Tears
Of A
Child
Episode 3 & 4
Aunty Amara stood by the door side wondering how manage her nine breakable plates got broken. I saw anger In her eyes and her breath, she was boiling de-ep down inside like a charcoal fire.
I was in tears as I began packing the broken glas-ses on the floor, emeka her son ran out of the kitchen for fear , Aunty Amara’s eyes were red like that of a loin , looking into her eyes got me scared as I prayed silently to God;
” lord I commit my spirit on to your hands ” silently I prayed in tears .
” Am sorry aunty Amara ” I cried out, holding the broken plates glas-ses . She immediately started looking for something around the kitchen but couldn’t find exactly what she really wanted.
She stood a while and took the broken plates and smashed them on my four head as blood started flowing down from my head to my chin. I was badly in pains as I shouted;
” Jesus !! Aunty Amara ” I cried out in pains .
” Even Jesus can’t safe you here . So because I didn’t give you my food that’s why you broke my plate right ? Today I will show you pepper, I will not only lock you up I will kill you with my ba-rehands you ,useless thing . I wonder why I took you in from the first place ” she sparked like a wild fire .
” It wasn’t me that broke your plates , it was emeka your son ,I tired to tell him to leave them for me to wash but he wouldn’t listen ” I explained in tears .
She gazed at me in anger .
” Which emeka ? Did I asked emeka to wash the dishes or I s£nt you to wash the dishes ? So you now want to lie against my son . Come here !!” She shouted .
” I didn’t break your plates aunty ” I pleaded with tears .
“I said come here !!” She shouted one more time. I took some steps to where she was and she landed a sl@p on my face .
” If I don’t treat you like this, you will never learn , no wonder your parents left you to wallow in the hands of those two old fools . If this is how you have been doing to them over there in the village , this is city I won’t allow you do same here emba nu, nu not in my house. Will you pack those glas-ses before I use them on you one more time” she spoke wrathfully and left the kitchen .
My head was h0t blood kept dripping as I pack the glas-ses in tears , I swept the kitchen ma-king sure all the broken glas-ses were swept out .
I was sitting outside the compound thinking about my life when I remembered what i had told Grandpa before coming to the city , i said ;
” Grandpa , I don’t want to leave you and Grandma , I want to spend the rest of my life with you in the village and beside I don’t want to stay with a stranger I know nothing about , I am just four years old . If you don’t want me to stay with you just take me to my parents I know they won’t s£nd me away when they sees me” I said to Grandpa.
Immediately tears started dripping from his eyes, he was t©uçhed with my words. He gazed at me and said ;
” My son, we know you are too Young to be in the hands of a stranger . But there’s something I must tell you , your aunty Amara is not a stranger to you , she is your aunty , your mom elder sister . She will treat you like a prince for she has been wanting you to come over to the city . And we are not s£nding you away from the house because we don’t love you , we do care about you , the truth is that we don’t have enough money to s£nd you to school and you know we ha-rd ly feed. Don’t worry , by the time government pays my allowance I will come and pick you up no matter where you are ” grandpa spoke in tears , giving me as-surance.
I was outside crying like someone who has no one around . I was badly in tears and blood when Ada walked towards me and said;
” You don’t have to cry , my mom is always like that , emeka told me everything that you didn’t break those plates . But why didn’t you tell her you didn’t break them ?” Ada asked .
” I told her I didn’t but she wouldn’t listen ” I replied .
She went in to the house and brou-ght h0t water and a rag and pressed them on my four head.
She was pressing them when we both heard a scream from the kitchen. She immediately dropped the rag and ran to the kitchen .
As a child , I ran to the kitchen as well to witness the reason behind the clamored. Getting there, emeka’s feet was in blood he stepped on a sharp glas-s in the kitchen . He was crying like a baby as blood continue to flow down his feet .
************
Episode 4
Chioma their elder sister was there cleaning emeka’s feet . I was shocked Wondering how he managed to stepped on a glas-s for I could remembered carefully that I swept out the broken glas-ses to the dustbin .
” How did you managed to step on the glas-s, cutting yourself so de-ep like that? Ada asked in amazement.
Emeka was in tears as he couldn’t answer to her questions all he does was cry like a months old baby .
” Ben , I thought Mom asked you to sweep out the broken glas-ses ? Chioma asked.
” Yes. And I swept all the glas-ses and dropped them in the dustbin” I replied as my heart pound for fear .
” If you said you swept the kitchen ,how comes emeka got cut ?” She asked .
I kept quiet couldn’t answer to her questions . Chioma and her younger sister Ada only showed care to their younger brother emeka as they all focused on his wounded feet.
I was t©uçhed as they all cared for their brother alone . I walked out of the kitchen and sat outside.
My head hurt , my feet hurt as well . I was only a child who doesn’t have a brother nor sister that could show love to me just as emeka sisters did .
Grandpa and Grandma are the only family I know I have in this world. Their love towards me is beyond my parents love .
Each and every night I pray to the most high to answer grandpa’s prayers . For I know when his prayers are heard and the government pays his retirement fee he will come and take me away from aunty Amara’s house . Praying for grandpa has turned my every day job in aunty Amara’s house .
I was in thought when I heard aunty Amara shouted my name .
” Am a dead boy alre-ady ” I said to myself , as I walked in to answer to her call .
She was sitting on the dining table with a bottle of swan on her hands . I saw her deadly looks as I approach to the dining table .
Emeka was on the floor crying and holding his feet , Chioma and Ada were standing by the door side . My heart beat increase as I walked to aunty Amara.
” You are a wicked boy ” aunty Amara shouted at me with anger .
” I asked you to sweep out those glas-ses you broke in the kitchen instead you swept some and left some for my son to step on right ? Look at his feet ,look at what you have done to my only son. I swear to the god’s of this land if anything happens to my son , hmmm, I will not only beat you but will kill you ” she sparked.
I kept quiet as a child . For I could remember what grandma had told me back then in the village . She said;
“Ben my son, always respect your elders when they talk. Take the blame to yourself even when you are not at fault for you are too young to speak and will be heard”
” Am taking emeka to the hospital. By the time am back just make sure you commit suicide because I will personally deal with you . You always act like a spirit . Are you a spirit ?” Aunty Amara asked .
” Am not a spirit aunty ” I replied with a cracky voice .
She gazed at me in confusion and took emeka to the her car . I watched as she drove out of the compound.
” Where is mom taking emeka to ?” Ada asked in confusion.
” She is taking him to the hospital for treatment” Chioma her elder sister replied.
” She should’ve taken Ben along with her as well, because he is seriously injured both on his head and feet compared to emeka’s wound ” Ada added .
I walked out of the room in tears . There I knew that life without parents is useless. Life without grandpa and grandma is hell to me..
TBC…