Let's join hands and curb the rate of Child Abuse to the barest minimum if not eliminating it totally.
FED UP [Backtoback]
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FED UP [XCIV]
Continued...
She opened the door and saw Risi
standing outside with tears in her eyes.
“Risi how are you?” Mabel asked her.
“I am fine aunty,”
she replied, still standing there.
“Come in na,” Mabel
said and went towards her.
She
held Risi by the hand and gently drew her in.
“Why are you
crying?” Cynthia asked her.
“Did anything happen?”
Mabel also asked.
“My mummy…my mummy…” she managed to say.
“Your mummy what?”
“My mummy said you
paid my school fees.”
“Is that why you are
crying?”
She
nodded.
“Aww. It is nothing
at all.”
Risi
hugged Mabel and held her tight.
“So I will go back
to school,” she said, sobbing.
“Yes sweetie you
will,” Mabel said stroking her hair, with tears forming in her eye.
They
remained in that posture for a while.
“Enough of the
emotions,” Cynthia said as she cleaned a tear that wanted to run down from her
cheek. “Can we have something to eat?”
Risi let go of Mabel.
“Have you eaten?”
Mabel asked her.
“No we have not
eaten since morning,” Risi replied.
“Why?”
“There is nothing in
the house to eat.”
“Eiyaa.”
“Will you eat noodle
and egg?”
“Yes aunty.”
“Ok.”
“Should I call my
brother?”
“He has not eaten
too?”
“No. We went to our
friend’s house with hope that they will include us in their breakfast but when
they were about eating, they told us to go, that they wanted to go pray.”
“Kai. People are
wicked o,” Mabel said.
“You really don’t
know their situation,” Cynthia said. “They may not have enough. It may be their
last which they don’t want to share with two extra mouths.”
“You are right.”
“But they eat in our
house sometimes,” Risi said.
“Meaning they don’t
have sometimes,” Cynthia said. “Maybe they don’t have much today.”
“Whatever be the
case,” Mabel said. “You will eat today ok.”
“Ok aunty.”
Cynthia
went into the kitchen to prepare the noodle.
“Add three extra
mouths,” Mabel said to her.
“Who is the third
mouth?” Cynthia asked.
“Mama Risi. She
should eat also.”
“Ok.”
“Ri, sit on the bed
and wait till the food is ready,” Mabel said to Risi.
Mabel
lay on the bed and went through her phone while Risi watched the TV.
“Pause the movie
till I come o,” Cynthia shouted from the kitchen. “I don’t want to miss
anything.”
“You can rewind it
when you come,” Mabel said to her.
As she
cooked, from time to time, Cynthia would come out to the room and watch the
movie.
“I hope you know you
are using the gas cooker?” Mabel asked her one time.
“No shaking,” Cynthia
said.
When
the food was ready, Cynthia dished for herself and Mabel and brought out to the
room.
“Risi you will eat
here abi?”
“Yes aunty,” Risi
replied.
“Go and call your
brother then.”
“He may not agree to
come o.”
Mabel told Cynthia to put his
food and mama Risi’s own in a food flask so Risi can give to them. Cynthia put
the food in the flask and then dished for Risi.
“Let me go and give
my brother his own,” Risi said.
“Finish your own
first.”
“I am coming now
now,” Risi said and carried the food flask and went out.
“What a caring and
selfless girl,” Cynthia said when she left.
“That is why I opted
to pay half her fees as hard as it will be for me to do. She is a very nice
girl.”
“Let me pour back
her food in the pot till she comes.”
“Just cover it.”
As
Cynthia went to the kitchen to get plate to cover it, Risi ran in, panting.
“Did you run?” Mabel
asked her.
“No aunty,” she said
smiling.
“You did jor. Did
you give it to your mother?”
“Only my brother was
in the house so I told him to keep for mummy.”
“He will keep for
her right?”
“Yes na. He will. My
mum did not go far.”
“Ok, eat your own.”
Risi
carried her food from the table and sat on the floor, eating hungrily. Mabel
and Cynthia just looked at her and shook their head in pity.
“I remember those
days,” Cynthia said.
“It was not easy at
all,” Mabel said.
“You are not
eating,” Risi asked them.
“We are,” Cynthia
replied her. “It is still hot.”
“Blow it with your
mouth na.”
“Abi?”
“Yes.”
“Ok.”
They
stopped looking at her and ate, as they watched the movie. While they were
still eating, Mabel’s phone rang. She checked. It was Coker. He asked her
whether she was in her place. She told him she was. Then he told her that he
was on his way to see her. Then he hung up.
“Let me call mummy
sef and know how the meeting went,” Cynthia said.
She
dialed her mother who picked and told her that they were still in the meeting.
She was talking in hush tones so Cynthia figured she was inside the meeting
place, so she hung up.
“This their meeting
sef,” she said.
They
noticed that someone was standing outside the door, peeping.
“Who is that?” Mabel
asked.
They
heard the footsteps of the person running down the staircase in a hurry.
...to be continued
FED UP [XCIII]
continued...
...to be continued
Mama Risi got up and went to the
window.
