PRICELESS ONE
Priceless One - Episode 13
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"Students listen to your names..."
The class teacher of SS2 science announced as he made the roll call.
“ Elizabeth.”
“ Present sir.”
“ Jomiloju”
“ Present sir.”
“ Eberechukwu”
“ Present sir.”
“ Chima!”
There was silence as everyone looked around.
“ Chima is absent sir.” One of the students said.
The teacher nodded.
“ Sandra!” the teacher continued calling.
“ Sandra is also absent sir, as well as her friend; Chioma.” It was Harriet that replied this time.
The class teacher took a long pause and gave a look of surprise.
“ That’s strange.” He said.
Yes it was really strange to Harriet who was in a lighter mood today. It was an unusual day at school because, apart from the excitement she felt after the conversation with her mom, the class was unusually calm and was almost getting boring because some students were absent. And these set of students who were absent, were supposed to be the major entertainers and also the trouble makers of the class.
For the first time since she resumed school, she had never witnessed the absence of Chima and his friend, along with most of the members of the dynamite squad.
Sandra, Chioma, and even Shalewa!!!
This was really unusual!!
Only Jennifer and Osasuyi were around and were unusually so quiet all through the lessons that day.
*****************
Mr Nwafor returned from his trip and met his mother sitting in the dinning area with her chin cupped in her palm.
“ Good morning Mama.” He greeted his mother cheerfully as he rested his arms on her shoulder lovingly.
“ Good morning my son.”
Mama gave an uninterested reply.
“ Hope you didn’t miss me too much….. look what I got for you?” He said brightly and opened his traveler’s box , bringing out a nylon, he handed it over to her.
“...I know you will like these Hollandis wrappers.” He continued but noticed that his mother seemed to be restless, and tapping her foot anxiously on the floor.
“...Mama is everything ok?” he asked her worriedly.
Mama gave a long pause and directed her gaze fully on her son.
“ Chidindu.” She called.
“ Yes Mama.”
She beckoned him to sit down on the seat beside her and he complied.
Mama sighed.
“ How long have you been traveling like this and leaving Sandra at home?” Mama asked him.
“ I’ve been traveling like this for years.” He said.
Mama frowned her face.
“...I don’t understand, why are you asking this question Mama?” Mr Nwafor asked his mother.
“ You mean you have been traveling for years and leaving your daughter all to herself?” Mama questioned him.
He scoffed.
“ Mama…. Sandra is big girl o….. she’s no longer a child who needs to be babysitted anymore…… is that why you are frowning your face?”
“ Chidindu.” Mama called.
“ Yes Mama.”
Mama shook her head sorrowfully.
“ God knows I did my best to train you and your sister well…… even after your father d!ed and left me a widow…..I still did my best to work so hard, just to give you and your sister a future……” Mama began but was interrupted by her son.
“ Mama….. why are you bringing up these stories now…. Did I do anything to offend you….if I did, just go straight to the point and tell me.”
She nodded briefly.
“ Do you know that Sandra sneaks out of this house and goes to club?...... Do you know that your daughter keeps late nights?”
Mr Nwafor sighed.
“ No mama….. I’m not aware of it.”
“Hmm!”
“Yesterday, Sandra sneaked out of this house late in night….. only to come back home at 3:30am…… but that is not everything o.”
Mama sighed again and continued.
“ She was reeking strongly of alcohol and when I asked her where she was coming from,…. She said she went to a party…… I went on to correct her in a motherly way, but Sandra walked out on me.” Mama ended sadly.
Mr Nwafor scratched his head.
“ Mama please I’m sorry about Sandra’s misbehavior toward you……please forgive her…. She was only being childish….. you know the youths of these days Mama….. she’s just within that age bracket where she wants to explore,….. I believe with time, as she grows matured, she will outgrow the habit of keeping late nights……. You know…..we call it youthful exurberance….. that’s what Sandra is doing Mama. Mr Nwafor said persuasively.
Mama scoffed unbelievably.
“ Really!!...... Chidindu is that what you have to say about all this things…… where you ever allowed to go to clubs when you were her age?” Mama questioned her son.
“ Mama….. that was during my time…… this generation has evolved now….. meaning Children of this generation always wants to be given more liberty to explore.”
Mama shook her head pitifully.
“ I am so disappointed in you Chidindu….. is this how you have been training your daughter?..…. So you give her liberty to do as she likes?” Mama chastised.
Mr Nwafor exhaled deeply.
“ Ok…. What do you want me to do now Mama?” he asked her.
“ I want you to call her to order and be strict just like a parent will be….. it’s because you’ve been pampering her like this that is why she’s so r0tten!!...”
“ Ok mama….. I have heard you….. I will call her to order….. but right now I’m just so tired…..you know I just came back from a trip.” He said and stood up.
“ Where are you going Chidindu?.... we’ve not finished our discussion.”
Mr Nwafor growled in frustration.
“ What is it again mother?”
“ Chidindu sit down.” She instructed him.
He grumbled but complied.
