WHO IS TO BLAME?

Chapter nine

My real name is Fatima Aliyu but my mum called me Seema. I was born in Abuja but shortly after i was born, my mother had some misunderstanding with my father and she leaves together with me even though my father tried to stop her from taking me with her but she ignored him. We moved to Jos, plateau state where my grandparents live. My grandparents were very poor so we can't afford three meals per day. I was very small at that time but I could remember when my grandma intended to throw us out of the house saying that she can't feed us. She dragged me and my mum and pushed us out of the house and we fell on the ground. "You can go wherever you want but I can't let you stay in my house." She shouted at my mum.
   "I'm sorry mum I don't know where to go please allow me to stay." My mum said shedding tears.
   "When I told you that i don't want you to marry that idiot what did you told me?"
   "Past is past please mum i do apologize for disobeying you. I will never say no to you again I promised you." My mum said kneeling down in front of my grandma so knelt down too.
   "What do you want to do now? As you can see i'm very poor. I'm always struggling to find something to eat but it's too hard for me so how do you expect me to feed you both?"
   "I'm trying to start a new business that will makes us money and I promised to give you a something when I started." Mum responded trying to convince her mother.
My grandma doesn't say anything she was just fuming in rage. Just then some neighbors came out and asked her what had happened. "I just can't live with this stupid girl and her daughter in this house. I can't even feed myself very well and now she wants me to feed her and her so called daughter."
They all started apologizing on my behalf. They tried their best to convince her to allow us to live in the house since we don't have any place to go. They advised my mum to start a business so that she could help her parents. At last, she agreed and moved away from the door. We entered after thanking God and our neighbors.
Life was not easy living with my grandparents because they always insulted me and my mother even though my grandpa is not always at home because he works as a housekeeper though they payed him little. But whenever he comes back home, he always beats me and abuses me if I did something wrong but I like him since he always brought me gifts of sweets and biscuits when he comes back home.
   I was six years when my mother started working as a maid in a big house. She always went work as early as seven o'clock and she will not come back until eight o'clock in the night. I Was always suffering whenever my mum leaves. Oneday, while my mum left for the work, I went out playing with other kids in my neighborhood. As i was playing hide and seek, my grandmother came out and dragged me into the house and started beating me mercilessly.
   "How many times do i have to remind you that you shouldn't go out of the house? Who do you think is going to wash these dishes? And who is your servant to sweep the house for you?" She yelled at me.
She flogged me so much that day without mercy at the end, she pushed me away and i fell down hurting my head on the wall. I quickly stood up before she drag me again and brought a small stool and sat down. I began to wash the dishes without hesitation while my grandma was sitting close to me, watching me and scolding me if I didn't wash dish very well. As I told you, I was only six years old at that time so i'm not perfect in washing the dishes. Therefore, I waisted a lot of time on them even though they are not many because we are only five in the house: my grandma, grandpa who is not always at home, mum, her younger sister, who is only fiveteen years old but she is also not staying at home until she wishes to, and me. After i finished washing the dishes, i took them into our room since we don't have kitchen and i began to sweep the house. The house was very small it has only two rooms: my grandparents and our own.
   Shortly after i finished everything, I was sitting in our room  when my grandma entered. I quickly stood up shivering thinking that she is going to beat me up again. She moved closer to me and stopped. I already froze with fear so I closed my eyes waiting for her to start beating me. She tugged my ears very hard that I think she's going to remove them from my body so I began to cry.
   "If you tell your mother what happened today i am going to kill you, do you hear me?" She cried.
   "Yes granny." I said in pain because she refused to release my ears.
She pushed me against the wall and went out leaving me there crying. I was still crying when I fell asleep. I heard my mother's voice as if in a dream and I woke up abruptly only to observe that it was not in a dream. I quickly went out to meet her and i hugged her tightly shedding my tears and she hugged me too caling my name.
   "I missed you so much my dear Seema."
   "I missed you too mummy."  I said while I noticed grandma glaring at us as if her eyes are going to fall down.
   Maybe my mum sensed that something is wrong so she asked me to go to the room. "Let's go to the room my baby okay?" She said and we started walking towards our room.
   "Aisha do you mean that you will not give us anything today?" We heard grandma yelling so we stopped.
That's what is happening everyday. They always asked her to give them money and if she doesn't, they will start insulting her and calling her with all kinds of abusive names.
   "I am sorry mum but I don't have anything with me today. By the way, I have already told you that i will divide my salary into two and give you the half at the end of every month." Said my mother as if she's going to cry.
   "Stupid girl! I already told you that you will suffer if you refuse to follow my command now look at  what this stupid man you called a husband did to you."
My mother doesn't wants to hear this again so she dragged me into our room furiously and started sobbing silently so I felt very bad.
"I'm sorry mum please stop crying." I used my shirt and began to wipe her tears.
She smiled broadly. Thank you so much my daughter i love you may God bless you abundantly."
I smiled back at her. "I always want to see you happy mum and I love you too."
She moved closer to me and kissed me on the forehead. I also moved closer to her and kissed her on the forehead too. We smiled at the same time hugging each other.
   "My dear Seema." My mother called me out. "What happened to you today in this house?" She asked eyeing me so my countenance changed after i remembered what happened between me and granny today.
I opened my mouth to tell her when I suddenly saw my grandmother's toes at our door. That means she was eavesdropping us so I kept my mouth shut. My mother comprehend what had happened so she changed the topic.
   "Look my dear, I brought you something okay? So close your eyes and don't open it until I told you to do so okay?" She said, smiling.
I closed my eyes and I felt something in my hands. "Now open your eyes." Said mum.
I opened my eyes and behold so many things in front of me. It was my favorite biscuit, chocolate, new shoes, two sets of new clothes, beautiful bag and a big beautiful teddy. I couldn't stop staring and admiring the things my mother brought me. I just opened my mouth with my wide open eyes staring at them affectionately.
   "Thank you so much mum and i really appreciated what you have been doing to me." I said while hugging her.
She smiled looking at me while i started eating my sweets. "Mum when are you sending me to school? I want to start going to school like my friends." I said looking at her worried.
   "Don't worry my dear, I promised to send  you to school at the end of this month when I collected my salary."
I stood up and started jumping with my teddy while my mother was sitting down watching and laughing at me.

