As she got to the first floor,
on her way to the second floor where she lives, a door opened. Mabel increased
her pace and climbed the stairs in twos.
She didn’t want anybody asking her sniffy questions.
“Aunty Mabel good morning,” she heard a
little girl say.
She turned and saw Risi standing
by the door.
“Morning my dear,” Mabel answered. “Where are
you going to?”
“Nowhere aunty. I saw you coming so I came
out to greet you and go back inside.”
“Ok my dear. You didn’t go to school?”
“No aunty.”
“Why?”
Risi did not answer.
“Risi who are you talking to?” Mama Risi
asked and came out to the door.
“It is Aunty Mabel,” Risi answered.
“Good morning ma,” Mabel greeted mama Risi
when she came out.
“Morning my dear,” Mama Risi answered. “You
did not go to work?”
“No.”
“Is all well?”
“All is well. Just that I have been ill for
some days now. I just couldn’t go today.”
“Eiyaa.
So how are you feeling now?”
“I am getting better.”
“I came to your place severally yesterday but
I did not meet you. When you were still not back by 10pm, I was a bit worried.”
“You would have called me on phone na.”
“I didn’t have airtime.”
“Hope there was no problem?”
“Not at
all.”
“Ok. I went to see my mother.”
“You slept over there?”
“Yes.”
“Ok. How is
she?”
“Finer than
me.”
“That’s
good to know.”
“Thank you
ma. Lemme be going.”
“Ok.”
Mabel
made to turn and go up but stopped.
“Ehe I was asking Risi why she did not go
to school today,” she said to Mama Risi.
Mama Risi sighed and folded her
hands on her chest. Risi looked up at her mother and kept quiet.
“Is she
okay?” Mabel asked.
“You know this private school thing,” Mama
Risi said.
“What happened?”
“The fees are very high. I have
not been able to pay enough for this term so they told Risi not to come today
without the balance.”
“Awwww.”
That was not the
answer Mabel was expecting but she got it anyway. She just knew she had gotten
herself involved. She wished she had not bothered asking but she looked at Risi
and felt pity for the poor girl.
“But you have been paying it since?” she said.
“I have been managing well but
my son’s admission into the university has really drained my finances. I even
had to borrow to complete his bills.”
“Oh I see.”
“At times I wonder why my husband had to die
and leave me alone to take care of the kids. It has not been easy at all.”
“Mama Risi, don’t be thinking like that. I
will see how I can help ok.”
“I told you about it because you asked. I am
not asking you for anything ok.”
“I know. I will still see what I can do
within the week.”
“I will be grateful but don’t stress yourself
ok. You have helped us a lot.”
“It’s ok.”
“Aunty thank you,” Risi said, climbed the
staircase towards Mabel and hugged her.
“Don’t worry, you will go back to school ok,”
Mabel said, stroking her hair.
“Ok aunty.”
Risi let her go
and wiped the tears in her eyes with the back of her hand. Mama Risi was also
sniffing. That sight strengthened Mabel’s resolve to pay the girl’s fees even
if her mother’s generator had to wait a little longer.
“You will hear from me,” she
said and continued up to the third floor before they could see the tears forming
in her eyes too.
When she got to her door, she
was taken aback by what she saw.
(...to be continued...)
Nedu Isaac
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