Adaora sat under the wing of their dusty balcony;staring into an old photo of her dead mother,flood of tears rolling down her cheeks,locked in her memory are wishes heaped like an anthill, if only she could turn back the hands of time;perhaps, her mother would have still be there for her, if she can strike a bargain with death; probably, her mother would still be breathing. Adaora has refused to accept the fact that her beautiful mother is dead nor would she stop blaming herself for the death of her mother. It has been 3years her mother left for a journey beyound and Adaora still feel her like she just left yesterday.

On that fateful morning, Adaora was getting ready to go to work, staring into her hand mirrow, putting final touches to her already powdered face, looking so beautiful with her light pink lip gloss and her pointed nose; her sick mother lay on the bed watching her beautiful daughter dress for work. "Adamma,what will happen if you stay with me today without going to work",she grumbled "mama,you know i would really love to stay with you,if not just that i must go and get money for your drugs and other things,remember i still need to pay Chinedu's school fees" Adaora whispered to her mother rejecting the feeling that she's abondoning the poor woman to the claws of loneliness and boredom. "Am sorry i've to leave you but i'll return before you know it" she smiled and kissed her mother on the forehead;her mother managed to smile,holding back tears building up. "Go well my daughter and may heaven continue to bless and protect you for me", she said "Amen" Adaora chorused. Ada picked up her handbag and left for work that day without knowing she would never meet her mother at home again.

It was barely 5hrs she left for work, wen she recieved a call that changed her life and left her wishing for a mother she would never have again. In her haste to leave for work,she forgot to keep her mother's drugs where she can easily reach it,her weak mother was struggling to bring down the bag hung on the wall where the drugs are kept,she slipped and hit her head on a chair and collapsed. Neighbours rushed her to a nearby hospital where she was battling between staying alive and embracing the sweetened cruel cold hands of death;the call left Adaora shivering from head to toe with giant goose pimples all over her body, she rushed to the hospital;on getting there,the condition of her mother left her weeping hysterically begging her mother to stay with her,her feeble mother managed to smile,"my dear, i promised myself not to give up untill i see you again, please donot blame yourself for whatever happened,God knows best,i wish i can fight it but am too weak to fight,the wind is so cold now that my body is freezing,the sun is so cruel that my eyes wish to be shut, i can't feel myself nor seem to conjure your image,please take good care of your siblings especially your younger brother Chinedu, i Love you so much and don't ever make the same mistake i made in marriage" she grumbled inbetween dying breath and with this last words she left her daughter screaming and sobbing her eyes out.

Since that day, Adaora's life has been in shambles, she can't stop crying, the funeral went in a swift and the remains of mother was laid to rest. She treasured every moment she spent with her mother; perhaps, if she had stayed with her mother that day,she wouldn't have slipped;probably, the could have been a recovery miracle. If she is given a golden chance to wish for anything, she would wish to have her mother back. Adaora was crying painfully, clutching her younger brother not minding that the little boy was squirming from discomfort,he is her golden responsibility and she love him with every breath left in her. The memories of her mother keep coming back to her, locked in a closet like a stone is the moments they spent together in her dusty "DIARY"

I sat under the orange tree located at the centre of our native compound; lost in the maze of my own gloomy thoughts, like the jingling of the church’s bell, the final and threatening words of my father kept ringing in my subconscious: “Adaora, I don’t want to see you anywhere around that Yoruba boy again, defile my warning and watch me slay him before your very eyes, you want to bring reproach to this family, that will be over my dead body to watch that happen. Now get out my sight, you forbidden child”, just like the cursed Gehazi in the Bible, I left my father’s presence feeling like a dejected filth all because I gave my heart to the only man who makes it beat faster. If tears could wash my feelings and the words of my father away; I’d have emerged whole and clean again but the tears flowing from me runs deeper than Poseidon.