“They are not coming
back yet,” she said and came back to where she was sitting.
“Your children?”
Mabel asked.
“Yes.”
“But eeh, won’t Risi’s
school accept half of the fees?”
“I pleaded with them
but they refused.”
“Why?”
“They have really
tried for me. Other terms, they even allow her write exams and I pay later. But
because of the way things are in the country, they have tightened up their
policies. Money is not in circulation, civil servants are being owed, so they
need their pupils to pay up in order for the school to run.”
Mabel
thought for a while and said, “Ok. I will give you the remaining half. Then
work towards paying back the person you borrowed from.”
Tears
rolled down Mama Risi’s cheek.
“Thank you so much,”
she said as she hugged Mabel.
“Risi has to go back to school no matter what,”
Mabel said.
Cynthia
just sat quiet and watched with tears forming in her eyes and lump in her
throat.
“When will you want
it back?” Mama Risi asked Mabel.
“Want what back?”
Mabel asked.
“The money.”
“Don’t worry about
it. It is not a loan.”
“Ahhhh. May God
bless you richly.”
“You need to find
something doing as soon as possible. There are other terms ahead. You can’t
keep living off benevolence.”
“I know, but where
else will I look for work na? I have tried severally, but my lack of academic
qualification has been a challenge. My parents couldn’t afford to train me in
school beyond class 3. That is why I vowed to do whatever I can to make sure my
children get the best education.”
“Eiyaa.”
“Last term, I had to sell some of my wrappers
to pay their fees.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“You must not look
for a paid job. You can start a small business and be making money.”
“It needs capital to
start too. I will have to rent a shop, and buy materials to work with and
things to sell.”
“You can start small
and grow.”
“Ok oo. When I see
money to start, I will.”
“I will talk to my
office people and see if they can grant you a loan.”
“Oh thank you so
much.”
“You need to find
out what line of business you can do, especially one that does not need much
capital to start but will be lucrative.”
“I have some in mind
but I will make enquiries and know which one is best.”
Mabel gently squeezed Mama Risi’s
hand and said, “That is settled. Now please cheer up.”
Mama
Risi smiled and said, “Why will I not cheer up? You people are just Angels sent
to me from heaven.”
Mabel checked her wrist watch.
“Please before you
go, what do I offer you?” Mama Risi asked, trying to get up.
“Do you have pounded
yam and vegetable soup?” Cynthia asked her.
They
laughed.
“I don’t but it can
be arranged,” Mama Risi said.
“Ehe, before you
arrange, tell me what has been happening since Wednesday.”
Mama
Risi told them everything she could remember.
“So apart from those
strange faces, nothing else happened?” Mabel asked.
“None that I
witnessed,” Mama Risi said.
“Did anybody come
looking for me at any time?”
“I didn’t meet
anyone.”
“Ok. Let me go up.”
“Ok. I will see if I
can arrange the pounded yam and vegetable soup. It should be ready by next
month.”
They
laughed.
Mabel
and Cynthia got up to leave. Mama Risi saw them off to the door and hugged them
before they left.
“Greet Risi and her
brother for me when they come back,” Mabel said as she climbed the stairs.
“I will,” Mama Risi
replied.
Mabel
and Cynthia went up to her house. Mama Risi stood for a while looking at them
as they climbed up. When they were out of sight, she went in and closed the
door.
When
Mabel got to her door, she looked around for any note or something that was not
supposed to be there.
“What are you
looking for?” Cynthia asked her.
“I am just doing
security check,” she said.
“Security check
indeed.”
Mabel
did not see anything, so she opened the door and they went in. Inside, she
checked everything in the house. They were as she had left them the last time
she was there.
“You are still doing
security check?” Cynthia asked.
“Just to make sure
nothing is missing,” Mabel replied.
“Ok oo.”
Cynthia
dropped her bag
“This place doesn’t
need any clean up o,” she said, lying on the bed. “Before you go and bring
broom and mop now.”
“It does o,” Mabel
said, laughing. “At least to remove the dust.”
“I am not seeing
anyone. If you see any, you will do it alone o.”
“Lazy girl.”
“Let it be.”
“Don’t worry, you
will soon get your own place, and you will have to clean it yourself.”
“Till then. For now,
I will just watch movie.”
She put
on the Cable TV and flipped through the channels. When she did not see anything
interesting, she got up and went through the movie rack. When she selected one,
she slotted it into the DVD player and lay on the bed to watch it. Mabel
changed into a short and and free polo and swept the room, then she cleaned
some of the places she noticed dust. When she was done, she washed her hands
and lay with Cynthia.
“Are you done?”
Cynthia asked her. “You did not mop o.”
“That one will wait
joor,” she said.
“Lazy girl.”
“I am better than
you.”
They watched the movie and ran
commentary.
“I am hungry,” Mabel
said after a while.
“Do you have
anything to cook?” Cynthia asked her.
“Something like?”
“Maybe noodles and
egg. Do you have them?”
“I think so. Let me
check.”
She
went to the kitchen and checked the cupboard. She came out to the room and told
Cynthia that she had them.
“Let me cook it na,”
Cynthia said.
“Ok.”
