“Daddy has finally gotten the job!” Aunt Mira's voice echoed in the living room that morning, her face beaming with smiles.
I blinked, unsure whether it was confusion or shock. But I heard clearly. I was just too stunned to speak, so I stood there, my mouth agape.
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She wasn't done. Still in that spirit, she fell to her knees and began to sing worship songs in what sounded like an obnoxious, off-key tone. But she was sincere. And until a drop of tears landed on my shirt, I didn't realise my eyes were heavy.
She rose up and switched into dancing. Her passion was pure, even contagious. I couldn't help myself; I sank into the sofa and stared wide-eyed at my mother's sister filling up the room with every spin and sway.
“God has done it.” She resumed. “He has put all my enemies to shame. Ah, my village people, you have failed this time oh!”
The last years had been filled with different episodes of financial struggles. So I couldn't blame my aunt for her overwhelming joy or the way she let her emotions take over the room. Didn't they say God could turn things around in less than twenty-four hours? That morning, it felt like He just did. And even though I couldn't find the right phrase to describe my emotions, I knew life would be good again.
Two weeks later, we joined Uncle T in Benin City.
That night, I remember hearing faint voices from their bedroom. “You shouldn't have come now. I told you to hold on a bit.”
Her reply came immediately. “I couldn't afford to leave my husband in a foreign land.”
The next thing that followed was whispers accompanying the sound of the night owls and bats.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Our stay in Benin City became more eventful, as consistent outings and shopping became the order of the day.
I wrote my UTME (Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination), determined to attend the best university. Uncle T was willing to sponsor me in any school of my choice.
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Everything seemed to be blossoming until Uncle T returned home one day, sadness worn upon him like a piece of cloth. Daisy and Andrew, who were ages seven and five respectively, abandoned their assignments and ran to welcome him. But to our greatest surprise, he ignored them and headed straight for the stairs. Aunt Mira and I exchanged confused glances. She stood up from the dining room and hurried after him. They didn't come out after that.
From that day, he began to stay late at night. Other days he was moody. And on the worst days, his shouts and orders made the children scamper to their rooms. Uncle T stopped talking about my admission completely and I knew something was going wrong.
The straw that broke the camel's back was when they were robbed. I was away for my post-UTME when the news reached me. Upon returning, I didn't think I recognised Uncle T anymore.
The house was dead quiet. I could've sworn no one was at home safe for Uncle T. He sat on the bare tiles, legs sprawled, looking lost. Empty bottles of alcohol were scattered around him.
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I forced a greeting. He slowly raised his head and gave me a mocking stare, if I got it right though. Then he let out a loud belch, filling the air with the heavy stench of alcohol. That was the response I got.
I quietly walked past him. The moment I opened the door to my bedroom, I froze. Aunt T was seated on the bare ground drowning in the pool of her tears. Daisy and Andrew were on either side of her, weeping with her.
“Wh... what happened?” I managed to say.
Aunt T cried some more before she finally mustered the courage to speak. She said through a cracked voice, “Daddy was duped of seventy million naira.”
“Again?” I didn't know when it slipped out of my mouth. Didn't they say they were robbed a few days ago? What was this robbing and duping thing?
I swallowed hard and trudged to Aunt Mira. I squatted before her, letting my soft gaze settle on her tear-streaked face. Deep in her eyes, I saw the words hidden there — they had risen so high to crumble so fast. It seemed life was pulling them back to where they started.
All I could offer was words of encouragement.
I truly wanted to stay, to walk through that phase with them, but when my health started to fail me, I had to return to my parents.
It's been years now and they are doing fine, still picking up the pieces, one step at a time.
