It's a cloudy evening, everyone was running off their feet to pack so that they could escape being wet by the intending rain.
It's like the rainy season, had been distracted by some unidentified forces. The rain had not been regular as was supposed by that time of the season.
It was assumed by all, that the cloudy whether would surely be accompanied by a heavy down pour.
The market had been deserted earlier than usual by the traders.
The customers as well had all left the market for the same fear of being wet by the on coming rain.
Kalu was confident as he alighted from the commercial bus at his bus stop. He knew that no matter how soon the rain might be unleashed by the dark cloud, he would be inside the house before he could get wet.
He strolled lazily along the street for he knew that he would have to spend longer time than usual inside before the bed time once he got inside the house.
He would prefer to hang around for sometime before entering the house so
he diverted to John's street to see if John was back.
He needed to spend some time outside with John before entering inside, because he had pretended to be sick the last time John visited. Since then they had not really been together.
From afar, before he could come close to the gate, he had already observe the big padlock at the mouth of the gate, an indication that no one was at home.
The hazy wind was gradually intensifying accompanied by thunder rumble. A clear indication that the rain was imminent.
Everyone in the street was hurrying to get to their various homes except for few like Kalu whose houses where just at a stone throw.
That kind of rain usually takes the whole night once it started
The more one expected it to subside the heavier it would get.
The breeze got a bit intense as light drops were beginning to be experienced.
Kalu now decided to go home.
A man who was also among those hurrying back home that just walked past him had predicted with a high level of certainty in his tone like an experienced metrologist that the weather just wanted to distract the people. "This rain is already falling in some other area" he said "The probability of this heavy cloud bringing rain here is zero, this breeze is all we could experience...."
The prediction of the man had made Kalu more reluctant in going home. He had seen through it and discern some decree of accuracy.
He wouldn't want a situation whereby he would go into the house and change to his home wears for the fear of the rain, by the end of the day, the cloud would disperse and the sky would return to its brightness without bringing any rain. Then he would be left with no choice than to remain at home.
As he was counting his steps back to the house. Close to their house, he saw an old woman that seemed to have had her eyes affected by some dust particles raised by the ferocious whirlwind that most times characterized the Advent of a heavy rain.
The old woman was standing by the side of the road, robbing her eyes with her bay fingers trying to get rid of the dust particles for she couldn't see clearly again to continue on her way.
Kalu got close to her and greeted her. The old woman who had finally succeeded in removing the dust before kalu could get close enough, didn't hesitate in asking for his assistant.
She needed someone to help her in continuing her journey, though she had succeeded in removing the dust particles but the eyelids still fluttered from the pain of the dust's impact. Moreover the eyeball was red from the robbing of the fingers in her attempt to remove the dust particles.
Kalu whose believe had already aligned with what he had earlier heard from the man about the rain falling somewhere else decided to help the woman.
He held the old woman by the hand like where a blind man is led.
And he was forced to reduce to the pace of the woman in movement for compatibility.
They continued in short strides.
The old woman in an attempt to bring liveliness into the company, brought up the narration of how she had decided to take a stroll round the environment that evening after being subjected to so much boredom by the absence of her grandchildren who normally came around to keep her company.
The children had all gone back to school the previous day for they were in a boarding school and the holiday was over.
She resided down the next street.
Kalu's only contribution to the conversation was "yes" or "no" depending on the one that was required.
He was not familiar with the old woman and was making her acquaintance just that day.
Before they got to the compound where the woman had pointed as we're she stayed, the prediction of the man who earlier said that the rain wasn't likely to fall seemed to be gradually taking place.
The heavy cloud was now being gently dispersed. The atmosphere was beginning to brighten up once again.
The breeze appeared to have blown the intended rain away.
Everywhere gradually returned to normal and people were no more in a hurry to go home.
One thing the cloudy whether had succeeded in doing was destabilising some people's plan.
For someone like Kalu could have still been in the market by now.
Maybe at this time he might just begun to talk about packing.
He was trying to help the woman cross the little gutter infront of the compound before bidding her goodbye when the big black entrance gate of the compound opened to a young man.
The young man started questioning the old woman without caring about who had brought her home.
"Mama where have you been? I have been around for over an hour searching for you!" He said sarcastically.
