Lydia's pain

Lydia's pain Episode 1

One sunny day, my father's corpse was driven into our compound alongside two of his colleagues. He was a Police officer, and was attacked and killed while on duty.

Mom and I were seated outside our face me I face you house doing laundry, while my younger brother was inside our bedroom, sleeping.

As soon as Mom saw them driving in, she got up immediately, cleaning her soapy hands with the wrapper tied round her waist.

She moved forward and peeped into the car that was now re-parking but she didn't really understand the sight she was seeing and then, both of Dad's colleagues that accompanied the corpse home quickly alighted, and one of them quickly walked up to Mom and put his arm around Mom's shoulders, stylishly walking her away from there while the other colleague signaled the driver to drive in.

Mom was feeling very uncomfortable, she kept turning back her head to look at the car that was now reversing into our compound. We knew those Dad's colleagues that had brought home the corpse very well, in fact they were constant visitors to our house.

Mom then started pointing at the car when it had parked properly, and was trying to let out something from her mouth but her throat had dried up. She made several attempts to speak but she kept stuttering and no one could really hear what she was saying. She was visibly shaking, her spirit mind was already communicating to her the tragedy that had befallen us.
"Madam, please calm down" One of Dad's colleagues said to Mom but the other colleague had already given up on himself trying to hold back the tears but couldn't. He tried to look away but Mom caught him crying, and she withdrew herself immediately and ran towards the car.

I used to watch in movies prior to that time where someone or people would die, and their relatives would cry out their eyes and lungs. Being an innocent 8 year old, I understood a little about death but, it had never happened to anyone close to me before, that was the grace that I enjoyed at that time.

Mom flung the car door open and saw Dad lying lifeless at the back seat in the pool of his blood and immediately, she fainted. I ran towards her and started calling on her, crying. Knelt behind her and grabbed her both shoulders and started shaking her with both shoulders for her to get up.

"Quick, bring water" One of Dad's colleagues said at the top of his voice, standing before Mom and fanning her with the helm of his shirt.

I dashed into the house and brought out water in a cup. The man collected it and sprinkled it on Mom's face but she only managed to open her eyes halfway. The men again started to fan her and she sat there on the bare floor looking so weak and panting.

My younger brother Joshua, who had been asleep came out of the house all of a sudden, screaming Daddy just like that.

The men and I turned staring at him, I became so scared.

I will never forget. That day was on a market day and on a Wednesday too. Some of our neighbors had gone to their places of work, some to the market and their children to school, I would have called on Mama Lasisi, my mother's friend to come witness what was happening.

Mama started to scream all of a sudden, calling on neighbors to come to her aid. Some people selling in their shops just across the road close to us ran into our compound, asking her what the matter was.

I was curious to know why Mama initially fainted and now screaming. I moved toward the car and peeped through the window that was wound up, there I saw my father lying lifeless in the pool of his blood.

You see, Dad relocated across the border many years ago when he couldn't find a job in his place through the help of his friend. And through the help of that his friend, he was able to join the force across the border.

Mom is from across the border, while Dad is from Nigeria.

Just a few minutes later, other officers drove in and asked that the c0rpse be taken to their office, from there to the mortuary and that the time of release for burial would be communicated to us.

There, they started scolding Dad's two colleagues that brought his b0dy home, and I remember them taking off their uniforms right there, cuffed both of them and they were both pushed into one of the cars.

A week later, the corpse was to be released for burial and the day we took Dad home to his place for burial through the help of that same friend that made him relocate from his country, and in company of some of Dad's colleagues in their hilux, was a day I will never forget in a hurry.

Mom had never been to Dad's place. It took us almost three days to arrive Dad's place and as soon cars and the ambulance drove into the compound, the people all made their way out murmuring to each other. They approached and on seeing Dad's corpse, they started wailing and I remember this old woman who even threw herself to the ground.

The people asked to see Dad's wife and my Mom came out covering her head with a black veil. They started speaking in a language that we didn't understand but thank goodness they had an interpreter. They expressed their disappointment at Mom, and then called for a meeting where just Mom, my brother and I were present. Dad's friend whispered to us to be careful and we nodded.

The people took us into a small hut a bit far from the compound, where three of us were made to sit on the bare floor while they sat on chairs, and some stood outside the hut. They started murmuring to each other but this time, nobody interpreted. Mom, I, and Joshua my little brother sat there lost and confused.

Finally, two women came forward with one holding a new razor. I sat there wondering what they were up to. The other woman yanked off Mom's veil, while the other started shaving her braided hair with the razor, from the root.

Mom started fight!ng and struggling with them, and I remember a man walking forth and angrily giving Mom a thunderous slap. Immediately, Joshua grabbed his hand and bit him so hard, and the man punched Joshua's mouth. Joshua's front tooth flew off immediately, and his mouth was covered with blood. To my surprise, the people started speaking in their language again with anger written all over their faces, pointing at Joshua. Mum rushed and grabbed Joshua immediately in her arms trying to shield him from them, while screaming and crying, begging them in English to leave us alone. One of the women standing before Mom resumed shaving her hair and Mom started screaming at the top of her voice but the other woman quickly removed her head tie and Mom was gagged with it... 

... I looked left, and then right but I couldn't find any familiar face. Mom's screams kept echoing in my ear and the sight of my little brother who was still bleeding from the mouth popped in an idea into my head.

I studied thoroughly the hut, and all of a sudden I ran out. Some men started to chase me and when I almost reached where Dad's colleagues were, they turned back and as soon as the officers saw me, the ones who were sitting stood up immediately.

"Where's your mother?" Dad's friend asked as I ran to him panting but the only thing I managed to do was to point toward the direction of the hut and immediately, the men asked me to take them there.

We were still on our way there when we saw Mom and Joshua running towards us from afar. It happened that Dad's people knew that I was going to tell the officers what had happened, so they let Mom and Joshua go.
The officers didn't relent, they proceeded to the hut but majority of the people there had escaped, they only managed to arrest a few of them. The officers brought them back into the compound, and they beat them black and blue.

The officers after ensuring that Dad was buried, they took us back into one of their cars and we all left that place back to our base.

Dad didn't allow Mom to do anything when he was alive, work or business so after he died, we went back to square one. No money was paid to us by the government, even that Dad's friend stopped visiting so Mom started cleaning people's houses so we could feed.

One day, she returned from work complaining that her eyes were itching. We slept that night and Mom woke up blind. So as young as I was, I took over the responsibilities. I started following Mama Lasisi to the market and also started hawking for her. I would use the money realised to buy food stuff and then come home to cook. I remember Mom sitting by the fire telling me what and what to put in the pot.