Hell Mary

Chapter One

A day in the Okafor's residence is usually not complete without thumping sounds of running from within or loud whips from lashes that would descend on Mary's unfortunate back.

That fateful day was not any different as she had accidentally left the soup her Aunt Maureen instructed her to warm up longer than due until the bottom charred.

"How can I serve my husband this meal you foolish girl?" Maureen asked as she landed the leather strap of her husband's belt on Mary's back. She changed the ends and soon it was the metal head that she whipped Mary with.

"What were you doing?" She asked again, pausing to grab a breath. She had sprinted the entire house flogging her for this cause.

"Ma I- you sent me to watch Uche up stairs," Mary started in defence. Her entire back felt sore and numb, and she was sure a part of her back had been sliced in half enough to reveal a pink inner skin.

"So watching Uche is an excuse okwa ya?" Maureen asked again and continued with her flogging. The familiar sound of a range rover driving in, announced Dominic's return back home. It was that sound that made Uche clap his hands for joy glaring his barely developed front tooth and saying words they understood to be dada but by then he was soundly asleep in his cot. "My husband is back home, better know what to say as an excuse," Maureen said.

Pushing the wooden door that guarded the main house, Dominic propelled himself inside the living room with a briefcase and immediately understood what had happened. It had to be something wrong Mary had done.

"Can you imagine?" Aunt Maureen asked as she had detailedly explained everything to her husband while still pushing the pot close enough so he could understand her worry.

"I'm sorry honey, I'll eat it like that," he ended. Turning towards Mary who still released light sobs he added, "Don't be careless like that next time, OK?" Mary nodded and beamed inwardly, thankful that his judgement was to her favour but Maureen wasn't having it.

"You could have just told me that you hated me! Just tell me that you don't love me again and I'll accept," she began ranting as she followed his every step in the living room. With continued wriggling of the belt she held, she added, "always picking her side over mine, what did you even see in that girl?" By now, Mary had taken her leave, hopping out narrowly like a wounded yet victorious deer.

"Honey please I'm very tired," he said subtly dissolving her rants as he held her by her shoulders and squeezed them with a gentle press. He wearily kissed her forehead and added, "Where's Ashley? Doesn't she know I'm back?"

"Good evening dad... Good evening mum," Ashley announced with a yawn as she stepped out of her room with her arms wide open in a long stretch. Following the curved stairs down the stairs, she scratched her hair, rubbed the ends of her eyelids and released another loud yawn until she was face to face with her dad.

"Ashley dear have you been sleeping all day?" Dominic asked. He didn't wait for a reply before adding, "anyways, I got your result. As usual, you maintained your first position with ninety-nine percent as the average this time. I'm so happy for you my daughter," he added putting up a smile that dented the wrinkles on his forehead.

Ashley smirked in understanding as she had gotten used to the appraisals and glory so much so that she needed a competition. That past term in school was clouded with a horrible breakup, a sickness that kept her home for almost two weeks and many other hiccups but yet again, she still remained the top.

"Thanks dad," she managed to say.

"Where's Mary?" Dominic asked no one in particular.

"Sir," she called out from the stairs where she had glued herself to the base of the stair case such that she could be close enough in case of a call and far enough should her aunt choose to descend on her.