The man wanted to continue with taking the woman inside for Kalu had already crossed her to the other side of the gutter where the man was standing. And the old woman showed her appreciation by raining prayers on him ignoring the questions of the young man.
As the young man stretched his hand to hold the woman's hand, Kalu spotted the glittering wrist watch on his wrist.
The same wrist watch that was seized by those men few days ago when he had gone to search for Rose.
There was a crack on the glass of the watch which occurred as a result of his carelessness on a day he decided to wear the watch to the market.
That day, he was about to carry some goods which he had helped a customer purchased from another shop.
He removed the watch from his wrist and put it in his back pocket to avoid damaging.
After he had brought the goods to the customer at the shop and was through with the whole transaction with him, he got seated on the wooden seat that had a strong rough surface, without remembering that he had the watch in his back pocket.
The feeling of something solid and the mild cracking sound of a hard glass object, made him jump up immediately as his buttocks had contact with the seat.
He dipped his hand in his back pocket and discovered that it was the watch. He Pouted in frown as he brought out the watch seeing that it had got a line on the glass.
Though the line wasn't too obvious for the watch was original and the glass was of a strong rubber texture.
The pattern of the line that was made by the crack was irregular in a way that could be described as unique.
When Kalu saw the watch on the wrist of that man it was quite easy for him to recognise that it was the very watch that was given to him as a birthday gift by his uncle.
He was startled at what he had seen. Then he looked intently at the man's face and just like the sun flower brightened with the emergence of the sun, the true picture of the face brightened in his memory.
Everything about the face became undoubtedly clear to him.
The man was one of those men that had robbed him of the watch in Rose's compound the day he was there to find Rose.
Kalu called out to the man as he was already leading the old woman inside and was about to jam the gate.
"excuse me sir" he called.
The man paused letting go of the woman's hand.
It was like it just occurred to the young man at that moment that someone just brought his mother home and he hadn't shown his appreciation.
He was the last son of the old woman.
"Am sorry for my manners!" he apologized "I was just carried away.... thank you so much for helping my mother."
He wanted to jam the gate again and continued on his way after he had rendered the apology but Kalu called out to him again.
"I wanted to see you brother!" kalu said in a gentle manner.
The man came outside this time while the old woman continued on her way to the house that was not so close to the gate.
He stared at Kalu as he approached trying to see if he could remember where he had encountered the face.
For it seemed to him that he had seen the face before, but where exactly? was the big question in his mind.
The gentleness in his manner as he came to hear Kalu out, boosted kalu's morale in telling him about the watch.
At first he wanted to pick offence when Kalu made the first statement.
"This wrist watch you are putting on, belongs to me" he said.
"What kind of statement is that" the young man rebuffed.
Perceiving the anger that was already building up in his tone, Kalu knew that he needed to go straight to the narration. Even if he denied by the end of the day, at least Kalu would know that he had cleared his mind by letting the man know that he recognised him so well.
After Kalu had narrated to him bit by bit how he was stripped of all he had that day. He even went to the extent of telling him the particular spot he was seated that day and the cloth he was putting on.
The young man's memory was now recalled on where he had seen the face before.
He knew that all Kalu had narrated were nothing but the truth. He couldn't deny a single fact about it.
He had no option than to remove the wrist watch and gave it back to him instantly.
He also promised to pay all those money that was collected from Kalu by his colleagues that day.
He dived into his pocket as he was speaking and fished out some money, after counting it, he gave all to kalu. It was one thousand naira.
Kalu had told him that the total money collected from him was three thousand naira.
He asked him to come back by that same time tomorrow to take the remaining two thousand naira.
He pleaded passionately with Kalu to forgive him for whatever harm or discomfort they might have caused him as a result of their action and not to let anyone know about it.
The worst thing that could happen to the young man was for his old mother to know that he was involved in that kind of act. For the heartbreak it would cause the woman could surely lead her to an early grave.
The woman had given all she had and endured all kinds of sufferings just to make sure she gave her children the best both in education and moral as a widow who lost her husband early in marriage.
And by the help of God, she got the result of her good labour in all except for that last boy who at some point in his life decided to divert and started keeping company with good for nothings which led to his expulsion from school.
