Withered Flower - Episode 17

“Nwa daddy, how are you today? You look sad, what is wrong?”

“Papa one girl in school said she was going to kill because I looked at her”

“My daughter, nobody can kill you. You are an “Agu” and all “Agus” live long lives”.

“But Papa, she is a witch and everyone is afraid of her. She looked at one bird and it died. I am worried that she would do the same to me”.

“Ogochukwu Nwannem, the next time she stares at you, I want you to look her in the eye and tell her that you are an Agu and so you cannot die but her”.

That was thirty something odd years ago when Adanna Ugwunna, a girl in her class had threatened to kill her. She had ran home crying to her father, who told her what to do. The next day at school, she had done exactly what her father had proposed and then Adanna fell ill and died a month later.

Deep within her, Ogochukwu knew she was the cause of Adanna’s death but her father told her otherwise. There were times she sensed something and it will come to be. On that particular day, she had wished that Adanna will die soon and it had happened the way she had imagined.

Most people in Agu land knew that she had some powers and made sure to tell their children to avoid her.  Needless to say, she had no friends growing up and even as an adult, only strangers who knew nothing about her powers were friends with her.

“What did you say?” Iyeke asked, looking at the strange woman. How did she know she was expecting a child? As far she knew, she wasn’t even showing but this woman knew a baby was growing within her.

Ogochukwu could see a baby growing in her daughter’s womb. It was part of the “gift” she had. As a matter of fact, the foetus was male.

“You…you… are glowing and so I guessed you were with child” Ogochukwu said with relieve and hoped that Iyeke will believe her. She didn’t know why she said allowed the words leave her mouth.

“Iyekoetin, you been get belle you no tell ya ma… me” Madam Edosa quickly corrected herself. After all that had transpired, she didn’t know if Iyeke will be happy for her to address her as her granddaughter.

“I was going to tell you at the right time but it was…why am I even telling you this? You are not related to me so you have no right to quiz me about my life”. Iyeke knew she was stepping out of line but she was really unhappy with her grandmother at this time.

Ogochukwu looked at her daughter and became emotional. She needed a little time with her to explain to her about the family she comes from. It was a chilling story and sometimes, she wished she was never told the deep dark secrets of her family but she must admit that it did help and the powers that came with it albeit at a cost.

“Iyeke, I really need to talk to you. If you do not want anything to do with me after this, so be it but I need to speak to you now”. Ogochukwu spoke as soon as she had Iyeke’s attention. She hoped it would work.

Iyeke couldn’t understand what came over her. One minute she was really upset with this woman that claimed to be her mother and the next, she just wanted to sit and listen to all she had to say. It must be the emotions that come with having a baby.

She willed herself to get into the car that was already opened but she couldn’t stop her legs from walking towards the strange woman.

Ogochukwu wasn’t sure it would work but she was happy when Iyeke started walking towards her and she stretched her hand to guide her towards the chair at the front the house. She could see the look of surprise on Madam Edosa’s face from the corner of her eyes.

They will never understand why she had to resort to this but that is another story and definitely not for now.

She watched her daughter pick the chair closest to the one she was sitting on.

Well, here goes nothing.

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Kizito tailgated the girl in the black Corolla. He has been following her for days now, studying her movements, locations she visited, whom she was with etc. He had not seen her with Chief Mezu but she attributed that to chief being out of the country.

Today, she was alone. He watched her drive round the Car Park looking a suitable place to park. He slowed down and parked close to a black S Class and waited for her to alight from her car. She was a very beautiful girl with a smallish stature. Another time, another circumstances, he would have been all over her, as she was his spec

“Get your head back in the game” he told himself. Over the years, he has learnt not to mix business with pleasure, as the two never went together and was definitely a recipe for disaster.

Tap!! tap!!

Kizito turned to look at a gentleman tapping on his window.

“Sir, can you please move forward, as you are holding up traffic”.

It was then that he heard all the horning from cars behind him. Slowly, he pulled out and started driving towards the black corolla, whilst apologising to the man.

He found a parking space a few cars away from the Corolla and waited there. He went over his plan again and when he was sure that he had covered everything, he got down from the car and started walking into the Supermarket.

Withered Flower - Episode 16

Ogochukwu could not believe she let the words slip out of her mouth. It was like a word vomit she couldn’t stop, despite the fact that she tried to keep it down.

In all the previous years that she had seen her daughter from afar, this was the first time that something stirred in her. The moment she saw her step out of the vehicle, she knew she was looking at her daughter, even though the last time she saw her she was twelve years of age. If not for the fact that she was lighter in complexion than Iyeke, she could have thought that she was looking in the mirror.

Ogochukwu watched the young beautiful girl walk towards them. It took the grace of God for her not to run towards her and give her a hug. She must admit that she was a bit jealous when the girl ran towards madam Edosa and greeted her in their Benin language. This was an Igbo girl for goodness sake and my daughter. She should be calling me “mama” and not this stranger, she thought.

