Tears
Of A
Child
Episode 21 & 22
FINAL
My heart beat , began to beat fas-ter than anything beatable, I was fully in thought and confused before nurse Jen’s phone started ringing.
” Am sorry , I have to go back to work . I am nee-ded badly ” she spoke in a hurry , as she got up to leave.
Mr and Mrs Nonso were speechless. ” I will go with you nurse Jen ” I spoke out loud, as I picked my bag to follow her.
” No, you are safe here with us, beside, Jen is going to work and you can’t follow her, if you do, you will be a burden to her at work. We will take you to your mother tomorrow then she will take you to your father. right honey? ” Mrs Nonso raised her head and looked at her husband.
Mr Nonso glanced at her surprisedly and heaved a de-ep sigh nodding his head to show the sign of agreement.
Nurse Jen dashed out from the house in a hurry because she was really late for work . I must confess that nurse jen sacrificed a lot just to see me smile . She has done more than I asked for .
If I was to choose a mother after grandma, I would choose nurse Jen . And if I was to choose a father after grandpa , I would choose uncle Mike.
All my life I thought God has forsaken me ,but when I turn around to see the people he has surround me with,, I just smile and praise his name .
I sle-pt in Mr Nonso’s mansion for three weeks as they both go round in search of my mother . In his house, I was treated like a stranger. His children princess and Samuel are more friendly to Aunty Amara’s son (emeka).
I was outside the compound looking how beautiful Mr Nonso’s house was , when I heard him call my name from the sitting room ” Ben” I quic-kly ran to the sitting room and behold he was pla-ying PES 2 computer game with his two children.
” You know how to pl@yPES 2 don’t you? He asked , stretching the computer pad to me .
” I don’t know how to pl@y, but I will be delighted if only you will teach me ” he smiled. “Samuel my son will teach you , he is very good at it ” that evening, Samuel taught me how to pl@yPES 2 and ever since then till d@t£ I am a champion when it come to game.
“Daddy we are going to be-d, good night “his children got up and went upstairs. I was left with him in the sitting room.
” Uncle Nonso, I am sorry to bother you, I just want to ask you a question about my parents, hope you don’t mind ” I asked in fear.
He kept quiet for some minutes staring at me . ” You can go ahead and ask anything ” he replied.
“Is my father , how does he look like ? Does he has my ears? Does he has my brown eye? I am asking because when I was three, grandma told me that my father has brown eyes like mine. Is it true ?”
Mr Nonso laughed out loud ” How comes you remembered what grandma told you at three? Anyways , Let’s not talk about your father , instead let’s talk about your mother” he replied.
“Tell me about her then” he smiled and looked at me in the eyes . “Your mother , is a very beautiful woman you have her eyes and she will be happy to see you.
” Uncle Nonso , does my parents stays here in Lagos ? Because if they do, I don’t think I will ever forgive them ” I spoke out sadly .
” You shouldn’t say something like that , you should be happy to see your mother ” he replied.
” Tell me about my father , you said you will tell me after we have finished discussing about my mother ”
” The truth is that , I do not know your father” he spoke as he glanced at his wife ” but am sure your mother will take you to him when you see her . Prepare tomorrow morning am taking you to her ”
“So Finally I am going to meet with my mother ” I thought to myself with so much joy .
The next day, Uncle Nonso drove me to a big restaurant ” this is your mother’s restaurant” he said . ” My mother’s restaurant? Where is she , I want to see her ” I shouted out in joy .
Uncle Nonso and I were standing outside that morning, when a tall fair woman drove in, in a white car, she got down from the car with a baby in her hand and another was also following her behind.
“That is your mother ” uncle Nonso spoke out. She was amazed when she saw uncle Nonso in her restaurant. She approached further to where we were standing .
” What do you really want from me ?” She asked uncle Nonso.
” I am not here for any trouble , am just here to hand over your son to you ” I noticed the shocked on her face.
” My son? ” She asked looking straight at me. ” Oh my God , come here ” she asked of me . ” You have grown so big . You were a year old when I left you with your father ”
My heart cried out for joy the very moment she welcomed and hvgged me .I felt mother love for the first time in my fourteen years.
My mother is beautiful , and indeed she has my eyes . Uncle Nonso has gone to make a phone call beside his car.
” But mommy, why did you leave and never c@m£ back for me ? I have been in hell ever since I stepped my legs at aunty Amara’s house ” I spoke out sadly with my eyes we-t.
” It wasn’t my fault ” she replied , ” then whose fault is it?
” It was your father’s fault” she replied with tears on her eyes . ” How is it my father’s fault?” I asked.
” A week before our wedding ” she started narrating.
” I found out I was pregnant , but when I told your father about it , he denied it. And our wedding was cancelled. The wedding I had hoped to see come true. I was humiliated , people around called me a prostitute, all because of your father. Little did I know that your father was having an affair with another woman. She heaved a de-ep sigh with tears rolling down her face and continued.
” I had no one to run to , my parents died many years ago , I was the only child they had . Your father was all I had ” she heaved another sigh with tears on her eyes . ” What about Aunty Amara, I was told she is your sister” I asked.
” She isn’t my blood sister, we only c@m£ from the same village . As I was saying , I give bath to you at your grandparents house , after I had given bath to you, your father brou-ght an invitation card of him getting married .
.