Though he still endeavoured to put on the coat of pretence whenever he found himself anywhere around the mother.
If anything should happen to the old woman as a result of his misconducts and bad behavior, the other of his siblings would hold him squarely responsible and he was so much aware of that.
All his other siblings were well mannered and highly placed in the society and never took anything related to their mother for granted.
Inorder to justify the innocence he was trying portray, he went further in explaining to kalu how he wasn't part of of the gang.
" I was only there to visit a friend of mine" he lied.
Forgetting that Kalu saw the wrap of Indian hemp in the possession of each and everyone of them that day.
Kalu was at least extremely glad that he had recovered his wrist watch and was about to recover all the money he lost.
The man's explanation of how he was not part of the gang and how he was the best man on the planet wasn't his business for he was in no position to caution or to scold him for any of his misbehaving.
The weather had finally cleared, the deceptive rain as kalu described it was to his favour.
Had it been he was still in the market, he wouldn't have met the old woman.
His ealier anger about the rain disrupting the business of the day now turned into a joy that knew no bound as he walked back home.
Clara quietly walked into the compound of their family house.
she had come to see the mother, in response to the written note she had dropped at the handle of her door the previous day.
Her plan was to first go into her room and take the picture where she had been guessing it could be on top of the wardrobe before the mother could realize that she was around.
If the mother knew that she was around she would be definitely choked up in a long discussion at once and she might not find the space to go for the picture anymore. She was fully aware of that.
She peeped through the window of the sitting room and there was no one in sight. She knew that once the mother wasn't in the sitting room watching the television or in kitchen preparing the dinner then she would be free to first enter her room and carry out the assignment before it would come to the notice of the mother that she was around.
She walked slowly to the window of the kitchen which was a bit higher than the Windows of the other rooms and stretched out her neck in peep as well.
Luck wasn't smiling to her for the mother was there in the kitchen as she had guessed preparing the dinner.
Clara already knew that her initial plan had collided with a big rock.
But she had made up her mind to go with that picture this time around even before leaving her house.
"I must comeback with that picture this time around no matter what!...." she assured herself.
She stood outside for a while racking her brain on the next plan to embark on.
The mother who was alerted by the sound of the opening door quickly rushed out of the kitchen to see who she thought was an intruder as soon as Clara opened the door to enter the house. For she entered without even knocking.
She had to swallow the harsh and intimidating questions that was almost at the tip of her lips on seeing that it was her own daughter.
After they had exchanged pleasantries, the mother invited her to the kitchen. The mother had been known to cherish discussion while busy with the house chores most especially during cooking.
Clara followed gently as they walked back to the kitchen, after she had dropped her handbag on the leather cushion there in the sitting room.
The mother started by inquiring how she had been coping with work and the experience of staying all alone in the house as a woman? A question she hadn't failed to ask each time she was with Clara.
Even though Clara had challenges, she knew she could never discuss it with the mother. For the only challenge she could see as it stood, was the situation of Rose, an issue the mother detested so much.
She claimed being comfortable with the work and the experience of staying all alone. Her face rounded with a smile as she talked for the mother was watching the face to catch even the most subtle nuance of expression.
She told the mother how she had been recently promoted at the place of work just to convince her that she was comfortable with the way her life had been playing out.
But she knew quite alright that no achievement mattered to the mother than to see her settle down with a man.
The mother engaged her in cutting the vegetables for she was preparing Egwusi soup- A native soup that was time consuming in preparation.
Egwusi soup was Clara's favourite soup. she already knew on perceiving the sweet aroma that there was no rushing back home this time. She had to have the dinner with the mother before going home.
As she was cutting the leaf, she exercised a great deal of carefulness as the mother had advised.
The knife with which she cut was extremely sharp, any slight mistake could lead to a fatal injury.
It occurred to her as she cut the vegetables that now they were in the kitchen was the best time for her to quickly sneak in to her room and take the picture.
She pretended to be pressed and took permission from the mother to ease herself.
The rest room was situated opposite the kitchen. She timed when the mother was backing the kitchen door, as she was adding some ingredients in the pot before taking the permission.
