“Who could that be early this morning?” Mum asked standing up from the bed.
“Open the gate woman!” We could hear my Dad elder brother shouting.
“Good morning uncle” We greeted when I opened the gate, we wondering why he was here, in our house this early morning.
“Keep your greetings to yourself, after you have killed my brother, you think his property are yours?” My uncle hissed, I could clearly see the pure hatered he had for my mother, sometimes I wonder what might have gone wrong with the both of them, had my mother rejected his advances, choosing my father over him?
“You must be joking, before I open my eyes go in there pack your load and leave now”! Dad elder brother continued, he spat out every word with pure hatred, irritation and with no trace of emotion in his bloodshot eyes.
Mum looked at me shocked and surprised.
” Uncle don’t do this to us, you know my husband just died few weeks ago, and we are yet to stand on our feet again”, mum pleaded, this time I could see the fear in her eyes, I could hear desperation in her voice as she did what I was never expecting. She knelt down before my uncle.
“Please Don’t send us out of my husband house”, she begged, the tears rushing out of her eyes.
Uncle looked at mum with disgust, “who is your husband? Are you talking about the one you killed with your greed to talk the rest of his properties? I told my brother not to marry you, because I know you are evil, but he didn’t listen, now he’s in his grave” he shook his head, his back turned against us.
“Uncle please” I said after finding my voice, both knees on the ground I knelt down beside my mother, ” we are not asking for anything, we just need a roof over our heads, nothing more uncle, please don’t send us away, we don’t have anywhere to go”.
When Dad brother saw that we were wasting time begging him, he called some boys to throw out properties outside the gate and locked it.
Anger coursed through my bone as I watched him lock the gate, spat at us and left, I wonder why my uncle could be so heartless.
“How can somebody this wicked exists?” I wonder with tears rushing out of my eyes and my anger boiling.
Shamefully We picked out bags and walked out of the house, the place we once called home.
Mum and I were walking aimlessly along the street with people giving up the pity look, and some even whispering wondering what had happened to us.
We went back to Dad’s elder brother, Richard to accommodate us for the time being, until mum gets a job that would be able to cater for our well being.
He refused, accusing mum of killing his brother, giving us a Stern warning never to step our foot on his doorstep again.
Mum was broken, we were helpless.
I was feeling sharp pains in my back and legs due to walking for hours under the scorching sun, I could not bear the pain anymore, I complained to my mom and luckily for us we saw a shop closedby and we stood under the shade.
We waited for sometime and suddenly the cloud thicken, the weather changed, and it started raining heavily.
The shop was the most comfortable place for us that moment even when the raining was pouring on us due to leaked hole on the roof, we were comfortable standing there.
We waited for the rain to stop so we could look for somewhere warm to lay our head, the breeze was cold, the downpour was heavy, I was weak, hungry and shivering.
Everywhere was quiet, it was getting late and dark we had not gotten anywhere in mind to spend the night, We waited, hoping for someone to come to our aid, but No one came.
Mum told me that we will have to spend the night there and look for somewhere else the next day.
I could hear mum mumuring softly and I knew she was crying.
I started crying too, hoping that everything will get better some day.
The thunder loudly rumbled, preparing the cloud for another downpour, I silently prayed for God to send someone who will accommodate us for just that night only.
At the end the shop was the safest place for us to sleep that night, we slept with mum sitting on the ground and me lying down on the bare floor with my head on her legs.