A Pyro And A Psycho

Conflict

I stared ahead at the old house. Well not that old since it was a modern kind of place.

Cassey ruffled my black locks making me snap out.
"Its gonna be alright girl, just pau your respects to Ma then we can go party with the rest," I nodded. As we entered we went down a hall before coming into a kitchen where an old lady stood chopping lamb pieces up. My eyes started getting teary as I spoke up.
"mirary soa Ma," she froze dropping the knife. She turned to us her elderly face wearing a shocked expression. She marched to me slightly shorter pulling me down in a hug as she whispered a few things.
"Ny malalako, ahoana no namitako anao," she cried.
"efa diso koa aho, Ma" I replied. She pulled away and stared at my face almost in aw. Then she saw my hair and screamed. I chuckled while Cassey
"What have they done to you" she finally asks me in English. I look away.
"I, had to fix a few things to avoid trouble" she shakes her head in disagreement.
"Rahavako, I just wish you could stay with us" I smile sadly to her. I didn't hate living with Aunt Gabriela but I felt better being with Uzule and Cassey.
"Ma, you know I can't, Aunt Gabriela, she has custody of me" she sneered at the mention of Aunt Gabriela.
"Tchuur, fa tsy tokony havela anao ny mpamosavy sandoka, she is no good person dear" she states hands on her hips. I laughed at her antics. Ma Uzule is a sorceress or more known as a marabou from Madagascar.
"But she's still apart of my family," Ma sighs as I say that. I knew how she felt around Aunt Gabriela and her having custody of me only made there relationship worse.
"That aside how have you been, do you eat well? You're so skinny, you should eat more here let me serve you some yassa, just like you like it" she smiles handing me the onion and rice sauce. I drool in thought while hearing Cassey chuckle behind me.
"Chibuzo, come eat! I know you skipped breakfast again to go study!" He flinches while I giggle. While we eat the home made African dishes she hands us, Ma Uzule tells us old stories from back when she was our age. There's only one though I want to hear.
"Ma, how about that girl with hair like gold and eyes white as clouds and paper?" Ma chuckles.
"Ah, you still remember, The old Tale of Esther, that girl was the support I needed for years until I gave birth to your father Azrael" I smile.
"Esther as I told you was never a talkative person so shy and so quiet if you didn't look around enough you wouldn't notice her, back when we met she was, how do you say again, frightened by me and my people, she was victim to community having been rejected by her own family at a young age, my daughter was the one who asked me to look after her, god Aissatou like her! Always speaking about her friend! She never let anyone hurt her and in return Esther protected her but then," she sighed at the end. Cassey looked up.
"Esther went through....trouble she got involved with the wrong man who had sworn to protect her but couldn't ending up getting her in things she shouldn't have situations she shouldn't be in and then..." She halted breathing in. I got up and walked to her. I hugged the old lady close while she breathed in.
"Esther was asked to get married young and went through complications, she was happy when she gave birth to her first child but things went downhill when she ended with another" she put the knife down with a sigh.
"Her mind played tricks on her, she was afraid and when her first child died on her she was broken, with only two more children but then the youngest died too leaving her last child," she shook her head. Cassey had put the dishes in the dishwasher now standing behind us.
"She was a smart girl I swear things shouldn't have gotten like that, I knew something was wrong when I saw her a month before her death and she told me to take care of her child when time came, I should've understood but it was too late, a month later a murder was announced on the news, what I hate the most is the child was lost and I could no more realise her wish like she'd asked me" she whips away a single tear whole finishing her story. I stand behind her. The story always made me nostalgic feeling lucky to not have ended like Esther. The name itself seemed familiar to me but I didn't know from where.
"At least now I'm proud of raising all you to be good people and please don't fall for Satan's traps, while Esther was smart she fell for the most powerful of his traps, she fell in love" we nod in sync.
"I do not mean that love is a bad thing just be careful who you chose" she states. We nod again. Ma was never wrong and she gave great advice.
Right then we heard the sound of boots.
"Well gonna stand there?" I turn around and my face goes bright.
"Baba!" I squeal jumping into Azrael's arms. He hugs me while laughing.
"My little gangster! How have you been Sirani," I chuckle.
"Good, it feels great to see you again" he smiles down at me then turns to Ma.
" Mirary soa reny," Ma smiles at him.
"I'm good son, now go! Before Jess gets angry!" She says ushering us out. I hug her one more time.
"Promise come more often hun, we've missed you" I sigh.
"I'll try Ma," I mutter.
This was what I wanted. But we didn't always get what we liked.