Fatherless
Episode Ten
I didn’t even let her finish talking, I had already gone inside to grab my clothes.
I packed a few things and brought them outside while she stood there, looking at me.
I didn’t care to know what was on her mind, all I knew was that I was going home.
I packed a few other things I could find, and she could already see the eagerness in my eyes that I was ready to go.
Then she stopped me and said, “Nathan, tomorrow we’ll go.
Just get your clothes ready and be prepared to wake up early in the morning.”
She wasn’t supposed to tell me to wake up early because just the thought of going home would make me wake up early.
I packed my clothes inside and arranged them, thinking about how my mom would react to my peēling skin.
I knew she would be extremely upset and would probably cry.
Mom was so good at crying that my dad and I hid a lot of things from her.
Like that one time I bumped into the door and got hurt.
My dad rushed to clean me up and hid it from mom because he knew if she saw it, she would start crying.
Dad couldn’t stand her tears, and honestly, I couldn’t either.
If it were up to me, I would try my best to hide everything from mom so that she wouldn’t break down.
I knew she would start blaming herself for what happened, and that wouldn’t make me happy.
I had also imagined the positive side, like how happy my mom would be when she finally sees me and gives me a big hug.
I thought about how much I had grown while staying at my aunt’s house, feeling like I had gotten a bit taller.
I couldn’t contain my excitement, so I waited for my good neighbor to come back and then I snuck out to share the good news with her.
I told her, “I’m finally going back home to my mom” She couldn’t believe it and was so happy for me.
She asked me to pray that my aunt doesn’t do anything bad to me on the way because she doesn’t trust her.
I nodded as she spoke. When I went back to the house, my aunt didn’t even ask where I went or threāten to hurt me like she usually does.
Instead, she suddenly became calm and asked me if I was hungry and wanted dinner.
I responded with a clear “no.” She seemed too good to be true, and I didn’t want to rīsk eating the food she prepared the night before my freedom.
I was afraid she might pōison it and fulfill her plans to harm me so I wouldn’t be able to join my father. I wasn’t ready for that yet.
She didn’t bother me that night, so I just lay down to sleep.
Even though I wasn’t comfortable in the house, I kept waking up at intervals to check if she would hārm me in any way.
I would wake up and see if she was still sleeping beside me.
She was sleeping and even snoring, but I still woke up to check if she had woken up at some point.
The next morning, I was the first one to wake up.
I had already planned to continue sleeping in the car because I knew that if I made Aunt Nomvula angry, she wouldn’t think of taking me back home.
I made sure my bag was neatly packed, and I took my bath before anyone else in the compound.
The compound was always the first to go to the bathroom, and I was the first one for the day with other people waiting for their turns.
I had to hurry up and take my bath. I wore any clothes without caring how they looked.
My aunt even told me to go and change if I was following her anywhere, and I had no choice but to obey.
She brought out a new set of clothes, jeans and a top.
That was the first time she gave me clothes in her house. I just looked at them with tears forming in my eyes.
I didn’t even believe my aunt would treat me that way in her house.
I had expected her to treat me like a mother would. But there was no use crying.
I was breaking free from her grip. I wore the clothes, which looked so good on me.
She even complimented me and then she also bathed and wore her own clothes.
I didn’t believe I was going home until we boarded a cab from Vanderbijlpark back to Parys.
On the road, I made sure to read all the signposts to see if we were on track.
Although I was too excited and forgot to pray, I remembered in the car and prayed in my heart.
This time, the journey was longer. I don’t know why, maybe because the last time I slept on the road.
But before I could even blink, I felt a touch. It was my aunt tapping me, letting me know that we had finally arrived.
We proceeded to bring out our bags from the trunk and walked into the compound.
I spotted my mom sweeping the floor, and a smile spread across my face.
I knew the real drama had started.
Thessycute Ekene