“ Don’t you think it’s time you get married?...... I mean, it been long since Sandra’s mom d!ed…. And Sandra needs a mother figure in her life…..she can’t continue to grow up like this without a mother to guide her….. besides, you also need companionship also, to cure the loneliness you feel at times.” Mama said.
“ Ok mama, I will work on it.” He said quickly.
“ Please work on it fast….I need other grandchildren from you apart from Sandra.” Mama said.
“ Ok mama…. Please can I go now?” he asked.
She rested her gaze on him for a while.
“ Yes you can go.”
*****************
Chima's Mom sighed worriedly as she watched her son sleep peacefully on his bed.
Three times had he vomited,
and three times she had cleaned his vomit, before he finally fell asleep.
She watched on as he snored heavily, waiting patiently for him to wake up so she could air her grief at his misconduct. But he slept on with reckless abandon, while she lost her sleep tending to him.
He finally jerked awake at 2pm.
Clasping his hands on his head, wondering the best remedy to soothe the pain he was feeling on his head.
He couldn’t even tell if it was a nagging headache or a migraine that hammered through his head.
He managed to look round his room, it was empty.
“ What happened to me?” Chima pondered hard, trying to get past the pain gnawing through him.
Memories of last night began to trickle slowly through his memory lane.
Yes! He remembered feeling so depressed last night, and had to douse the feeling with the continuous puffing of sm0kes through his nostrils, coupled with a few cups of strong alcoholic drink he had.
He sighed and got up from bed.
“ Arrggh.” He growled.
His head was really banging, and probably a few glasses of cold water would cool off the temperature.
Chima walked slowly from his room and climbed down the stairs into the kitchen.
He saw his mom, but said nothing,
He walked past her to the freezer and gulped down a bottle of chilled water which soothed his patched up throat.
“ Uncle Chima….. good afternoon sir!” His mother greeted in sarcasm.
He murmured his greetings to her quietly and made to walk out.
“ Not so fast young man….. we have a lot to discuss here.” She pointed out.
Chima paused and slowly turned to her direction.
“ I’m all ears.” He said briskly.
She folded her hands akimbo with her eyes shooting daggers.
“ Chima!!!..... Since when did you start sneaking out of this house without my knowledge?” She interrogated.
He turned his face the other way and didn’t reply.
“ Chima!!!.... Are you de@f!!!.... Are you not the one I’m asking a question?” She asked half yelling.
“ And since when did you care mom?” He fired at her.
“ What kind of stμp!d question is that?” She challenged him.
“ You of all people know that I care for my children…… and I’ve made more sacrifices in this house for you than any woman can ever make for her kids!!!..... So I don’t expect you to ask me such stμp!d question!!!!”
Chima scoffed loudly, watching his mother continue in her rants.
“...So you have a lot of explanations to give me as to what kind of party you go to in the late hours of the night!!!..... You were d£@d drunk when Sandra brought you the early hours of this morning!!!...... Chima!!!.... How you have so disappointed me, after all the sacrifices I make for you as a mother!!!..... You repay me back by picking up a bad lifestyle!!!.... What kind of example are you laying for your younger ones!!!!” His mom yelled in frμstration.
“ I do not owe you any explanation mother!!” Chima fired back.
“ Chima!!!..... How dare you talk to me like that?”
“ mom! I said I do not owe you any explanation because you do not care about me, my siblings or anybody else…..all you care about is yourself!!” Chima yelled, his eyes red in tears.
His mom calmed a bit.
“ Chima…..that is a lie…….and I’m so pained you are talking to me like that.”
He nodded.
“ Do you care about my mental well being mother?...... Did you even care why my grades drastically dropped over the years from the first position to the 14th position!!!!...... Mother you do not give a d@mn about my well being…… so please, stop sounding like you suddenly care!!!”
She was hit by his words.
“ Chima…..I care about you….. God knows I care about you….” She replied painfully.
Chima scoffed amidst his tears.
“ if you cared so much about me…..or any of your children at all,…… you would have taken us out of this toxic house……instead of agreeing to be dad’s punching bag!!!!...... Do you know how much pain and trauma we go through each time dad b£@ts you to a pulp!!!!..... Do you care what it does to my mental health?” Chima challenged his mother shakily.
Running his hands through his head as the headache pounded more.
“ ..So why should you complain when I leave this stupid house to a party, so I can at least get some peace and sanity?”
His mother bursted into tears.
“...Just give me one reason mother why I should remain in a house where my dad has reduced my Mom to nothing but a common servant in disguise of a housewife!!!!..... If you breath, he b£ats you ….. you talk, he b£ats you…. You don’t talk, he b£ats you!!!!”
“ Chima stop!!” His mother interrupted amidst sobs.
“ No!.... I won’t stop mother.”
She fell to the ground in tears.
“...Despite his gruesome treatments to you, you are content to still stay in this house, until he beats you up one day and you travel to the world beyond!!!....."
"...So you see mother!!.... You do not care about us, because if you really did!!!!..... You would have taken us out of this toxic environment!!!”
Chima screamed painfully, ignoring the headache that seered through him.
He stamped his foot on the ground ângrÃly and walked out of the kitchen to his room where he sobbed loudly.
(Do not take credit or Plagiarize AMAH'S HEART stories)
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