IJE AWELE 1

As promised, here is the winner of the Leonora Osato 2015 Short Fiction Prize, enjoy...

"I want my daddy," she sobbed as Aunty Lana tried to soothe her. "Where is my daddy?"

 Olanna was at a loss of words as she watched the child lamenting. She was at the brink of tears herself. After all the poor child had been through, this just seemed so unfair.

 "My angel, your daddy is fine, he'll soon be back," she tried to console her.

 "When Aunty Lana? When? That's what you said last night," she said sobbing
.

 Olanna, also called Lana by friends and family, hugged the crying child close to her bosom. It was so disheartening to watch her bony body as it was racking with sobs but for the moment she knew ten year-old Awele was better off with a lie.

 "It's all right Awele, your daddy will be home soon."

         

                                                                        ****

Ije Awele, also called Awele for short was more worldly-wise and smarter than most children her age. She knew more than anyone thought she did including her parents who still regarded her as a baby. She had known for years of the financial difficulties her family was passing through even though her parents had tried to hide it from her. She had not meant to stumble upon them arguing that fateful night, five years ago to know that her father had not been the one paying her fees and her mother had lied to her about who had been taking care of the family's bills.

 "You left the house as early as 6 a.m today, only to come back home with stories and more stories. What do you take me for Daniel?"

 "Nneka please bring down your voice, it's almost 11 p.m. The neighbors will have an earful."

 "Which stupid neighbors? Who cares about whether they get an earful or not. If any of them live with a good-for-nothing man like you, an *efulefu, they will do more than give their neighbors an earful."

 "Fine! Continue screaming all you want, after all I am not the pastor that will stand on the pulpit on Sunday to tell wives to be submissive to their husbands."

 "*Kitikpa racha gi anya! Even 1st Timothy 5:8 states clearly that he who does not provide for those of his own house is worse than an infidel."

 "B-but that's hardly fair. You and I know that when I was still working in this house I took care of the family. Its not my fault that my company fired me. I am trying to do my best h---"

 "Well your best is not enough Daniel and I am tired of carrying the burden of the family alone while you walk around telling me stories, *inugo? I am tired!"

 "What do you want me to do, you know I don't have money."

 "Every time you don't have money. When they touch you in your dream, you don't have money. When they wake you up from sleep, you don't have money. Mr *Eji'm may you continue to never have money."

 Her father shook his head sadly. "You know what? Forget it, I tried, good luck, i'm done!"

 "Well you know what? It's forgotten, you didn't try hard enough, thank you and I was done a lifetime ago *anu ofia!" her mother fired back and spun around to nag at her father's retreating figure.

 And then they saw her. She had been standing in the hallway and holding her teddy bear by one torn ear. She looked lost and dishevelled aroused from sleep by her parents bickering.

 Her mother's mouth formed an 'o'

 "What is it sweetie?" her father asked.

 "I had a bad dream," she lied.

 "Come here." Her mother crouched down and opened her arms. But she had run to her father instead, wrapping herself around his legs.

 "Come on my angel, i'll take you back to bed."

 She remembered the incident of that day as vividly as if it had happened yesterday and from that day run-ins between her parents became more frequent. But she knew even before then that things were not the same in her family especially after their last holiday overseas that had been sponsored by Father's company when she was four.




(To be contd.)

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