₦airaland Forum

This is my story
A plane mirror indeed
Right, I tried to make it
But too late, it was
I see myself in ur words
That is my story

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This is the story of an accident victims, its fiction, just something I composed at a quiet time

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Akin's mind overdrove when the bus began to swerve, he tried to keep the bus steady but it was like the wheels were against him, the people in the bus kept shouting, the passenger sitting next to him kept calling the name 'Jesus' over and over again, the brake refused to follow commands, he could hear people's voices all around, he saw the ditch ahead and as all his efforts failled to direct the wheels the other way, he gave up, he just raised his hands in the air and all he could say before the bus escaped into the ditch was "yeeepaaaa!"

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Two weeks before

Akin - the driver

'Akin!' his friend and co driver at the garage called to him while he was busy grumbling down Mama cook's semovita at the pack as he waited for his bus to load up
'kini' he asked as he swallowed
'Your wife called me, your number is nor dey go through' his friend answered as he grabbed the seat in front of Akin
'Yes, I dey charge for bus, wetin happen' he asked
'Your son get accident o' he told Akin as his eyes opened wide
'What!' He asked rethorically 'wetin do seyi' he added

A DAY TO REMEMBER

After some buckets of water, ope woke up with a swollen head, I was flogged and my mother was called, she came and even though she knew I was going through a tough time, she would not accept any act of indiscipline from me, so she scolded me too, and the matter died down.

My mother tried to get us to see papa in the hospital but my step mother wouldn't allow it and there was nothing else we could do, even with Uncle Andrew on our side, we were told papa was getting better but still I wanted to see him and I was worried, my grandmother had gone to heaven already then, if not, we would av seen papa because even though my step mother didn't respect Uncle Andrew, she respected grandma.

Two days after my school exam, I was in school, we were preparing for the end of session party, when my mother came to school to pick me up, she brought me to school that day and said nothing about coming back to pick me before school is over, she was shaking and I was worried, I thought about papa but the day before, uncle Andrew had come over to tell us papa was getting better.

We didn't go home straight, we went to Uncle Andrew's house, that was the first time I went to his house, he was a widower with a child much older than I was, when we got to his house, he was also not calm and the air around was tense
" What is happening" I asked him because mama wouldn't tell me
"Nothing" he answered too
Mama left me alone with uncle Andrew's daughter who was as ignorant as I was about the situation of things, and they left
Mama had never left me alone anywhere before and that was enough to worry about

"Let me get you something to eat" Uncle's daughter said and left me alone in the sitting room, immediately she disappeared into the kitchen, I knelt down like mama had taught me, I closed my eyes,
"Oh God! They said you can do all things, and I believe you can because you created the whole world, please don't let anything bad happen to papa or anyone, Amen" but as I opened my eyes, I could swear till today that I saw papa, I saw him stand by the window and smile, for just a minute and it was like he disappeared, at first I was shocked but I thought I saw wrong, I had prayed to God and I strongly believed he had answered my prayer, so I felt I had nothing to worry about.

I sight you my dearest friend, scon-p!

After about what seemed like a decade, it was time to go see papa, my mother held me by my right hand as we walked down the corridors as directed by the nurses, I was anxious to see my father, I just wanted to be sure he wasn't dieing.

Finally when we got the door, my mother gave a sigh and it didn't take me long to know why, because as we opened the door, the first person we saw, was my step mother, my eyes drifted straight to papa, I was shocked and scared, he was covered in bandages, some of the bandages were soaked with blood and papa wouldn't open his eyes to look at me, I looked up at my mother for consolation but she was as shocked as I was, her eyes were filled with tears, as she made an attempt to move closer to him, my step mother stopped her

"You fool, what are you doing here" she asked
"Please let me talk to him" my mother pleaded "you have no right to be here, you and your bastard daughter should get out" my step mother answered merciless
"Please, let me stay here for a while" my mother begged with tears but my step mother wouldn't allow that, she pushed us out of the room, but as we got to the door, I looked back, I wanted papa to open his eyes and fight for us but he wouldn't, I wanted him to look at me and reassure me that he was not dieing but he didn't then I looked up at my second mother
"Please mama, let me talk to papa, please" I pleaded with tears
"Shut up!" She shunned me, "I am not your mama, and not you or your stupid mother will come near my husband" she shouted at me and closed the door at our faces, I held mama tight and bursted into tears along with her

"What did we do to her mama" I asked in between tears "why is she so mean to us, why won't she let us see papa?" I kept asking my crying mother
"Stop crying Amanda" she said to me in between sobs "Amanda please stop, your papa will be fine" she added even though it shows clearly in her voice that she doubted that too.

stariobran: I'm loving every bit of this story...please continue...you are a very good imaginative writer..
All you'd need if you ever wanted to publish, is an editor, who'd take care of tenses and punctuations...
But you are perfect...I dunno what anyone would mean by you could do better, you're doing just fine

thank you for your words of encouragement

ESIXLOVE: Improvements are visible and substantial so keep improving... Nice work.

. Thanx a lot for your comments

.