To Clara's greatest disappointment, she discovered that the door was locked with a padlock as she wanted to sneak into her room which was adjacent to the rest room.
A new development that she witnessed for the first time on that day.
She diverted to the rest room, to discharge the little urine that was just accumulating in her bladder, so that her assertion of being pressed could be justified.
As the mother was chanting on what Clara could describe as trivialities, though Clara was sure that she was just bidding her time to pounce on the main issue that had made her drop the written note on the handle of her door.
Clara's attention was divided on what the mother was saying and how she could get the key of padlock with which she had locked her room, without raising any suspicion.
If she asked her for the key, she would give it to her, but she knew the mother so well, she would always want to know the reason she wanted to go inside the room.
Not that she was always asking as an act of suspicion but it was an act of care to her.
She was a kind of mother that always cared to know everything about her children so that she could know where to lend a hand in assistance if the situation called.
After they were through with the preparation of the dinner, Clara had decided to lie that she wanted to take a little mirror that the mother bought for her while she was still in the college back then.
The mother bought the mirror for her then because she complained she needed a hand mirror which could be contained in her hand bag. For large mirrors were not allowed in her hostel back then.
She had almost opened her mouth to ask when she remembered that the mother took the mirror to her own room when she packed out of the house.
The mother reminded her of the mirror then but she refused to take it. She said she had no need for it anymore since she had bought a bigger one.
Now nothing was close at mind as an excuse to ask the woman for the key.
It was already dark, the mother had diverted the discussion to how the elder brother had brought home a young lady the other day and introduced her as his fiancee.
She wasn't so comfortable with the composure and behavior of the lady.
The son spent two days in the family house with the young girl. In those two days, the young lady never stretched a finger in attending to house chores.
All she cared for was how to make herself comfortable and hang out with her man.
Clara in advising the mother to overlook the girl's attitude since her brother had insisted that she was his missing rib never knew that the discussion was spinning to her direction.
She was surprised on how the discussion took a sharp turn.
"Why did you tell Alex that your sister Rose was still alive?" the mother asked in-between the breath of her brother's discussion.
The question swept Clara off her feet.
in her widest imagination, she couldn't believe that Alex could take that discussion to the mother or anyone else.
The last time Alex was in her house, she had rejected his gift and said some other disheartening things to him.
" I haven't yet agreed to your proposal...." was the statement that Clara thought Alex could have reported to the mother. she never pictured he could go as far as divulging other discussions to her.
The very same issue that made her move out of the family house. The same issue that made every of her family members almost labelled her a lunatic. The same issue that she had fought so hard to keep up her sleeves since the death of their father, for over two years now.
And she had been on the winning side by effecting the impression that the issue was part of her past on the mother and other siblings.
Now Alex had exposed her whole feelings in a twinkle of an eye.
Alex had revealed her secret war to the people that never believed or supported her just because she was simply looking for a soldier to fight alongside her.
Clara was pinned to the spot. There was nothing to say as the mother continued to emphasize and admonish her on the issue, where would she begin to defend herself?
"I thought you have already overgrown that childish idea.... At this age you should be able to differentiate between reality and fantasy..." she advised.
Clara was incarcerated in a dark mood all through the evening.
She was picking at the dinning. The appetite she had for her best soup which she rejoiced upon learning that it was being prepared for dinner was no where to be found.
The mother noticed how the discussion had affected her mood and she tried all she could to revive her. But Clara only pretended to be alright.
Inasmuch as she was devastated by the discussion, she had never given up on her mission.
She was still very anxious of taking that picture. She knew that the only way it could be possible that day was for her to spend the night in the family house.
Thank God there would be no work the next day, it was a public holiday.
When the mother reminded her of the time for it was already getting late, she told her that she would be spending the night.
The mother went and brought out the key to her room.
She was so happy that Clara would be spending the night and she wanted them to stay all through the evening in discussion but Clara after being with her for a while claimed she was having a headache so that she could go inside her room and lie down.
All she wanted at the moment was to be alone.
As soon as she came into her room she went straight to the top of the wardrobe where she had assumed the picture should be.
Fortunately she was able to find it there.. she carefully hid the picture in her hand bag after staring at it for sometime before retiring to one of her night wears which she had left behind for such days when she had to spend the night.