Possessive Love

Prologue

The stormy day couldn't have been anymore windy as Mama Nnena sat gloomily at the entrance of her two room thatched hut and watched as the rain continued to beat the ground washing away the sandy soil she had ordered Adam and Udoma her two youngest sons who were seven and ten respectively to carry sands from the river to fill the various potholes that littered the yard. Looking at the fast action in which the rain carried the leaves and sand in the compound she heaved a heavy sign, Her children's two days effort to the village river had just been wasted, Looking back she signed was that not the way her own efforts to live a good life had been futile

When she was young she had envisioned a good life with her late husband Maduka, they had been the happiest couple in this same thatched hut that his father had gifted him when they newly got married, Two years ago Maduka died leaving her with ten children to look after six boys and four girls.

Only she knew the way her husband died was mysterious, he had been in a dispute with the one of the king's men over a farm land, weeks after her husband was found dead on his farm.

Two years later at 46 she looked like a grandmother, when her first child was not even married, Being a mother of Ten wasn't easy on her, Her first child Nnena is just twenty three old, and is working as a housemaid in the city hardly making any returns, the second child was a boy, Kuma, he was given to his teacher as houseboy since she couldn't afford the school fee, the teacher had offered to take him as an houseboy which had worked well for her since she was just a cleaner at the palace.

The third, fourth and fifth were boys Chika, chike and Chukwuma were all learning vocations at least she could afford to pay for that with her meagre salary and still feed her children with the little left even though they had to fast most of the time.

She continued watching the rain falling like it would fall down the roof, she sat gloomily on the kitchen stool thinking on her current situation, Just recently the king had expressed interest in her youngest daughter Adanna who was five years old, he wants to betroth the girl to one of his chiefs as a wife, who was to marry her when she reaches the age of fifteen, She signed. Only those who don't have a crown have to face this sought of life challenges

Standing up sorrowfully, she picked up the wooden stool she had been sitting on, she walked dizzyingly into her room where she met her son Adam lying on her bed shaking like a leaf, he was drenched from head to toe

Mama Nnena rushed to the bed, calling loudly for her other children, she touched his forehead which was burning hot "What happen Adam? Talk to me biko"

He only grunted in response and indicated to be left alone, he turned his back to her hugging himself

"How can I leave you alone when you are like this, where did you go? "She asked again getting irritated by his silence

"I hope you have not been to Mama Chijioke's yard to pluck mango, you know that woman does not like us, I hope she has not put poison for you like this? "She stated panicking; she called for her other children again, Udoma who was nearby walked in slowly clutching his stomach, looking so emaciated he was only bones, seeing the way he was walking she queried

"Is something wrong with you too? "

"Mama, am hungry" the reminder came to her like a time bomb that was planted and discovered on time but no one knew how to detonate it, she remembered she had not feed her children the evening meal; they had only eaten garri in the morning and nothing since then

As she was still thinking, Adanna came wearing her loosed rags that had been patched with different materials, looked nothing short of a cloth of many colours only the clothes were washed and worn, her fair skin had been stained with charcoal that she had been playing with at the firestead, her big brown eyes met her mother's before flicking to her brother lying on the bed and back to her mother