KASARACHI
Kasarachi - Episode 28
(Tell it to God)
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
"If you think you will embarrass me in front of my bosom friend and walk away freely then think again! You'll surely regret this decision of choosing Sharon's offer over mine. I promise you Kasarachi!!!"
Those were the words Halima whispered into my ears before she came down from the car. It frightened me and reactivated the inner fears I initially thought I had buried.
It's been a month since I came to live with Mrs Sharon but those words just keep ringing in my head over and over again.
Staying with Mrs Sharon Ifedi and working as her housekeeper has turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made in life.
She doesn't stress me with chores at all. She also makes sure that I don't have any issues regarding feeding, and even provides my feminine needs like sanitary products and clothes when she knows she doesn't have to.
Her husband and two children are loveable people as well. They all accepted and treated me like family when Mrs Sharon introduced me as the new housekeeper.
Yesterday, I got my first salary in an envelope and the amount really shocked me when I calculated it. The money is in dollars but if converted to naira, it will sum up around around two hundred thousand naira or there about.
I was wowed!
And I was so excited because I hadn't expected the pay to be so huge, since I was being fed and accommodated by the family.
I was later told it is my fixed monthly salary and that as time goes on, it will be increased with an additional fifty thousand naira.
Ah! I couldn't believe how lucky I could be.
I didn't want to seem like a leech so I begged Mrs Sharon to at least deduct the accommodation expenses from my salary, but she refused doing so.
She vehemently told me not to worry about paying for it.
Instead she advised that I remove a little money from my salary to open a bank account.
That way, I will get to deposit all of my salaries there as savings for rainy days.
I agreed to do as she had suggested and so she dashed me transport fare for whenever I am prepared to go to the bank.
Mrs Sharon's advice was good but I don't intend to save everything.
What I plan to do is to save 20% percent of my salaries, and then send the 80% home through my uncle's account.
Meanwhile, uncle Okafor and I have been communicating occasionally through Mrs Sharon's phone.
Through his phone, I have also spoken to mama and my siblings a couple of times.
On one of those times, to my surprise, uncle had apologized for how he treated me in the past and for almost forcing me into a loveless marriage.
He even pleaded with me to come back to the village if I wasn't really comfortable at where I am currently.
I forgave uncle Okafor and since then our communication has improved greatly, so much that we were now talking on the phone like father and daughter.
It was also at that juncture, I told him about me working as a housekeeper with good living conditions in Canada and he sounded so relieved and happy for me.
After that call, I had collected uncle Okafor's account details from him so that I'll be sending money for my family through him. He is the only close family member I can now trust to deliver it to them without fail.
Lest I forget!
I think I need to purchase a phone so I wouldn't have to inconvenience Mrs Sharon anytime I want to reach home.
She's not complaining but there are things that I'd rather not wait for it to happen.
By 1pm in the afternoon, I was done doing the necessary chores and then I dressed up.
After getting permission from Mrs Sharon and her husband, I left for a phone store that was very walkable from the house.
There, I purchased a phone that was price friendly and registered a sim card. Everything was altogether didn't cost much in Canadian dollar
I paid transportation to the bank where I opened a savings account.
After setting aside my transport back home, I deposited the remaining money into my bank account.
I kept some money to myself for any of my needs that may arise so I wouldn't bother Mrs Sharon.
Thereafter, I activated a standing order that beginning from next month, 80% of every amount in my bank account should be transferred to my uncle's account in Nigeria. After I was done, I went home.
Oh, my joy knew no bounds as I started exploring my new phone and I inputted the new sim card I registered for myself.
Later that night, I dialed my uncle's phone number and we talked for long minutes.
I told him of my intentions to be sending him huge money starting from next month.
I told him that the money is for him to start a building project on my father's land on my behalf.
Then he should give some amount to mama for her and my sibling's upkeep and also take some amount for himself.
I made sure to allocate the percentage of money for each of the things I mentioned, so that there wouldn't be problems later.
