God give Papa a male child

Chapter one

The shrill cry of the rooster from a distance is what propels me to open my eyes.

My opened, tired and weary eyes meets the harsh gaze of Papa steadily concentrated on me and I jump down my bed.

He does not say a thing to me as he walks away and I am left perplex.

I did not commit an offence and I am so sure of it.

Even as I rank my head for some tangible explanation to Papa's bizarre behaviour Mama rush into my room breathing and panting.

"What did he do? What did he say!"

I crease my brow not sure of what mama is implying.

"Oma what did he say?" Mama asks again.

Though still muddle I shake my head.

Inwardly I can not stop myself from wondering what the matter is.

First Papa came into my room when I wasn't even awake and then mama comes panting and throwing weird questions at me?

Mama walks closer to me and grabs me by my arms.

"Oma you have to tell me" she begged.

I peer at her face and see something.

Desperation.

It was.

I sighed.

"I promise mama he did nothing"

Mama fakes a smile as she turns to leave .

But...

I begin and she stops and turn back to face me.

"Wha... What's wrong" I stutter.

Mama fake another smile and shake her head briskly.

"Nothing. Just go do your chores" she says.

I am not ready to stop her and question here even further so I let her go.

If mama does not want to tell me she must have her own good reason.

But...

Definitely I know. Some thing is wrong . All is not rosy. But the question is what is not?

I shake my head slightly to clear it off my thinking before making my way out of my room.

Our house is a bungalow situated close to the very heart of the town.  I am not going to say it's really big but it served us well.

Papa, mama, Uju and me of course.

Just then I stop my thinking and dart my eyes sideways.

The harsh shrieking was more than enough reason to and it came from the room papa and mama share.

Again the question of what was going on hit me even as my heart thud heavily against my chest.

And then came the sound of a whip landing on a...

Wait...

I knew the sound!

When I had offended papa during the day he would come to my room at night and thrash me senselessly with that koboko just like the day he'd caught me with Jimi and I just knew the sound it made anytime it came in contact with my skin.

And the pain too...

And the question came yet again.