Feelings

CHAPTER 5

BACK TO THE STORY
I closed my window and went back to my computer and started playing “who wants to be a millionaire”; and yes I am going to be a millionaire. Our life played a repeat everyday, at some point it all started becoming boring, but making paintings and baking kept us sane.
I never said it out but I was patiently waiting for dad to come back home to I and mom; months passed, then years but he never showed up. He was sending money and gifts on my birthdays but my mom usually threw them away.
“Why can’t you come back, you coward” mom yelled in her room.
I know that she misses him a lot, but she never showed it in her face; she spent her time painting, and her emotions she poured into her artworks.
On my 14th birthday, mom and I baked cakes, pies, donuts, cookies, and other things; she got me presents that are more than I could use.
The delivery guy arrived by approximately 9:30am with a package labelled “happy birthday Mama”. I was very happy at first, but then my happy face changed to sadness as my dad’s absence hit me.
“Again he is absent on my birthday; it felt as if dad really abandoned us” I cried in my heart.
“maybe those witches said the truth; maybe men truly prefers male children to female” I thought.
Papa Emeka loves Emeka more than his girls; the couple had 5 girls and a boy, but people still referred to them as Mama and Papa Emeka. They took Emeka to everywhere they went and bought him more than they gave the girls put together.
The same goes to papa Benjamin; he had 1 boy and 1girl, but people address him by the son’s name.
“Men are cowards”  I thought.
My thoughts were cut off by a bang on our door; I was scared, so I shifted backwards. Mom was in the kitchen when the knock came and she fearfully ran into the sitting room, gently peeped through the small hole on the door.
I was having a panic disorder, my heart beat hard, and I was loosing breath; it was the first time we received that kind of knock on our door.
“it’s okay, baby” mom said and hugged me.
She held me for a long time, until I calmed down a bit; then she left me and went to check who was on the door.
“it was the witches”
Mom opened the door and dragged them outside, and from there they spoke.
Mama Joy handed her phone over to my mom to see something that is stored there. I was watching from my room window and the more I watched them, the more nervous I got.
I came downstairs, opened the door and watched from there; I wanted to go to my mom, but I couldn’t, my heart beat fast.
“What is the meaning of this” mom asked
“your husband is having an affair over there” mama Joy told mom.
“Not an affair, he is remarried” Mama Eko told mom mockingly
“they have a son, I believe that is why he still isn’t back, for someone that went on a business trip” mama destiny said.
“doesn’t she look familiar” mama Ejima asked
“who are you referring to” Mama Eko asked
“the other woman, of course” mama Eko said
“I know her na, she I the so called work colleague of her husband; I told you guys that she looks like a mistress” mama Joy said mockingly.
“how did you know how a mistress looks” my mom asked mama Joy.
“I believe you women don’t have anything better to do with your time other than to walk about gossiping about other people, so therefore I will excuse you to continue with your work”
“But before that why don’t you put a leech on your hoe husband so that he will stop going about sleeping with everything that walks on skirt” mom told mama Joy.
“And you mama Eko, I believe that if you can put these your investigative eyes in your home, you will stop the atrocity that is going on in your home” mom said
“what are you talking about, mama Vera”
“Aah, don’t tell me you are too blind that you don’t see the immorality going on in your home; make sure your sister doesn’t snatch your husband away from you, because am very sure you will die” mom told her.
“I even saw them the other day in your garage from my room kissing, and acting porn” mom said.
“you ladies should better go home and clear up the cockroaches in your cupboard instead of gossiping here” mom told them.
“I just hope that you have been using condom while sleeping with your husband, mama Joy, because if not, then I am sure you must have contacted STDs or HIV” mom told her
“are you sure that isn’t the reason why you slimmed down a lot” mom said spitefully to her.
I was very proud of my Mom; I could feel her legs going numb as she walked, I could also see tears drop from her eyes.
“That moment I knew something was off; I wondered what those evil witches must have told her to make her look incapacitated.
For days she buried herself in her workshop painting, cancelling and tearing off the paperwork; I  guess she lost her inspiration. I expected her to cry, or drink, but she didn’t; I know  you guys will say that it is a good thing, but I say otherwise.
Mom isn’t the type to hide her emotions, but that was her exact action, and it is strange; aside from her bad paintings I wasn’t able to tell her emotions, and I was scared I might loose her without knowing.
She won’t allow me to come inside her workshop, or watch her paint; that faithful day she lay on her bed and slept off. I went inside and saw her shabby looking artwork; her work lacked emotion.