I watched as aunt Chime spoke over the phone. I knew she was discussing with papa and she was using coded words.
‘….really, so they have chosen a date?….when….okay, i will be there…i wont miss it for any reason…i would be there..bye…Ivyy is fine…okay, i would’ She hung up and turned to me.
I faked a smile and swallowed a morsel of eba…papa and aunt Chime were going to pay for what they were doing to mama. If anything bad happens to mama, then i would never forgive them.
I suddenly washed my hands and stood up.
She looked at me ‘where are you going? Are you satisfied?’
‘yes..i want to go and see my friend Henna, i need to borrow her Biology textbook’
She looked at me suspiciously ‘dont you have one?’
‘mine was stolen the previous week’
‘how much does a new one cost?’
‘a thousand five hundred naira’
She contemplated for a while ‘sit down, i will go to mama Chidi’s store, borrow some money and buy you a new one okay?’
‘but i nid it now for my assignment!’
‘i said sit down Ivyy, you’re going nowhere!’ she commanded.
I became angry ‘what makes you and papa think you can stop me from seeing mama if i want to…dont i go to school? Or you think i cant skip school just to see my mother whom you guys have falsely accused and framed? You think ur wickedness can separate mama and i?’
She was taken aback for a moment before she stood up ‘its not what you think Ivyy…i will tell you everything but when the time is right’
‘tell me now! I request you tell me now! Else…i will show you all how stubborn i can be…what kind of father would separate his children from their mother…isnt that wickedness?’
‘i’m so sorry about that Ivyy..its really isnt our intention…its all your mother’s fault…we dont want you children to suffer for the mistakes your mother made…’
‘what mistakes? Why wont you tell me whats going on in this place?’ i said violently kicking the tabel causing our meal to pour all over the sitting room.
Angered, aunt Chime slapped me ‘you’re very stupid! Now, get into your room immediately before i handle you in a way you would not like’
I ran to my my room but not after mouthing “you will pay for this” to myself.
I wan going to teach them a lesson…i was going to teach them a lesson whereby they would pray for death but death wouldnt come..i knew exactly what to do.
I fell on my bed crying and praying for mama. She needed God’s mercies like never before.
***
The time came for my plans to be set into action when papa paid us a visit and aunt Chime sent me to the garden to pluck garden egg leaves for abacha.
I had smiled within me…they wouldnt know what hit them.
As i strolled to the garden which was not faraway from the house, i hummed mama’s favourite tune to myself ‘nnem nnem oo, ezigbo nnem ee, nnem nnem oo, ezigbo yoyo nnem mama…’ as i sang i remembered my mother and i cried.
She normally sang that song whenever she told us tales of how her mother struggled to bring her up as she was the only child and her father died at a very tender age.
I plucked the garden egg leaves..then moved to where the Imezi leave had grown as a weed.
I had come across it several times in the garden and also told myself to uproot when next i come but i always forgot…now was the time for it to come into use.
The Imezi leave was a very dangerous leave. Once it enters a human body…it doesnt kill, but it slowly weakens every system in the human’s body thereby leaving the person paralyzed with pains…it also causes different types of illness…ranging from terrible fever to diarrhoea and stroke…it was a terrible leave and it would eventually lead to death..but it might take years of pains and paralysis.
I smiled and plucked five leaves from it.
I went to the kitchen and sat on the stood…took the knives and sliced the leaves together.
When the meal was ready, i served it and took it to the sitting room where they were sharing a hearty laughter.
I watched as they ate with a smile on my face…it will take only a matter of hours before the leave began its effect on their body.
TBC