[quote author=scon-p] [/quote]scon-p! Scon-p! Scon-p! Scon-p! Scon-p! How many times did I call u?

Accidents! I was quite young but I have heard of people having accidents, Kelvin, my classmate in primary 3, his father had an accident and he didn't come to school again, there were rumours that his father died, some said he broke his legs and kelvin was the one to carry him around and so on.

At 9, I understood death a little, if a person dies, I believed he had gone to heaven to live in a big house with God, he was going to have anything he desires, sometimes I don't wish my enemies death because it only means they are going to live with God and be happy, but as great as death sounds, I knew if a person dies, I won't see him/her again, forever, and that was the part I didn't like, I didn't want papa to die, because I still want him to be around for a very long time, sometimes the people you love just wouldn't be around as long as you want and it didn't take me time to realise that either

We left for the hospital immediately, I was still in my uniform, I could remember vividly, my mother was restless and I was sad, she held me by my hand as we rushed into the hospital, it was Uncle Andrew that called and he was at the reception when we got there
"What happened to him" my mother asked
"he had the accident on his way to work and it was really serious, he had been operated on, it was successful but the doctors want him to rest, his wife is with him" uncle andrew answered, my eyes were heavy with tears when I heard him say that but I wanted to prove I was strong, which means, no tears
"Can I see him" my mother asked
"Not yet, the doctors don't want more than a person there with him, but you can go in the next 4 hours" he answered again "I have to go back to work now, I will give you a call later" he added as he bent down to greet me

"Hi Amanda, are you not supposed to be in school" he asked cheerfully, uncle Andrew has been really nice to us, ever since I met him, I was comfortable around him but what I failed to understand was why he would let my second mother, knowing how bad she is, stay with my mother, but I knew he meant well
"Yes, but papa is sick and I want to see him" I replied
"You will see him okay, just pray for him" he added and stood up to leave
I looked up at him as he turned to leave
"Uncle Andrew" I called "is papa dieing" I asked as my swollen eyes brought out its tears "I don't want papa to die" I added before he was able to say anything, he picked me up and placed me on his shoulders.
"Amanda, your father is not going to die" he sounded very convincing but I wasn't convinced, I was still scared but I stopped crying,
"He will be fine" he added and I faked a smile

tmamuda: Guy U re doin, try 2 b kipin us.

thank you

GONE FOREVER
"You came second, that is great" my father said checking out my report card as I smiled and stared at him.
"She had 54 out of 60 in mathematics, she did better than last term" mama added, all the way from the kitchen
"Yes, she took after her father, what do you expect" my father said jokingly as he picked me up and settled me on his laps
"Now Amanda, tell me what you want, anything and I ll get you" he said
"I want you to stay here with us papa, I promise I will come first next term" I answered, I wanted papa to stay with us, even though we lived in a small house, at least we are happy and we don't have any wicked woman like my second mother around. I stared at my father and waited for him to grant my wish, he smiled at me "Amanda, if you come first next term, then I ll see what to do about that" my father answered and though it wasn't a straight answer but my 9 years old me, planned to do everything possible to come first, only if I had known......

I was a very brilliant girl in school, I always came out with flying colours, and everyone was proud of me, my mother was doing well in her cloth business and my father was always there for us, he comes over and sends us money and gifts, and though we were not staying with my father in his big house, we were happy and doing great, I was studying for my third term exam in pry 5, I wanted to come first so that papa could move in with us.

It was on a thursday morning, I was dressing up for school when my mother's phone rang,
"What!" My mother said out of shock as she listened to the caller, I stopped and paid attention
"I ll be there soon" my mother added and dropped the call, I could see tears welled up in her eyes
"Mama, what happened" I asked
"Its your father, Amanda" she answered with a shaking voice "he had an accident" she added

Hmmmm

X
My father came that evening like he promised to and he asked my mother to move us into the big house, but my mother knew better than living with my step mother, she thought of me before anything else, she knew what a hard life I would have there, although she knew she would be close to my father, he would treat her extremely well, he would favour her than the other wife but on the other hand, my step mother would make us go through hell and even if my mother manages to withstand it, I wouldn't, so my mother refused to move into the big house and even though I was very little then, I was happy we didn't.

My father came that evening like he promised to and he asked my mother to move us into the big house, but my mother knew better than living with my step mother, she thought of me before anything else, she knew what a hard life I would have there, although she knew she would be close to my father, he would treat her extremely well, he would favour her than the other wife but on the other hand, my step mother would make us go through hell and even if my mother manages to withstand it, I wouldn't, so my mother refused to move into the big house and even though I was very little then, I was happy we didn't.

"Please I don't understand" my step mother directed the question to my grandmother

I sat down on mama's laps as I watched as events unfold, there grandma was sited, my father, his wife, one man who turned out to be my uncle, Andrew, and one old man.

Its very true that papa lived in a big house, they even have a gateman and cars, fine cars. But I was confused, very confused, it was as if my second mother didn't recognise me but how could she, when she hasn't seen me in a long while I had thought to myself, and my siblings were no where in sight, papa didn't even carry me like he always did at our house and grandma too, I just sat with my mother, held my doll and kept quiet.