The next day, my mum was preparing to go to the work and I was sitting beside her looking at her almost in tears.
   "Mum why can't you go with me? I feel bored here every time you leave so please let me follow you."
She turned facing me and holding my hands.
   "My dear you can't follow me right now. They will not let me work in the house with you but I promised to go there with you one day. Alright?" She spoke to me, smiling.
I nodded and smiled back at her.
She stood up, kiss me on the forehead and left. I just stared at her until she disappeared.
Shortly after she leaves the house, my grandma entered our room. I stood up abruptly knowing that she is up to something.
   "Give me all the things that your mother gave you yesterday." She shouted at me.
I quickly brought them all and gave her. She collected them, give me a black look and went out. I followed her immediately knowing that there are so many things that I supposed to do before she beat be like before. I did everything that she ordered me to do. When I finished, I went back into my room looking tired so i lied down. Just then, I slept off.
   It was late in the evening when I woke up to the noise of the crowd outside our house. I sat up hissing thinking that it was grand mum who was quarreling with someone as usual. I stood up and went out peeping my grandmother's room to ensure that she is not around else i will be in trouble if she eventually finds out that I left. I tiptoed out of the house. When I reached outside, I met crowd gathered outside the house everyone saying something that i couldn't comprehend.  Something might be wrong. I thought.
I moved close to some of my neighbors to hear what they are saying. "They said she was hit by the car while trying to cross the road" said one of our neighbor not knowing that I was there.
    "I really pity her little daughter. It's extremely bad." Said the other woman looking depressed.
I quickly moved towards the crowd kicking some people while trying to see the woman they are talking about. I stood there transfixed when I behold my mother lying lifelessly on the ground. I rubbed my eyes to check if my eyes are misbehaving. yes it is true she is the one. I ran to her and fell on her body crying helplessly while hugging her tightly.  

This is the end of season 1 of WHO IS TO BLAME?
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Watch out for WHO IS TO BLAME 2