Tears dripped from the sky, and tears dripped from my eyes.
The sky was pregnant with droplets, while my heart was pregnant with emotions.
The sky and my heart had become too heavy to hold back their contents, so they both poured out.
She tried to speak, but her mouth felt too heavy.
"Nancy!" I called.
"Mama, I am home," Nancy responded.
I spread my arms wide open, gesturing for Nancy to come closer.
I could almost feel her ribs breaking as I hugged her so tightly.
Rivulets of tears began to flow as mother and daughter locked eyes.
My heart was pounding so hard that anyone could have heard it without the aid of a stethoscope.
"Nancy, I missed you so, so much! You have given me the biggest surprise with this unexpected visit, and it means so much to me," I said.
It happened that Nancy, my daughter, had been awarded a study scholarship to Italy, and the last time I saw her physically was five years ago.
As my daughter and I made our way into the sitting room, I tried to drag one or two of her bags along with me.
"Mama, don't stress yourself," Nancy said.
I smiled. "Let me stress myself for my daughter."
I sang thanksgiving songs in different languages.
My daughter soon asked about one of my stubborn tenants whose case I had taken to court.
"Mr Tega!"
"My dear," I said with a gentle smile.
"Mr Tega is doing just fine. However, I believe he must be regretting the wrong things he did while he was here."
"Mama!" she grinned, as though telling me not to say such things.
I continued, "After Mr Tega refused to pay me 12 months' rent, I reported him to the police, and the matter eventually became a court case."
At the court, Mr Tega insisted that he would not pay me the rent because he had paid for electricity, which he claimed he did not enjoy.
It wasn't my fault at all. The electricity problem was simply one of those Nigerian challenges.
He had paid for a whole year, and I had promptly made the payment to the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), with receipts to prove it.
When the lawyer called on me, the plaintiff, to explain my side of the case, I presented my account clearly, together with the receipts and other relevant evidence.
The court ruled that he should pay me my money. After much argument and unnecessary blabbing in court, he eventually paid, including additional fines.
The court also ruled that he was free to either leave or remain in the house, provided he paid his rent as and when due.
He continued blabbing even after the court proceedings.
My dear, after two months, he left the house without me having to serve him a quit notice.
My daughter hailed me as my narration captivated her.
After a brief moment, she went to serve herself some food from the pot because she was hungry.
We soon turned the dining table into another storytelling arena as I reminded her of Mummy Bruno.
"Ha! The woman who was fond of eavesdropping!" she added.
"Yes!" I responded.
"Wait, wait! Let me tell you about Bruno..."
We both sang in chorus.
It happened that Bruno was the name of a dog. The owner of Bruno (mummy bruno) was fond of eavesdropping, and every piece of information she gathered was spread through her like wildfire.
Letters and mails sent to us were read by her. Most times, she would divulge information that was supposed to remain confidential to her friends.
One of the incidents involved the rapid exposure of what was supposed to be my husband's birthday surprise.
It was really painful. 馃槪
Through her, my husband discovered that we were planning a surprise birthday party for him before he even returned home.
Nobody invited her, yet she was always eavesdropping.
My husband had cautioned her never to intrude into our privacy again.
Eventually, she left the house when she could no longer tolerate our consistent complaints.
It wasn't that I had not been tolerating her behaviour, but she had pushed things to a point where such a reaction became inevitable.
Nancy paused and said to me, "After causing chaos through her eavesdropping, she would shed crocodile tears to make us believe that she was not at fault."
I responded, "She is innocent, just as your father used to say."
"Innocent, my foot, Mum! Thank God she left early!" Nancy exclaimed.
I laughed!
"Dad is back home, Nancy. Just sit inside while I go and welcome him."
"Alright, dear. Thank God the eavesdropper is no longer here," she replied.
"Thank God," I said as I went to welcome my husband after passing through the doorway.
He entered the living room, unaware that someone was waiting for him inside the house.
As he approached the dining room, he shouted, "Nancy!"
It was a beautiful father-and-daughter reunion.
This was truly a wonderful surprise.
"Congratulations on your safe journey! Ha! You wanted to surprise me, and God will surely surprise you with good things," he said.
"May you live your life without regrets."
My husband went to shower, after which he had his dinner.
My husband never jokes with such precious moments with his daughter. They chatted and reminisced until midnight.
Meanwhile, Nancy's surprise visit reminded me of how much joy family reunions could bring, even after years of separation.
Thanks for visiting.
Image Source: Chat GTP