Have you seen a situation where someone is still hiding something that's no longer a secret? This scenario is seen in my house, and it's a secret I'm about to share with you because only a few people are aware of it, even if it's a secret and yet no longer a secret to some of us.
I grew up to meet my mom hidding to leak something she hides in a cup and keep at the top of the shelf in our palour where no one would think of reaching, or let me say we can reach there but because we see her hidding it, we don't near the cup.
I became wondering, "Why does she hides it? Does it mean that my dad, her husband, is not aware? Why is she hiding it?" This question gave me a tough time to comprehend.
One day, I decided to get the results myself. When she had gone to the farm and I was alone at home, I took a stool, climbed up on the stool, reached out to the cup on top of the tall shelf, and brought out the cup down. I opened the cup, and what I found was a snuff(powdered) tobacco wrapped in a series of nylon. I was speechless, ofcourse, there was no one to talk to because I was alone at home that particular time. I examined it thoroughly and put it back the way she left it.
I was angry, but I wasn't mad at my mom, because I assumed there's a reason she's taking it, either as a sort of medicine for something allergic such as catarrh or just because she's addicted to it.
She returned that day, and I started monitoring her to see how she goes about it, with the main intention of letting her know that I'm aware of it already.
In the evening while we(I and my siblings) were watching the TV, she walked inside the palour (in our room & palour house), she stylishly reached out to her treasured cup with her back turned at us, she opened the cup and collected the one she'd be taking for that moment, and returned back the cup to the top of the shelf with the mindset that no one knows what she's doing but I was paying full attention to her.
After she had collected, she walked inside the room to feel the sweetness of the tobacco, I followed her inside the room and immediately after I walked inside the room, she started fidgeting, trying to hide what she was putting in her mouth. Meanwhile, I'd gotten what I wanted, so I just behaved like I didn't noticed anything either. Of course, she's my mom, and I can't shout at her for taking what she's taking. My dad that takes alcohol, have I shouted at her once? No.
Even when she's aware that we were aware of her secret, she never stops taking it, and funny enough, she still hides it whenever she's taking it.
I thought It's only us, her children, and her husband that know about her secret because she hides to the deepest whenever she wants to take it, but we were wrong because she buys it somewhere and those people that sell to her, know about it. But this is not my problem.
Pexels
Another scenario happened one day:
She was having a heated exchange of words with a neighbor; you know how ladies say all manner of things when they're in pain?
This woman(neighbor) began to shade my mom on how she secretly takes snuff tobacco and she's not an old woman.
Oh boy, I was in pained that day for the woman to have said out my mom's secret in top of her voice and people were gathered.
Till today, she still hides to take it, even though many people are aware of it. I wish she could stop hiding and be herself.
I don't know how harmful snuffing powdered tobacco is to the human body, but I don't mind supporting her, at least once if she decides to be open to it...let her eat what she likes so much without feeling guilty.
Thanks for reading đ„°