CHIKA! CHIKA!! the calling was unceasing and the person calling wasn't ready to stop any moment soon. It was mum calling early on a monday morning. The night had been calm and cold so I had drifted far into the morning with the weather. I wasn't ready to wake up, school or not. After all, I'll still be sent home anyway so what was the point.
My elder sister was busy snoring peacefully beside me. I know you want to ask what about her and school. She's done with high school. Top of the class from the day she set her tiny foot into the school till the day she dropped off her graduation gown. She's my role model .Sometimes I must say.
I got up from an old mat that we both share, so old that sometimes I wake up to see myself on the floor.
Outside I saw my mom. She wasn't looking happy at all. I know how to calm her, I always do. "Good morning my sweet mother " I said , hugging her at the same time without giving her the opportunity she wanted so much, to talk early morning waking up sense into me.
Remember I said " what's the point of getting up, I'll be sent back anyway ".
Good!
I can't necessarily say we are poor.. My sister will kill me if she hears that. Talking of my sister.
Her name is Chisom. Every woman's dream daughter. Not only is she beauty with brains.
She is lot more. My moms joy, and my dad's pride. She's humble, like very humble. Respectful, hardworking and so kind. I used to be jealous of her, especially her beauty. She looks so much like my mom while I look more like my dad.
That morning when I got to school, our witty cashier came in to call names of people that haven't paid for the forthcoming senior certificate examination. With my head bowed, I waited to hear my name as usual. It should be the second or third but now the list was ending and my name was yet to be called.
Finally, and I didn't hear it. I rushed up to ask him what the hell happened to my notorious name?He said "but you've paid". I didn't understand. I immediately ran home. What are the teaching by the way that I dont know already.
Did I mention, I'm very proud? Now I have . We were gifted with wisdom, so I've heard.
When I got home, my mom and sister where peeling cassava. I could see the shock in there eye. And within I've already guessed and answered all their questions .
I told them my debt had been paid and my sister gave me that mind blowing smile of hers. What has she done this time.
My sister was to travel the next week. My mom and dad had swept the house off all their hard earned money. She was going to learn sewing from my moms best friend. Of course I was sad, but I was more because that money should be used for my exams and not on her. I said some bad things out of anger. Never knew it would get to her.
I was angry and regretted immediately after calming down. But I guess the harm had already been done.
I finished my exam. Finally,i could wake up any time I wanted. So I thought.
Now meet the Okafor family.
Chidi Okafor
That's my dad. He is in his late 40s but looking at him, you'll think he's already 70. It's what poverty can cause as far as I'm concerned. He has never tasted wealth before. He's own poverty was handed down to him from the previous generations. Not minding that, he's still my father. A dark tall,would have been good looking if all things were to be equal. Some people up till this day still ask how he managed to woo my mom.
Sarah Okafor
This is my beautiful and caring mother. The best gift nature adorned me with. She's extremely beautiful. People used to say she's from the sea. She too was born but not as poor as my dad. She's in her early 30s. Men of wealth had come relentlessly asking for her hand in marriage but she always sang my dads name. That's why till today, her family doesn't care about her. They say she's a disgrace. This is the reason, we don't visit our maternal home.
The sun was becoming unbearable, from the look of things, night wasn't anywhere near. Dad was working tirelessly like an ox. I sat under a tree watching them, my dad and my sister as the worked. I was tired. The last harvest wasn't good. Seemed like the goddess of the earth was frowning for some reason. And this year, dad had borrowed money to buy fertilizers for the crops. My mom also helped. She works as a cooked for one of the richest men in our community. A kind old man with his 4kids and a wicked wife. From her meagre pay, she manages to feed us all and buy other necessary things.
I wasn't digging this. I was not comfortable with it. "Why are we so poor"? I had asked my sister one day. She said"because God wants it that way " she had answered. I wasn't okay with the answer. If so, why wasn't it the same with other people? I was just 14 when I asked this.
Now I was 17.
My sister was 19 . Things have got to change. But when?
"Get your hands off her you silly spoilt brat" That was my inner goddess running abuses on Jeremy, one of the sons of the rich man my mom cooked for. And guess what he was doing. He was touching MY SISTER. She was smiling, flashing her carefully arranged tiny shiny white teeth and at the same time showcasing her beautiful dimples. That alone drove him crazy. Jeremy, the he here is 21. He once came back from his uncles place in the city and was nothing else but a nuisance. He disturbed us anytime we went to see my mom in there mansion. But one day, my sister gave him a serious talk that he had to sit down and think about life.
And this afternoon, here he was. We didn't go to the farm today. My dad had given us a day off. He wasn't that strong. Earlier that week , he was told he's blood pressure was becoming too high. We had been the ones always going to the farm, but today he had made sure we got a rest. And now Jeremy was here. Of cause to see my sister. My sister had forgiven him when he later changed his life style but as for me, as far as my mom was still working for them, I'm not a friend to their family.
He had developed some liking for my sister and she had returned it. What!!
He was whispering into her ear." I'm still here guys, please". Later they called me closer. He's laptop was with him . Hmmm... always showing off.
He had told my sister about a quiz competition. The age was limited to 18 and I was 17. I told them I wasn't interested. I was brilliant but please, I left high school a year ago and since I wasn't dreaming of any higher level education, I stopped anything like reading.
I told them that I wasn't interested. After a long talk from my sister, I changed my mind. I was in. But here comes the big problem. The form was out for purchase with the sum of twenty thousand naira which to me and my family was a huge sum of money. And, there was a dead line.
My mom and dad immediately showed interest but the money was becoming hard to get. I was not worried. I wasn't ready to stress my parents again. They had done enough for us.
