Immediately I opened my door and entered my house, I saw my wife clutching my last born with both hands.
She was moving from one end of the room to the other.
When she saw me, she ran to me immediately.
“Honey, Junior is running temperature…I have done everything possible for it to subsidize but no way”
“I will be right back”, I replied.
I dashed outside and rushed to the nearest pharmacy to buy drugs for Junior.
I couldn’t let anything happen to my child.
The pharmacist gave me some drugs after I explained to him how Junior was feeling. The drug he gave me was worth #1300.
I was hurriedly going home when I remembered that none of them had eaten since I left in the morning.
What would I buy with this remaining #700?
I rushed to the shop of the woman that sells food and bought food for them as I took it home.
As I brought out the food from the bag, my children pounced on the food as if their lives depended on the food.
It was then that I discovered that it was hunger that was dealing with Junior. He wasn’t feeling sick.
I sat with my wife as we watched them devour the food like hungry lions.
I watched helplessly as little drops of tears dropped from my eyes.
I quickly turned and faced the wall so my wife won’t notice that I was crying. I can’t give up now. I can’t show her that it was becoming too much for me.
I remembered how I opened a foodstuff shop for my wife but we crumbled the business.
We fed from her little shop. She made sure we didn’t go hungry.
After some time, there was nothing in her shop anymore because she took care of the family with all the foodstuff in her shop.
I looked at her as she was watching the children. I knew she was hungry too but she didn’t want to show it.
I gave her the remaining #300 to go and get something to eat.
She collected the money from me and stepped outside to get something to eat.
I was surprised when she returned with Fried yam and Garri.
She made the Garri with the little sugar left in the container and sat down to eat..
“Honey, come and join me ooo” , she beckoned on me.
“I am not hungry sweetie… I ate before coming back home”, I replied.
My wife stood up from the floor and moved towards me as she started feeding me.
At first, I wanted to resist it but I couldn’t because I was about to faint because of hunger.
My wife had studied me like a textbook!
She knew when I told lies and when anything is bothering me.
We played and discussed few things before we slept off.
As my wife slept off, I turned towards her direction as I stared at her.
My wife was becoming older than her age due to suffering. I could see wrinkles all over her face although she was just 38 years old.
I found it difficult to understand why she had been so strong for me!!!
She had always been a shoulder to lean on when things becomes too difficult.
I was still wondering about these things before I slept off too.
We were still sleeping only to be woken up by the beep from my phone!!
I jolted from the bed and grabbed my phone….
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©️ Emeka Edozie
