Ngozichukwuka

FALSE ALARM

CHAPTER FIVE

''Conductor, give me my change. I'll soon drop''. Mama Uka, feeling irritated said to the bus conductor. 'Why on earth'. She thought to herself.

She hated the bus she took that morning. She was in an agony of discomfort. The metal sit she sat on wasn't too lenient to her at all. It was super hot because of the engine.

Only if she wasn't in a hurry and late for work, she wouldn't have joined the bus.

Though, Mama Uka had nothing to worry about. No boss to answer to or give her a query. She owned her business.

When her husband, Eziko was alive, he went to work as early as 7:am. Mama Uka would then join him at whatever time she wished.

She would cook a delicious meal and brought it along with her but at times she stayed at home and he bought food down the express road for himself. He wouldn't wait to get home every evening with some suya, which was Ngo's delight. Also with some fruits with his keenness to devour his wife's food. She was the best cook he knew.

Mama Uka never thought of employing someone in her shop. Now she was running late. Her early customers would've stopped by and left.

Usually, it was her children that would delay her but this time it wasn't.

It was impossible as always to resolve the heavy conflict of her neighbors.

Mama Tochi and her husband, Sir William was at it again. Sir William who was a very tall, fair and skinny Igbo man in his mid thirties smashed into pieces, the dressing mirror on the bare floor of their bedroom whilst they argued.

The parents of two pretty little girls, Tochi and Cynthia loved to argue a lot but for the most part, they got along quite well together. They were the definition of relationship goals.

Sir William, also known as Sir P, loved to spoil and pamper his wife. She was a house wife. Fat with a good shape but when they argued, it was as crazy and rough just like their love for each other.

Neighbors would tease her for being fat but Sir William always defended her. He would say, with his great English accent ''I like her this way. I always preferred thick women with plenty and excess flesh''.

Three years old Tochi, their first child, took after her mother. Was Dark in complexion with a beautiful round face while Cynthia, two years old was a chip off the old block, was also beautiful and owned an oval face.

Mama Uka rushed the girls into her house and went back over to the William's to take care of their situation.

The little girls were scared, bewildered and cried but Uju and Uka were there to care for them. They made breakfast for them. Tea with the Oxford cabin biscuit and treated them with some sweets from their shop which also functioned as a kitchen.

''You're leaving this house today. Enough is enough''.
''William, you can't be serious about that''.
''Mama Uka, you'll need to stay out of this one''. Sir William shouted. Throwing his wife's personal belongings out.

''You can't do anything. No Mama Uka leave him. I know this man and I'm going nowhere. Where are my children?'' Mama Tochi asked no one in particular. She scampered around the compound in search of Tochi and Cynthia. She had no idea Mama Uka had grabbed them earlier.

''What seems to be the problem again, that you both would wake us up as early as 6:20am. No surprises there but the timing isn't just right this time.'' Mama Uka reasoned.