Kasarachi – Episode 7

“Aunty Ijeoma I do love your son but right now I’ll not marry your son Ekene. So no uncle Okafor, our family cannot accept their drinks and food items” I said after much thoughts about it. I’m just hoping that I do not end up regretting it afterwards.

I love Ekene and I want to be his wife but I am not mentally ready for that just yet. Ekene’s face deepened in a frown upon hearing my answer to his mom’s question 

I know he is angry with me for turning his proposal down, but at this point in my life I just want to choose what I believe would be good for me and my future.

I am feeling scared that Ekene is going to tell me out because I turned him down. My heart was racing very fast. 

I was also getting myself mentally prepared for whatever is coming next as Ekene can be unpredictable most times.

Aunty Ijeoma’s laughter filled the air as she looked at Ekene and with hands akimbo she said using a sarcastic tone 

“I said it! Ekene didn’t I tell you that we should just accept the responsibility for the child and leave marriage talk aside…? Now you see the disgrace I was trying to avoid….? Thank God your father insisted on not accompanying us today”

From her words I figured that maybe his father and elder brother were not totally in agreement with this arrangement. Well it’s their family’s business not mine 

Uncle Okafor was angry by my decision and it showed on his face that he was raging hot on the inside. He eventually decided to voice it out after holding it in for long 

“Bia this girl. Kasarachi are you planning to give birth out of wedlock in my brother’s house instead of in the house of the child’s father…?” Uncle Okafor kept ranting on

I cared less about his rants so I simply acted like I didn’t hear him and continued talking 

” Ekene I understand you will be hurt by this my decision but if you love me like you always claim to…then you will respect my wishes and wait until I’m ready for this!” I said and went inside without waiting for his reply. It’s because I didn’t want to leave room for any ill reactions from him

 

Getting inside, I sat on one of the sofas. I had to start thinking about my life. I asked myself questions such as where my life is heading and if I was doing the right thing.

I prayed a silent prayer to God telling him to guide my path. After that, I got prepared and using the backyard entrance, I went to the farms that I have to work on today.

The remaining hours of the day went smoothly and I was paid well by those I worked for. I later went home before dusk. 

Mother did not say anything about the day’s incident, she just acted like nothing happened. And I’m glad because I had no strength to talk again. 

I was so exhausted that I went to bed immediately after I had taken dinner.

Two weeks gradually passed and everything went back to normal. Mama and I later talked as mother and daughter. 

She wanted me to reaffirm if I was truly pregnant for Ekene, and so I had to tell her the truth which is that I wasn’t pregnant. She was greatly relieved.

Uncle Okafor hasn’t visited since that day and I haven’t heard from my boyfriend Ekene either. Even on our meeting days in our place of hideout, he doesn’t come out.

I don’t care about my uncle infact I’m happy he isn’t visiting to cause trouble. Instead I’m feeling worried on what could be the problem with Ekene. Is he very angry such that he doesn’t want to see me again…?

Mazi Kalu hasn’t stopped harassing me with marriage talks anytime he sees me on the road and I kept on ignoring him 

Ekene’s absence is disturbing me greatly. I miss him very much; his oval face, eyes, smiles and his funny jokes. I wish he would give us a chance to talk things out amicably as I really don’t want to lose him 

Later in the evening, I was instructed by mama to go and pluck vegetables for cooking tonight’s dinner 

I went and plucked the vegetables. It was on my way back home that I saw Ekene standing under a tree with a slender girl. 

I felt a pang of jealousy cussing through me and then anger followed. So this is the reason he hasn’t been talking to me…?

Angrily I approached them and my facial expression should have already passed the message to Ekene that I was angry with him

Can you imagine that Ekene behaved as though I was non-existent…? 

Even when the slender girl asked him who I was, he hissed very loud and replied that he doesn’t know me from anywhere 

I was so embarrassed! I couldn’t say much as I didn’t even know if we were still in a relationship or we’ve quietly broken up

I assumed that this was his way of officially ending things with me. So I decided to move on with my life to avoid further embarrassment of this nature reoccurring 

With a feigned smile on my face, I had to agree with what Ekene gave as a response 

“Your boyfriend is right. He doesn’t know me from anywhere. I lost my way and seeing two of you here. I thought it was best to ask for directions” I said smiling faintly 

“Okay. Sorry about that. Where are you going to…?” She asked looking at me 

I lied about the name of the area and after she pointed in a particular direction, I thanked her before leaving them.

To say that I am feeling hurt is merely an understatement. My heart is aching so bad that it feels like it will explode in split seconds. Only God knows how I was able to drag my feet and heavy heart till I got home 

I was so lost in thoughts and couldn’t concentrate while in the kitchen preparing dinner with Osinachi. 

The images of Ekene standing with that girl and outrightly denying me couldn’t leave my head no matter how I tried to push it off

I didn’t even realize tears were involuntarily dropping from my eyes until when Osinachi pointed it out to me and further asked me why I was crying 

Weeping my tears I responded that it was nothing serious. I hastened the cooking and after making sure every ingredient was in the pot, I covered it to steam evenly.

I was hurting so bad and I know how bad I needed to cry it out without interference. So I told Osinachi to take the soup down from fire after it was done steaming.

Since I didn’t want mama to also see my puffy eyes and sour mood, I ran straight away to my bedroom and locked the door 

I laid on the bed and cried my eyes out until I eventually slept off in that sorry state. I was awakened by knocks on the door minutes later.

Osinachi was calling out to me that mama said I should wake up already and come eat before it gets very dark.

My stomach was rumbling and the yawning that followed indicated that I was hungry and needed food. 

But I didn’t want to eat, I just wanted to cry my sorrows away until I felt no hurt again 

Knowing that Osinachi wasn’t going to stop knocking on the door unless I followed her out, I sluggishly got up from the bed and made my way out to the kitchen 

I picked my food where it was covered and went outside to eat it. I sat on a bench that was outside and I was enjoying the meal when mama came to bid me goodnight. She instructed me not to forget to lock the door when I come inside, after which she went inside probably to sleep for the night.

Shortly after she went inside, I began noticing sly movements and shadows which I ignored at first and continued eating. 

I was almost done eating when I heard a scary noise coming from the nearby farmland that was close to the kitchen. There are little short bushes around there.

The noise and moving shadow was getting closer followed by a whistle that wasn’t so audible, as if the intruder was signalling for me to come close or for another person 

I stood up from the bench I sat on and mistakenly poured my remaining food on the ground out of fear that I will be attacked by whoever is intruding my space. 

I heard another louder yet scary noise coming from the same direction.

The noise was getting closer followed by another whistle, as if the Intruder was signalling for another person to come close.

As I stood and  was about to run off, something shocking and unexpected happened.

(Do not take credit or Plagiarize AMAH’S HEART stories)