HIDDEN TEARS

Episode 1: The happy old days This story is like the road less travelled,accounted by. Lemony Snicket. The kind that may be your last choice. Unlike other stories which contains charming and entertaining people,this story is more of loneliness and can cause you to cry. This story is about the lonely heart. If I had to choose a story for myself I would have never chosen such a story,but what can I do,this is my fate,this is my destiny,this is my story. I grew up in a little village in the northern parts with my extended family but daddy wasn't around. I was told he went to the southern parts in search for greener pastures. I had not seen him before but loved him very well. I was always bragging of the fact that my dad had gone outside our borders and doing so well there. I don't know how much beauty I possess but they say I am very beautiful and intelligent too. I can very much testify of my intelligence because I was on top of the class and my teachers loved me very well. They sometimes made me take over the class and taught my fellow students. That made me very proud and arrogant,you know. I used to be the empress of the little village, I was known everywhere and I won the heart of many. Though I was a bit arrogant with my colleagues, I portrayed a very respectful attitude before my elders, because in a town like mine, respect for elders is very essential. I was just seven years then but all my peers could do most things I couldn't do and that earned me a bad name,yes they called me lazy. My mates could carry large bowls of water and can also cook. Others even go to farm on their own. But I could actually do none of these. They almost called me worthless but my intelligence in book knowledge saved me. But how is it my fault, I was the only child of my mum so she really pampered me. She really pampered me too much that sometimes I would feel so shy among my mates. This was because my mum would do things for me that my mates were doing by themselves. It was so embarrassing to a point. I was also with my grandma and I'm here first female grandchild so the pampering was evident. I remember on one occasion my grandma had to fight for me because I couldn't fight for myself and it was so embarrassing. I still remember the stares and bully, and others trying to tell my grandma to let me fight for myself as if it was just yesterday. Episode 2: Daddy is back home I remember that day very very well. It was a Saturday and I went to farm with my grandma. We were unusually late on returning to the house since we decided to prepare food before going back home. My grandma was having an old phone which was very tedious to use. My mum tried several times to reach us just to know if everything was alright but it was going through due to bad network. Around 7pm, I got home with my old lady and my mum was the first to come running towards us as if we were gone for several days. sometimes she just overreact. But I kinda understand her too,the farm is really dangerous especially in the night and just the two of us there was terrifying. We finally got to our compound and I realised that almost the whole village, I mean men,women, children had gathered around. "Is this how terrifying the situation was that my mum had to create the alarm of everyone in the village????" I thought. But surprisingly too,after telling them what kept us unusually late,these, folks did not complain much and I was so dumbfounded at that. If they were,their usual self,they would have rained a bit of insults and warnings on us but rather,they were just behaving in a cunning and suspicious,as if welcoming or as if warning us. My old lady looked at me, I guess I wasn't the only one who thought something was wrong. Mummy asked them to go while we went to take our bath. After bathing mum said she had a surprise for me but I was not ready for her luring words because I knew for the fact that she wanted to bribe me to do something for her. I ignored her words and went straight to bed since I was very tired. While in my sleep I heard voices murmur, I knew it was certainly mum and the old lady, always gisting and gossiping. But I think I heard a male's voice,a similar one but I couldn't recognise it. He kept speaking and the more he spoke the more I felt a burning sensation in my heart. Who is this man? I couldn't hold back anymore so I gulped out of bed and walked towards the entrance but I was not hearing the male voice again. The ones I heard were that of the old lady and mum. I hurried and bumped into the duo who were also going inside and the old lady almost died of shock.At her age she's still afraid of death. I don't even know why she wouldn't go and be with her other children. She has six children,three boys and three girls but she is always with my mum. I love her though but she should at least give us some space,so that we can have a mummy daughter vibe alone since dad is far away. Don't think I don't tell her that, I rub it to her face every day but she just wouldn't feel shy and leave. She slapped me with her weak hands like always but this time I didn't pay attention to her,I just stretched my long neck to view the man leaving but the darkness had eaten him up. They all turned to the direction where I was watching and turned back to look at me, dumbfounded. "what are you looking at' mum asked. That man, I heard his voice earlier and I think I know him but I couldn't recognise him,who is he?" After staring at me for what seemed like hours,the old lady just gritted between her teeth and pushed me away,mum did the same thing but I stood still at the door trying to see the unseen. I heard them murmur again so I turned to listen but they stopped,yet I thought I heard something like"let's waste her time small if not she would run after him and it's too late and dangerous out there". I was certainly sure of what I heard so I had to force it out of their mouth. After a while mum spoke "He has come". I was confused,who has come I thought.My mind quickly searched around and realised that the only relatives who I would chase after even in the dark,was my dad and one sweet uncle,thus the old lady's second born. I looked at mum again and she knew I was lost. "I'm talking of your dad he arrived today". The words sounded like thunders in mind. I stood still trying to program everything in to my mind's software till the old lady slapped me again. This time I wasn't angry with her, I just hugged both and shouted simultaneous. I kissed them and was about to ran out when the old woman pulled me behind. As if she had targeted me for long. Her hands are too weak for me that I could easily resist but this time mummy also held me and I couldn't do anything but to withdraw. I didn't sleep that night I kept lingering around anticipated about seeing my dad. Epilogue 3: Dad will take me along Ever since dad came back I've been the happiest girl in the entire village, The way he would spoil me with money,take me to shopping etc. First I was the boss of the town but now I'm the queen mother. I now rule the village. I became the eye of the village,my mates were getting closer and closer and others were freaking jealous.