Ngozichukwuka

THE UNCOMPLETED BUILDING

            CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The broken alcohol bottles and beer cans, dirty socks and undies, slashed out buckets, stones, overgrown weeds, more and so forth are things we mostly come across or see in some uncompleted houses and this one was a one room and parlor unfinished house. It wasn't coated with cement and this unfinished house was a little close to the toilet and bath area as well as very close to Mama Dele's house.

Mama Uka  knew they would be having new neighbors soon since the builders came in often. The landlord already told her it was going to be a family of four that would move in and she prayed that they be kind neighbors. It wasn't because she would've wanted to be all up in their faces. She just wanted more sane neighbors without critically calling her other neighbors insane.

It was uncompleted and was opened for  all the children in Television Street and across. It was an excellent place to hide when they played the 'hide and seek game or even the 'mama and papa' game which involved acting.

It was also a place for hideous activities for some of Madam Edoeje's drunk, outrageous and whorish customers.
A little girl and a little boy was there one certain evening. The boy kissed her forehead and hugged her tight.

The little girl didn't quite understand what was happening. She felt off and therefore asked the boy to release her from the tight embrace. They both started off with playing the 'mama and papa' game with four other friends but they knew that it was getting late so they ran off to their homes except for the boy and the girl; they stayed behind.

Mama Uka locked up her shop very early for the women's meeting she had earlier that day, and she had to deliver the Women's Guild uniform too. That meant she'd arrive home sooner than it was expected of her. She stopped by to buy the famous 'kifi mama dele' {mama Dele's fish} from her neighbor, Mama Dele and so she decided to make things easier for herself. After she had bought the fish; she came into the compound from Mama Dele's home instead of having to have walked all the way over and through the main gate.

  ''Thank you o Mama Dele.'' Said Mama Uka as she walked down the doorsteps carefully. Mama Uka paused for a second because she heard soft movements. She sensed it from the uncompleted house and felt that it would be either a rat, or a lizard because she had come across those there a times. She wanted to walk away, but then, she heard a tiny pitched voice. She went ahead and peeped from the window and what she saw enraged her. All she wanted to do was pull her daughter off the tight embrace of the perverted boy.

  ''What!!!'' Mama Uka yelled, went around and walked in through the entrance.

  She caught the attention of her neighbors, Jojo and his Ameria. Jojo, who wore only shorts was changing one of the tires of his motorcycle and was not too far from his full pregnant wife, Ameria. She had a wrapper tied on her chest, was seated on their doorstep and styled her permed hair with a comb whilst holding up a mirror to her face.

  ''Mama Uka. What is it? Ogini?'' They questioned her as she beat Ngo on her back and yelled more at her. They wondered why because, they saw and knew that the children were playing inside the uncompleted house but they never knew that Ngo was alone with a boy.
Ngo cried out loud and looked terrified because she'd never been beaten by her mother like that, was scared that she must've done something really bad and more so terrified because, she'd never seen that inflamed look on her mother's face before.

  ''Run inside the house now!'' Mama Uka ordered Ngo whilst she ignored Jojo and his wife.

Ngo ran straight into her mother's room and bundled herself up on the bed.