"I am very sorry dear" my father answered
"You are sorry for what Anthony, for getting the lady pregnant, for marrying her behind my back or for bringing her to our matrimonial home" my step mother replied angrily

I wondered why she was angry, wasn't she happy to see me, I wondered why they were acting very strange but still I kept my calm

"You see my daughter," grandma said "you have to accept this lady and her daughter, this girl is also your daughter" grandma added

Finally, I thought, someone introduced me and for the first time, I smiled expecting my second mother to smile too but...

"Over my dead body will I accept anybody" she shouted back at grandma

"Of course you will, and even if you don't, you can't change the fact that the girl is our flesh and blood" uncle Andrew answered

"Yes!" The old man added "she is a part of us, and whether you like it or not, this woman is also our wife, and her daughter has the same rights your children has in this house" he concluded

"Anthony, say something" my second mother said to my father
"She is my wife and her daughter is my child" my father answered

My step mother rose up from her seat, and moved closer to us, I felt my heart rise in fear and anticipation,

"You take your bastard child and leave my house this minute" she shouted at my mother whose eyes were swollen with tears already.

"Of course she is going nowhere" uncle andrew interrupted, this is her husband's house too, she can come and leave anytime she wants to"

"Infact she would soon be moving in" my grandma added as my second mother angrily walked out on us all

No wonder papa didn't want to take me there, my second mother was a bad woman and I didn't know, she didn't love me like mama, papa and grandma did, she didn't want me in papa's big house, and she didn't like my mother, she was a bad woman and I stopped loving that minute

As I left the big house that day to return back to our small house, I noticed my love for the big house was gone, I didn't want to live there anymore, infact I didn't want to go there anymore, I didn't want to meet my siblings either, I only wanted mama to be happy, I wanted her and papa and the house where there was no bad woman like my second mother.

Papa walked us to the door as we were leaving and he lifted me up,
"I ll come over this evening, then we can talk" he told my mother
"Its all going to be Alright, Amanda" he said to me and I smiled.

But as we were about to leave, uncle andrew came behind us
"Doyin" he called out to my mother "we are at your back, you should not worry yourself, you have as much right as she has in this house and in the entire family, don't be scared"

"Thank you, sir" my mother replied
"No just call me Andrew" he added as he bent down to pick me up

"Hey little girl" he said as he smiled at me "I am your Uncle Andrew, what is your name?" He asked like he didn't already know

"Amanda" I replied.

ME - THE BIG HOUSE

"How big is papa's house" I asked my mother as she dressed me for our outing that thursday morning.
"Your father's house is really big" she answered with a smile,
"Like in the movies" I asked again
"Yes Amanda, just like in the movies" she added

I think it took seven years for my father to get things settled at home, though he didn't tell his wife until that day and we weren't even sure he was taking us in, I always knew my father lived in a big house, right since I got wise enough to know our house was small, I knew I had another mother who lives with my father but I didn't care, I also knew I had brothers and a sister because my mother told me, and everytime I ask papa when I ll go to his house, "soon, very soon" he always replied.

My father comes over at least once in a week, sometimes he sleeps over, most times, he comes and return to his big house the same day, and no matter how much tears I shed and how loud my voice goes when I plead to go with him, he never takes me along, sometimes I feel bad for my second mother, I imagine how much she would want to see me, and my siblings, how much they would want to play hide and seek with me but I had no choice but to wait for 'soon',

Finally the soon came and I was going to the big house to meet my father, second mother and siblings, I was really happy, I wanted to take my toys along but mama wouldn't let me, I wanted to show my second mother my report card so that she would be proud of me but mama didn't let me take it.

I had hundreds of question to ask mama, why she was acting strange, why she wasn't very happy we were going to the big house like I was, I could sense fear in her but didn't understand why, I was confused, why wouldn't she let me take my travelling bag, my second mummy would want to spend time with me, why she wouldn't let me take my toys, but I didn't ask any, at least she let me take Betty (my doll) along, but as we left our one bedroom apartment to leave, I could feel my mother's fear rise and I wanted to know why.

"Why are you scared, mama" I asked
"No I am not scared" she replied as she locked the door
"Do they have dogs" I asked again
"Yes they have dogs" my mother answered
And I felt fear grow in me as well, maybe that was why my mother was scared after all, I thought to myself

But I knew my father and second mummy wouldn't let the dogs hurt us, dogs or no dogs, I was going to the big house and that was all that matters.

.......Only if I had known better......

You know, my mother grew up moving from one husband's house to the other with my grandmother, she knew better than anyone that a child is better raised by his father or better still, a child should have a father, afterall she knew what her lack of paternal care caused her, so when my mother found out she was pregnant, she agreed to marry my father, just so I could have a father, she didn't want drag me into the house of another man, just like her mother did with her.

Since my father had returned home before he got to know, he asked my mother to live in the apartment she got him until he ll get things settled at home, tell his wife about her and bring her home.

This is just superb