My sister walked in beaming with smiles. She was always full of surprises. Her friend had helped her with half of the money. Nkechi her child good friend had done this but for the money to paid back as soon as possible. My mom was happy. She swore to do all I could for the other half.
Hmmm... That means I have debt to pay. I never asked for this. My Mom had asked for her advance salary which she was given with a bunch lot if conditions from her bosses wife. I never liked that woman. These all means that, I've got no choice but to win this competition if not, we'll be indebted to people throughout our miserable existence.
I agreed.
I'm always less serious when it comes to learning, always thinking I know it all. My sister went as far as arranging a tutorial for me. I was being thought by her old school teacher. I didn't take the lesson seriously. Always went and left whenever I wished. I within me had no faith of passing the first level talk more of getting to the finals.
I was scared. When my sister noticed this, she talked to me. She started by showing me people's rich houses and later showed me ours. I couldn't hold my tears. I had to let it flow when I saw our thatched roofed house bent to one side, with it's crooked doors and wooden window panes. There and then, I became serous. Come what may, I'll get to the end of this competition. If God destines it, I'll win. The prize from the competition no matter how small will help clear some of our numerous debts.
The D-day was finally here . The competitors where to go to Lagos, the venue for the competition. 100 candidates were to be chosen at the end and later tasted again finally for two people to finally emerge winners.
That morning, I woke up early unlike me. My sister was up already before me, she and mom prepared what we'll be travelling with even my Moms best soup recipe was prepared for me. Nkechi my sisters friend and my teacher both volunteered to come with us. After receiving series of blessings from our parents, off we went.
I was shaking God!
I've never stood before this great a crowd. In my first round I screwed up but I managed to make it to the list of the first 100. As I walked down the stage, my sister smiled and hugged me briefly. She winked at me, looked me in the eye and said "I'm proud if you". I didn't see that coming. I apologized and told her sorry for letting her down. She said it was okay that the competition was just starting as far as she is concerned. And she finally said"you are just nervous, forget the crowd and just act as if I'm the only one around." And that exactly was what I was going to do. I still saw the disappointment on her face though he managed so well to hide it.
I had never let my family down. And please God not now.
It was my turn again to answer a question from a novel my sister and I always read and even chorused the words. My head went blank.
No.no.no! That's all I could hear myself saying. Then I looked at my sister I was expecting to see that disappointed look ones more but it was gone. And beside her,i saw my Mom smiling. And my dad giving me a thumbs up. Every other person gone, just the three of them. What?!
Is my imagination playing tricks on me?
Suddenly when it was almost past my time, I started recalling and almost shouting the answers. Again and again I answered the questions. It was now time for the final round and we were just 5 candidates remaining.
It hasn't yet ended, it was just beginning for me. I had to try so hard to finish and finish well what I started. Images of my dad in the farm, my mom never sleeping up to 3hours in a day came to my head. If I wasn't ready to do this for myself, at least why not for them. They deserved it and more.
It was now time for the final result to be called. I was shaking. I almost peed on myself. I wasn't a fan of embarrassment. Even though the previous night when I told my sister about my dream, she had told me that at least I made it to the final stage which others couldn't. Those that got to the final stage were compassed with the sum of 500,000 naira with a free university education. It was huge, but I wanted more than that. My dream, less I forget, I dreamt I wasn't the winner. I lost my trophy to a 14years old. No way!
Pretty please! This pee shouldn't disgrace me. The judge was taking forever to read out the winner keeping all in suspense. My sister was smiling at me but when she saw my face the smile disappeared and she immediately got worried. She loves me and always understands when I'm not alright. I mouthed to her "I've got to pee". She got up immediately and as she was about to climb up towards me, it was dropped. The name was called finally and, I was the winner.
No pee, it was gone. Automatically disappeared. My kidney respected itself immediately. I couldn't believe my ears. I won the competition. How? I mean...
Immediately my sister hugged me and carried me up. We both crying as much tears as we could shed.
I was given a scholarship to the best university abroad.
A whooping sum of a million naira
And future work immediately after my education.
I couldn't understand. Ones in a while I paused and pinched myself to make sure it all wasn't a dream cos I wouldn't be able to stand that.
With so much joy, we got home on a car also one of the many prizes I won. A driver was assigned to drive us safely with two armed guard down home.
We had left home for three days for the competition. And finally we were back to see those two lovely people our works revolved around and not just that, to also share the good news .
What is happening. Why is there crowd in our house? Oh! Maybe they've heard. Hmmm.... But why are they all on black? Where is mom? And why was she on black too? Is that tears I see on her eye? OK maybe tears if joy. No,that was more than tears if joy. It was too much. Women were holding her, and comforting her. Why?
I couldn't wait. I needed to know. We came down from the car, rushed down to my mom and received the most heart shattering news ever.
"Your dad is dead"
I wasn't in for joke please. It was true. No matter how hard I shook my head and said no, the truth remained the same. And now really really I wished it was all a dream. What was the need for winning the competition in the first place. Everything should just turn and go back to how it was.
Poor but complete. With my dad and my mom and me and my sister. I didn't want wealth again.
I just needed one thing so much right now; MY DAD. The tears was too much
No one was able to hold my sister and I.
I cried till my tears ran dry and I lost my voice in the process.
After all calmed down, we were told by my mom that my dad had a heart attack while watching me on TV. I had answered a difficult question and out of happiness he screamed and he's heart stopped.
"Oh!
I killed my father". I shouted. My sister almost slapped me. I told them sorry but my sister was busy getting angry with me.
Years later, we lived comfortably. I mourned my dad as long as I could. But I swore on one thing because of him; the Okafor family will never ever know poverty again till the world is raptured or comes to an end.
