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"Good morning uncle Alloy" he showed me his set of teeth without a word. I usually find that funny, especially the way he smiled. I giggled slightly before he shifted his gaze to the ceiling. I guess that is his favorite sleeping position. Uncle Alloy has come to live with us since August, it's been over a year since he suffered from that painful sickness. He got his stomach like that of a pregnant woman, he was diagnosed of heart failure which resulted to the gun shoot he had since 1963 before I was far born,it has surface in his old age causing him unmeasurable pain coupled with kidney failure which prompt him to be going for dialysis every two weeks.
Even with those painful situations he gave a huge smile whenever I came to greet him every morning. My brother's room has turned into his abode. In my own thoughts I won't imagine the amount of displeasure he goes through. Even in his situation he managed to interact with my mama and papa.
My duty was to bring food for him, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Everyday I see him, I get tears in my eyes. My favorite uncle was going through such pain, I couldn't do more just to make sure he feels at home. My fourth sister has become his best friend as both of them interact more often unlike me who was an introvert.
Christmas was fast approaching and we made arrangements to travel home. My uncle has called all his children and wives to come home, it seems he knows something more is about to happen. My papa drove him home first, I was with him in the car. He felt relaxed, his back leaning on the chair, his focus was on the window as a pine of dust floated on the atmosphere. That was what the season was all about, the cripping cold at night with the dry atmosphere that had lacked rain for months causing pine dust to hover. It is dominated by the scorching sun.
That was the last season of seeing my Uncle Alloy, I never thought it was going to turn out that way.
We arrived home safely and were welcomed by family members. Uncle Alloy was home as another set of people took care of him,it was his immediate family this time around. As the holiday progressed I enjoyed every bit of it.
Not on a cold morning, every window was shut, still the cold managed to cripped in into the room.I dragged all the rappers, including bed-sheets, I could lay my hands on just to cover myself against the cold. But something was unusual, just like everyday my mama will shake me just to wake me up but this time it never came instead everywhere was unusually silent. I opened my eyes to know what was happening, nobody was close. I dragged my feet to the room next door, careful enough for my footsteps not to make so much noise. I placed my ears at the door to know whether my mama was in sight, still no sound. I took the risk to open the door but there was no one. I began to panic, where did everyone go without me? Then I heard noises coming from outside, I walked out of the house to the next compound where the noise was coming from.
"Oh it's a family meeting" All attention was now on me,I didn't know I spoke out so loud.
The meeting kept progressing as I began to get bored. Everyone was present. My cousins, my mama and papa including my other uncles. It was uncle Alloy that spoke. His voice missed with so much emotion and his turn low.
"I have called all of you to witness his reconciliation" I listened attentively as that was the climax of the meeting.
"Margaret I know I have wronged you in one way and the other please forgive" Uncle Alloy got his piercing eyes on Aunty Margaret, his first wife.
I didn't know when their conflict started but it had lingered for so many years, they both got separated with no reason I could lay my hands on after Aunty Margaret had 4 kids. I didn't know the cause of it but they never saw each other again. They lived in different states, Aunty Margaret was living with her four kids while Uncle Alloy married another wife which he was living with till the day both parties reconciled.
Everywhere was dead silent anticipating Aunty Margaret's reply. She walked over to where my uncle was sitting and hugged him, that was the end of a long time quarrel which started even before I was born. Droplet of tears ran down my cheeks, my first time witnessing such reconciliation. The next day came with a black out, my Uncle Alloy was dead. He has gone to a place where there will be no more pain. All I could do was to cry, he has left a lesson for us younger ones, to be able to reconcile with anyone who has wronged us as we don't know when the day will come. That was my new year resolution for that year; to always forgive and not to keep malice with anyone.