CASSANDRA
Cassandra-Episode 37
‘’good morning mother. What a surprise to see you here’’ I greeted as I hugged my dear mother. Cassandra stood a distance away and watched us with a faint smile. There wasn’t any doubt she was very uncomfortable with my mother’s presence. I equally felt the same but there was nothing we could do about it.
‘’yes you know I’m good with surprises’’ my mother answered a bit coldly, turning her gaze to Cassandra who quickly blushed as she greeted my old woman.
‘’I wasn’t expecting to see you here. Hope you guys haven’t started living together?. it’s a big sin against God’’ she preached with a smile. I threw my hand around her neck and laughed.
‘’no mum she just came to spend the weekend with me. We are not living together’’ I explained nervously, quickly dragging her to my room before she could say another word.
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On getting to my room, I shut the door and faced her curiously. My heart virtually stopped as I got ready to hear the reason for her visit.
‘’tell me mother. What is the matter?. Why are you here?’’ I asked with great energy.
‘’I came to see you. I also came to see Nora’’ she answered softly, throwing me back with the answer.
‘’Nora?. Why?, who told you about her?’’ I asked nervously while she shrugged.
‘’just take me to the girl that’s all I ask for’’ she insisted softly, leaving me extremely worried and alarmed.
Oh gracious me!’’ I exclaimed with frustration.
‘’I don’t know what is happening to everyone. I’m not a kid. I’m the first child of the family. I’m the pillar of the family. I have been the one offhandedly carrying the family all these while. What’s wrong with everyone. Why now are you all trying to run my life for me. This is totally unacceptable’’ I breathed angrily.
‘’you are just wasting your time my boy. It’s either you take me to her or I will go myself. It seems like you have forgotten how you were raised. It seems like you have forgotten your family history and tradition. No child of the family has ever been raised without the recognition and support of the family. You can ask your uncles. Even if you reject the mother, the child remains ours, whether a girl or a boy. So why are you now trying to keep such thing a secret?. why didn’t you tell us you got a girl pregnant?’’ she yelled at me.
‘’mum this is my life. I chose my own path and I don’t care about family tradition. In fact let’s go, let’s get out of here. I wont want Cassandra to hear all you are saying’’ I stammered , grabbed my car keys and headed to the kitchen where Cassandra was busy preparing a meal for my mother. I drew close and held her by the waist.
‘’my dear, I’m going out with mum. She wants me to take her to somewhere. I will explain when we get back’’ I nervously stammered. She shrugged saying nothing, even though I knew she had lots of questions to ask.
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My mum and I left the house in my car, saying nothing to each other as i drove a few kilometers down the street. I really wasn’t happy with the direction things were heading. I equally wasn’t happy with the way mum was pushing me like a kid. My mind was really heavy as I drove and when I got to a less busy street, I parked my car and killed the engine while mum stared at me curiously.
‘’where did you stop in the middle of nowhere?’’ she asked.
‘’mum come on, you don’t expect me to take you to Nora just like that. I’m not a child. I’m a man’’ I protested once again.
‘’listen my son, I know what I’m doing. You don’t expect me to fold my hands and watch your first son who might even be my first grand child to be raised without my support. Your sister told me a lot of things that touched me. As a woman and a mother I cant just sit and do nothing after all she told me. Please take me to Nora’’ she insisted with a very soft voice that left me with no choice than to do her bidding.
I reluctantly took my mother to Nora’s shop which was where I knew she would be by that hour but surprisingly we met the shop under lock and key, which left me with no choice than to ask about Nora from a neighbor.
‘’hmmm you haven’t heard?. Nora was rushed to the hospital. She fainted in her shop early this morning”” the plump woman answered, leaving me totally shocked.
”oh not again” i could help but exclaim.
To be continued
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