KASARACHI
Kasarachi - Episode 13
(Tell it to God)
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Fiona left the taxi man she was dragging and slowly walked towards me as though counting her steps.
Immediately she released the driver from her grip, he used that opportunity to run away leaving his vehicle where he had packed it. I suppose he wants to first save himself and then come for the taxi later.
I simply waited for her to reach where I was standing. In my mind, I was wondering what if she has come back to her senses and I'm hoping that she now remembers me.
Aunty Tochi is the person whom I came to this city to meet. She is mummy Osita's junior sister whom I'm supposed to be working for in a hotel.
I am very sure it's her because Mama gave me her photograph before I left the village. That way I will know who I am going to meet and also so that I could easily recognize her when I arrive at her place.
Mama said that Aunty Tochi will recognize me when she sees me.
Reason being that she had seen me when I was much younger, this was shortly before she left for the city to find greener pastures.
That's why I'm confused to see that she is the owner of the fruits by the roadside or is it like her side hustle....?
To top it all, she is saying that her name is Fiona not Tochi. Not just that oh! she said that she doesn't know who I am at all.
Me I don't like trouble so I want to continue on my way to the location on paper. I have decided to simply assume that maybe it's her lookalike in the same city as her, since I heard we all have people in the world who resemble us in one way or the other.
Finally Fiona reached where I stood quietly waiting for her. She stopped directly in front of me and stared angrily at me
I was taken aback when out of nowhere, she lifted her right hand and gave me a thunderous sl*p on my cheeks
My God! Anger was cussing deep within me that a total stranger had the guts to lay her hands on me when my parents had never done so before.
I'm a very stubborn person so it took a lot of restraining power and respect for elders, for me not to retaliate with a slap as well.
I stood there holding my cheeks and looking at her with eyes burning with fury. I knew that I had to seek clarity or else I might end up insulting her for treating me unjustly
I exhaled severally in order to stay calm before I blurted with an angry voice
"Ma'am why did you slap me...? Are you aware that my mother who gave birth to me and took care of me has never laid her hands on me no matter the provocation...? So what exactly did I do to warrant the slap...? Or do you go about abusing people you don't know...?" I asked these questions all at once still trying to maintain my cool
"How dare you advise the taxi man to drive into my market in order to avoid the truck...? Have you seen the damages you've caused now...?" Fiona asked me coarsely
"What do you mean...?" I inquired feeling completely stunned by what she said.
It was more like she was totally twisting the whole story and then I understood what game might be playing here. It's obvious that the driver had told her this fabricated story so that he could escape from her grip.
I bursted into laughter realizing how daft she actually is even though she is an adult.
"Are you listening to yourself ma'am...? Well news flash ma'am! it's my first time in this forsaken city and the first time I took a ride in a taxi. Look at my forehead...can't you see that it is bleeding from an injury I sustained in the car..?" I asked indirectly drawing her attention to my injured forehead
"And so what if you are injured...? How is that any of my business....?" Fiona replied rudely and I equally answered her with the same energy of rudeness which she started
"For Goodness sake! I narrowly escaped an accident ma'am. So how is it possible for a first timer passenger with my current kind of traumatic condition to advise a grown man who is supposedly an expert driver...?"
She must have been surprised by my boldness and the confidence in which I defended myself because she didn't say anything again. She just kept looking at me.
By now the crowd had begun dispersing to avoid meddling themselves in a matter that is obviously not their business. And for some unknown reasons, it felt like people were scared of entering into her bad books.
Her next statement annoyed me even more and then later transformed into wonder!
"I was expecting to see my sister send me a weakling but you seem to be bolder than I thought Kasarachi. It's quite impressive considering that you're just a girl of sixteen years" Fiona said confirming my earlier thoughts and it kind of amused me in a way.
So she is truly the Aunty Tochi whom I came here to work for...? Why then is she looking like a street stout and selling fruits by the roadside...? Earlier she had even denied knowing me, why did she do that...?
Honestly nothing seems to be adding up here! There's just a big contrast with what I was told and what I am seeing today.
Without warning Fiona whom I now know as Aunty Tochi dragged me by my left hand and began walking to God knows where.
She gave an instruction to a man to help her watch over her table, that she will be back. She also instructed him not to allow the driver to take his taxi away if he happens to return today, which means she was serious when she said that she will cease his taxi if he doesn't complete the money for her.
I followed her as she dragged my hands since she happens to be my host and the only person whom I know in this city.
