THE JOURNEY TO THE VILLAGE

CHAPTER EIGHT

Mom yesterday.....

'Mom am sorry, yesterday we went to the stream, I swimmed and almost get drown' Linda said immediately interrupting cutting me halfway me speaking up for herself

'You what?' she asked in alarm

'The three of you from here went all the way to Obizi stream?' she asked

'Don't tell me Cosmas went with you , or did he?' mom asked

'No he didn't, he was playing with Joy when we left' junior answered

'It was just us, Chioma, Dorathy and Churchill, we escorted our friends in the next compound to the stream to fetch water' I replied

' And so you people left the fetching of water and started swimming eh kwa?' 'Mom I didn't join them because I don't know how to swim' I said defending myself

'I did, mom am sorry' Junior confessed

'Who gave you the permission to go to the stream?'

'Grandma and aunt Linda' we answered

'but we looked for you to tell you but we couldn't find you we are sorry mom' I said immediately

'Madam Jane'

'Yes mom'

'Do you know how to swim? asked mom sarcastically

'No mom'

'So why did enter into the stream'

'Am sorry mom'

'Why did you allow her, Jennifer?'

'I didn't allow her o , I stopped her from joining them only for me to go and urinate, coming back I saw her struggling inside the water

'You Jane, you don't listen'

'You always want to test and see'

'What if you had drown in the water?'

'what will I tell your father if something had happened to you'

'Am s......o.....r....ry' Jane cried.

'We are sorry' Said Junior and I

My mom just looked at us one after the other for sometime , short of what to say

'Hold your two ears, three of you' she ordered

'You are not allowed to go to that stream again' she instructed

'Are you hearing me'

Yes mom' we answered in unison

'Jane my baby, Oya come to mommy' Mom said spread her hands for a hug

Jane moved towards her crying the more as mom hugged her. I sighed in relief and caught my brother doing the sign of the cross.

'Stop crying, it's okay' said mom as she wiped her tears. Just then Cosmas entered the room, he looked from Jane to mom

'Why is Jane crying?' he asked

'She doesn't cry often' he added

Junior narrated everything to him

'Is that why she is crying?'

'Mom did you beat my sister?'

'No mom didn't beat her, she was scolded' I answered watching him

'Sorry stop crying' said Cosmas as he stood in front of Jane waving one of his hand at her face and cleaning her face with his other hand. Cosmas is very soft hearted and does not like to see people cry I could remember one time I was crying after being flogged my mom, he came and sat down with me and cried too, telling me sorry and wiping my tears with his hands.

'Mom am hungry' Cosmas said left Jane and hugged my mom who has gone back to folding her clothes

'I thought you like playing ball more than food' mom teased him

'Jennifer go and scoop rice for him from the pot' my mom said

'Okay mom'

'Oya follow sister Jennifer' mom told Cosmas

'Thank you mom'

'Junior take that five hundred naira note on the table'

'Go and buy deworming drugs for Jane to take in case she swallow dirty water okay?'

'Okay mom'

'Mom I didn'swallow water' said Jane to prevent mom from buying the drugs

'If I hear pim' mom shouted at her

Jane kept quiet and sat down quietly ,my brothers and I laughed at her, we all know that she hates taking drugs.Junior ran off to get the drug, I went to do what I was asked to do, with Cosmas following behind. My cousins surrounded me asking if we were flogged and I told them that we were only scolded and told not to go to the stream again. We later got to know that it was Mary's mother that told uncle Sammy after she was informed by her daughter Mary our village friend