It was a hot Saturday afternoon, and I could not wait to head to Emmanuel's house immediately after I was done with my house chores because we had plans of going to the bushes nearby to pluck mangoes and guava; it was quite a thick forest and not safe for kids, as a few children had gone missing, and their last known location was this same area we were headed to. Our parents had warned us countless times to stay away from that particular area, for our own good and also for their own peace of mind, but it just feels like there is something out there calling out for us, and whenever it does, we cannot help but respond to the call.
"Kachi, I have warned you and your friends about that thick forest you go to looking for mangoes; it is not safe." My mother warned me, seeing how I was in a hurry to be done with my house chores.
"Nooo, I have not gone to that area in months oo," I lied.
"I will not stress myself looking for you; I will not try it." My mother warned, holding her ears.
At that point I felt some kind of way but did not want to disappoint Emmanuel or be the reason we ended up not going on that adventure like we had planned all week; he would hold it over me for months and keep using it to taunt me at every given opportunity, so I had to proceed as planned. I rushed my house chores and was done in no time, took a bath, and headed straight to Emmanuel's house.
While on my way there, I kept feeling guilty for lying to my mom and still going ahead to do exactly what she does not approve of. Also, knowing that if she finds out it is going to be a scolding galore that can go on for days, but disappointing Emmanuel is going to be another taunting galore that can also go on for weeks if not months, I can handle my mom's scolding galore compared to Emmanuel's, so I had to proceed with going to the same place my mom just warned me about.
I got to Emmanuel's house, and everywhere was unusually quiet; it did not feel like a Saturday because normally Saturdays are noisy and chaotic in our houses because it is a day of the week where the entire family is home and trying to clean up the entire house. The unusual quietness was a signal; I was supposed to know something was wrong, and I was either supposed to turn back and go home or just stand by the gate and call him out, but instead I proceeded to enter into the compound.
Emmanuel was the first person to see me through the window and kept making moves with his eyes and fingers; that was another signal, but I did not understand what he was trying to tell me, and I kept making gestures too. I didn't understand what he was trying to say until his parents' attention was drawn to the window.
"Kachi, come inside; you are one of them." Emmanuel's father said
"Sir, one of wh...at?" I stammered. "Good morning, Sir and Ma." I tried to greet them at the same time.
I entered to see all the kids sitting in the sitting room with their heads bowed as they were all getting scolded. The looks on their faces made them look like they were getting accused wrongly; they looked so innocent.
"You are also one of those kids alongside them that still go to that thick forest in search of fruits." Emmanuel's father said with a tone
"I also heard you boys are planning to go there today again," Emmanuel's mother chipped in.
At that point I was speechless; I just lied to my mother and don't want to lie again because of the same thing, so I just stood there looking at them with the truth written all over my face, and I did not want to deny it, and at that point I could understand why Emmanuel's face and that of his siblings were that way. You don't want to lie, and at the same time you don't want to say the truth, so you just let them take it from your face and not from your mouth so you won't be called a snitch after all.
We got scolded and advised for over an hour, and then we got a last warning that we finally adhered to.
"If I ever hear it again that any of you were seen anywhere near that bush, whether it is true or not, I will hand you over to the military police to punish you, and then I will come pick you up when he is done." Emmanuel's father threatened, and from the look in his eyes, I could tell he meant every word.
"King of ignoring signals." Emmanuel said as he tapped the back of my head.
"I did not know the silence was a signal even though it was unusual; then I could not understand your eyes and your finger." I responded, holding the back of my head.
"I was saying go back, go back if you know what is good for you because they will add you to this scolding party," Emmanuel responded.
"How was I supposed to understand all of that with just your eyes and fingers?" I asked, looking him in the eye.
"You ignored the signals and landed yourself in a scolding party." Emmanuel said laughing
All images are generated using chatgpt.
