Episode 5
Some hours later, I was fetching water in to the big drum when I heard aunty Amara’s car horn, I quic-kly ran to the backyard to hide myself .
She drove in to the compound, I was peeping at her from the backyard as she carried emeka on her back to the room.
I hurriedly ran in to my room and remain quiet. I was inside when I heard Chioma asking her mother aunty Amara how her trip to the hospital went .
Aunty Amara remain quiet as I didn’t heard her answered to her daughter Chioma .
” Where is that idiot boy?” aunty amara asked, shouting to the t©p of her voice .
” The last time I saw him, he was fetching water outside the compound. Am sure he is still fetching water outside” Chioma replied .
I was inside listening to there conversation.
” Call the idiot boy for me . For ma-king me spend a lot of money in the hospital , I will make sure I show him some pepper so that he won’t try such next time ” aunty Amara spoke wrathfully .
Chioma left the sitting room to the compound to look for me but later c@m£ back simply because she couldn’t find me outside.
” Mother , I can’t find him outside ” Chioma said to her mother Aunty Amara.
I wanted coming out from my room to the sitting room , but I thought of the beating that I will receive from aunty Amara so I kept quiet and remain inside my room covering myself with a blanket .
” What do you mean you can’t find him? ” Aunty Amara asked .
” I have searched everywhere in the compound but couldn’t find him nor his shadow around the compound” Chioma replied.
” Biya , where is Ada ?” Aunty Amara asked Chioma.
Immediately Ada walked in to the sitting room.
” Biya, Ada have you seen that idiot boy?” Aunty Amara asked .
“Aaaaaaaah, mother , that boy is just four years . You should treat him with love. Beside you said he is your sister’s son, so he should be treated as a family as well ” Ada replied to her mother .
” How dare you speak to your mother like that ? Come here!!!” Aunty Amara shouted to Ada with anger and landed two dirty sound sl@p on her face .
The sound of the sl@p created a new fear in me , as I began to pray to the most high silently in tears .
” The next time you tried to raise your voice at me again, I will not only sl@p the devil out of you , but I will make sure I kill the devil in you . Will you disappear from my front before I land you another sl@p” she sparked at Ada like electric light .
“Grandma, why did you brou-ght me here to wallow in the hand of a woman that never care for my well-being? Grandma why? ” I thought to myself in tears .
I was in thought shading tears when I heard aunty Amara telling Ada to check me in my room .
Ada walked in and found me on my be-d crying .
” Why are you crying ? She asked .
” I am not crying ” I replied .
” You are crying , tell me what is it?” She asked one more time .
I raised my head towards her as she wiped away the tears from my eyes .
” Talk to me Ben , you know am your sister and will do anything to help you in my power ” she added.
I looked at her in the eyes as tears continue to dropped from my eyes to the be-d and said ;
” Why do your mother hate me this much ? Is it because I don’t know my biological parents?”
My question t©uçhed her as she kept quiet couldn’t answer to my question . I looked at her in the eyes as tears slowly dr!pp£ddown her chin.
” Have you seen him?” Aunty Amara shouted from the sitting room.
” Mother wants to see you . She has been looking for you all over . Go and answer to her , no matter what ,don’t be afraid the Lord will surely see you though ” she spoke in tears .
I walked out of my room, leaving her behind as I slowly walked to the sitting room in fear to meet aunty Amara. When she saw me, she sparked;
” So you have been inside all this while that I have been looking for you? You this boy you must be a spirit . No wonder your parents didn’t take you along with them ”
I was t©uçhed with her words as a child . I shade tears as I stood in front of her .
” I haven’t even l@ymy hands on you and you have start shading those corocodile tears . I won’t t©uçh you because if I should use the anger in me right now on you for ma-king me spend too much money in the hospital , hmmm, you won’t live to tell the tail. For ma-king me spend money, you will fast in this house for 7days . No food for you till I decided ” she spoke and walked out of the sitting room to the kitchen.
I watched her dish food to her children and left me in hunger .. I was in tears as I watched emeka garnishing a chicken l@ps to himself alone …
Episode 6
As a child, I angrily walked to my room in tears, wishing I never c@m£ to stay with aunty Amara at the first place.
That night, I went to be-d in tears and still woke up the next morning in tears . Love was far, far away from me: as I wondered where on planet Earth will I joyfully find love and care from when I decided to pray.
