AMARACHI THE BEAUTIFUL POOR CHILD
(Written by Erasmus Ugochukwu Okafor)

Waking up to reality, Amarachi, popularly known as Amara, couldn’t believe that she just dropped out of school. As she parked her loads into that old Datsun truck which her dad left as a legacy, tears gained possession of her eyes. Standing by the gate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Amarachi shook her head in dismay but in total surrender to fate, smiled sheepishly to what poverty had caused, and entered the truck to find her way to Onitsha.
“Now, I must have to start using this truck to be carrying loads for people, to save money and come back to school,” she muttered absently as she nudged herself to reality, “finally, I have dropped out,”
As she was about to leave, Osisioma, her friend and the daughter to the well- known industrialist at Main market Onitsha, beckoned her forward but the engine of the truck was already steaming. She quickly pulled over and stepped out of her 4Matic Benz SUV; looking cool in that bodycon mini gown, adorned with her six-inch high heeled shoes, with her golden human hair that embellished her beauty. Her lips that were full of smiles at first, curved into a deep frown when she saw that her good friend was finally leaving the school as she told her earlier in confident.
“Please, you can’t do this,” Osisoma shouted as she fought hard on her high-heeled shoes; rushing to the truck, and at the same time trying to gain a balance in the shoes, “I’ve told you that I have to talk to daddy so that he can take care of your schooling,”
Tears couldn’t stop raining down Amarachi’s cheek as her eyes remained blurred and saggy. She fought hard to move her lips to a befitting reply but numbness and sorrows overtook her emotions. She simply drove off even before Osisioma could come close to her. She knew that no one could help her because she’d always lived a life of being no dependant to anyone except to herself.
Even though Amarachi managed to drive as fast as she could away from Osisioma, the old truck’s noise and unsteady movement made her be more cautious on the road as she drove off and navigated along the expressway leading to Onitsha where she believed she belonged to.
Osisioma already knew how steadfast and determined Amara could be whenever she makes up her mind about something, so she couldn’t just rush into her car to follow her or stop her. She simply stood there with tears in her eyes watching her friend drive away in such an old vehicle that wasn’t even road-worthy anymore.
As Osisoma was lost in thoughts, the incessant horns from the long queue of vehicles behind her honked and forced her back from that world of absence.
“Sorry for the obstruction,” she mumbled tearfully and went into her car. Sorrowfully, she drove away to her department-Economics.
Many calls that Osisioma made to Amarachi’s phone were left unanswered. It dawned on the entire students in economics department that they just lost their first-class material and there was nothing they could do to bring back their ‘student-lecturer’ as she was known as.
****
It was an early morning that fateful day, the birds of the air chirping and whistling, the crows cawing, and the voices of the street vendors being heard from far and near but Amarachi was still sleeping since she didn’t sleep on time. The light of the early morning sun flooded the cabin through the slit of the shattered roof. Had it been it was raining, they would have been busy fixing buckets at different locations to stop the rain from gaining possession of the entire room.
“Amarachi!” The deafening voice of Ego Oyibo, forced Amara out of the dreamless slumber, “What are you still doing on the bed by this time while your customers kept knocking on the door for Akara di ka Akwa! (akara that is compared to an egg in taste)” Her mom howled.
As Amarachi tried to balance herself on that old mattress she fell off the bed, but her hands were great support that made her not hit hard on the floor. She then realised that she wasn’t on her school mattress anymore but an elevated bed.
“Mom, I have told you to control the way you shout at me,” she said with a sigh as she yawned away the sleepiness of her eyes, “must I sell Akara today?” she grumbled and started removing the dry rheum in her eyes, “sometimes try to understand that this body needs rest,” she added.
“Shhhhhh!” her strict mom shushed her but still came closer to her at the bed and sat beside her, “this life isn’t always as easy as we want it to be,” she continued as she pulled Amara to her side, “if I didn’t groom you this way, you wouldn’t have been a better child by now,” she courteously averred, “sometimes, try to understand that these shouts and noise would always be resounding in your head even when I’m not there to guide you,”
With a tear about to announce its presence in her eyes, Amara smiled and snuggled into her mom’s bosom. “Ego oyibo, Nnem,” she called her mom in a petting way, “you’re a wonderful mom. The only sin you ever committed which I inherited is poverty. But believe this; God must surely forgive those sins and make us rich one day,” she patted her mom gently on her back, used her clean napkin and cleaned the tears on her mother’s eyes, “weep no more, Nne. The last thing you can deny a poor man is hope. I have hope, and I hope you do too,”
Serenity took over the entire room at the end of her exhortative statement, the sounds of silence flared between them, even though the usual shattering footsteps in the ceiling as a result of the hungry rats continued to disperse the silence with domestic noise.
“How can I stop weeping while my daughter remains a dropout from school?” Ego Oyibo asked tearfully as her sobs welcomed a loud cry, “if I could take care of you, why are you here sitting beside me, doing odd jobs that only men do, as well as frying akara on the streets just for you and me to survive. Why aren’t you in school like your mates?” she explanatorily said to Amarachi who wept with her mom. “If we could afford a house rent, why are we always occupying empty lands until the owner comes to build, and we are forced to find another empty land to either raise a new cabin, thatched house or a clay-house?”
At a point, Amarachi held back her tears, went into the shoes of her unknown dad, to become a husband to her mom for the moment. She knew that her mom would soon start recounting her ordeals and sordid past as she fought to raise her as a kid and that would mean not going out for the akara business that morning. So she pulled herself up, looking smilingly on her mom and said: “Ego oyibo, if you enjoy being poor, stay there while your mates pass you in this life’s race. As for me, I am off for my sweet akara ooo,” with that loud laugh, she said: “Let me join the rich people like me and leave you poor widow here. Continue crying, Nne, and forget that your foodstuff business is of perishable items and would all be useless if you don’t go out on time”
Watching her pretty shapely tall daughter as she left, Ego Oyibo shook her head in admiration. Looking up to the dilapidated ceiling, she smiled and said: “God, I thank you for this wonderful grace you have given me in the form of a daughter. Your grace made me give her that name, Amara, and that grace will keep following me about in this life,”
She got up and started hitting at the ceiling to chase away the rats.
****
After selling her akara for the day, Amarachi dressed up for work, checked on the time and realised it was almost her turn to load her truck at otu-onicha Park. Hurriedly, she rushed into her legacy and drove off to Ose market.
Getting there, she realised that much loads were already waiting for her attention, so she had to be hasty about it. Her customers always look forward to when it’d be her turn because of how good she had been to them, most especially, because they couldn’t imagine such pretty young girl driving a truck and not prostituting.
Obinna and Oji-isi-ebu-mgbo (one who uses the head to carry bullets) were the porters that were her favourite who helps her load her truck. She always brings hot Akara for them whenever she comes around.
“Oya, take your akara,” she said and handed over two big balls of akara to Obinna, “Ngwa, take yours,” she said and handed over just one ball of it to Oji isi ebu mgbo, “but Oji isi,” she added as she snorted, “you didn’t do well the last time, so yours would be just one akara.”


