My mind came back to reality when I realized that someone was knocking on the door. I had stayed too long in the bathroom. My stomach made some somersaults immediately and I did puke, came out of the bathroom to let the intruder in, but I didn't return to the hall until I could hear a sign that it was ending already. I might not be able to control hearing Uncle Robinson talk. I might hit him with my shoe or something. Nobody knew about the incident which happened the previous night. I couldn't even talk to anyone about it. Who would I possibly tell? maybe if my sister comes into the world, I'd tell her all about it. Yeah I could tell Mike Tony. But he was not around. His door had been locked right from the day before that fateful night when mom was attacked. He was in fact not in the house when the incident happened. I wondered where he was. I wondered what had happened to him. Every parent talked about him, and the few who had his number tried calling his cell all to no avail. The
It was then I noticed what the noise was all about. There in the middle of the compound was a big blue truck with several things in the boot , parked near Mark Tony's house, and in the truck was Mike Tony, shooing away the kids gently so he could alight from the driver's seat. There was a man sitting beside him. A man as tall as him. They were both looking cheerful and pleased to see the kids. Mike Tony! Mike Tony was back. Immediately it registered in my brain, I ran towards him and jumped into his arms. He picked me up and rolled me in the air. Other kids begged to be moved that way, amidst happy laughters and rejoicing. I was heavy, but he moved me like I was as light as a feather. I hugged his neck and rested my head on his chest, completely forgetting my mother's errand. The other man began to release the items in the truck. Other neighbors whose parents were around came out of their rooms to sneak a peek at Mike Tony. They hugged him and some shook his hands. He was indeed a
I said that that night was rough because mom kept waking up and turning in bed because she had backaches. But it was also rough because I woke up around 2:00am with beads of sweat on my forehead and chin even though it was warm inside. I had had a bad dream, and I was so scared that I had to stir mom in her sleep so she'd wake up. I wanted her to calm me down, and tell me it was all a dream. It was dark because she had turned off the lights and I was afraid. The lights was one of the things that bothered her so much those days due to her pregnancy. She hated seeing any light at night; it made her very irritable. It must be really frustrating to have a bun in the oven. When she opened her eyes, she held my hands and prayed. It was one thing she did regularly. She prayed, went to church and took me with her. She also hugged me, with me avoiding her large stomach for fear of hurting the baby. I told her that I had dreamed that the baby in her stomach died. She prayed against it and tol
The week after my encounter with Uncle Robinson (Sword) was lonely. Every day grew lonelier than the previous. I dreaded school and coming back home after school was not even helping that much, because most of the kids went on a holiday during the week, and so there was almost no one to play with. I didn't even have the mind to play. I was not free. I grew restless everyday as a result of my experiences. Whenever I wondered where the kids went to, I would ask their parents for the umpteenth time. "To their Granny's or Grandpa's", their parents would say whenever you asked them where their sons and daughters were. It was lonelier because mom was not usually around when I needed her. She left for work in the morning, around 8am and didn't return until late into the night. She basically had her day off home. I wonder who was she always out with. Could it be that guy?? She was pregnant for God's sake! But she didn't care. She always returned home tired, but happy. You know that feeling
It was so cold outside...so I just cuddled myself under my duvet. I caught a cold the previous night, and coupled with fever, I felt so sick. I was determined to stay indoors throughout that day. My head was throbbing, and my eyes had this heat that made me uncomfortable. Mom had given me some pills before she left my side. I hated how I was feeling and mom was sorry. I was so sick and she wanted to take me to an hospital but I refused. I didn't think it was that bad, besides, I preferred my bed to the hospital beds. She knew it was because of the stress she had been making me go through. "Ariana, get me this, go there for me, pull me up, massage me, bring me some water, do it this way" all those errands wore me out already. I just wanted to be left alone. I was only a child. Mom stayed by my side for hours, apologizing: "I'm sorry, darling" she pleaded. Even when I told her it was fine that she could leave, she still stayed by me. "Please forgive me darling""Mom, it's not your fau
I didn't go to school the following week because I was waiting for it, and because I was still very sick. And it came. Mom came into my room, hugging me and trying not to cry. "Be calm, darling. You really need to be, there's something I need to tell you" She helped me sit up. Mom was already on her eighth month running. The pregnancy I mean. Cameron was still not back. "What is it mom?" "Your friend, ...your friend, Joe..." She stuttered, trying to look all right."Joe is dead?"I asked carefully. She nodded slowly, unable to process everything. Now the tears ran down her face freely. "How did you hear it?" I asked. Mom was surprised to find me calm."Someone told me this morning. I went there to confirm it, you were still asleep when I left...I ..." She broke down in tears and i just watched"Mom, don't cry please" i told her. "It's fine" i already knew. I didn't say that to her. He already told me. He told me he was going to a better place and there was nothing anyone could do
Cameron returned home at exactly 6:45pm that evening. To my surprise, he embraced mom tightly, until she yelled that he was hurting her belly. They both laughed as he apologized, and for some reason, I loathed that moment. I just hoped in my mind that he'd not hit mom again and she'd deliver the baby safely. "Look at you!" He said laughing. "Ain't you just a strong woman, carrying a whole human in your tummy! Or are they two? When are you due, babe?" He asked. I wondered what kind of husband he was. He didn't even know how many months his wife had been pregnant. The pregnancy he put there."I'm 32 weeks gone, Cameron" she said going back to the kitchen and Cameron walking towards his room. I walked past him towards the main door, and he pulled me back. "Your daddy is back, little big thing" he said. "Are you behaving at school?" He asked. He actually did bend down to my height to look at me closely."Get your hands off me!" I yelled and stormed out of the house. He turned back and s
I was sleepy but I tried to keep myself awake. I checked the time on the wall of the hospital, it was about half past 3am. Or was it 2am? I didn't see because my eyes were already blurry. Mom had been inside the ward for an hour or so. Jack was fully awake, watching over me. God too. Lol. He noticed that I was sleepy and offered to take me home but I told him not to mind, that I was fine. He asked if I was hungry but I said no, even though my stomach was rumbling. I just wanted to sleep but I wanted to see the baby first. I wanted to be sure mom was okay, including the baby, and I could tell from Jack's confused expression that he as well as I needed to know what transpired between mom and Cameron, how she got to the foot of the tree, how her phone's screen broke, and the streak of blood from her leg? For now, she had to be fine first. They had fought again, obviously. Only God knew what they fought over, this time. But deep down, I was glad that the baby in mom's stomach was not aff