I met Sanni Joseph Lusheyi during our village’s maiden festival (Ite Olo): it is a ceremonial gathering where every grown maiden displays her musical talents through dancing to the goddess of fertility (Iyi Olo) for preserving us since the day we were born to our ripe age. Every maiden in my community normally dances naked to the goddess at the village square, we wear Jigide (A bold bead) around our waists, little jingling bead (ashi) around our ankles with our breasts bare to the eyes of the world; we dance away our coyness that day; everybody, both young, old and cradle gather around our village square to watch the Olo dancers display their talents, the young men find it difficult to get their eyes off our seductively swinging hips and dangling breasts. It is a day of merry, fun; a day mothers watch in awe while their beautiful daughters make them proud. It is a day of random betrothal; our young men pick the woman they want to marry that same day. It is the same day I was betrothed to Samuel Leumas and the same day my heart was locked in the dungeon of bliss to another man. While I was dancing, I noticed two hazel eyes piercing into my soul, the eyes couldn’t blink nor give me a moment to recover my composure; I was lost to the passion in those hazel eyes but to my uttermost dismay, the owner of the eyes is from Yoruba, my father would never reverse my betrothal just for the sake of a Yoruba man, my father is a strong anti-inter ethnic marriage.



It’s been one year I was betrothed to Samuel Leumas and one year I met Lusheyi, every of my attempt to convince my father to change his mind has proven futile, my traditional marriage has been set and the life of Lusheyi hangs on the balance, if I refuse the marriage, Lusheyi will be killed, I can’t bear to watch them bully and kill the only man that has given me reasons to live; neither will I sit and watch my people tie me to a matrimonial curse for the rest of my life. My world was falling apart and all I could do was sit under this orange tree and cry my eyes out, I rose from my teary self and ventured into the village stream where I normally meet with my love, hoping to see him even if it was for the very last time; on getting to the stream, I was singing to myself, crying my heart out, standing behind me was the very man I would kill to have; “Ada m, why the tears? How did it go with your father? Hope he finally consented to us?” Lusheyi asked, searching my eyes for a positive answer. “Obim, I am so sorry”, that was all I could mutter. Lusheyi burst into tears “Does it mean I am going to lose you forever? Tell me, what will happen to me? How will I cope without your love?” He grumbled with a tear filled eyes. My heart was tearing into shreds watching him cry, “Obim, I’m not going to leave you, let’s run away, let’s elope together to a far away land, where my people will never find me again”. We agreed to meet at the stream that night and elope together. Little did I know that Gomina Al- mUztapha, Samuel’s younger brother was eavesdropping on our conversation from on top a tree. We departed that day, feeling relieved that we are going to be together forever. At the appointed time, I picked few of my clothes, sneaked out of the house towards our meeting centre, jumping at any noise from behind me, on getting there, I met the shock of my life, Lusheyi was hanging with a noose around his neck on a tree, his hands and legs were tied together, he was still breathing painfully, my father and my people were there watching him die, tears alone was not enough to express my anger, fear and fury. I was crying, begging my father to spare his life and untie him, that I’ve accepted to marry Samuel. I tried rushing to that tree he was tied, I was held firmly, I fought but strong arms subdued me, I was forced to watch him strangle to death, I screamed and jerked from my sleep; staring down at me were my mother and siblings; “Ada, are you okay? Who are Lusheyi and Samuel? Don’t tell me you are in one of your weird dreams again”, my mother said with concern in her eyes. “Mama, I’ve told you that this girl is suffering from malaria, you had better get some drugs for her before it turns into acute malaria,” my elder brother said, he sighed and left my room. My mum shrugged and left me to my silly fantasies. I felt my body temperature and said “Perhaps I truly have malaria”, with that I picked up my “Diary” to write down what I saw in my dreams.

Doing this for a friend, your comments are highly appreciated


https://www.facebook.com/notes/chima-precious-adaora/dear-diary/355702247875913?ref=notif&notif_t=note_tag#!/notes/chima-precious-adaora/dear-diary/355702247875913?comment_id=1730163&notif_t=note_reply

Tenses man, tenses! Jesus! I cant make head or tail abt what ur writing. Is it a narrative in the present or past tense? Decide plz.

Yellow_Mosquito:

I TIRE WO

Did foxy get banned?

Br3nd4:

Did foxy get banned?

You know it is a normal thing. This time till 2032 ooooooooooooo

Foxy_Vista:

You know it is a normal thing. This time till 2032 ooooooooooooo

Rotfl you rebel