Story: EDNA-EPISODE 10

I went close to her while she continued looking at me, making me wondering why she would need a blade.

The next thing I know was that she dipped her small finger into my eyes suddenly I felt the salty, peppery sensation traveling through my eyes down to my brain and forth. I screamed in pain as I jumped out of motion. ‘I was looking at you and you had the guts to look back at me too? Chai! You have made a mistake oo because I am soaked in the blood of Jesus. You cant do me no harm’.

She pulled me and bent me down until I was seated on the cold tiles in front of her, I had started crying, she kept my head between her laps forcefully, occasionally depositing hot knocks on my head when I resisted. ‘Benedicta, bring me the keg of palm oil like a good girl. If you like oo, come and remind me that your father screamed like a mad dog before he gave me the money to buy the oil when we were coming from Jack and Funmi’s wedding in Abeokuta, that it was raining. You b******s.’ she cursed on as she bent my head further, clamping it with her big laps.

Chai!

She was just a definition of a talkative. She had just said herself what probably nobody even knew.
Benson peeped from the window and whistled ‘Mummy, your broken louver is here’ he said ‘bring it here before I say what is in my mouth to you because it will be binding forever.’ she said angrily and Benson quickly walked out of his hiding place a wide smile on his face.

He slid the piece of louver on the floor and it came straight to mum’s leg. ‘Yeh!’ She cried loud as she pulled at my back on a tight pinch. ‘Sorry’ he said as he ran back inside his room, locking the door behind him. ‘Sorry ma.’ I said and she hissed as she slapped my back angrily. ‘That’s all you could say abi? You watched as the boy insulted me abi. You have failed. Oh Edna! A witch like you is a bad luck. b****** witch. . . That’s the name that suits you oo.’ she cursed at me again, this time raining two solid blows on my lower back where it hurts most. I screamed as tears streamed down freely.

It was just a transfer of aggression. It was not a new thing but it was so frustrating. Why must it be me every time?. Suddenly she held the tips of my long corn rows in one hand. ‘If it is this hair that is making you really possessed, I will put an end to it today. Today is the day.’ she said and I realized what she was up to ‘You want to cut my hair?’ I asked, facing her suddenly , ‘Yes’ she responded, smiling devilishly as she aimed at my face with the edge of the broken louver. I quickly faced front. ‘You were supposed to wait and dare me if I wouldn’t even write you wonderfully made tribal marks.’ she laughed loudly. I had maintained, cultured and nurtured my long sleek dark hair with such care that cutting it would mean serious heartbreak that would take decades to heal. That was how I felt unitl I felt the struggle she had as she cut my hair with the edge of the piece of louver in her hand. ‘Please ma. . . don’t do that please. You can kill me if you like but my hair? Please I cried as I held one of my long weavon that had fallen off my shoulders. She had started cutting my hair, I held her leg as I pleaded but she didn’t respond at all. ‘Keep shaking around like a barber’s chair is it me that would get cut? Rara oo it’s you when you were behaving possessed in the church, you didn’t know right! Biting people here and there kai! Before you kill us, we will kill you first you evil girl.’ she screamed into my ear. I cried so hard as I held the massive soft black sleek silky endowment from God which had been uprooted from my head.

I rolled on the floor as I rubbed my plainly scraped head. She pulled me closer again and was about rubbing in palm oil. The door opened and dad stepped in. I stood up and started going to the bedroom, ‘stop there’ he ordered as he dropped his briefcase on a stool. His wife stood and walked towards him ‘Welcome dearie. How was the meeting?’ she asked him. There was no response as his eyes were glued on me. ‘Come over here!’ he shouted and I twisted my mouth to a side ‘what is it again na?’ I sobbed on occasionally, heaving deeply and loudly as I did. ‘Did you see pastor Dele that you wanted to see? Did you tell him that the way he really did at the pastor’s thanksgiving programme was very. . .’ she rented on but her husband took her hand and pushed her into a cushion chair. ‘What happened to her hair!?’ he shouted as his eyes had suddenly gone red, she was shocked. ‘It was a punishment for all she did in. . .’ she went on. My eyes jumped out of it’s socket as I saw as a very time a changing blow that descended on mum’s chin. She screamed as her mouth bled ‘I am not asking for stories.’ he screamed as a deranged animal panting for air.

‘What did you do to her hair? What?’ He asked again, shaking vehemently, ‘I cut it. It was in your defense oo’ she cried on and on as different slaps and punchers landed on every parts of her body, something that had never happened before.

To be Continued

EPISODE 11