In her entire life, Jade never saw so much blood, except for the little blood that came out of her finger the day she cut herself with blade. She also saw blood the day she fell from their neighbour's staircase. At first, the wound was very white, before blood gushed out after few minutes. Jade ran home crying that very day, but, that did not hinder her from going back to the place. That day, what Jade saw at first was what looked like blood - the stew her mother took from the canteen which was supposed to be the assurance of their dinner and breakfast. After series of shouts that caught Jade's attention, the next thing she saw was her mother's body on the ground like a carefully placed bag of rice. Her hand bag that housed the Fufu and Eba for the night's dinner was just in front of the car, while the bag on her mother's head that housed the stew and Egusi soups had jumped off her mother's head as if trying to flee the accident. But, the bag did not survive it. Neither did the bowls of soups survive it. The driver hastily opened the car door, as he put his two hands on his head to show a sign of trouble. Still like a bag of rice, Adaobi was carried into the car that knocked her, allowing her to betray her agreement with the fufu, Eba and the soups which were scattered across the road. Jade ran towards her mother, but it took Mama Titi and a guy to prevent her from running after the car. But, they boarded a taxi and followed the car carrying Adaobi. The hospital was not far from the scene of the accident, and in no time, Adaobi was taken to the emergency room. But, as if the Doctor was in a hurry, he came out almost immediately. "We tried out best, but... " The driver was the first to let out a shrill cry. Maybe he was used to doctors' words. His cry came immediately he heard the Doctor say, "but". Mama Titi's cry was louder than the driver's. One cannot be sure if her tears was because Adaobi was dead, or because Adaobi was owing her #5,000 which she borrowed to pay Jade's school fees. Whatever her reason maybe, Mama Titi cried, while Jade had nobody to console her at the hospital.
Everybody cried. Adaobi's children cried. Her husband cried. Her rival cried, and even her chickens cried. After some months, things fell back to normal, and Adaobi's children were faced with the challenge of having to feed themselves when their step-mother suddenly declared publicly that she can no longer feed them. Akin did not stop getting drunk. Infact, Adaobi's death only made him drink more, and in turn abandoning the children of the deceased. As a teenager, the three boys took to the street to get food for themselves and their little sister. They would go in the morning, and come back late at night. Jade herself learnt how to run little errands in the neighbourhood for a meal or anything edible that would come out of it. There was a young bachelor who lived in the next compound, he would always send Jade to buy things for him, and on many occasions, he would send her to get different items at the same place, on different times. Jade, innocently did not see anything wrong with that. She would take her eleven years old self, and run like a deer, while sometimes, she would simply gallop like a horse. But, after galloping to get the young bachelor an item one day, the door behind her was locked. "Jade! " The bachelor called as he moved closer to her.
© 2016. Austus Ofmat Nwanne
"What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" Those were the words of Langston Hughes in one of his poems. What is the fate of four motherless children living with a father who cares less about what happens to them, and a step-mother who doesn't even want to see them live the next day? Jade is now trapped in a bachelor's room with the door locked. What happens to her 11 years old self? Join me again next week as we continue the story.
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HAPPY WEEKEND !!!
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OFMAT AUSTUS NWANNE
Inspirational Speaker/Media Consultant,
Swift24 Multimedia Services.
+2348072970850
Mrtackle2009@gmail.com
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