Fatherless
Episode Six
It was really tough trying to convince my mom to leave the house.
When she fell, I quickly picked her up and helped her sit on the couch.
I asked her, “Do you want to leave me here with no one to take care of me, just like dad?”
She held my face and said, “Why would you even think that?
I’m sure your Uncle won’t do anything to me.
I’m stronger than him, spiritually and in every other way.”
She had a big smile on her face, and I could tell she felt victorious.
But deep down, we both knew that dad was the one who always prayed and encouraged her to go to church programs.
Ever since he passed away, we haven’t prayed together.
I held her hands and reassured her, “I’m not doubting your strength at all.
Let’s just leave this house for now and come back when everything is fine.
We’re not running away.” I tried my best to convince her, and finally, she gave in.
“Let’s pack our things and leave tomorrow morning,” she finally said.
But I couldn’t wait any longer. “Please, let’s go now.
I don’t want to spend any more time in this house,” I muttered, almost on the verge of tears.
She saw the tears welling up in my eyes and got up from the couch.
She said, “Let’s go inside and gather the things we’ll need.”
I let out a sigh of relief. It has never been easy to convince my mom to do anything, even when dad was around.
We went into the room and packed everything we needed, leaving the rest for Uncle Sipho and his family.
I had a strong belief that since we were still alive, we would be able to replace those things.
We loaded up the car trunk with all our belongings, and then mom opened the gate.
As we drove away, she closed the gate behind us.
Unfortunately, on our way, we spotted Uncle Sipho in his old, rickety car.
He signaled for us to stop, but I told mom not to stop.
She kept driving, and soon enough, we were out of his sight.
The question now was, where were we going?
It wasn’t easy leaving a house where we had everything, including dad’s two expensive cars, and heading to who knows where to start anew.
But as long as I was with my mom, I wasn’t worried one bit.
Finally, I mustered the courage to ask, “Mom, where are we going?”
I asked because the road we were on seemed unfamiliar.
She replied, “We’re going to Parys, your grandmother’s village.
We’ll come back when everything is fine.”As we were still on our way, she said, “I had a dream about your father.
He didn’t look happy. Even though he didn’t say anything, I could tell he misses his family a lot.”
I noticed she was getting emotional, so I changed the topic. “How long does it take to get to grandma’s house from here?”
I asked. She replied, “It’s about 120 kilometers from home, but we’re only about 20 minutes away now.”
I didn’t say any more word, I wanted her to concentrate.
I was admiring the beautiful trees along the road and how the car made them appear to move faster than usual.
Soon, I fell asleep. When I woke up, we were on a different road.
I didn’t recognize any of the roads because mom has never taken me to see grandma before.
Dad said they weren’t on good terms because grandma didn’t approve of their marriage.
Mom went against her mother’s wishes and grandma was upset.
I knew this journey was about reconciliation.
I wasn’t even sure if grandma knew that dad had passed away because she would have come to sympathize with us.
Finally, we arrived, and instead of being hostile, grandma welcomed us warmly.
It turned out that mom’s sisters were also there to visit grandma.
It became a family reunion.
In the morning, mom shared everything that had happened to them,
but her sisters had already informed grandma about everything, and she would have visited us any moment before we arrived.
Mom told them everything, including what Uncle Sipho had done.
And grandma applauded me for being brave enough to take care of her and advised her to leave.
I didn’t want to tell her that dad asked me to, I just sat there while she praised me.
She didn’t like Uncle Sipho at all and knew he was ēvil.
Finally, she spilled the beans by saying, “I’m sure that man kiłłed your husband.”
It was as if grandma knew it was actually true but it was just an assumption.
Mom defended him, which didn’t surprise me because “she never allowed anyone to speak ill of her husband’s family” according to grandma.
To her, Uncle Sipho wasn’t a bad person because he had helped her and dad in the past.
I interrupted their meeting by telling them I was hungry.
Uncle Sipho interrupted our breakfast back then in Johannesburg and we lost our appetites because of what he said.
Mom rushed to prepare something for dinner while her sisters joined her in the kitchen.
I sat outside with grandma, who told me stories just like dad used to.
It felt as if he was talking through her.
Soon, dinner was served, and we all ate.
The house was full and I didn’t even sleep well, I thought about how I usually have my big bed all to myself.
In the morning, mom woke me up with shocking news.
“Get ready,” she said. “You’re going to my sister’s house.
She will take care of you.”
I cried inside, knowing that this was another round of problems.
I didn’t have any objections.
Thessycute Ekene