That night after uncle Okafor and I finished talking, I retired to bed feeling so fulfilled and happy with myself.
It was more like finally! My life was beginning to make sense again and it is even better than it was in the past.
Gradually, four months went by, which makes it four months of coming to Canada and thereafter working for Mrs Sharon.
I was doing very well emotionally while physically I have gotten fresher and fatter.
My salary was now being paid by Mrs Sharon using a direct transfer.
And for each of these months, I have received debit alerts of the standing order that was implemented three months back.
Halima has visited the house more than thrice to see Mrs Sharon on different weeks for these four months I've worked here.
She often acts like she is happy for my development in Mrs Sharon's presence, and issues out new frightening words to me whenever she sees that I'm sitting alone.
I couldn't tell Mrs Sharon because I didn't know what her reaction would be since Halima is her close friend, while I am a total stranger and I have no family to protect me.
I didn't want to be the one to come between two friends by reporting her so I kept quiet.
Instead I retorted to intentionally ignore her whenever she said those things to me and sometimes I totally avoided her.
When it became too much for me to bear, on her last visit I boldly stood up to her by threatening to report her to Mrs Sharon.
Since that day, Halima subsequently stopped frightening me with those unpleasant words whenever she visits.
She just eyes me wickedly whenever she sees me but then who cares...? so long as she isn't verbally abusing me, I don't care.
*********************
It's now been five years and six months in Canada.
A whole lot has changed about me physically, mentally, financially, and intellectually.
I am now twenty-two years old, so physically I am more endowed and beautiful than I used to be when I was sixteen years old.
I have glowing brown skin with moderate br£asts and bigger bμtts and a beautiful rounded baby face.
Men are always admiring me and asking me for a relationship in most of the places I go.
Mentally, I am stronger and determined to be someone better than I used to be when I was younger.
Unlike before that I was always in situations that required me to be defensive and stubborn. Here in the States there's nothing like that, so I am calmer, peaceful, and barely talked except when it is necessary.
Financially, there's not much improvement because all of my savings have been going into uncle Okafor's account for completing the second building project in the village.
Uncle Okafor has been updating me on the details of how it is going and the last time we spoke he said it was almost finished.
The first building project was completed two years ago and mama and my siblings moved into the house that same year.
I told uncle Okafor to buy a personal phone for my mum and siblings for easy communication.
so now I am directly speaking to them as often as I can.
Intellectually, I am more empowered and intelligent than I used to be all thanks to Mrs Sharon. It is with her financial support that I finished my high school three years ago.
I wrote an entry exam into the neighboring university during the second year of working with her. Thereafter, I later wrote the necessary exams and was admitted to study Business Management. After my admission, Mrs Sharon's husband is the one who took care of all my academic expenses.
I had to be going from home to school so I could still discharge my duties as a housekeeper, yet I didn't really feel the stress. Do you know why...?
It is because Mrs Sharon employed an assistant housekeeper that will help reduce my workload, so I can concentrate better.
She has been really kind towards me and I'm so indebted to her family for all the kindness they have shown me so far.
Honestly! I bless the day I met Mrs Sharon with Halima at the airport, because she has changed my life for the better.
In a few days from now, I will be writing my final exam and rounding up with my university education. In a month, I should be awarded a certificate which qualifies me as a graduate of Business management.
Wow! it's sometimes so hard to believe that I Kasarachi will soon be a graduate just like that, after everything I have gone through.
I thought my life struggles were going to end like a fairytale, not knowing that my troubles in Canada had only just begun.
Could you believe that Halima brought into reality all of her threats and frightening words on the day of my final exam.....?
She walked into my examination hall with a wicked smile plastered on her face when I was almost done with writing my final papers.
My examination officer was right behind her which got my heart beating so fast!
What Halima did afterwards is something that I can never ever forget in a hurry.
It is more like she had this all planned out long before now.
Everything that happened came unexpectedly as a huge blow which hit me very hard when I least expected it....
(Do not take credit or Plagiarize AMAH'S HEART stories)
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