They
went back outside and sat with their mother on the bench.
“Is there
any problem?” their mother asked.
Cynthia
looked at Mabel but Mabel did not say anything.
“I know
something is wrong.” She said, dropping the tray of Egusi she was carrying on her laps. “Tell me what it is.”
Mabel
heaved a sigh and said, “It’s Segun.”
“O my God!”
their mother exclaimed, adjusting herself on the bench she was sitting on.
“What happened to him?”
“Nothing
happened to him,” Mabel said. “He is fine.”
“So what is
the problem with him?”
“He…he...”
“He is a
compound fool,” Cynthia said angrily.
“Cynthia!”
Mabel called.
“Was he not
the reason why you wanted to kill yourself yesterday?”
“What?” Their
shouted and mother placed her hands on her head.
“Cynthia
stop it!” Mabel cautioned.
“Sorry,”
Cynthia apologized.
“You wanted
to kill yourself again?” her mother said.
Mabel
kept quiet.
“Are you
not the one am talking to,” she said with her voice a bit raised.
A
neighbor looked out of her window and said, “Mama Cynthia is there any
problem?”
“No
problem,” she replied. “Thank you.”
“Let’s go
inside your room and talk about it,” Mabel suggested.
They
went inside her mother’s room and sat on her bed.
“No wonder
Cynthia did not come back yesterday,” Their mother said to herself, clicking
her fingers. “I knew something was wrong. My own Mabel tried to commit suicide.
God forbid.”
“Thank God
I met her on time o.” Cynthia said. “If not, it would have been another story
by now.”
Mabel
kept quiet.
“What were
you thinking?” their mother asked her.
“I was in a
bad mood yesterday after what happened,” Mabel replied.
“Tell me
what happened.”
“He left
me.”
“Left you
how?”
“He jilted
her and broke her heart actually.” Cynthia said. “Mabel, stop painting it.”
This
time it was their mother that cautioned Cynthia.
“Allow her
to say it anyhow she wants to.”
“Let me go
and cook the soup.” Cynthia said and left.
As
tears flowed down her cheek, Mabel told her mother everything that happened.
When she was done, her mother didn’t say a word.
“Mummy did
you hear me?” Mabel asked her.
“Yes I
did,” she answered after heaving a sigh.
“Then say
something.”
“I am
bothered. Why do you have to go through the same thing I went through?”
“Mummy, the
painful thing about it is that he left me for that stupid girl.”
“It doesn’t
matter who he left you for. It should not be. You are too young to go through
this repeated heart break.”
She took Mabel down memory lane as
tears gathered in her eyes. It was something Mabel already knew but she said it
again. Mabel and Cynthia were her only children. Their father abandoned her
after putting her in the family way on two occasions. He promised to marry her
but left her and married someone else. That was after she had suffered several
failed relationships. She was bothered seeing the same cycle repeating in the
life of her daughter.
“Hmmm,” she
heaved a sigh again.
“This is
not the first time a man is doing this to me,” Mabel said.
“I know.
Something needs to be done about this.”
(..to be continued...)
Nedu Isaac
For the continuation, click here
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