Alone

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 5

Emeka: If someone else was treating Nenye like this,how will you feel about it? I don’t see any wrong Amanda has done but if you insist that she moves to the boy’s quarter, fine. I’ll move in with her.

Mum stepped back and her eyes were filled with rage. I kept on kneeling, waiting for the next reaction.

Emeka: Listen to the voice of reasoning mum. If daddy were here, would you send Amanda to the BQ? You’re just doing all this things because daddy is no more. This is wickedness.

Nenye: Don’t talk to mother like that. Even if you will, not because of this thing here.

Emeka: Call her a thing one more time and I’ll slap out a tooth from your mouth. Look at you, spoilt brat. Trust me, you’ll regret all this in the near future.

Nenye: That’s your own cup of milk. I’m beginning to wonder if you two are up to something secre……

Emeka rushed to her and held her arm and she cried in pain.

Emeka: You should bed grateful that I’m your brother. One more word from you and I’ll beat you to pulp. Look how mummy has spoilt you. God forbid but I’ll never attend same school with you because you’ll end up rubbing mud on my face.

Mummy: That is one place you’re right my son. You don’t need to tell her that. You’ll be going abroad to further your education.

There was silence in the room. I was shocked. This was a plot to send Emeka away. I looked at Emeka. I couldn’t look at anyone else. He started with a smile and then he started laughing. I became confused. Why was my life like this? Every saviour I had known always left me alone. Why?

Emeka: If you’re still planning, better stop it cause I’m not going and if you’ve planned it already, I’m sorry because you just spent your money on nothing. I’m not leaving Nigeria for anywhere. Dad never wanted it and I’m going with dad’s decision. I don’t care how you’ll do it but just give up the passbooks to our accounts and we’ll see ourselves through school.

Mum: Chukwuemeka, what do you think your mother is? Nenye will go to Tansian, Amanda will go to open university and you’re going to oxford. Take it or you leave it.

Emeka: That’s your business mum. I…..

Mum: Mind how you talk to me boy

Emeka looked at his mum and shook his head.

Emeka: Making your hatred for Amanda go this far has made me loose all the respect I have for you. Eat your Oxford. I’ll be in this house and see how you’ll maltreat Amanda.

He turned to me.

Emeka: Get your bags. We’re going to the boy’s quarter.

He picked up his bag and left. I remained in my position, with streams of tears running down my cheeks. I could feel there eyes on me. I needed no Jupiter to tell me that.

Mum: And you, get out before I loose it.

Me: Mum please I’m sorry for……

Mum: Get out. You’re worthless and I don’t care about whatever nonsense you want to vomit from your mouth. Get out.

She was screaming so loud that I thought her voice would ache from it. I got up and picked my box and made to leave.

Nenye: Mum had said you should take the things from your room upstairs as well.

I turned around and went upstairs, packing everything I called mine including daddy’s pictures which hung on the wall.

Two hours later, I was in my new room at the BQ. I had put everything in place with the help of Emeka. We had sat down to rest when I got a text message on my phone.

“will you just sit down there and lazy about? get your sorry self in here and make lunch for my children and I”.

Me: Emy, I need to go and make lunch for us.

Emeka: They should prepare it themselves.

Me: Are you not hungry? Won’t you eat as well?

Emeka: Listen sisi mi, so long as they don’t want you in the main house, we won’t go there either. We’ll make do with what we have here. I’ll go out now and get some money from the ATM so I’ll buy some foodstuff we can use here. Don’t worry yourself. We’ll be fine here. By Monday, I’ll go and see Barrister Kelechi. He was daddy’s lawyer. I believe he’ll help us out a lot.

Me: No please. I don’t support this idea of yours. Mummy deserves our respect and……

Emeka: Now don’t provoke me. Sit down here and I’ll be right back.

Me: Wait Emy. Let’s go and discuss it with mum first.

Another text came into my phone and before I could read it, my phone started ringing. It was Mum. I looked at the screen and Emeka took the phone from me. He picked it and put it on speak out.

Nenye: Bia, mummy is coming there now. You better come out from there and come and make food o.

She hung up before Emeka could say anything. He dropped the phone on the bed and walked to the door. The door flew open hitting Emeka so hard and he fell, hitting his head on the wall before falling down on the tiled floor. Mum came into the room just as I stood up to run to Emeka. She froze on the spot. What has she done.

We were at the hospital. I was pacing around the reception. Mummy and Nenye were sitting down. Both of them were crying. My prayer was for nothing to happen to Emeka. I looked at my wristwatch, 7:45pm. The same day we came back from the village, how could things go wrong like this? I heard some footsteps and I turned around to see the doctor walk into the waiting room. We rushed to him but I stood behind mummy. The doctor’s face wasn’t encouraging at all.

Mum: Doctor, how is my son please?

The doctor shook his head.

Doctor: Its terrible madam. His condition is very critical. I don’t know if he’ll survive this.

