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Chapter 2 - Chapter1 Childhood

Growing up in the midst of my four siblings was one of the best things that has ever happened to me.That memory is priceless.

My name is Maureen. I have three sisters and a brother. the first child is lovely, second child James, third child Gift, fourth child Maureen which is me and the last born child is precious.

Our mother took up the sole responsibility of bringing the five of us up after our father died in a car accident in the year 2001. growing up without him wasn't easy at all because my mother suffered a lot in sun and rain just to make sure we had something on our table to eat. Sometimes she would cry when there is nothing to cook and after crying she would smile and say " God is in control". As a child then, I really wished I could do something to change things (our situation) at that moment but instead of looking for solution I would sit gently on Mama's lap and cry with her.

Things continued like that until 1st of January 2005 when one of my aunts came home from the city to our village for a special visit. The situation she saw shocked her to the bone because our traditions demands that every visitor get to eat good food unfailingly but in our own case reverse was the case because instead of eating from us, she gave us money to buy food stuffs which we later bought, prepared and everyone ate. That evening was the best evening ever, it was like Christmas day in our family compound because no one thought such a delicious food would come. After eating that evening, I had to apologize to my elder sister who prepared the food because I had earlier thought that she was a bad cook without knowing that it's as a result of few ingredients my mother always provide for her to cook with.

The next day when my anty was leaving for the city, she took my elder sister (lovely) along in order to lessen the burden of feeding five children from my mother's shoulder this means she only have four big mouth to worry about.

After lovely left, the whole house became lonely for me. I started minding my business because there is no one to fight for me anymore if I looked for trouble. even before their car left for the city I had already received a hard knock on my head simply because I stepped on gift toes. Gift is my elder sister, the third child of the family. she senior me directly.

Even though she is my sister, we don't get alone very well, she always beats me at any given opportunity and our mother who is always on stand by mood will beats her up as well whether am the one at fault or not that's not her problem, her point is "don't hits your younger one because you are stronger".

Our mother gave me so much attention over my rest siblings and that got into my head and I started to misbehave towards everyone knowing fully well that no one can touch me without going through my mother first. these actions of mine made my siblings afraid to beat me whenever our mother is at home and when she eventually leaves the house they will nearly kill me because all my offences of the past will be brought back to prevent, each offence goes for one stroke of the cane you can imagine how many strokes I received from one person. That's not all, as a child then my mother always leaves food for I and little sister Incase she doesn't return from the market on time, in order to extend my punishment, Gift and James will carry the food, eat it, and return the plate for me to wash while I and precious are to stay hungry untill our mother comes back. It was at this junction I realized that those two are crazy, my stubbornness was nothing compared to their own despite all the beatings they always receive because of me. they continued punishing me like that for days and I dare not tell our mother. well as God may have it, I managed to stay hungry the first day, second day, and on the third day I couldn't take it because everyone knows love food and I don't joke with my tummy.. this is a girl of eight years for God sake. so I started to cry for mercy, I begged them wholeheartedly because I don't know how to endure hunger but they can. so after some minutes, James gave me the food flask containing the food and I thank God the food was with James and not that stingy girl called gift because that one once she says a thing she stand on it till the end, if it was her am very sure she wouldn't have given me that flask. I was really happy when I received it, I hugged them one after the other as I opened the flask; the food wasn't much but yet I shared it with them after all we are siblings.