaving the dining table .
” Did you carry Ben’s food from the table ” she asked her elder sister chioma .
” Why would I do such ? ” She replied.
” If you didn’t, then it must then be emeka ” she spoke angry shouting on emeka’s name .
In the process aunty Amara walked out from her room, she just funit taking her bath .
” Why are you calling emeka by this time of the night ? Don’t you know is late ? She sparked at Ada .
” We can’t find Ben’s food . And am sure it was emeka that took it ” chioma her elder sister replied .
Aunty Amara glanced at me and hissed . ” Have you finished clearing what I asked you to clear ? ”
I was about replying her when emeka walked in.
” Where is Ben’s food ?” Ada asked .
” Was that Ben’s food . I thought he has eaten ” he replied.
Ada walked to him and landed him a sl@p on his cheek .
” Ada are you ok? Is something wrong with you ? ” Aunty Amara shouted at her pu-lling her aside .
” The next time you raised your hands on him again you won’t find it cold with me ” she added angrily.
” But he …”
” Don’t but me, he is your brother and you should treat him like one ”
Am sure emeka has finished my dinner , I lost hope and walked quietly to my room and lied down on my be-d .
I sle-pt that night with hunger . The next Morning I woke up swept the compound , watered the flowers , washed aunty Amara’s car and started preparing for school .
After preparing , I head to the dining table to eat as usual. I sat down with my school bag hanged on my n£¢k when aunty Amara walked out from the kitchen with breakfast.
” Good morning Aunty Amara” I greeted her with fear. She gazed at me for some minutes and answered.
” Have you washed the car ?”
” Yes ma’am ” I replied .
” Have you watered the flowers ”
” Yes ma’am” I replied again .
” And the compound?”
” Yes ma’am, I swept everything ” I replied one more time .
” I am sure you have finished clearing the back yard I asked you to clear yesterday ?” She asked , as she dished food in to our plate .
My heart began beating as I glanced at her in fear .
*********
Episode 18.
I stood in fear with my heart beating . Not completing the work Aunty Amara gave me was the mistake I have done.
I was about replying to her question when her phone rang . It was her husband uncle Mike , we could hear him loud and clear because she actually put the call on loud speaker before when she received his call.
She spoke for a while with uncle Mike , on the dining and walked outside still on phone with him.
“That’s my daddy. My daddy is the best daddy in the world . At least even at work he still asked after us . Not like some people who don’t even know their biological parents ” Emeka spoke, as he glanced at me one-sided .
At that moment I felt something burning de-ep inside me. I knew he was talking to me. I was really hurt with his words. I wanted to cry , but I held the tears in my eyes.
After aunty Amara had finished with her calls , she walked back to the dining table as she continued to dished food into our plate .
I noticed the sadness on her face the very moment she walked in to the dining door. I began to think if her husband uncle Mike had said something bad to her .
” Definitely uncle make must had upset aunty Amara ” I thought to myself .
” Mommy , is everything alright ? ” Chioma asked.
” Yes mom, before you answered to Daddy’s call you were sounding happy and now your mood is something else ” Ada added.
She glanced at her two daughters ( chioma and Ada) and heaved a de-ep sigh.
” I am good. Just that I heard a woman’s voice at the background while I was ma-king a call with your father. But anyways , I think it must be work ” she replied with a smile .
” Mom , I thought you asked Ben to weed the backyard last night ?” Emeka asked .
I glanced at him in fear cause i didn’t actually finished the work she asked me to.
“Yes I did” aunty Amara replied.
” Then I think it’s right time for you to go take a look at the work . He left it half way maybe he wants you to finish the reaming for him” emeka spoke out as he hung his bag to his n£¢k .
” Haaaaaah, emeka . What’s your problem with that ? “Ada shouted at him wrathfully .
” If he hasn’t complete the work , that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to complete it . Beside we are late for school let us go” chioma added .