Why did I even give her up? I didn’t think it would hurt this much to hear her call another person “Mama”. When she left Iyeke years ago, her intention was to keep moving and not look back but looking at this young woman had brought all the emotions that a mother is expected to feel and she will be damned if she kept quiet and allow this “Old Hag” play “house” with my daughter.

Madam Edosa had thought the best way to break this unpleasant news to Iyeke was to beat around the bush a bit and then just ease in. Ever since she asked Iyeke to come home, she had had a number of practice on how she was going to break the news to Iyeke and had even come up with different reactions she would expect from Iyeke and how she would counter them.

The saying that it is always better to tell the truth, no matter how difficult, as lying always comes back to bite you in the bum is actually very true. Years ago, she had wanted to tell Iyeke the truth when she always came home crying that other kids were making fun of her in school about not having parents. But somehow, a lie was more comfortable than the truth and so she told Iyeke that her parents had died in an accident. It was painful watching her being bullied but it was still better than telling her that her mother had abandoned her one cold night.

Why did Ogochukwu come back? What was it that she wanted to tell Iyeke that could not wait till…well never and now she has ruined a life or lives as it may by just blurting out that she was Iyeke’s mother…some mother.

Kene felt like he was in one of those Nollywood movies that Iyeke was always trying to make him watch. It was filled with mistakes and was always very painful to watch.

He had seen some semblance between Iyeke and this woman claiming to be her mother but he didn’t really think anything of it because Iyeke had told him that she was an orphan, her parents had died in a car crash when she was just a baby.  

Iyeke thought she had heard the strange woman say that she was someone’s mother. It couldn’t be her because she was told that her parents died when she was a baby, so it had to Kene that she was talking to.

She turned and looked at Kene, expecting a reaction from him but all he got was this look of surprise on her behalf. She directed her attention to her grandmother and felt nauseous immediately for the look in her grandmother’s eyes said it all.

“I’m sorry, what?” she asked, looking at the strange woman who was already sobbing. “I thought I heard you say something about being someone’s mother”.

Ogochukwu couldn’t keep the tears from flowing. She used the edge of her wrapper to clean her eyes.

“I wish there was a better way to say this but there isn’t, I am your mother” Ogochukwu replied.

“I don’t understand, like…like.., I mean how?” She turned to her grandmother “My parents died in a car crash when I was a baby, so there is no way that you are my mother, unless you are a ghost who came back to life”. She said with laughter on her lips. It was the only thing she could do to herself from bursting into tears.

“Iyekoetin my daughter, siddon abeg make…” Her grandmother started to say.

“You have no right to speak at this moment!!” she screamed. “For 27 years, 27 frigging years and you are telling me now that this stranger is my mother? I trusted you all these years and you betray me like this? I’m sure you can see why I say that you have no right!!”

She couldn’t hold the tears anymore and she allowed it flow freely. Kene got up and she placed her head on his chest. She felt betrayed by her grandmum that is if she was even her grandmother. She turned to her.

With a broken voice she asked the dreaded question “Are you my grandmother? Are we even related?” She asked, hoping that she was wrong about the answer.

“Iyekoetin, you are my daughter. You sucked on this breasts of mine”. She held her breast for effect. “All I have ever done was love you like mine. I may have told a few lies here and there but trust me, the truth would have been more painful”

“And you didn’t think that I should have the choice as to whether to hold on to the truth or lies?” She blew her nose into a tissue she found in her bag. “You should have told me the truth and let me deal with it the only way I knew how to. All I want to know now is if you are related to me”.

Madam Edosa looked down. She couldn’t believe she was in this position. She never expected that it will all come to this and she caused Ogochukwu for ruining a perfect relationship.

“No, I am not related to you but that doesn’t mean that you are not my daughter I…” she didn’t get to finish.

“But I am not your daughter am I?”

She couldn’t take this anymore. It seemed like she had been living a lie for the past 27 years.

“Kene, please can you take me home”

Ogochukwu, who had been sobbing on the side suddenly stood up and ran to Iyeke.

“Please you cannot go, I have to tell you why I left and why I am back…please”

“I do not know you and there is nothing you can tell me that will make this whole episode any better, so please leave me alone”. Iyeke replied.

“But I am your mother” Ogochukwu said kneeling on the ground.

“Don’t you dare. You abandoned me for 27 years and you come here saying you are my mother? Don’t you dare”. She turned and started walking towards the car.

“Iyeke, I need to speak to you, please just listen to me”. Ogochukwu begged.

“You should have thought about that before abandoning your child”. Iyeke shouted back.

“What I’m about to tell you can save your life. You will die and so will the baby you are carry!!!!!”