Stronger Than Pain

Chapter Ten

I cried and kept pulling my dad but he flung me away with just a push. I was screaming fiercely as he kept hitting mum. Zara woke up to the beating and in a flash screamed out for mum, yet dad didn't bulge. It was excruciating to realize that at that point, dad didn't care anymore. It wasn't him acting that rage, it was the alcohol, the demon he's been fighting. After almost half an hour of non-stop beating, it then dawned on me that dad might kill mum. In a quick thought, I rushed to aunty Tee’s door, banging like my life depended on it. After several bangs, she reluctantly opened the door, rubbing her eyes as though I'd awoken her from a deep sleep. Not minding her acts, I pulled her to the sitting room where mum was laying face flat unconscious. Fresh blood was dripping from her weakly parted lips, running a line on the cold floor. Her right wrist was twisted with her left ankle appearing dark and swollen.

Dad had left her alone and was standing by the open window. To be honest, total shock was written all over my aunt's face as her head kept swinging from my side to dad's.

"What happened here?"

Dad acted like he never cared, more so like he'd done nothing wrong. I ran over to mum, struggling to lift her face and ensure she was still breathing. Not wanting to partake in damage control, Dad left in his drunken state walking gently into his room, leaving mum in her own pool of blood. I was crying profusely with confusion enveloping my entire being. Not thinking straight, I rushed into his room to plead with him to take mum to the hospital, but sadly found him sprawled on his bed dead asleep. I rushed back to the sitting room, but saw aunty Tee seated on the couch making a call, and I guess it was to grandma. I pleaded with her to call our neighbors to come take mum to the hospital, but she explained that it was a family matter and outsiders aren't permitted to get involved. I was confused the more and didn’t know what to do. I know I'm still young but I can't possibly stand and watch my mum die. I rushed back into their room and tried severally to wake dad up but all my efforts were futile. But just then from the corner of my eyes, I saw mum’s phone tossed carelessly beside my drunken dad. Without much words I grabbed it, and without thinking twice, sprang up and rushed to the door, closing and locking it to avoid aunt Tee walking in any minute. Safely inside, I cast an angry glance at dad before tapping and scrolling through mum's contact list.

I was searching for aunty Mma.

Thankfully I found it within seconds and dialed it. She didn’t pick the first three times and I wouldn’t blame her as it was already close to 2am. I kept trying and she finally picked the forth time. I was screaming and trying to explain my mum’s situation but I guess she couldn’t understand my incoherent speech. The only thing I recall clearly was when she said “Hang on I’m coming”.

Within what seemed like twenty minutes, she was at our door. Thankfully aunty Tee had gone into her room for her calls so as to avoid my constant disturbance. I unlocked the door and aunty Mma breezed past me. Seeing mum sprawled unconscious on the floor made her let out a loud scream which instantly attracted aunty Tee into the sitting room.

“Who invited you here? What are you doing here? Who opened the door for you?” Aunty Tee asked though she kept her gaze on me. “Were you deaf when I told you that this issue is a family matter and strangers aren't invited?” she asked me in a gruelling tone.

Aunty Mma didn’t utter a word. She just ignored her numerous questions and without help lifted mum off the floor, but aunty Tee was quick to block her way insisting she must wait and get dad’s consent before taking mum to the hospital. She insisted that dad is the husband and would have taken her to the hospital if he had deemed it necessary. She made it absolutely clear that women like mum needs beatings sometimes to reset their brain.

I couldn’t hold it any longer as I rushed towards her pushing her out of the way with both of us falling helplessly on the three tier cushion. Lifting myself off her, she struggled to instantly get up but toppled over to the floor giving me the edge to run down the stairs with aunty Mma as she held unto mum. We carefully put mum in the car and zoomed off.

While driving, aunty Mma called who I later realized was her fiancé and explained the situation. He was kind enough to direct us to a a place where he'd have access to mum's records. He is a doctor and I was sure with God and him, mum was surely in good hands.

At the hospital, things went as planned and by afternoon, mom had regained consciousness but was still in heavy pain. Mum kept shedding tears, begging for Zara. Aunty told her that wherever Zara was, she was absolutely fine as dad and aunty Tee loved her so much. Aunty Mma was so right, dad and Tee no matter how mean they were would never hurt Zara. She's always the litter fairy princess.

Aunty Mma never left mum’s bedside unless she wanted to call the nurses to attend to mum. She kept telling her stories that would help soothe her pains. She also took care of my feeding and ensured I was okay.
Around past four, aunty received threatening messages from dad asking her to disclose mum’s whereabout if not he would involve the police. Aunty ignored him and kept taking care of mum. On our third day at the hospital, dad sent aunty a text that he has filed a complaint with the police, and that they have already visited her workplace and were informed she was off duty and would be resuming the next day. Aunty wasn’t bothered but mum was. Mum pleaded with aunty to let her talk to dad so as to ease off some tension. After much pleading with aunty and I, we still both believed it wasn’t a good idea. Well aunty’s fiancé came around during their routine ward round and mum opened up to him. He agreed with mum and asked aunty to give mum the phone to make the call in his presence. Aunty obliged and mum dialed the number and was asked to place it on loudspeaker.
Dad threatened fire and brimstone when he heard mum’s voice. He even promised to beat her again for defiling his orders. I was so surprised because even though I was so familiar with the voice from the other end, I refused to still believe it was my dad’s. He told mum to return home ASAP. At that, aunty Mma angrily grabbed the phone from mum’s ear and made it clear to him that mum will never return home until she's fully recovered. Dad insulted aunty and threatened to divorce mum if she refuse to abide by his rules, and with that ended the call.

Mum cried so bitterly wondering what had transformed dad into such an unrepentant animal. She later expressed her desire to go back home even though she wasn’t healed and still limps. Aunty refused blatantly and I concurred with her. To me, mum's stand is unreasonable and absurd.

“He beat you mercilessly in the presence of your children and left you for dead. His sister acted deaf and ignored you even after she'd seen your condition, and you still tell me you want to go home in this state with the flimsy excuse of saving your marriage?” Aunty thundered angrily.

“I don’t want problems Mma” Mum defended, her lips twitching in pain as she spoke.

“You don’t want problems yet it still finds its way to you! Listen to yourself. It is only a living woman that marries, that stays married. Marriage isn’t a do or die affair! A living miss is better than a dead Mrs, Nekky. If you die in this marriage, I bet you on the day of your burial, your in-laws will find a suitable woman for their son who would soothe him because of his “pain”. Do you even understand me?”

Mum was still crying as aunty stormed out of the room in raging anger.
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