I could remember very clearly what grandma had told me back then in the village. She said ; “God answers prayers when one prays with all of his heart, b©dy and soul. Always pray to God he hears and will answer you most especially in times of trouble for God answers little children prayers fas-ter than the adult ”
Her words of advice about praying gave me hope and belief that God will answer my prayers when I table them to him.
I was in thought when I decided to go down on my knees to test God as grandma had said : ” put God to test he won’t fail you ”
I went to the door and locked it and started praying .
” Lord Jesus , grandma told me that you exist but can’t be seen, she told me that you answers prayers of little children, she also told me that you are the father to the fatherless and the mother to the motherless. She told me that you help people in nee-d and that you care for the little children . If all what she said about you was right, why then do you watch me suffer in the hands of aunty Amara ? Why then do you watch her maltreat me like an animal? Why God?, Why?” Silently I asked God in prayers, as tears dr!pp£ddown from my eyes to my chin .
I was praying in tears when I heard a knocked on my door, the sound of the knock on the door reverberated in my ears but I kept quiet and kept on praying to the most high .
I prayed asking God to intervene in my life. I prayed for peace and love in the family of aunty Amara and in my family as well. I asked God to bring back my parents where ever they might be. I prayed like a prayer warrior in my mind.
After I had finished praying, I heard aunty Amara shouting outside .
” I asked you to call that boy for me what kept you so long ? She asked .
I was inside my room wondering who she s£nt to call me when I heard Chioma’s voice replying her.
” Mom, I knocked on the door but he didn’t open” Chioma replied .
” What do you mean he didn’t open ? ” Aunty Amara asked wrathfully .
I quic-kly opened the door and stood by the entrance as I heard her footsteps approaching to my room.
She walked to my door and saw me standing , she gazed at me angrily and dragged me by the shi-t outside the compound puring a bucket of cold water on me .
” Kneel down here!!” she sparked like a charcoal fire . I went down on my knees in tears like a robber who just committed a crime . My b©dy began shaking in the morning cold weather as my heart beat kept beating for fear .
” Who do you think you are in this house that I will s£nd to call you and you will lock the door on my daughter in my own house? I said it you are a spirit . Your parents left you because you are a curse. I don’t think I can continue keeping you in my own house , no, no I can’t .” She sparked and went back inside.
I was kneeling down with my clothes we-t, when Ada saw me , she stood by the door shading tears . Emeka her younger brother was with her as he kept pointing f!ngersat me ma-king mockery of me.
Ada walked up to me and said ; ” I don’t really know what to say to you Ben , if it was in my powers I will ask you to get up . It hurt me when I see you shading tears , it really hurt me when I see you sad, it truly hurt me . You can only do something to win mom’s heart ”
” What is it that I must do to win her heart? For I have prayed as grandma had said will work but it ain’t working at all. I just finished praying this morning but still yet it ain’t working . Seems like your Mom was right when she said my parents left me simply because I was cursed” I spoke in tears.
” You are not cursed Ben. Your parents didn’t left you because of that . All you nee-d to do is to keep praying they will surely locate you one day and am sure Mom will get to like you someday as well . Ada spoke in a cool voice .
I was in tears as I began to pray for a helper that morning. Just then I heard a car horn on the gate as ada rushed to get the gate .
“Who could that be ?” I thought to myself.
****
Episode 7
The breeze was b!owing , the sun was nowhere to be found, the weather was cold , I was we-t , my b©dy was shaking , I was in tears, my heart was pounding . ” Could this be my end ” I thought to myself ”
Ada opened the gate wi-dely and a black Toyota spider drove in, horning so loud to everyone’s hearing. Ada was smiling as she hurriedly shut back the gate .
” Who could that be ?” I watched as the car drove in slowly. I was in thought when the man in the Toyota spider got down.
He was tall and handsome. I watched Ada jumped on him shouting; “daddy, daddy” .
I was jealous watching Ada jumped on her Daddy’s b©dy . ” Why is my life different ? Why can’t my parents locate me so I could jump on them ? ” I thought to myself in tears .
I was t©uçhed wishing the man was my father , wishing he c@m£ to pick me away from aunty Amara’s house, wishing it was grandpa that c@m£ to end my suffering. I was catching cold so badly that any more drop of water on me could end my life .
” plea-se lord s£nd back my parents so I could jump on their b©dy wherever they might be ” I prayed silently as I looked up to the sky.
” Daddy good morning, am so happy to see you after seven months” Ada spoke with excitement holding his hands ti-ght to herself.
” Am also happy to see you too Ada . You have grown ooh, when I left you weren’t like this. Am sure Mom has been taking good care of you ” Ada’s dad added.