The stubborn but respectful Oji isi, the orphan was busy eyeing Obinna as he kept munching the balls of akara and digesting them with pure-water.
“Hey, Amara utu ocha,” Oji Isi called out with grin in a mocking way, “if you marginalise me, then I will do what I did the last time,” he ran a bit away from her to avoid being hit on his bald head as usual, “don’t worry, aunty. This time, I will give this Akwara of a man your...”
“Hey,” she shushed him with smiles on her face, “You gave out my number to Okoro the last time and I’m yet to recover from his daily disturbances. Now, you want to give to that Akwara that looks like a bouncer with this his macho. Abeg, my hand no dey,”
“He was just joking,” Obinna said to Amarachi as he continued munching his akara. Oji Isi regretted it ooo. He even fought with Okoro because he asked him to give him back the number he gave him, no wonder he has bruises on his face for fighting an elderly person,”
“But I won the fight still,” Oji isi boasted, though he was bluffing.
“That serves you right for giving out my number,” Amarachi said with an impish grin, even though she felt pity by that, then pulled Oji Isi close and observed the bruises, “but I love this tattoo oo,” she added mockingly, making the man whose loads were to be loaded into the truck to laugh while watching the drama as he waited.

“This akara is so sweet ooo,” Obinna said and divided the second akara and wanted to hand over to Oji isi but Amarachi stopped him.
“Don’t worry about him,” Amara said and brought out Oji isi’s second Akara and gave him, “this is a note of warning to you,” she warned, “next time, you won’t even get any ball of akara at all, in addition to what that bouncer would do to your komkom head,”
They all started laughing. Other people at the park got hit by the contagious laughter and they all continued chorusing the laughter at Oji isi.
“Utu ocha (albino),” Oji isi jeered at Amarachi as he avoided her knock on his head, “now you acted like aunty Amara that I used to know by completing my akara,” He collected the akara forcefully from her and shifted away further.
Being that Oji isi was well known for carrying any size of a heavy load, he got busy immediately and started loading the trucks while Obinna helped out.
The owner of the loads that was meant to be angry about his time being wasted, was busy enjoying the jokes from Amarachi and her friends.
After loading the trucks, Amarachi entered the vehicle and drove off to GRA Onitsha where the owner of the loads resides. The Oga happens to be the chief driver to his boss but due to his trustworthiness, he was always the one sent to buy things from the market.
Getting to the gate, Amarachi saw a group of classy girls driving out of the compound. She quickly reversed to allow them to pass but instead of the girls to go about their daily business, they all started laughing at her for driving an old truck and doing men’s kind of work.
Amarachi simply remained calm and unperturbed. She was busy calculating the money for her services and had no time to think about the jeers from the girls from a rich home.

To be continued....