Aunty Tochi flagged down a taxi and after paying him, she asked me to enter the vehicle so she could take me home to eat, treat my wound and rest from the journey
I was surprised to see this caring side of her which is quite different from the razz part of her I saw earlier. Well we will discuss on that later, for now I am very tired and famished and I need all the rest I can get.
Plus my head hurts a lot, it feels more like it is going to run off my neck. I will need to treat the wound so it won't get infected and afterwards take a pain reliever.
I dozed off during the few minutes drive due to how tired I am. It was Aunty Tochi who had to wake me up when we arrived
I felt a gentle tap on my arm and her voice calling out to me, that's when I realized that we had actually reached our destination.
"We've arrived Kasarachi. Wake up and come out of the taxi sleep sleep girl" Aunty Tochi said teasingly while I was rubbing my eyes to push the sleep away
I saw that she was out of the vehicle already and was waiting for me to do the same
"Okay Aunty Tochi I'm coming. Thank you for waking me up. I didn't even know when I dozed off" I replied happily as I grabbed my bag ready to come out
I opened my side of the taxi and stepped out after which the driver drove away
Looking around me, I was surprised at where we were. Infact I had to rub my eyes again to be sure I was seeing things right.
Ah! what the hell is this I'm seeing!!!!!!
The whole thing was as though I was moving from paradise to fire because we were actually in a ghetto!
Aunty Tochi told me to follow her and I trailed behind her without uttering a word because there was nothing to even say.
As we were walking down the unkempt street which was filled with big potholes and gravels,
I was quietly observing things and looking around to fully access my surroundings.
More than 95% of the houses in the ghetto were dilapidated and all of them structured as a typical 'face me I face you' compound.
There were malnourished children shouting and running around in their underwear as they played football on the bare ground.
Two shops were situated not far from where the children were playing and from the few house properties I saw outside, I didn't need to be told by a soothsayer that the shop is equally the house of the seller.
I saw a large group of funny looking guys smoking cigarettes with alcohol in their hands and rubbing the bumbum of small girls whom I doubt are up to my age grade.
Refuses were carelessly littered on the ground while some were packed in a heap by the roadside where I assume is where everybody dumps their waste products.
About seven to eight women were drawing water from a borehole a few meters from where I walked past. When their buckets are filled up with water, they will carry it on their heads and begin on their way.
It was a funny sight to behold honestly!
Aunty Tochi entered a compound and eventually stopped at an unpainted poorly built house that was adjacent to other dilapidated houses.
Smoke was looming the atmosphere and it made my eyes watery. The smoke is coming out from an area in which three women were cooking outside with firewood.
A group of about twelve shirtless middle-aged men were sitting on a bench playing a whot game and drinking alcohol.
Immediately they had seen Aunty Tochi walk in, they began hailing her name 'Fiona'
Aunty Tochi was just smiling as though she won a lottery as she greeted them back. She later introduced me to them as her sister from the same village.
Some of them were circling their tongue round their lips and looking at me lustfully as they took turns to voice out their welcome greetings.
I replied to their greetings but seeing their lustful stares on my body got me so disgusted that I said in my heart,
'Oh Lord! It seems like my environment and the standard of living in the village is actually better than what I am seeing here'
Aunty Tochi brought out a key from her breasts pocket and opened the door. She went in first and then I followed suit.
Stepping into the house, I was completely blown away! because to be sincere, the inside looks nothing like the outside.
I was so impressed by what I was seeing as I looked around me in awe!
It was a one bedroom apartment and it was painted in a bright blue color with fancy curtains and lights illuminating the place.
Contrary to what I thought it would be, her house was tastefully furnished with modern appliances like two beautiful sofas, a center table, a fridge, a plasma television on the wall alongside other lovely modern items.
The house is very comfortable for living and seems more like a house of a working class lady than that of a fruit seller.
Aunty Tochi smiled at my awe of the house as she offered me a seat and told me to feel at home since it's going to be my place too.
She opened the fridge and handed me a glass with a pack of juice to quench my thirst and I thanked her as I collected it. Then she went inside the kitchen to get me what to eat since I told her that I'm hungry.
I was so excited that I couldn't sit after she left the sitting room. I just continued standing there and looking around the whole house in utmost admiration.
When I was tired of standing, I walked over to one of the sofas with vivid smiles on my face that at least I will be living comfortably well here in the city than in the village.
Just as I was about sitting down, a hand unexpectedly grabbed my breasts from behind and tickled my bumbum lightly
I turned in anger to address whoever it was but the words in my mouth got stuck and the saliva in my throat went totally dry.....
The enthusiasm I felt before instantly disappeared and it was replaced by dread....
(Do not take credit or Plagiarize AMAH'S HEART stories)
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