INFLICTED ON A WOUND

Sarah sat down on the floor on the vararendah of the house awaiting the return of her mother so she could bare her hearts and mind open to her, Sarah was ready to face the consequences whatsoever it will be. She knew her mother would not believe her after all she trusted on her stepfather with all her heart but she wished otherwise she prayed that she wouldn't get beaten up atleast for her body was still sour all over after the adventures of two nights ago. All the neighbours who passed her stared at her and Sarah stared back at them. They wondered what could be wrong with the ever bubbly girl these days. Sarah was a happy child, always smiling even when facing insults. When Sarah's mother got married to Edward and they moved into the compound everyone loved Sarah, she would answer every and anyone with smiles and will run any errands without complaints but these days everyone noticed that Sarah had stopped smiling she had stopped coming out to play with her friends in the compound and the surrounding compounds whenever she's around, well all these everyone noticed, everyone except Sarah's own mother Maureen or if she had noticed turned blind to it for she had never asked Sarah what the problem was. Maureen was all too focused on the latest fashion in town and the latest hairs and ceremony to attend than to care for her only child. Maureen thought that ones she had provided food and clothes for Sarah that would be the end of her mother duty. Thinking about Maureen's attitude towards her Sarah could not help but remember her late father. Collins had known of Maureen's nonchalant attitude towards her own child and had taken up the responsibility of raising and proving the needs of Sarah himself but now that Collins is dead and Maureen had gotten married to the devil himself for that's what Sarah thinks of her step father Edward, Maureen's attitude towards Sarah had only gotten worst… All this was still running through Sarah mind when she heard a car horn she could recognize that horn no matter where it sounded from. Sarah jolted up from the floor and took off to the back gate ready to flee as if the person inside the car would come after her life. Edward drove into the compound parked his car at the usual spot and stepped out he looked around he was quite sure he saw something like Sarah's uniform, the man walked to the door and found it still locked he knew at that instant that neither Sarah nor her mum were home. Sarah on her part had found a spot under the staircase, she had spread out an empty carton of biscuit she found then her books before laying down, she was still sour her greatest need right now would be a bed but she was determined not to step foot into the house atleast not until her mother was back. Sarah drifted off to sleep and when she woke up it was already morning, she stood up and arranged her books back into her bag and got ready to go inside the house, it was a Saturday, she knew Edward would already be out and her mother would probably still be asleep. Sarah tiptoed to the window of her room and threw her bag inside and went to the front door and knocked. Sarah was almost ready to give up when the door was pulled open revealing her mother in her nightwear and sleepy face “Good morning ma” Sarah greeted getting ready to voice out her already prepared lies of where she spent the night “Good morning” Maureen replied slowly and turned to return to her room and probably to her sleep, the question Sarah had expected didn't come she had expected to hear questions like where are you coming from? Where did you spend the night? Why are you still in your uniform? But non came. Sarah locked the door as she stepped into the house and entered her room to continue her sleep she wasn't even thinking about doing the Saturday ritual in every African home.