Painful Choice

The atmosphere was filled with the breath of fear and the shadows of death hover around, hunting every one of us. Every now and then a piercing cry will fill the air and the mother earth would adjust to accommodate another mass of body. In the midst of nowhere, been surrounded with thick forest, our tormentors showed us no mercy. Seating down among many others, our hands and feet were tied with a strong rope. Our tormentors’ patrols around with heavy guns and there was no hope of escape. We were inside an open cage nailed together with strong woods. Behind the cage was a thatched house where the sacrifices were done. “How did I get here?” I sat down ruminating within myself. My very life passed before my eyes and I began to recollect how it all stated.

As the only child of my parents, I had a good taste of life. One afternoon, during the harmattan season, the sun seemed to be closer to our house. And the scorching wind could dehydrate a wet body in an instant.

I sat in the living room looking at the television screen. My mind was not at the cartoon that was been played. Loneliness had filled my heart.

My parents had strongly advised me never to step outside the house whenever I returned from school. At priming six, I had thought that by now I should have got used to loneliness.

Mum and dad worked in the same company as the board of governors and they both returned late at night every day except Saturday and Sunday.

And to keep me company, mummy employed a cook who lived with us. But she hardly stayed at home, always giving an excuse of going to the market to buy foodstuffs. As I sat down staring at the television, I slept off. After a few hours, I was awakened by the sound from our gate. Not knowing what the time was, I wished it was my parents. I peeped through the window and was disappointed when I saw Adamou our gatekeeper. He barely stays in his quarters, always staying with his brother who was also a gatekeeper across the street.

Turning around, I sighted my food still covered at the dining table. Ever since I returned from school, I had no appetite for food. My heart yeans for someone to play with. Having no one around, I walked to my room and picked one of my study books and started reading. Having dedicated most of my time studying, I was able to do so well in school. It gave me the opportunity to read ahead. After reading for about an hour, my neck began to pain me. I left my studying desk and lie on the bed to stretch myself.

I began to study the different colours of paints on the wall. And my eyes fell on the artistic painting that hung on the wall. It was an ugly panting which I never understood the meaning. As I was looking at the panting, I slept off.

Not knowing how long I slept, the sound of a vehicle awakened me. Looking around, I noticed it was getting dark. I quickly ran outside our compound, knowing it was my parents.

The gatekeeper opened the gate and our driver drove in, carrying mommy and daddy at the back seat. When one closely looked at my mom and dad, one would assume that they were brother and sister. They have a striking resemblance.

Just a year ago, they both celebrated thirty years in marriage. I once asked mummy what happened all those years, why it took her so long to give birth to me. She sat me down and revealed to me what happened. How it all started after her wedding with my father. Everything looked normal after two years in marriage, but then people began to talk. Medical tests proved them both ok and qualified to have children.

After some years later, the pressure on her to produce a child became intense of which my grandma played a larger role. To an extent that grandma went and recommended another woman for my father to marry. Mother lost her dignity as a woman, having done everything humanly possible to conceive but it never happened.

Father made up his mind not to listen to his mother and other relatives who pressurised him to get another wife. Mother became a living ghost, she gave up on herself and prayed for a peaceful death. And at such point, the god who gave children remembered her.

It was a miracle and as they celebrate the pregnancy, unknown to them that they have only conquered the battle while the war was around the corner. Mother said that it was the most dreadful moment of her lifetime.

Every day of the pregnancy came with its unique attack and when they could no longer bear it, they began to pray for my mother’s survival. As God may have it, she managed to reach the ninth month and once again the hope of having a child was rekindled.

On the day of delivering, even though on labour, the baby refused to come out. Mother tried for an hour pushing and was later tapped out. She passed out as the bleeding started. The doctor and the nurses present were confused as to whom to save. It was assumed that the baby would not survive due to the Massive bleeding. Father signed a consent form for the doctor to operate on her.

Shortly after the form was signed, the doctor reappeared and informed father that there was a complication. And that the only way to save my mother’s life would be to remove her womb. Father made a quick and painful choice. He gave the go-ahead consent provided mother would live. He never asked after the baby, he was more interested in his beloved wife being alive.

Back to the theatre, the doctor was able to bring out the baby which was covered in blood. At first, it appeared not to be moving, but while one of the nurses was cleaning it up, the baby yelled out a cry.

After the successful removal of her womb, mother was resuscitated. She was filled with the news of having given birth to a male child but was not told about the removal of her womb.

When she was fully recovered, father told her about her womb being removed. She wailed, but the thought of having me comforted her. After my birth, grandma turned a new leaf towards mother and peace and joy returned to the family.

After the formal greetings with a warm hug, mother held my shoulder as we walked into the house.

I was surprised to see Ebere our cook, standing near the dining table. She had already set the food for dinner. I must have slept long when did she returned from the market and even finished cooking? Ebere broke my thought while greeting mom and dad.

“Madam?” Ebere called for my mother’s attention. “Obinna refused to eat his lunch.” She reported.

“Obim, is that true?” mother asked.

“Yes mom, I didn’t feel like eating in the afternoon,” I answered. “But are you ok?” mummy asked while checking my body temperature. I nodded in response.

After dinner, mummy went through our class activity for the day. And afterwards, she asked me a few questions and threw more lights on the subject.

Meanwhile, daddy sat at the living room entertaining himself with a glass of juice while catching up the nine o’clock news. Before leaving my room, mummy said, “Obim, remember to say your prayers before you sleep,” “ok mom, goodnight,” goodnight Darlene,” she said and left.

I was taught how to pray by my mother in the little ways I can. I Knelt by the bad, with my eyes closed, I prayed, “Dear God, thank you for today. Please watch over me as I sleep and bless mummy and daddy, Amen.” I lay on my back, but could not sleep immediately, so I began to ponder over what mummy taught me that night. I was always ahead of my class because I read further even before our teacher starts to teach any new topic. That gave me the opportunity to ask questions about what was not clear to me. As I was thinking over that, I didn’t know when I slept off.

The following morning, the driver quickly dropped me off to school, before going back to take mummy and daddy to work.

During the morning assembly, all the students guttered at the school hall. After the prayer, teacher John took us on moral instructions.

Some said that he used to be a pastor before he began teaching. He advised all the students on how to live a responsible life. After the moral instructions, our principal came out to speak to us, as he begins with these words,

“Good morning students! I receive a report that some of the students have formed the habit of disrespecting their class teacher and also fighting in the class. I have decided that these students will go on a three-day suspension in which they will bring their parents before they resume school. Their names are Mba Jude, Uchenna OKorie, and Chizoba Ugwu. They will serve as an example for other students to learn. I also heard that some of the students in primary six have not paid their assessment fee. But because of the time, I will not call them out here; nevertheless, I will go from class to class to fish them out.

When it comes to the issues of money, our principal is always mean. You would always see him with his cane which he often called

“Mr Do good.”

After the moral instructions, we began to move to our various classes. On my way to the class, Emeka walks up to me and whispers in my ear “Did you do your homework?” Emeka was the only friend I had in the school; some people thought he was my cosine brother due to how close we were. I nodded my head in response then asked him

“What about you?”

“I forgot to do mine” Emeka replied.

Emeka once told me that his parents were not learned and that no one assisted him in his homework.

“Don’t worry, I will help you do the homework in class,” I said to him and I could see a smile on his face. In class, he always sat next to me.