Not too long after Helen must have gone home, Chika let out a shrill cry indicating he was awake. I carried him cautiously and bounced him succesiuvely soas to stop his crying, but he woiuld only stop for an instant, and if i made to sit doqwn,he would let his mouth go loose. I danced and cuddled him to stop his tears, but all were to no avail. I even feed him a bowl-full ofd his cerelac meal, but immediately after the meal, he went back to Egypt. He sure knew how to frustarte my life. I danced round the living room chanting'Onye tiri nwa na-ebe akwa; egbe tiri nwa na-ebe akwa...'hoping aunt Nkem would come back as soon as possible to take proper care of him. And just at that time, when it seemed i had attained breaking point, her honk blarred from outside of the gate. It blarred again and again. i waited for her to show up, but yet, she kept blarring her honk. I decided to step outside to see what might have delayed her or obstructed her view and caused such non-stop honking.As i stepped into the compound, i saw aunt Nkemjika walk in through the pedestrian gate, her countenance did not look good, but i could not say or do anything. She threw open large black compound gate and disappeared right back into the driver's seat and drove the silver lexus 350 under the green trampolene that provided it's shade. As she stepped out of the car, i walked back into the house while still bouncing the little Chika who had strangely enough stopped crying.
"Good evening ma". I greeted as she walked into the living room, but she neglected my greerting and quicklytook little Chika away from my arms; and then i thougfht i saw that look. That terrifying look from my dream a few weeks ago. It was a terrifying glare, that doom's day look on her face. I felt my face drained of every bit of blood. My heart throbbed uncontrollably, i prayed silently for nothing but peace.
Not long after shemust have taken Chika into her room, she came bsck into the lliving room where i lay down spread-eagle on the three-seater cushion.
"Why didn't you come and open the gate when you heard me horn?" she asked as the look on her face tightened. I looked at her with mouth agog not knbowing what to say.
"I asked you a question, didn't i?". She retorted. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
"Am i not speakiung to a human being?"She repeated
"I was bouncing Chika because he wuldn't stop crying" i replied.
"So you could not drop him and grab the gate?". She reasoned.
"I didn't know you wanted me to open the gate for you"
"So i now do the thinking for you? I bu onye nzuzu? Are you a stupid person?. She thundered. By now Chika whom she had been carrying had begun to cry, but she neglected him.
"No ma, it's just that...my brain short-circuited because i wasn't able to come up with any other explanation probably because my brain had gone dumb from not going to school and lots of movies.
Within the blink of an eye, she had dropped Chika on the floor and descended on me, she made a play thing with me that very day. I could not find my voice to cry, but managed to wince in pain. When she feltt satisfied,, she let me sob my eyes out as she disappeared once agin iunto her room.
I staggewred into my room and collapsed into my bed. I put my face into my pillow and cried my eyes out. My heart was bleeding. My gut feeling had alwas been right. She must have been camouflaging all this while. I was emotionally shaken. It had finally dawned on me that my night mare was transgressingf into reality
"Come and carry this baby and let me find something to eat" Aunty Nkem comanded as she stormed into my room. I dragged my broken body up from it's moaning position and carried Chika from her arms. She walked away towards the kitchen and caame back just as immediately as she had left.
"Who used up my garri and devoured my soup?" she qyeried without the slightest trace of a smile across her lips.
"I did, Helen visited as usual and we had lunch while she was here". Iu answered guiltlessly.
"So you now use my ingredients without proir permission, what audacity?"
I was more than shocked by her reaction; just like Chrtistiandom in Heatherndom…Neopaganism.
"But it was our usual Saturday lunch". I answered not ready for another rouynd of beating.
"So you brought Helen to my house and made a feast out of my ingredients with that good for nothing child?" She rattled on.
"No ma, but the garri ande soup would last through out next week" i retoted.
Aunt Nkemjika ws by now filled with rage as she surged towards me. She gently pulled chika out of my gripm, dropped him on my bed and resumed her beatings. This time, i found my voice to cry and did a good job while at it. She stopped when she seemed exhaustred, i had taken two beatings in a day, only God knew what would be my lot in the future.
I could not decipher what suddenly was the root cause of the problem, but whatever it waas, it was not good. I pulled outr my diary from underneath my pillow and wrote in it with my tears...
"Life which was once rosy
has shown me its thorns
my heart is in geat despair and greiviance
my courage in great despondence
the storm I had seen in a tea cup
has finally transmogrified into reality
my world has met a terrible storm,
indeed, my future has been turned to ashes..."
*******************************
"mom, what kind of person cracks such expensive joke, you are definitely fine,so what's the fuse about?" maria reasoned with an obviously faked laughter on her innocent face.
"It's true my dear, my story is not onr to sjare, but i have to"
"Continue mom" Robin urged. And immediately, the power holding companyu restored electricity.
"NEPA" Screamed Maria.
"But you have to finish your story mum, it's way more important than any other movie rught now" She continued. I smiled satisfactorily, it was one of those moments when she acted more like an adult.
"Yes mum" Robin agreed. I took a deep breath in and out; and continued my narration.