I cried like a baby , I was with your grandparents for a year. I left because your father doesn’t want you nor me around him because he is happy married. I went in search of work in the city leaving you with your grandparents. ” She paused and wiped off her tears .
” But why didn’t you come back for me ?” I asked with tears on my eyes .
” I c@m£ back for you , but your father asked his parents which are your grandparents not to let me see you . So i left finally to the City” I bend my head to the ground and allowed tears to pour out from them .
” Who then is my father? Take me to him, I want to see him” I spoke in tears .
“That is your father over there” she pointed at Uncle Nonso.
**********
Episode 22
The final.
The very moment she pointed at Uncle Nonso I felt rejected and unloved. I felt like something very precious in me has disappeared.
“What your father did to me nearly cost me my life. At first I thought all men were like him , until I found James my lovely husband, who c@m£ in to my life and gave me reason to smile again ” mom spoke out with tears rolling down her face.
I wasn’t paying attention to what she was saying to me, but I felt her pains . I was just thinking why my father , my own blood, whom I had spent fourteen Good years without seeing will deny me right before his wife and children .
” Is everything ok?” Uncle Nonso asked , as he approached to where mom and I were.
” Elizabeth Why are you crying ?.
That was the first time in my whole fourteen years of knowing my mother’s name . I never knew her name until that special moment uncle Nonso called her by name .
I looked at uncle Nonso de-ep in to his eyes , he has my brown eyes . Grandpa was right when he said my father has the same colour of my eyes .
” I am fine Nonso .” She replied , with her eyes we-t . He noticed the looks on my face and bec@m£ speechless.
” Can I talk to you aside for a minute plea-se?” He begged, as he dragged mom behind his car.
I began to wondered what was it he has to say to her in pri-vate , I was worried because he made me feel like a stranger before my own very eyes.
If my own father could do that to me , I see no reason why I should call him father . I waited for close to an hour but still I see no signs of them coming . I decided to go find out what was keeping them so long.
As I was approaching to the car, I began to hear some murmur. I went closer enough where my ears could hear them properly, when I heard uncle Nonso’s voice.
” Elizabeth, I know I have wronged you in so many ways , but you just have to forgive me and take Ben with you. He can’t stay with me in my house , I can’t stay in the same roof with him now .
No, not now biko. I don’t know how my wife and children will feel about it . You shouldn’t had told him I am his father. I wanted to tell him myself when it’s the right time.
” And when is the right time? Tell me Nonso , when is the right time? That boy has suffered a lot. He grew up without someone beside him to call Mother .
Instead of we should be the one to find him , he c@m£ for us . Isn’t it enough reason for you to accept him as your own son? OOh!!, you have no idea how it feel to grow without parents ” Mom triggered at him wrathfully.
” Elizabeth , I don’t know how you gonna do this , but the truth is that , I can’t take him back to my house ” when I heard him said that , i left there and looked for a quiet place and allowed tears to pour out from my eyes .
Some minutes later, mom left Uncle Nonso behind the car angrily and took me by the hand in to her restaurant. I sat down and bent my head to the ground before Uncle Nonso walked in .
Mom brou-ght a plate of food and dropped it right on my table with a smile.
” I am sure you want to have something to eat. I actually made it specially for you ” she spoke in sweet voice .
I didn’t uttered a word to her as I kept on looking at the ground with my head bend.
” Are you alright son?” She asked , as she raised my head. My eyes were alre-ady soacked , as tears dr!pp£dout from them slowly to the floor.
Mom and uncle Nonso were shocked and speechless as they both watched me cry .
” I am sorry Mom, I don’t want to be a burden to anyone of you.” I cried out. ” You are married and so is Dad. I am angry with Daddy , because he lied . He lied to me mommy, daddy lied . He told me he is my uncle and I believed him. He said he is uncle Nonso and I started calling him that.
I spent two weeks with him and he didn’t open up . I spent fourteen good years without seeing my father , thinking when I finally do, he will welcome me with an open arms. But today, I have seen it all. I didn’t come to stay with any of you , I only c@m£ to see my biological parents . For seeing my biological parents has been my pryer point . I have seen you both and i just want to say thank you, for giving birth to me , for if it weren’t for you both , I wouldn’t be here ” I spoke in tears .
Uncle Nonso who is my father , heaved a de-ep sigh and held me on the shoulder and said ;
.
” I am sorry son. It’s all my fault . I left your mom when she nee-ded me the most for another woman . I lied to you that am your uncle . I am your father Ben, I am your Dad. I noticed that you are my son the very moment I saw the colour of your eyes . I did what I had to for peace in my family.”
When he said for peace , I remembered aunty Amara who accused me of stealing her family joy away from them .
“Uncle Nonso, I want to go and spend the rest of my life with my grandparents, that’s the only place in this world I think I can find love .” Uncle Nonso glanced at me as he stammered.
” I am not your uncle ” he said . ” I am your father”
” Uncle Nonso is what you introduced yourself as to me, and it has gotten used to me alre-ady . Mommy is the only woman I can call mother . Uncle Nonso, I want to go to my grandparents.
Besides, grandpa used to say; people lie to people they hate to protect the ones they love. So you lie to me for the sake of being afraid to loose the ones you truly love. ” I spoke bitterly with tear.
Daddy and mom tried to convinced me to stay with one of them but I made my final decision to stay with my grandparents.
I was taken to my grandparents and ever since then I have been with my grandpa and grandma.
The End! .