We Are Able

Episode 10

My body shakes as I set my eyes on her. What can she be here for? Even my mother isn’t asking her anything.

Suddenly, her stern face drops and she seems sober.

“G–good day,” she greets us. I have read her lips to
get what she says.

“What do you want?” my aunt challenges her. She didn’t invite her in.

“I–I come to apologize,” she must have said, going by
the gesture she makes.

My aunty didn’t take her serious at first, but eventually,
she did.

Toyosi tells us that she has regretted her actions. She
says that she wants us back in the house. When my
mummy tells her that it won’t be possible, she began to
beg her.

My mummy tells me the whole story in detail;
according to her, John is getting worried over not
having anybody to take care of Bode and himself.

He visits Toyosi in her matrimonial home often until she
advised him to take back his wife and children.
“Don’t worry, John will take a very good care of you and
your daughter,” mummy says, mimicking in sign language how Toyosi has said it.

“So, after throwing our loads out that man still have the
gut to beg us to return, huh!” I say angrily.
“Hey, Rose, he’s your daddy, so you have no right to call
him that man!” Rachael says. “By the way, this is just a
kind of an answer to our prayers. Didn’t I tell you yesterday that if you go there tomorrow to beg him, he
will listen to you?”

“Heard,” I gesticulate. “What about that wicked wh’ore,
did she apologize to you before she leaves? Remember
she was bragging few days back that she will do something terrible to us.”

“She did apologize,” my mother says.
“Remember I say she will come and do that in one of our prayers,” Rachael says. She always love bringing
God, church, bible and prayers into every little matter.

I love her for that anyway.
“Younger sister, you are a prophetess,” my mummy
makes fun of her and pushes her head slightly.
“That’s a gift from above sister,” Rachael says. “Even
before my husband died, I foretold his death; it came as
a vision, but my husband didn’t pay attention.” Rachael’s
face develops into a grotesque. Remembering her husband has remained her ugliest moments; a cross to
bear.

My mother turns to me and says, “Rose, infact Toyosi
promised to come and spend this weekend with us so
that she can have time to have fun with you.”
“With me? Why?” I say in an unforgiven manner.

“Rose, let her come, there is no big deal about that.

Afterall we have prayed to have peace with everyone
and our prayer is being answered right now,” mother
says. “Rose, she even said that you will teach her the
sign language when she comes.”

My aunt makes her mouth into something for a while.

She must have coughed, going by the way the lips are set. Seems she doesn’t approve of the idea that I teach
her sign language.

My mother looks at her face for a while. A sparkle of
shock is on her face. It is as if the cough is a
significance of something I don’t know.
“First thing tomorrow morning, Rachael, I’m off to my
husband’s house,” mummy says eventually, shutting her
eyes, sobbing.

I can’t sleep at night. I just keep rolling around on my
fat bed. My eyes are clear. My mind flashes back to past
events; those harassments from my father. I weep.

I hope it won’t continue.

My dream is the sweetest ever; I ride on a horse with
my father. I speak with him verbally, Bode sitting with
my mummy on the other white horse. A long horsetail
is in my grip. I feel like a queen.

I come off the horse’s back and fall to the ground.

“What the hell!” I have just rolled off my fat bed to the
ground. Dream is silly indeed.