YAZIM. Episode 5.
© Amah
I never saw her again until one day I was coming back from work, I was not coming back from a basket ball training this time which I thought was my only way of meeting her but from work
I have decided to st©p by at the market to buy few things before heading home.
On my way home, I wanted to go and take bus to my place when I sighted the man that saved me from those area boys, the elderly man was coming out from a shop.
I went to him greeted him and thanked him again for his kind intervention.
He did not recognized me at first until I explained myself to him.
He screamed excitedly after explaining myself to him, and he asked about my welfare as we walked down together.
He was so friendly and I learnt that the big shop he was coming out from belongs to him, he has people working for him.
He had a small bag that has things inside, I insisted to him carry it and he allowed me, I wish I have enough money I would have shower that man with enough gifts, we nee-d people like him in our society.
Kind and friendly people who are well respected and never stained their name with anything.
I also learnt that he lost his wife many years ago, he has two daughters, the first is alre-ady married while the second, is opposite of his sister, she disagrees with everything and always want to have own way, she was stubborn and people sometimes doubt if she c@m£ out from his loins because she does not takes advice or listen to anyone.
The man continued talking “She is her own god and even with all this stubbornness i still love my daughter and hope she change some day and become like her elder sister, who is well reserved and accommod@t!ng”…
I walked down with him, interacting so freely, he was using his life experience and lesson to talk to me and withholding nothing, even used his own family and his wayward daughter to teach me about life and why it was very good to be upright in all our dealings.
I stood in front of his gate and did not want to go because I was enjoying every of his word, he asked me to come around someday, any day I’m free, I should come around and have some tea with him.
It was a great privilege and I see why people respect him in that area, is not just because he was well to do but because he was kind and friendly too.
And before I leave, a young lady c@m£ out of the gate and greeted the man
“Welcome Dad…I’m going out…but I will not waste time…I will be back soon, I just want to see someb©dy…
I was staring at her with my mouth wi-de open, I was so surprised at who I was seeing, she was the one, the same lady that claimed my money as hers, I was looking right into her face.
I swallowed ha-rd and moved uncontrollably, was I seeing double or is this real. All throu-gh the time she was speaking with the elderly man she never look up at me, after talking with the man who I was surprise to know that he was her father, she walked out without looking back.
And after she left, the man turned to me and said
“that is my daughter…the one I was just speaking to you about, she has being putting up her best behavior this days, I don’t really know what happened to her but she ha-rd ly tells me whenever she is going out, she goes anytime and comes anytime but this few days or weeks she has being in her best behavior, locking herself up in her room more often, I just hope she is not pregnant…
As I heard the last word, I turned to look at the man as many things started going throu-gh my mind.
“Sir…sorry to interrupt…did you just say she maybe pregnant…
“well… yes, I said that although I’m not sure…anything is possible, you know most children grew up un-der my watch as I try my very best to guide and support them in the right direction, now majority of them listen and have become useful to their families and their community, some are un-der me and I’m coaching them to be useful to themselves. But my own child despite everything… I try to guide her in the right direction, but she refuse to follow, my wife died when they were still in primary schools, I single handily raise them and many others but this p@rticular child…she act as if she was adopted, people still find it ha-rd to believe she c@m£ from my loins, someday she is all good and obe-dient while another time she is acting as if there’s another spirit controlling her…well, I’m just a little surprise that she is all normal this days, staying in door and tell me whenever she is going out…that is unlike her but I thank God all the same and hope she is not in any trouble or even pregnant because that will be disappointing…
I didn’t know what to say, I thanked the man and promised to come around during the weekend. He gave me a warm handshake before leaving.
How do I even tell the man that it was his daughter that almost got me lynched or maybe is my foolishness, but I’m still in shock that she could boldly pick what is not hers and claimed it.
I wen home and during the weekend I c@m£ visiting the man, he has become like a father figure to me and I have taken likeness to his personality.
There were two boys and an elderly woman living with him, I greeted them all as I was asked to sit in his big sitting room.
He was a lover of art works, there were well polished art works all around his house and I looked on with admiration for the beauty of art.
One of the boys asked me what I want to drink and I said water will be fine and he brou-ght water. While I was waiting and feeding my eyes with everything around there, the girl c@m£ out, she looked at me and rolled her eyes at me, sigh as if she was possessed by an evil spirit, I have made up my mind to avoid her and to even speak to her, so as she rolled her eyes, sigh and act like I was invisible. She suddenly pause and looked at me with her eyes wi-de open.
“Hey…I know you…you are the boy that accused me of stealing your money…yes…it was you…is you that st©pped me one day and called me a thief…is you…
I totally ignored her, I alre-ady know she was crazy even without her father telling me, with her displ@yand attitude it was so obvious that she wasn’t normal at all. She continued talking
“…what the hell are you doing in my house…you traced me down to my house…oh, you are stalking me…you are stalker…what are you doing in my house before I bath you with h0t water…
I know that wasn’t just a threat, she may go ahead to pour h0t water or do anything to me so as I was about to speak up I saw her father coming out, I gave a sigh of relief.
“Amanda…what is the problem…Yazim is my visitor…why are you haras-sing him…is there a problem..?
“Yes, yes dad there is a problem…he has being stalking me…he accused me of stealing his money one day…called me a thief…and embarras-sed me on the road…and I have never seen this boy in my life before then…I was shock, I just had a break up with Jack…Jack broke up with me Dad that day and I was so broken and looking for where to cool off and that was how he met me and started accusing me…
The man look confused, but I remained seated not even knowing what to say or how to start explaining myself.
She started talking fast and her father s-en-se that she was about to cry and went to hold her as he stro-ke her shoulder and quietly ask her
“Who is Jack…I know of Tommy, the guy that brings you home and comes around then, I know Tommy but I serious don’t know Jack…I have being wanting to ask you about Tommy and now I’m hearing of Jack for the first time…I’m confuse because I don’t know who Jack is…
“Dad…me and Tommy broke up, he caught me with Jack and broke up with me, and I wasn’t so pained because I don’t really love Tommy but I love Jack, and I started d@t!ngJack immediately and he also end up calling it quit, he said I was a psychopath…he also said he doesn’t want to see me and I’m so pained and broken, I feel so lonely and I prefers to stay on my own. I was coming back broken that day when I saw this boy here, he st©pped me and started accusing me of stealing…I have never seen him before then…he called me a thief, Dad…he actually called me a thief, he is a stalker…he is stalking me…he traced me down to the house…
The man breathed de-eply and stro-ke her shoulder again before looking at me and began to say.
“I know my daughter can be weird but she is sound certain of what she is saying….Yazim, have you seen her before and are you stalking her…like she said…
I swallowed ha-rd and sat properly, if I have to say anything I will have to link it back to the day I foolishly dropped my money just to get her attention and she picked it and walked out, causing me to run into trouble until the elderly man who I never knew was her father saved me.
How do I even begin such story, Amanda and her Dad were waiting for me to speak as she continue to stare at me as If I was a criminal.
What if I decided to leave now and forget everything, that will be suspicious and disrespectful to the kind man.
So I decided to speak, I decided to start right from the beginning how it all happened not because of Amanda or whatever her name is, she obviously hate me for whatever reason I don’t know. I was only going to say how it all happened because her father is an open and truthful man.
He was transparent and did not hide anything even though I appear to be a common stranger, he used his mistakes and failure to advice me to be better, he used his life tale to encourage me and I like the man alre-ady but it was his daughter I’m having issue with and I will make sure I say it just as it happened without mincing words.
Whatever the outcome will be, is fine by me. But I will feel more free with myself.
To be continued