kusi episode 3

KUSI. (A Pidgin story)
Part 3.
By Amah's Heart

After she don calm down I come dey askam wetin happen but she no gree talk, I know come know wetin I go do again than to carry her go house, na so I come take the girl go house.
her cry don reduce, na all those small small cry wey girls dey like cry she come dey cry now, I come they pet her.
as we they go na only sorry I just they tell her, so that she go stop to the they cry,

As we come reach house, I come explain to my mama wetin happen, I no tellam say I lost all the money wey I make today I just tellam wetin the young girl wan do, as I tell her that the girl don almost kill herself if no be say I rush go help her, my mama scream. she come tell the girl to sit down. my mama no ask the girl wetin happen immediately, she just they console the girl, she they tell the girl say everything go dey fine.
I just they wait make my mama ask the girl wetin happen so that I go know why the girl get that kind mind but my mama no ask, she give the girl food but she no gree chop, she come they pet the girl na so I leave them go sit down for outside,

We they stay for a room and parlour, my mama and my sisters them they sleep for the room while me and my brothers they sleep for parlour, and our parlour no get television, the one wey we get before don spoil finish. we never get money to buy another one.
as I go bath finish, I just sit down for outside they wait when my mama go call me to bring the money wey I sell for her, my own saving money no even reach like the money wey I lost today, nothing wey I fit do than to beg my mama, I just they pray inside my heart make she no too vex

When my mama later call me inside na to go chop my food, i no even get appetite for food but hunger they catch me, as i enter inside she come ask me for the money wey I make today,

Aah…how I go take open mouth tell am say the money lost. I open mouth word no gree come out for my mouth, I no even know how I go take start for the talk.

“wey the money wey you sell today Kusimala?…

“I…i..it…los….i no know how the money take fall for my pocket. na..when I say make I countam I no come see the money again. abeg…abeg…I take God beg you…no vex mama…na big mistake wey I do. I no check the cloth wey I wear well…I know say I do mistake, abeg no vex…I go double my hustle so that I go try recover the money…abeg mama..

my mama come talk.
“hmmmm… nawa o…and I wan use that money add for your sister them school fees, your brother them too never pay but I wan first pay your sister them own, I no wan make the head teacher send them home because of school fees. but no wahala. I know say you no dey careless…this kind thing never happen before. I no vex…I dey even happy say you manage save that girl life...i happy well well say that girl no commit suicide…I never know why she wan do that kind thing but na God send you to go save her life. no worry about that money God go still provide for us…make we countam as one of our lost…as far as life dey hope go surely dey…I dey proud of you Kusimala…make God continue to dey direct your path…no worry for the money…wetin give me joy na for the life wey you save today and come still carry her come house…

Na so the matter for the money come take end. I happy say my mama no vex, I think say she go vex sef, maybe I no go chop food that night but she still give me plenty food chop, before I sleep that night I just kneel down and thank God for everything,

The following morning I no quick go market, as my sister and brothers them go school, i come arrange things for house, come arrange my market inside tray, I arrange like three different tray wey I go sell today, as I enter inside the girl don wake up, come sit down for parlour with my mama, as she come see me she no talk anything she just bend her head. na later she start to they talk.

“My father is a cleric…

me and my mama no understand wetin be cleric. my mama come ask her

“abeg my daughter wetin be that…wetin be clelic?

“I mean that my father is a pastor, he pastor a big church I have two brothers and I’m the only daughter and also the last born of the house. I’m going to turn twenty by next month, I’m a student. we are suppose to be a living example to others. my parents always sing that as a song to us, everyone look up to us to live a perfect and exemplary life, and we have try not to disappoint. my dad is a role model to many, my mum also…and everyone of us. hmmm…so…so I had a boyfriend back in school and my parents doesn’t know about it, and I became pregnant for him… my parents will never accept such a shame…they will kill me, and the worst part is that when I told my boyfriend he denied it and said he doesn’t want to have anything to do with me…I can’t live with this shame…I can’t live knowing well I have brought a big shame and disappointment to my parents. they will never forgive me, I was sent to school so that I can become biologist, I ended up with pregnancy. I’m the only daughter I suppose to make them proud not this… my parents are going to disown me anyway, so it was just better I kill my self. I even try taking drugs and some other stuff but the pregnancy is still there, I just wanted to end it. I’m dead to them because they will never accept me with pregnancy. I just wanted to end it and make it easy for everyone, they will just mourn me maybe a month or a year and that will be the end but if I’m alive they will never forget the shame I cause them, anytime they see me it will bring back bad memory that they are trying to forget….so I don’t want to live like that…no…I don’t… I thought of many ways to die but just couldn’t come to conclusion until I saw that bridge and plan how I will jump down from there and die so that it will look like an accident…I was just about to jump when he…your son rescued me…

water dry for my mouth as they listen to the girl. my mama come ask her.

“hmmm…nawa o…wetin be your name… your papa and mama know say you get belle?…you tell anybody except your boyfriend? who again know…how long the belle don dey now?…

“my name is Emy, my parent doesn’t know about it…I’m 9weeks gone, I told my girlfriend back in school about the pregnancy, she is the only one that knows about it. my boyfriend contributed to me wanting to take my life, he denied the child and ask me to abort it. the last discussion I had with my girlfriend is that I may eventually kill myself because I can’t live with the shame. she tried to discourage me but never knew my mind was already made up…my parents doesn’t know except my girlfriend and my so called ex boyfriend, and I don’t even know where I dropped my bag that has my phone and purse inside, but I don’t want to go back home…I can’t go back please…I know they will be looking for me but I can’t just go back…it will be better I was dead…

“no wahala, you go stay with us…until your mind strong to go back…but I take God beg you, no try to kill yourself again…killing yourself no go solve anything…at the end you go still go hell fire go continue to they suffer. why you go get that kind mind, you wan kill yourself and innocent pikin wey dey grow inside you…you no dey fear God? you dey fear your mama and papa like this and you no fear wetin God reason for the matter. no be this kind of life God want you to live…God get better plan for you…pass the one wey you get for yourself. the pikin wey you wan kill, you know say plenty people they find pikin…but they never see. make you no allow person to make you hate yourself…life go still make sense for you…no forget say God like you as you be…and you go still make your mama and papa proud…u they hear me?…

After Emy talk finish I come carry my tray enter market to go sell, I come still waka go that bridge side to go check weather I go fit see her bag, but I know see am. I come they reason for my mind.
“na because she get belle and she no wan bring shame to her papa and mama make she wan kill herself, and her boyfriend too come deny her, she come gather moral to go jump bridge…God forbid bad thing, I know as she dey under my mama care she go dey alright at last but that her boyfriend wicked sha. i pray that kind person no go come my sister them way, I ready to protect my sister them with my last blood. person no go come use “I love you" take deceive them, I go sha they advice them as them they grow make they wise, make them no allow person use their brain drink garri.

I know say my mama go take care of Emy well. thank God say i go that bridge to go stay worry about my own trouble. na so God dey direct person way. her time never reach, make she go thank God.
because of wetin people go talk she wan die, na so she for die for nothing. fine girl like that wey still get better future go just waste for nothing, God forbid bad thing, God no go allow us to see bad thing,

As I sell my first tray of fruits finish I come go back house to carry another tray.
Emy dey for shop with my mama, she wear one of my mama cloth and e fit her well well. I just smile for my mind as she come resemble my mama pikin.
I just give my mama the money wey I don sell for the first tray come carry another one enter market again, as Emy don add to our battalion I go make sure say I double my hustle so that we go always see food chop.

like my mama dey always talk "life go still make sense for for all of us"