MOTHER!
Episode 5
Then I will always tell papa that he will be fine, I had thought overnight that I am going to start working as from tomorrow, I will write letters to shops and offices if they can employ me for menial jobs so I can be buying drugs for my father, I don’t want that good soul to die, he is the only one I have.
Very early the next day, as usual my mom want me to hawk and said “Bukunmi today, you will have to sell this pap, i added pap to my business and you know it sell well in the morning” I looked at her disgusted because by this time of the day, all my mates are in school receiving lectures, if not for my school withdrew, I should be writing my SSCE by now well God’s time is the best, Papa’s health is first because I know if he get well, he will send me back to school, he had feel my mom’s wickedness, I had to politely inform her about my plans because I don’t want any drama.” Mummy, as we know I am meant to be in school by now but with Papa’s health and how you have withdrawn me from school, I couldn’t continue my education but that should not be my limit, I have decided to go in search for work so I can be able to take care of my basic needs most especially Papa’s health” I said to her but instead of her to feel bad about my statement she only laughed hysterically and told me that ” wait when has companies started employing illiterate like you? and as fkr school, If I had wasted money on you for schooling you will take the whole education to your husband’s kitchen and nothing more, so why should I waste my money in training you to put your certificate under the bed and work in the kitchen for your husband?” this response didn’t go well with me and I will have to clear mama that Education for girls is not only limit to kitchen, what a man can do even if a woman can’t do best, she will do it better, even though I have little education I do read books a lot and I have read about a lot of successful women in the society who had attain great height because of their Education, with all these it is like I am speaking to a tree as nothing will change her decision about my schooling.
Well I just wanted to work to take care of my father. My mother rejected my idea of working as she knew her hawking business will stop so she had promised to chase me out of the house if I go anywhere to work. There is nothing I can do, where do I have to go, the only family member we are familiar with is Aunty Veronica, my mother’s cousin but she stays in Ghana.
Uncle Frank has now become very frequent in coming to our house in fact he is already taking in charge of my father’s property as he will wear my father’s new clothes, eat good food and also sleep with my mother. My mother had wanting to impose him as my step father, even when my father is not dead yet. My father’s health keeps deteriorating as there is no drugs for him to use, no good food and proper medical check up. He could only sleep in the room all this while where he will poo and urinate on one spot he is in.
Anytime I go to his room to clean him up, he is always trying to demonstrate things but always fail as his hands cannot even do anything. I have cried my eyes out.
Couldn’t provide solutions, then in his demonstration I can read emotions, emotions telling me how much he appreciate my efforts, emotions on how is seeing my ups and down, emotions on how betrayed he had felt by my mother. I understood him so much, even though as young as I am God gave me wisdom.
I had gone to hawk as usual at evening coming back, I had dropped my tray on the floor and the next place I wanted to go is my father’s room to check up on him after a long day, on getting there, hmmm, my mother and Uncle Frank were having s*x in the same room my father was. They could only stop because of my interruption, immediately they both left the room and I had to on my knees and breakdown in tears as my father’s eyes was fill with tears. How could my mother be this cruel to her husband ?
The hatred I have for my mom and Uncle Frank as from that day is unbearable but i had to tolerate it. I left the room after my breakdown to prepare something in the house for my father at least,
I have started buying foodstuffs for papa because if she give me things to hawk, I have been hiking the prices and would convince people to buy it for that huge amount and because of how jovial I am and my marketing strategy a lot of people will buy from me and even buy more than one. I will give mama her own complete money and save up my own change to buy drugs and food for my father.
After the cooking I took it to the room and…
To Be Continued….
