Priceless One – Episode 18

Shalewa alighted from the bus and walked slowly down the street until she got to the front of her house.

The incidence that occurred with the dynamite squad, still made her shiver, wondering at all if she would ever recover from the tråμma her encounter with the dynamite squad brought.

If not for Harriet’s timely intervention, those girls would have probably béäten her till she lost consciousness.

So hëãrtless beings!!

Oh how she regretted the very day she had ever thought of joining the dynamite squad.

Opening the front gate, she proceeded to the entrance door. Her eyes were already pale and sullen from the téårs she never bothered to clean, that stuck and dried up on her face.

Her parents and siblings were already dressed up and about to go for a church program, when she entered.

She mumbled some words of greetings to them and walked on.

“ Shalewa!! …. What took you so long in school?…. You know we have a special   program in church today and yet you stayed beyond closing time in school…..” her mother complained.

“ Where did you go after school Shalewa?…. Because when I called your class teacher, he told me school had long closed and every of the students had gone home!!…. So where did you go to Shalewa?” Her father asked her loudly.

Shalewa narrowed her gaze to the floor, looking blank and giving no reply.

“ Is it not you your father is asking a question?” Her mother chastised.

Shalewa still did not give any reply.

Her parents exchanged a puzzled glance and returned their gaze back to her.

Folake, who was all dressed in a striped  blue gown, walked slowly to her sister and touched her, this caused Shalewa to flinch and shifted back, still wearing a gloomy expression.

“ Shalewa!!!…. Are you deaf?” her father shouted but Mrs Bamidele tapped her husband lightly on his arm and signaled him to calm down.

Something was definitely wrong with her daughter.

She moved closer to Shalewa.

“ Shalewa are you alright?….. Did something happen?” Her mother asked but still yet, there was no reply from her daughter.

Her mother sighed and glanced at the clock once again. Time was of essence here and going late for the program will not be good.

“ We are running late for the program, so we won’t be able to wait for you….. but as soon as you change your clothes and eat, you can join us at the church…. I prepared jollof rice left yours in the pot.” Her mother said softly and patted her on her back.

Shalewa nodded and watched them hurry out of the house.

**************

“ Toun let’s go to daddy’s office.” Folake hurried her brother and held him in his hands.

They had barely taken four steps when Folake ran into Tayo.

“ Good evening Tayo.” She greeted him in smiles.

Tayo’s face brightened.

“ Hey Folake… how are you?” He greeted.

“ I’m fine thanks.”

He nodded.

“ What of Shalewa?….. I didn’t see her in church today…. Hope she is ok?” He asked her.

Folake shrugged.

“ Shalewa is fine….. she came back really late from school today…. I think she just wants to rest.” Folake replied indifferently.

Tayo nodded again.

“ Ok then…. Please tell her I asked after her.” 

“ I’ll sure do.” 

He smiled again.

“ Ok goodnight and take care.” He said and left.

She dragged on Toun, till she entered her father’s office and saw her mom already with him.

“ So Shalewa didn’t come for tonight’s program ehn….. I really do not understand why my daughter has chosen to be a rëbel!!” Pastor Bamidele furiously said, shifting restlessly on his chair.

His wife was silent for a while, she seemed to be pondering deeply over the matter.

“ Daddy Shalewa.” She called.

He returned his gaze back to her.

Mrs Bamidele sighed softly.

“ I sense something is wrong somewhere….. Something is definitely wrong with Shalewa….and i think we need to pay close attention to her these days.” Mrs Bamidele aired her concerns.

“ Dad!…. I think mummy is right, because ever since Shalewa resumed from her school suspension, she has been keeping to herself and hardly talks to anyone….. something is definitely wrong with Shalewa and I think she needs to be psychologically assessed.” Folake chipped in.

“ Are you saying your sister is mentally Imbalanced?”

“ No o!…. Not at all…. I’m just saying that you both need to pay closer attention to her…. I suspect that she is behaving this way because she feels she has disappointed us and it is affecting her psychologically.” Folake added.

“ What your sister need is discipline!… I think your mom and I had pampered her too much that she is beginning to behave like a sp0ilt child!!” Pastor Bamidele said and checked his wristwatch.

“…Anyway I haven’t stopped praying for her….. but I will not spare the rod and spoil the child….. our time is far spent here….. it’s time to go home.” He added and they left.

Shalewa was sleeping on the couch, still on her school uniform, when they got home.

 Both parents stared at their eldest daughter sleeping on the couch.

One of the parent had a look of sheer concern on her face, while the other was totally furious at her level of irresponsibility.

Mrs Bamidele shook her head sadly and went to the kitchen to boil some water for their night meal of bread and tea.

She hummed slowly and quietly, one of the worship songs that lingered in her spirit as she opened her pot on the gas.

She suddenly stopped humming and gave an expression of seriousness as her gaze rested on the portion of jollof rice she had left for Shalewa.

“ Shalewa did not eat her food.” Mrs Bamidele pondered for a while. She closed the pot suddenly and stepped out of the kitchen.

*************

With his hands akimbo and in a furious mood, he reached out his hands to tap her but hesitated.

On a second thought!

Shalewa never came home and slept in her uniform right on the couch before!

Maybe his wife was right.

He was still pondering on this when his wife stepped out of the kitchen.

“ Daddy Shalewa!….. Shalewa did not touch her food at all…. This is very unusual.” Mrs Bamidele voiced worriedly.

He nodded his head in agreement.

“ Yes it is.”

Reaching out his hands once more, her touched her neck to feel her temperature.

“ She isn’t running any temperature.” He said and tapped her gently while calling her name in whispers, till she woke up.

“ Shalewa my dear….. are you alright?” he asked her gently bending in front of her.

Shalewa let out a tired yawn with her face visibly sullen.

Her mother quickly sat beside her.

“ Are you ïll? She asked Shalewa concernedly.

Shalewa shook her head in the negative.

“ So why are you still on your uniform at this time, knowing that you will wear the same uniform to school tomorrow…. Besides you didn’t touch your food.” Her father added.

“ I’m not hungry.” She said dryly.

Her father stood up from his bent position and took a seat at her right hand side.

“ Why are you not hungry?” 

She didn’t reply.

“ Or don’t you want to eat rice?….. Do you want something else?” her mother asked.

She shook her head in the negative.

“ Aunty Shalewa…. Did something happen at school?” Folake, who had been standing hands akimbo and watching them intently, asked.

There was silence again from Shalewa’s end.

They all exchanged puzzled glances.

“ Is there something you want to tell us?….. See you are in any kind of tr0uble, you can tell us and I promise, we won’t punish you… because I don’t like the way you have been looking all gloomy since you resumed from your suspension.” Her father added.

“ I’m ok dad….. I’m just a little tired and want to sleep.” Shalewa responded almost immediately.

“ But you cannot sleep on an empty tummy Shalewa….. or did you eat something else?” Her mother asked.

“ No ma.”

Pastor Bamidele nodded and put his arms around her.

” I know it’s because I insisted that you join the public transport, that’s why you are behaving like this…..but Shalewa, we are not w1cked parents….. we are only training you so that you can be rugged and able to adapt to any situation you find yourself…. But with time, you will adjust and get used to it ok…..” Pastor Bamidele said, resting her head on his chest.

He turned to Folake.

“ Go and prepare a cup of tea and bread for your sister.” 

“ Ok sir.” Folake replied and hurried to the kitchen.

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