What came after (chapter 1)
It was on a Wednesday morning. My mum had gone out to fetch water from the well.
She was wearing a faded green top with the description “Obinrin rere” written at the back. She had only gone to drop the second bowl of water into the drum when I noticed her eyes. They were full of tears.
At first, I didn't understand what was wrong.
I just stood there, looking at her from a distance. She looked different. My mum was not someone who cried easily, so seeing tears in her eyes immediately made me uncomfortable.
I followed her to the well.
The well belonged to our family, and because of that, I was used to going there with her whenever she wanted to fetch water. But that morning was different. She wasn't talking to me. She wasn't even looking at me.
“Mum, what happened?” I asked.
She didn't answer.
She simply carried the bucket and started walking back home.
I followed her quietly.
When we got back, I noticed that there were already some people sitting outside our house. They were members of my father's family. They were talking among themselves, but whenever I came close, they would lower their voices.
I didn't understand what they were saying.
My mum joined them.
I watched her sit down, and from where I was standing, I could see that she was trying very hard not to cry.
“What is going on?” I wondered.
I wanted to ask somebody, but somehow I couldn't bring myself to.
I looked at the faces around me. Everyone seemed serious. Nobody was smiling.
Then one of my father's relatives said something to my mum that I couldn't hear clearly.
My mum wiped her face.
I could tell she was about to cry again.
I stood there, confused.
I was still trying to understand what was happening when we eventually went back inside.
There was a strange feeling in the house that morning. It was quiet, but not the normal kind of quiet. It felt like everyone knew something that I didn't.
My mum started packing some clothes.
I watched her for a while before asking,
“Mum, where are we going?”
She didn't answer immediately.
Then I heard her talking to one of the relatives.
“What about the children? Will they be staying here?”
There was a short silence.
“No,” the woman replied. “They will be coming too.”
I stopped what I was doing.
Coming where?
Nobody had explained anything to me.
I looked at my younger sister, who was already looking confused and scared. She had started crying, and I didn't even know why.
I wanted to ask my mum again, but I was afraid.
Instead, I just stood there and watched her pack.
Not long after, we left the house.
We got into a blue vehicle that was going to take us to the gathering. I sat quietly with my siblings while my mum sat beside us.
The journey was long.
Very long.
I can't remember everything that happened on the way, but I remember my younger sister crying. I remember looking at my mum too.
She had not smiled at us once.
She looked tired.
She looked worried.
And somehow, that scared me more than anything else.
I kept wondering what could have happened to make so many adults behave this way.
Nobody was telling me anything.
So I just sat there, hoping that wherever we were going, someone would finally explain what was happening.
I didn't know that by the time we got there, I would finally understand why my mum had been crying at the well that morning.
And I wasn't ready for what I was about to see.
