My Life - Season 1 Episode 9

Episode 8 years ago

My Life - Season 1 Episode 9

what other five lettered words do you know?” I asked Eniola.
I was helping her with her homework.

“Errrm..M-U-M-M-Y….” she scratched her head.

I laughed “write it down.”

“I don’t know anyone again..” she said looking up.

“What about D-A-D-D-Y, DADDY?”

“I don’t want to write that” she frowned

“Why?”

“I don’t have a daddy” she looked down

“You do have a daddy” I corrected her.

“I don’t, i can’t see him” she squealed.

Just then a customer walked in.
“Please I need a bottle of water” he said.

“Okay, gerrit from the fridge!” I replied without looking up.

“Good afternoon sir!” I heard Eniola say.

“Hi pretty, what are you doing here?” he replied.

“Mummy, look at the man that nearly hit me that day.” Eniola informed me.

I looked up with a smile, but…

I just froze. The whole place became tensed; I could hardly breathe, what does he want here? How did he know I’m here?

“Teju?” David found his voice.

He dropped the bottle of water he was holding.

“I….errm..Teju…what are you doing here?…I mean..errm…how did you get here?” he looked pleased.

My tongue cleaved to the roof of my mouth. He hasn’t changed a bit..still the good-looking guy that ruined my life. I swallowed hard.

“I…errrm…is she your daughter?” he persisted.

I felt anger surged through my veins.

“Yes o! She’s my mother” Eniola quipped,

“Shut-up Eniola!” I screamed at her, was suprised at my outburst too.

The startled Eniola walked gently back to her book.

“And you!” I turned to face David.
“You came to buy water abi? Now take your water and walk out.” my voice was rising.

“Teju…” he began.
“I’m sorry…I really am..” he moved towards me.

“Sorry? What for?” My voice was suprisingly calm.

“I never meant to hurt you…”

my cruel laughter cut him short.

“I’m sorry Teju, I don’t know why you hate me so…”

A resounding slap stopped the gibberish talk.

“now you know how much I hate you huh? Leave my shop” I told him with my hands akimbo.

I expected him to hold his cheeks or make an expression, but he didn’t seem to care about the slap.

“Teju please, we need to talk..” he tried to take my hands.

“if you touch me ehn? I swear, I go wooza you!” i threatened.

He smiled, turned to Eniola, squatting beside her he said.

“Baby…what’s your name?” his voice was cool.

“Eniola David.” she replied slowly with fear in her voice.

He held her chin softly, he examined her face, his hands patted her eyebrow..he searched her eyes..

“Take your filthy hands off my daughter!” I retorted, pulling Eniola away from him.

“She is mine right? She is my baby huh?” he was wearing a wierd look.

“see thief o…” i clapped my hands.

“you hate me so much, you claim to love my daughter…” he said in a lament.

“she’s not your daughter!” I shrieked.

“she is! Her name is Eniola David..which other David do you know apart from me?” he moved towards me “Isn’t it so clear? She has my face…”

“leave at once!” i cut him short

“I will, but I’d come back tomorrow to pick my child.” he said stressing the word ‘child’

I watched him as he left my shop.
I turned to glance at Eniola, i knew i was in deep mess if he should sue me to court. I don’t think I can survive Eniola’s absence.

“mummy don’t mind him you hear?” Eniola said hugging my waist.

Tears streaked down my cheeks.
Is this my destiny? Do I have to suffer? In what way did i go wrong? Do i deserve all these?

Tomorrow! He said. I needed to act fast. He definitely can’t take my daughter away.

I rested my head on the window pane, the events of the day flowed through my mind. David’s voice echoed loud and clear.
My God! I gasped. Tejumola where did you go wrong? I asked myself

I looked at the bright moon searchingly, maybe I might find a solution there; but the moon seems dumb. I turned my attention to the stars but they were dumb too.
“What do I do?” I racked my brain.

Of course running away isn’t an option. Bola said so when I told her about David few hrs ago. She had warned me sternly not to run away, unless I want to vacate the earth.

Could she be right? Maybe I should just drown myself or I should drink poison?

No! I shook my head, I can’t! If I do, what would become of Eniola, besides I love my life.

“Tejumola Benson, think hard o” I told myself.

Eniola stretched and turned in her sleep, murmured something throwing the covers away. I redressed the covers, covering her properly.

“Leave me!” she protested

“shhhhh, keep quite, its midnight!” I hushed her back to sleep.

I lay beside her, trying my best to sleep but it eluded me. I gazed at the ceiling till day-break.

*************
“Mallam Adamu sannu o” i greeted the hausa man who sold beef close to my shop, as I unlocked my shop.

I came to shop late because I went to Eniola’s school to pay her school fees.

David hasn’t showed up, its almost a week now. So Bola was actually right, he meant no harm.

I sighed, as I dusted the provisions.
Only God knows how my parents are for now. Maybe Baami has forgotten about me..

“Iya Eniola welldone o” Tola’s mother greeted me.

“I came to buy some soup material o.” She announced sitting on a stool.

“Ah Ahn! Mummy Tola, you should have just given me the money while I was coming to shop this morning now…” I said with concern.

“No problem o!” she replied looking around.

“Errrm, shey you know Iya sikira?” she asked when she had the surity no one would hear us.

Mummy Tola the Amebo! I smiled to myself.
“Ehn now.”

“Toh! The woman is in trouble now o” she made a face.

“trouble?”

“Yes o! You know she’s having 15 children ba? Toh, the husband don impregnate that corper wey dey their compound o” she concluded.

“Ehn? How did that happen?” I asked holding my chest.

“How did that happen? Hehehehehe, na how e take dey happen, na im com happen” she laughed.

“Wonders shall never end o” I clapped my hands in gossip fashion.

“Errm, mummy, what do you wanna buy now?” I quicky said, in order to stop her from bringing up another topic.

She look disappointed” I wanted to tell you how Iya Demola killed her husband’s son” she said with a frown

“Ah Ahn, leave that one till I come back home in the evening” I laughed.

“Are chasing me away ni?” she feigned annoyance.

“Noooo, haba! My shop is your own too now..” that was how I got rid of back-biting that morning.

That afternoon, I was sipping garri when I saw Tola running towards the shop, her feet was bare save the socks.
“Mummy o, Mummy Eniola oooo” she wailed throwing herself on the cemented frontage of my shop.

“Tola, ki lode? What happened?” I asked holding her.

“It’s Eniola oo” she wailed the more.
My heart skipped, my hands became shaky…

“What happened to my baby?” my lips quiverred.

“She ….she…she…was…she…is…yeeeeee!” Tola cried the more.

Tears filled my eyes
“Talk to me Tola please…where’s she?”

“some people catch her o…they put her inside motor and drove away” she managed to explain

“Yeeeee! Haaaaa! My daughter o!”
my daughter has been kidnapped…I raved like mad.
I threw myself on the flow, rolling from left to right and vice versa.

“My God o! Eniola ooooo!Haaaaaa! Moti ku ooo! Baami ooo…E gba mi ooo” I screamed and wailed.

A crowd gathered , with alot of Ohhs and ahhs!

I jumped up, about to run to Eniola’s school, when someone gripped my hands… I turned sharply with tear stained eyes.

“David..” I whispered
I remembered his last words, maybe he abducted my daughter.

“David where did you take my daughter to? Where is baby? ” I wailed shaking him vigorously.

“Give back my Jewel” I shook Him some more.
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To Be Continued…