The young Cavalry

Chapter 1

MY FAMILY AND I

My name is Ali, I lived in a small village called Balili in the western part of Africa.

I was brought from a poor family of fifteen (14) where i lived with my father (Mr Hadi), my mother(Mrs Fati), a stepmother (Mrs Rabi) and eleven other siblings.

I was the last child of Mr Hadi and also the second son, Mrs fati gave birth to five children (2 boys 3 girls) and Mrs Rabi gave birth to five children too (all girls).

Mr Hadi was a farmer with a small size of farm land which he inherited it from his late farther. He used to help some of his friends with there farm activities, most of his friends worked in the town near to Balili village as gate-men, traders some even begged.

We always had one meal everyday which was lunch, we never had dinner expect the unclean water that we fetched every morning by the river. All the family were unhealthy.

With all that was happening, my home was like heaven.

My painful life started when I was six years old when my father got bitten by a poisonous snake at his farm and died.

That day I couldn't eat the tasteless lunch we used to had, I was not clear with what was happening due to my age but I still remember that I saw my father laying on a mat while the whole family were crying before his body.

A week later, all of my siblings got separated from us, some were taken to the city to the city as house helps and some were getting married.

The remaining two were my ten years old brother (Sani) and l. We were the only male children of Mr Hadi and so they left us with our mother to help her in some home activities.

Months went by, one day I was sitting under the shade of a mango tree watching my mother and my brother gathering a ripened crop at the farm of our village ruler, where she used her reward to feed us. Then I saw my late fathers friend (Mr Mudi) approaching us, I ran toward him with my face full of joy and happiness, he took me up an embarrassed me " may God bless you son" he whispered in my ear.

We went toward to where my mother was working, "peace be upon you Mrs fati" he said. " peace be upon you too Mr Mudi." She replied.

He dropped me down and I asked me to go back to where I was sitting.

Nothing brought him other than to asked my mother to marry him which she agreed certainly, due to the hardship she was going through trying to see we lived In a happy world.

Later in the night my mother called my brother and I and told us to listen carefully what she was going to tell us, "Mr Mudi was your late fathers best friend so he's taking you two and I back to his house to live there." She said.

My brother and I were so exited. Despite that Mr Mudi was a poor man too who worked in the town near to Balili as cleaner In a wealthy man house. He had to trek 10 kilometres each day to the town and trek back 10 kilometres. His wife died a year before my father and he had so child.

The following week Mrs fati got married to Mr Mudi, we moved to his house where there was only one room in the house. Sani and I used to sleep on a cold floor outside the single room every night. But our mother took us inside the room at the dawn everyday Mr Mudi stepped out, he had to wake from sleep so early because of his long journey.

Mr Mudi began to dislike Sani and I because we were not his children, our mother always used to say "my children, I love you and I pray all this hardship that we're going through will be a story for you to tell one day." And that had always been our strength to move on in life.

One night I heard Mr Mudi yelling at my mother inside the room while were sitting under the veranda, " I cannot feed these children of yours" he said.

Mr fati: why?, you promised me that you'll take care of my two children and I.

Mr Mudi: I have changed my mind now.

I then heard my mothers voice shaking like she wanted to cry. " why would you do this to me please?" She asked.

Mr Mudi replied angrily, "they're not my children."

Mr fati: Let me work so that I can feed them myself.

Mr Mudi shouted, " NO!, you're not going to work again. I am sending them to school in the city far away from here to study.

That night I heard my mother's crying to I slept off.

The following morning she called us after Mr Mudi had left for work. She said "my I children I want you to understand that Mr Mudi is now your father and he decided to take you to school in the city." My brother frowned and replied, "my friends told me that children are starving to death there."

Mother: Who told you so?

Sani: My friends mother.

Mother: They must be terrible liars, I want you to promise me that you'll take care of your little one there in the city.

My brother nodded while I was starring at both of them.

She held my hand and said " Ali, I know you're too young to leave your mother but I hope and pray that everything will be just fine there, I love you son." I replied, "I love you too mother."

After a week Mr Mudi took us to the town near Balili, there we can get the bus to the city.

While we left our mother in a severe pain of leaving her.

I felt bad, really bad.