They
heard a tap on the door.
“Who is tapping like
that?” Mabel asked rhetorically.
She
opened the door and saw Risi standing outside with tears in her eyes.
...to be continued
FED UP [XCII]
continued...
...to be continued
Mama
Risi told her that she did not notice any strange movement. Mabel hung up. They
flagged down a keke and left for
Mabel’s place.
“Do you need to buy
anything for the house?” Cynthia asked when they got close to the mini market.
“None that I can
think off,” Mabel replied. “Maybe when I get to the house, I will know what I
need.”
“Ok.”
“I will need to use
the ATM sef.”
“Which bank?” the
keke man asked.
Mabel
looked at Cynthia and their eyes met. They were wondering why the man was
interested in their using the ATM.
“I will do that
later,” she said.
They
got to Mabel’s place, paid the keke man and he left.
“All these people
sef,” Mabel said. “If he carries us to ATM now, he will stay in the keke and
call other people who will rob us.”
“See how he jumped
into the ATM matter,” Cynthia said.
“My dear eeh. It
pays to be alert o.”
They entered
the compound. They met some neighbours doing different things in the compound.
They asked Mabel where she had been for some days and she told them she had
been in her mother’s place. When they were done exchanging pleasantries, Mabel
and Cynthia moved on.
“Who knows whether
Mama Risi is around?” Mabel asked when they got to the staircase.
“She has to be
around na.” Cynthia replied. “Today is Saturday.”
“Her curtain is
closed.”
“You mean the one
she peeps through?”
Mabel
laughed and said “Yes, that one.”
They
got to Mama Risi’s flat and knocked. No one responded. Mabel knocked again.
“Who is there?” they
heard Mama Risi ask.
“It’s Mabel,” she
replied.
Mama
Risi opened the door. There was something about her countenance which told them
that all was not well. They noticed that her eyes were red like someone who had
just cried. They greeted her.
“Welcome my dear,”
she replied, forcing a smile. “How is your mother?”
“She is fine,” Mabel
replied.
“Why are you
crying?” Cynthia asked her.
“Who said I am
crying?” Mama Risi asked, still maintaining the forced smile.
“But your eyes are
red.”
She did
not respond. She just sniffed and looked away.
“Mama Risi, what is
going on?” Mabel asked her.
She
turned and went back into her house. They followed her. She sat on the couch
and they sat beside her, Mabel on her left and Cynthia on her right.
“Mama Risi what is
the problem?” Mabel asked, touching her shoulder. “Say something.”
She was
quiet for a while.
“Too many issues,”
she finally said, exhaling from her mouth.
“Like?” Mabel asked.
She
sighed.
“Since my husband
died,” she said. “Things have not been very easy for me.”
“I am aware of
that,” Mabel said. “Did anything happen that is making you cry now? When I
called you in the morning, you sounded normal.”
“I cry like this
sometimes when I feel overwhelmed by the situation. You met me at such a time.”
“What if your
children see you crying, how will they feel?”
“By the time they
come back, I will wash my face and pretend like all is well.”
“Oh, they are not
around?”
“I can’t let them
see me cry. I sent them out to get something when the heaviness was too much
and I needed to let it out.”
“Eiyaa. What is the problem?”
“A lot of money
issues.”
“The house rent is
not due na. Is it?”
“Not that.”
“I know it cannot be
that because I know you have paid for this whole year.”
“Thanks to my
brother abroad who has been carrying my financial burdens. But he was deported
few days ago.”
“O my gosh! What
happened? Why?”
“They said papers this, papers that.”
“Kai, that’s bad o.”
“It is not as if he
is very rich, but he had enough to help me out once in a while. Now they sent
him back, what will I do?”
“What about your
late husband’s family?”
“Those people are
not even an option. When my husband died, they said I killed him.”
“Why?”
“They did not like
me from day one.”
“Ah ah. What did you
do?”
“I am from a
different tribe.”
“What does that
mean? Is it not the same country we are in?”
“They said I forced
myself on my husband. My husband’s parents eventually changed their mind about
me but his siblings didn’t at all. During and after the burial, his brothers
dealt with me. Even though it happened years ago, the experience is still fresh
in my memory.”
“Have you tried to
make them think differently about you?”
“I have o but they
don’t want anything to do with me.”
“Even for the sake
of their nephew and niece?”
“My dear leave those
people.”
Mabel
shook her head and said, “People can be myopic and wicked o.”
“They have never
asked how I am training their niece and nephew in school. One time, I asked one
of them for money, he said I should continue with the prostitution I have been
doing which was the reason why I could not bear more than two children for his
brother.”
“Kai.”
“My dear, the life
of a widow is not easy o.”
“It’s well with you
ma. That reminds me, how far with Risi’s school fees?”
“That is one of the
major issues I am facing now. I have been able to raise half of it after
getting the insult of my life from the person who gave it to me. I am meant to
pay back before the end of the month. Where will I see money to complete the
fees, or even pay back the one I borrowed? And they are writing test this
coming week.”
“I was supposed to
give you something some days ago but my absence here made me forget.”
Mama
Risi got up and went to the window.
...to be continued
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