Mum: No doctor. Please do anything. Do something please.

Doctor: We’ll try our best. For now, let’s pray he survives.

I carried myself to a nearby chair as tears ran down my cheeks.

Mum: Doctor, he’s my only son. Please do something to help him.

Doctor: Like I said, let’s pray he survives.

Mum: Can we see him?

Doctor: Yes. Follow me.

We walked down the corridor into the private ward. We entered one of the numerous rooms and there was my brother, lying stiff with closed eyes, bandages on his head, his face obvious he was in pains. Some nurses were attending to him. I moved forward and went beside the bed. The nurses and doctor left us. I touched his head and my tears fell on his chest.

Me: Emy nothing will happen to you. God won’t let anything happen to you.

I looked at mummy and Nenye and they were both crying. What hatred would do to someone. Look how Emeka is suffering because of his own mother. I hated her that instant. She noticed the way I was looking at her and she left the room. Nenye came closer and sat on a chair close to the bed.

Nenye: Ejimam (my twin), please open your eyes. Please fight this thing. Mummy is sorry.

She didn’t mean to harm you. Open your eyes please.

None of the words we said got him to open his eyes. Nenye left the room crying. I went to the chair she had earlier occupied and sat down. I wondered if he was still alive. If he could hear us after all. If there was a better word to qualify my feelings at that moment,I would have explained how I felt, watching my saviour lying helplessly on that bed. What caused all this? Food right? I hated mummy that moment. I was still lost in my thought when I fell asleep.

I was hearing my name in whispers. Who could be calling my name in that manner? I opened my eyes and looked around. Memories of what happened came to me immediately. I heard that faint whisper again and I looked at Emeka, his eyes were open just a little. I looked at him to be sure he was the one whispering my name. His lips moved and that whisper came again.

Me: Emeka, you’re awake. Oh! Thank you Jesus.

The wall clock took that instant to sing its 12:00 hymn. I looked at the clock and it was strange. It wasn’t here earlier when we came into this room.

I looked at Emeka and he was smiling. The bandages on his head was gone.

Emeka: Sisi m, I’m healed. I’m well now.

I was confused. What’s going on. He was just whispering my name some seconds ago and now, he’s fit. I looked around and this was no longer the hospital room.

Me: Where is this place? We’re supposed to be at the hospital.

Emeka: Yes, I know. Its only those who are sick that need the doctors and hospitals. I’m here because I’m not sick. Sit down let me talk to you.

I sat down, not removing my eyes from him. His smile was constant now, like it was a permanent birthmark.

Emeka: Nothing happens without a reason. I’m here today is because that is how God wrote it in my destiny. Don’t live in fear of anybody because you’re the light shining in our family. You’re a great girl sis and nobody can ever take away your light.

I smiled. He always knew how to praise me and he used every opportunity he had to do that.

Emeka: You’ll go to school. I may no longer be there to support you but trust me, you’ll go to school. No matter the school it is, just put in your best to it, something good will come out of it. Another thing, don’t fight them. Please don’t. They’ll find every reason to taunt you but just don’t fight them. You’re a great girl and you’ll go places.

Me: But………

Emeka: Wait for me. Daddy is calling me.

Before I could say anything else, he walked away. I decided to wait for him on that chair. I relaxed on it and closed my eyes.

Some minutes into my sleep, I felt the urge to ease myself. I opened my eyes and I was back in the hospital. That was when it became clear to me that I’ve being dreaming. A look at my wristwatch told me it was twenty minuted past 12. I shrugged my shoulders and went into the toilet. I did my business and came out. I looked at Emeka and he was breathing heavily, like it was difficult to get the air out of his lungs. I rushed to him but I didn’t know what to do. I ran out to the waiting room to call the nurses there. I also woke mummy up, she was sleeping at the waiting room.

Me: Please help me nurse. My brother is breathing heavily.

What I said got mummy standing up immediately, waking Nenye whose head was on her laps. We all rushed back into the room and this time, the tears ran down on their own. Emeka was throwing his arms around, like he was struggling with something. His eyes were now open but he was still breathing heavily. The nurse ran out to call the doctor while mummy went and sat on the bed and carried Emeka on her laps. His struggle didn’t stop. He fought whatever it was. He fought with his strength, not taking his eyes away from me. Suddenly, he stopped struggling. A tear ran down to his ear. I saw his chest go up and with a loud grunt, it fell back heavily, his eyes still on me, but he was no longer breathing.

I went closer and mummy shook him. My throat suddenly went dry and I couldn’t speak. The doctor came in that minute, he asked mum to leave him alone. Mum stood up and Emeka’s body fell back on the bed. The doctor straightened him up,ran his fingers in some areas of his body while the nurse wrote down something in a file. I watched as the doctor used a sheet to cover him entirely and Nenye started wailing. The doctor turned around and the next thing he said after looking at his wristwatch was; “time of death,12:30am.”

I passed out.