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!!!!!”