Captured (a short story)

20

On Wakandan Soil

Ashas pov

As we approach the familiar farm where a lot of memories were made, Okoye turns to me. "Welcome back home, your baba was assigned farm duty for his time. He should be in that hut straight ahead. Ill stay and be on the lookout." I nod and adjust the wrap on my head before  sprinting across the field to the hut. As I come to the entrance I stop and  take a breath before speaking. "Baba, are you here?" I whisper in the cold crisp night air.

I look back to Okoye for a second, and decide to just walk in announced. As I come in I see a firepit and my baba wrapped up in a blanket laying on the floor in front of it. 

I run to his side and touch his head. "Baba, its me." I say and he flickers his eyes open and looks around confused before spotting me. "As-Asha, is it really you?" He asks in a hoarse voice and he sits up slowly observing my face.

"Hi, yes its me baba." I take his hand in mine and squeeze it. His eyes fill with tears as he touches my face. "My daughter, I cant believe this.." I go in to hug him and he embraces me back. 

"Asha, where have you been? I've been so worried." He cries and I release the hug to talk. "Baba,  its a long story, but I'm alright. I just needed to know you were ok." I whisper and he wipes his tears.

"Asha, I'm so sorry. I -lied to you about your mother, I was wrong." He says and I shake my head. "Listen, its okay. I know you loved mom. You were just doing what you thought was right, and that's ok."

He sighs and shakes his head. "Your mother, I see her in you so much now. Asha, but I - im losing my memory of her."

I start to tear up as I hear his words. The faint words of mother when she came to me in the ancestral plane. She said baba was sick. He was sick from a broken heart, and never really got over her death. I don't know how I couldn't see that then, but now I do. My baba really needs help, he needs to grieve. 

"Everyday its gets harder to remember her, but when I see you I'm reminded so much of the love she brought into our lives." 

Tears fall down my face and I wipe my tears briefly. Its so hard watching him break down like this. I've never seen him so vulnerable before. " I know baba, I know everything."

I want to ask more about the history of bringing me here, and if he knew about my mothers true identity but  think its best now  not too. He was in so much pain, and was starting to have  some memory loss. For now, its best to let him know that I was okay. 

"I have to serve some time here on the farm, I thought it would be worse but Queen Shuri is understanding. But I'm so glad your okay." He touches underneath my chin and I grin through my tears. 

"Yes,  I'm glad your okay too baba."

"I'm so tired." He says leaning back down to lay on the floor. I look over to the cot in the corner of the room and grab my babas hand. "Here, you should lay on the cot." I say and help him up and over to the cot.

I lay him down and cover him with the blankets. "Rest now." I say as I adjust the blankets to his liking. 

"I truly can now, knowing that you are okay."  He says and I try not to burst into tears in front of him. I continue to hold his hand. "Goodnight baba, I love you." 

"I love you too daughter." He says in a low sleepy voice and within seconds he falls back into a deep sleep. I kiss his forehead and wipe my face of my remaining tears. My heart breaks so much to see him like this, and how I never knew makes me even more sad.