Stronger Than Pain

Chapter Seven

We came home on a Friday, which was three days to dad's resumption so he could have time to prepare. Dad had called aunty Tee earlier in the week to inform her of our coming, though we weren't much surprised meeting an empty house when we returned. After assisting dad to offload our luggage, we all hurried inside with dad however being the first to go into their matrimonial room.

"Honey!" He called out to mum as soon as he stepped inside. Mum glanced up to their door which dad have left slightly open. "Did Tee mention any incident?" He queried with mum's fave suddenly lighting up with worry.

"I'm sure you're asking the wrong person. You are very much aware I haven't spoken to her since we travelled" Mum replied. "Is there any problem?" she added, carefully placing Zara on the floor.

"Go in and check!" Came my dad's response, with him pushing the door more open and stepping aside for mum to walk in.

Mum dropped the bag she'd lifted, and hurried over to him, quietly brushing against him while making her way in. Seconds later, she walked out looking a bit amused rather than shocked. "Try checking her room" She advised casually while returning to the bag she'd dropped.

Dad tried aunty Tee's door but it was locked. He sighed in frustration though his face clearly revealed he was pretty angry. Done wight the luggage, mum went into the kitchen to see if there was anything we could eat, but alas there was nothing. All the pots were dry and clean. On mum's request, we all went out to have lunch.

By late evening, aunty Tee came home. Dad had gone out so mum didn't even try to raise whatsoever dad was complaining about earlier, she did the noblest thing she could remember, keeping shut. Minutes later, dad was home.

"Welcome brother" Aunty greeted frowning.

"Was there any incident here while we were away?" Dad asked ignoring her greeting.

"No, why?"

"Then what happened to the television in our room?"

"Oh okay! Well I was very bored being alone here since you all left me behind to go on a family trip" She explained, stressing the word family, "So I took it to my room for company"

"What?" Mum asked totally shocked, I guess she couldn't control the outburst.

"You did what?" Dad asked. "Did we also take the television in the sitting room along with us? Couldn't you have kept yourself busy by watching whatsoever here? You have no single respect for our room eh? That you had to remove our television? Answer me Tekilah?" Dad thundered. Believe me, I was surprised myself. "Who gave you the right?"

"Ah ah brother! Why are you screaming at me like that? Is it not just ordinary television? Hian" Aunty replied bitterly.

At this point, dad lost it and gave her a thunderous slap, which caught aunt Tee by surprise. The strong effect of the slap had her staggering and falling to the floor. Mum rushed to dad, holding him back.

"Jesus Emy, what is wrong with you?" Mum queried angrily. "How can you lay these strong hands on your sister no matter what she's done eh?" Mum continued taking his hand into hers. "You cannot beat a woman Emy, you should never touch a woman! I don't know you to be such a man!" Mum admonished feeling very disappointed.

Zara was now crying seeing the commotion around. I was kind of happy dad had slapped aunty but seeing her wail in pain and sprawled on the floor, touched me a lot.

Mum walked up to aunty Tee, stretched out her hands to help her up, but she angrily pushed mum so hard that she fell on the floor, hitting her head at the edge of the wall. Mum's forehead swelled up immediately with her lower lips breaking open on impact.

Dad couldn't believe what aunty Tee had done, even while he was standing there. He angrily rushed to his sister, grabbing and shoving her to the wall. With a brief fuelled stare, he began to panel beat her, giving her the beating of her life. Mum still couldn't stay away as she ran to dad trying effortlessly to pull him out from her.

After a while she succeeded. Dad was still enraged and left the house in anger. Mum and aunty went separately into their rooms to nurse their wounds. I joined mum in her room alongside Zara, but it was very glaring that she was scared. It didn't take long before I realized why.

Calls were coming in, every second; her phone rang up to six times before she finally picked it up, placed it on loudspeaker and laid it on her bed.

It was dad's mum.

"Nneka, so you encouraged your husband to beat his sister eh? So because only Tekilah is there, you both felt you could turn her into a rag, a punching bag o kwaya? (right?) Nneka, you'll see me in your house tomorrow. A nam abia! (I'm coming!) Ajo nwanyi! (Bad wife) Good for nothing fellow. Give me grandsons, mba! You refused Nneka, all you know how to do is to go on trips round the country, wasting my son's hard earned money. Keep answering housewife. Continue!" She thundered. "You will meet me tomorrow!" She roared and the line went dead.

Mum exploded in tears, and as though that wasn't enough, her phone came on again. She picked it.

"Nneka did your husband beat my sister? Eh?" A voice asked.

"Aunty good evening" Mum greeted smiling.

It was aunty Nneka, dad's elder sister. She is mum's name sake and used to call mum "agu m (namesake)" when the going was good.

"Keep your greeting and answer my question? So you and that stupid brother of mine connived to beat my little sister eh? For what nneka?"

"Aunty nothing like that happened. Yes Emy slapped her because...

"Because of what?" She interrupted. "What did Tee do that hasn't been done before that will warrant you and your husband to lay your filthy hands on her? I'm calling my brother right now. Nneka you haven't heard the last of me! So because Tee is in your stupid house, you feel you can maltreat her anyhow. You starved her, brought in your friend to fight her and now after enjoying your silly trip, you and that idiot of a husband now want to exercise on her body! I will deal with you both especially you Nneka, unless Emeka didn't suck our mothers breast!" She threatened and the line went dead again.

Mum was now crying uncontrollably. In my young mind, I kept wondering why aunty hated mum this much. Why would she frame mum up like this? Lying against her in every manner? Most importantly why does dad family hate mum? Weren't they in support of dad's marriage to mum? How can they believe whatever aunty said hook, line and sinker? Can't just one person among them be reasonable enough to ask "what did Tee do?",  because I was very certain that none of them could tolerate Tee's excesses even though she is their sister. I cuddled mum who kept crying. As if it wasn't enough, numerous calls kept coming in and mum stopped picking. It was as if aunty has called all their community people as everyone was hell bent on getting a piece of mum, thankfully she was no longer picking their calls. Then, the sounds started trickling in;

Taran! Taran!! Taran!!!

Those where the unstoppable sounds of her messages as they kept coming in. Mum shook her head in displeasure.
****

Hello all

I have only two words "I'M SORRY"

Enjoy...