” I bought a lot of toys for you and your siblings , where are they ?” He asked . Just then aunty Amara, Chioma and emeka rushed out from the room happily .
” Daddy ” emeka shouted, running to his dad and jumped on him same with Chioma . They were so excited seeing their father .
Just then I remembered when Grandpa traveled and returned after some months grandma and i were so excited seeing him. I witnessed love from Grandma’s eyes as she welcomed him with a hvg. That day, grandpa bought a lot of gifts for me knowing he had no money but still won’t st©p to gratify me .
” Could Ada’s father bought me one?” I thought to myself shivering in the morning cold weather .
” Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Aunty Amara asked her husband hvgging him ti-ght to herself.
” I left kaduna with empty battery , and my car charger is faulty no how I could reach you guys and beside I wanted it a surprise ” he replied with a smile on his face .
“Daddy did you buy me any toys ?” Emeka asked .
” Yes son, I bought you toys and many things ” his father replied.
” Sweetheart, There’s cold here in Jos compared to kaduna where I work . I don’t like Jos just because of the cold weather. And see, emeka is not putting on his sweater . Go and wear his sweater for him there’s cold” aunty Amara’s husband spoke folding his hands ti-ght to his che-st.
I was in tears and cold listening to their conversation when aunty Amara’s husband decided to go inside because of cold .
As he was walking in, he saw me kneeling down very we-t in the cold weather by the corner. He stood and gazed at me from a distance. He was astonished seeing me shivering in the cold weather .
He walked to were I was kneeling down and said ;
” Why are you kneeling down in a cold weather so we-t ? Get up and Change up before you catch serious cold ” he spoke in amazement.
” Good morning sir, if I should get up aunty Amara will kill me , and I wouldn’t want her to hurt me anymore ” I replied in tears .
I saw the looks on his eyes , he was t©uçhed with my words as he instructed me to get up .
I didn’t disobey him because I remembered very clearly what grandma had told me . She said I should always respect my elders which I did. I got up as he instructed .
” Follow me ” he said . I followed him behind . He walked to the room angrily to meet aunty Amara his wife.
I was about to follow him to their be-droom when emeka st©pped me .
” Where do you think you are going to ?” He asked.
I kept quiet didn’t uttered a word to him but kept gazing at him .
” My daddy is back and am happy . You , you don’t have anyb©dy to call father or mother you are an orphan. Very soon I will tell my mommy to s£nd you out of our house ” he laughed ma-king fun of me.
I was t©uçhed as tears dr!pp£dfrom my eyes . Just then I heard aunty Amara and her husband shouting from inside their be-droom .
” How would you pure water on a child in a cold weather, what if he dies? what will you tell his parents? If it was your son emeka that they did that to, would you be happy? ” Her husband sparked .
” You didn’t asked what he did , you just jumped into conclusion as if I am a wicked woman . I don’t know you with such habit. I will deal with that boy I don’t know what he told you I did that is ma-king you back that thing you are supporting ” she replied angry .
” Don’t you near nor t©uçh that boy . You are heartless . How could you make a child kneel on a could weather puring water on him . Who does that to a child? Answer me who does that ? Haaaah, you are heartless” he spoke wrathfully.
I was listening to them in tears . ” Could aunty Amara’s husband be my helper? ” I thought to myself .
” I don’t want you to punish that little boy anymore. Let him have rest of mind . If you can’t take good care of him why did you brou-ght him in?” Aunty Amara’s husband asked angrily.
At that moment I didn’t hear aunty Amara’s voice anymore she was quite .
Later in the evening dinner was made and was brou-ght to the dining table, I quietly walked to my room because no matter what, I know aunty Amara won’t allow me eat from the same pot with her children instead she will serve me garri and salt .
So for that , I quietly went to my be-d . About some minutes later Ada walked in without knocking .
” Why do you always like going to be-d when ever lunch or dinner is served?” She asked.
I kept quiet gazing at her .
” Anyways Dad said I should call you to come and have dinner with us. You know you haven’t eaten for days ” she added .
I got up from the be-d and followed her to the dining table . Everywhere was stew as I watched emeka and Chioma eating my favorite meal . Pounded yam and egusi soup.
” Come and seat here with me ” aunty Amara husband instructed. I quic-kly went and sat beside him . Aunty Amara wasn’t there in the dining table .
He dished my own share of the pounded yam and went outside to make a phone call. I was eating and was feeling happy for it will be my second time to eat in the dining table .
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