Queen Kosarachi

1

Her screams were heard from far and wide, it brought a sight of mixed emotions as the people knew it was a woman who had been barren for twenty years her husband the only visible helping hand having died just five months ago .

Some were genuinely happy for her, some were only happy there was something to talk about, while a few had nothing nice to say.

"Ehen!." one called at her friend on their way to the stream. "Did you know that the barren woman is finally about to put to bed?."

"Are you serious my sister?, after almost fifteen miscarriages."

"Seriously, I could hear her screams from Adaku's house."

"You're not serious!." The other said shaking her head in disbelief. "I know she has probably gone to a native doctor in a far away land promising the life of her child at a certain age of maturity."

"Nkiruka and Nkechi!, so you both have nothing to do with your day than gossip a poor old widow who finally has a source of joy after twenty two years of marriage?." Another girl came from behind exclaiming, clapping her hands shabbily in utter disbelief.

The girls rolled their eyes and hissed. "Adaeze, I don't know who invited you to this conversation." Nkechi said.

"Ju kwam oo!." Nkiru added. "You'll not go and deliver that pot of water on your head."

"Better be careful, we wouldn't want your prized possession to be sculpted to the size of that pot." Nkechi said, Nkiru looked at her a while before finally getting the joke and burst out laughing like an angry hyena.

Adaeze ignored them. "Oh, now you're looking for who invited me, odikwa mma, now who invited you into mama Ify's matter eh?."

"Well you're not any better than us, still referring to her by the name of her first and only child who unfortunately passed away." Nkiru said.

"No one got to experience baby Ifechukwu but hopefully we'll all get to experience this child, maybe she may get passed three months old." Nkechi said as they both laughed giving each other high fives.

"What am I doing with horrible people like you and your dark senses of humor?, let me go before you say something and allege that I was an accomplice." Adaeze shrugged and after rotating her hand over her head twice snapped in their direction. "Despicable bunch of girls."

"Better than getting deflowered in the bush." Nkiru said. Adaeze turned with shock and starred her right in the eyes, she looked away immediately without saying a word, it would be a lot if they saw the tears about to escape her eyes, she moved away immediately as the girls laughed some more, gave each other high fives and gaily walked away in the opposite direction with their empty pots of water still deep in their conversations.

"Congratulations mama, it's a bouncing baby girl." The young midwife said to a visibly pained mama Ifechukwu, the wailings had stopped and Ifeyinwa the head midwife gently rubbed her hands, soothing her so that she could be relaxed, hearing those words, she mustered up strength to rise and behold the baby dripping with blood, with dying strength she said her final words "Kosarachi..."