AMAMÌHE

Chapter 3

I stared in shock at the mark that stared back at me from my mother's chest. The so famous darkened triangle. I lost my balance for a few seconds before getting myself together. How did this happen? Why my mother? Why not someone else?

I covered my mother's quivering body as I sat her on my bamboo. I held her in my arms as she cried all over me. I didn't know I had been crying until I could constantly feel the tears rolling off my face. I was torn. If my mother was going, I'd prefer to go with her. I couldn't live without her. She was the best mother that ever existed. Without her, I would be nothing. I couldn't lose her now. I held her tightly like doing that would somehow make her not to disappear as I cried into her loosely matted hair.

We stayed for minutes like that until I was sure we couldn't spend her last minutes crying together. The disease was rumored to take one's life after about some hours. Two tops. I took some water, boiled it, mixed it with normal water and made her bath. I cooked breakfast for her and although I was a man and clearly shouldn't know how to cook, I pulled this one off. I doubted it was nice but the tiniest smiles that would light her face as she ate made it all worth it. After that, we told stories, remembered what we had been through, recalled our funniest moments and events we could never forget.

I was already tearing up. I couldn't do this. I started crying again. Anyone who saw me now would doubt my manhood. Men didn't cry. It was a fact. My mother joined me and after some minutes, I hushed her. I told her how much I loved her, how I couldn't do without her, how she was the best thing that ever happened to me all with tears pouring from my eyes. I promised her I would never forget her and no one could ever take her place in my heart. My mother was an angel and deserved none of this.

I looked up as Olanna ran into our backyard.

"Mama, good morning. Obi m, good morning" she curtsied before rushing to sit at my side.

" It is here ooo. The disease. Mama Ojukwu who lives across us died few minutes ago. She found the mark on her chest this morning. Njideka came to my house this morning. Her father's fourth wife had died this morning too. Chie! Anyi Efuola! ( we are finished). What are we to do? What are the gods doing about this? Why would they let us be taken this way in shame? Why .." Olanna stopped and looked at us.

I was sure she had noticed none of us had spoken to her since she arrived and that was unheard of. We hadn't even replied to her greetings. She looked at me with worry written all over her face.

" Is anything wrong?" she asked me

" Mama is dying. She found the mark on her chest this morning"

Olanna looked at me in shock and disbelief then at Mama who let her wrapper a bit downwards so Olanna could see the terrifying mark.

Olanna screamed so loud I was afraid my ears would fall off. She sat on the murky floor at my mother's feet and bawled her eyes out like someone would do for her biological mother. My mother patted Olanna's back as fresh tears visited her face. I could feel the sting in my eyes and the urge to cry was overwhelming but I wasn't going to do that in front of Olanna. I still had an image to uphold. Ola hugged Mama's legs as she cried into her laps. Mama played with Ola's hair as she cried for the people she had to leave behind.

Minutes later, Ola was still at the floor near Mama's feet but had refrained from hugging her leg. She asked Mama when she had seen the mark and Mama had told her. Ola quickly looked at me in disbelief before focusing her attention on Mama. From what we've been hearing, Mama was supposed to be dead by now. Olanna was as confused as I was. The night drew near and unfortunately, Ola had to go back home not after sharing how disbelieving it was that Mama was still alive. I waited with Mama into the night and nothing had happened. Mama was more on edge now and obviously worried. I talked her into staying in my hut with me for the night. I had wanted to sleep on the floor and let her have the bed but she insisted she needed me to be as close as possible to her.

I woke up the next morning and Mama wasn't beside me. Panic was an understatement for what I felt. I looked around my hut and hers but didn't seem to find her. With what I felt inside, if I died now, it wouldn't come as a surprise

I sighed in relief as I saw her sweeping the backyard with palmfrond leaves. When she saw me, she smiled, dropped her broom and moved towards me . I rushed to her before she could even complete her fourth step and gave her a bone crushing hug.

" Mama, why did you leave like that? I was scared"

" Don't be" she smiled and then lowered her wrapper for me to look at.

The mark was gone like it hadn't even been there to start with. I stared in shock and awe at the position that the mark had been positioned ate. This was crazy. What had happened?

" Mama, what happened?" I don't know why this felt much more scarier. I doubt it had happened to anyone before. Was my mother healed?

" I don't know" her smile faltered " I thought I was healed. Amam, should I be scared?"

I regretted putting fear into her. I smiled instantly.

"It's possible you're healed but we have to wait some days out to be sure that you are safe"

And wait was what we did for three days and it really did seem like my mother had been saved by the gods. Olanna reacted crazily to this and I felt she seemed happier than me that Mama was alive and I didn't even know how possible that could be.

I promised I'd visit Olanna today. I neared her father's house and I could hear was wailing from the inside. I rushed to the compound and found everyone hurdled in the middle of the compound with a little girl in their midst. The mark on her chest was clear for everyone to see. I pitied her instantly. What kind of world were we in? Children were not even left out of our suffering. I walked towards the little girl and knelt beside her. I held her hands in mine and soothing words were all I could offer. I said my greetings to Olanna's father and planned on leaving. Today was certainly not a good day for Ola but she had spared me a few of her teary seconds to say goodbye. Olanna visited the next day and told me the little girl didn't die. Apparently, the mark had disappeared from her chest like it did my mother's. Olanna was already concocting and spewing impossible things from her head and mouth saying that it was possible I was the reason my mother and the little girl got healed. She said I had been there before any of them had died and I stated strongly that she had been there too. She felt it was connected to my shrine incident and Ezemmuo's visit. I hated arguing with her, so I simply agreed.

She demanded we tested our hypothesis by taking me to every house she heard had a diseased person in it. She made me promise to always make contact with the diseased one which I did. It wasn't communicable so, I was safe. We did this for weeks and surprisingly, it worked. They were always healed whenever we visited next. What was happening?