Thou shall not steal

4.

~I JUST GOT BACK~

Today, I was home alone with Dennis and Dexter. It was the weekend, and that was how my weekends were spent, I would singlehandedly babysit my cousins.

I loved weekends because I always had more hands assisting me to carry out chores, it doesn't matter if those hands were given unwillingly, all that matters is that I could sleep a little longer.

Especially after mother spent the entire week cussing and accusing me of telling father where she hid the money, she gave me a good beating with a broom, and I still have the scars to show for it.

My mother was quite cruel. She had a mean temper which once ignited would consume everyone in its path, that day after Mrs Kendara's suggestion, she pounced on me, and when Mrs Kendara tried to stop her, she gave her the insult of her life. Then she dragged me out of the kitchen, beating me and humiliating me from the restaurant to our home.

My mother. I sighed looking down at the black stripes on both my hands; I hated seeing them.

"Sister!" Dennis shouted from behind me.

I looked up above the couch at him, and he said, "I'm hungry."

I hissed loudly and turned back to analyzing my injuries.

"Sister, I said I'm hungry." He said loudly.

"And so? I should fly? I should fly because you're hungry?" I shouted, "Rubbish. If you like don't join your brother and sleep until mummy comes back."

"I can't sleep! I'm Hun—"

"My friend if you don't shut up that your mouth I will slap you till that your fat cheek bursts!" I thundered.

He coughed twice before he started crying. In annoyance, I rose up from my seat and went to grab one of mommies cane then I advanced to him and whacked him with it three times on his bum.

"My friend will you shut up!" I shouted as I held my cane, "if I hear pim from that your mouth, you will see yourself today." I warned as he continued crying, "Oh, you think I'm playing with you, Abi?"

I raised the cane high in the air to thwack him with it again, but the cane was suddenly pulled back out of my arms.

"Ah-ah! Aboki wife why are flogging him Nah?" Uche said with the cane in his hand, "I heard him crying, and I thought it was your mummy that was flogging him, I didn't even know it was you. Why are you punishing him?"

"Uche give me back that cane," I ordered with an outstretched hand.

He ignored me and said to the boy, "What happened? What did you do? Why is she flogging you?"

"I did not do anything," Dennis cried loudly, "I just told her that I'm hungry, and she started flogging me."

"My friend will you shut up there! I didn't even touch you, and you're crying as if I beat you. If I should now beat that your big head, Inko?" I shouted once again advancing towards him, but Uche blocked me off.

"Ah-ah Aboki wife Wetin dey work you Nah? Calm down, Jhoor," he hissed before digging his hand into his pocket. He brought out a packet of shortbread and handed it to the little boy saying, "Take and don't cry again."

The boy nodded before eyeing me and then settling down to eat the biscuit.

"Where did you get shortbread from?" I asked in shock. Shortbread was quite expensive, and it wasn't sold in any shop around these parts because no one could afford it. I grabbed him by the collar of the baby blue shirt he was wearing, which also was new, one I haven't seen him in before. "Where did you get it from?"