Aunty Amara paused and looked at me straight in the eyes. Her eyes were as pure as a snow, her mood changed as she put on a sad face.
That was the first time in my life of looking at aunty Amara straight in the eye with so much fear.
” Chioma, you all can go to school , but as for this idiot who thinks he can kill me before my time will have to stay home today and complete his unfinished work. If I had known that he hadn’t finished what I asked him to do I wouldn’t had given him any food to eat ” aunty Amara spoke angrily.
” But mom, he can finish the work when he returns from school” Ada replied .
” Go to school and don’t argue with your mother ” aunty Amara replied wrathfully.
” But, mom ….. ”
“Don’t but me Ada, I am your mother and you should listen to every single thing I said ” she thun-dered at her.
Ada took her bag and walked out angrily , as emeka and chioma followed her behind.
Aunty Amara dragged me on my ears to the backyard, giving me a very h0t knock on the head .
” You are ma-king everything difficult for me and my family . I didn’t blame your parents that left you with your grandparents . You are truly a witch, your father was right about it. ” she spoke and landed a sl@p on my face .
I held my face in pains and cried out .
” Crying ? Oh , my God ” she laughed out.
” The day you were born was the day your father lost his job. That was also the same day he had an accident after he went to pick you and your useless mother from the hospital. You are a witch Ben” she spoke angrily at me and walked away .
I closed my eyes in pains, for her words got me bittered . I looked up to the sky and cried silently, as tears continued to roll down my face.
I kept on weeding the gras-ses as tears continued to roll down from my face . I kept working non-st©p till when aunty Amara children returned from school.
” Are you still working?
Since morning you haven’t
finish wedding this small
Portion. You are shaming
me Ben , shame on you ” emeka spoke in a mockery manner and ran in to the house .
At that point , I wished I had supper natural powers to mess him all up. Oh, if wishes were horses.
I sat down to have some rest when chioma and Ada walked to where I was weeding . They both glanced at me with their eyes we-t .
” What is the matter, why are you both crying ? ” I asked .
” It’s mom, she wants to take you to the motherless baby home to night ” Ada spoke.
” Why, why would she want to do that? If she doesn’t want me, she should take me back to my grandparents they will welcome me with open arms” I spoke , as tears leaked out from my eyes.
” This isn’t the moment to cry Ben, you must have to go” chioma advertised.
” I should go?
Go to where ? I don’t know
Anywhere around here , Oh, my God why?” I cried out .
” You can go to nurse Jen , coolval stories she knows where your parents are . I over heard Mom telling her something about your father ” she added .
.
“You mean nurse Jen knows where my father is ? I jumped up with so much excitement.
” Yes . Here is two hundred naira , am sure it will take you to nurse Jen , it’s mom’s change but you have to use it . I know what to tell her when she asked of it ” Ada spoke out.
I collected it and hvgged Ada and Amara . They were both in tears as I walked out of the gate .
I got to the hospital that night , but I was told that nurse Jen wasn’t on duty . I had no other choice than to spend the night there .
The next day ,nurse Jen drove in to the hospital, she was surprised when she saw me .
” What are you doing here Ben ? She asked .
” I am here so you can take me to my parents . Aunty Amara asked me to come meet you ” I replied. I just had to lie so she could believe me and take me to them .
She looked at me in surprised and heaved a de-ep sigh.
” I don’t think your aunty Amara will say such a thing . Let me put a call to her ” she spoke out , as she re-moved her phone to call.
” Wait !!. You don’t have to call her. plea-se don’t call her. I just want to see my parents. I will be delighted if only you will take me to them . Infact you don’t even nee-d to follow me to the house if you are scared . All you nee-d to do is to point the house to me when we get there , I will go in myself plea-se, I beg of you ” I begged in tears .
She thought for a while and shouted ;
” Get in, let me take you to your parents ” she drove all the way from the hospital to an unknown place . She parked her car in front of a big house and pointed to the gate saying;
” That is your father’s house ”
TBC…