Rejected At Birth
Episode Nine
I kept knocking at the door, but nobody answered. I wanted to ask why they took my sister away without thinking about how would feel.
I couldn’t eat because of her, and when I finally found her, she acted like she didn’t know me.
None of the kids came out to talk to me.
Then, a woman, who seemed to be their mom, came back. She was real pretty and young, too young to be their mom, I thought while scratching my itchy hair.
She asked, “Who are you?” and why I was standing outside.
I couldn’t speak, so I tried making signs with my hands, but she didn’t understand.
She pushed the door and went inside. She came back out, looking bothered, and asked the same question again.
I opened my mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out. She went in and got a pen, telling me to write it down.
I signaled that I couldn’t write, and she was shocked because at my age, I should be able to.
I felt like she was making fun of me, but I thought of my sister and stayed quiet.
She called the kids out and asked if they knew me. They all shook their heads, including my own sister.
She stared at me for a bit and then said, “My children don’t know you, and I can’t understand what you’re saying, there’s nothing I can do for you”.
She turned to leave and told them to go inside.
I touched her and pointed at my sister, who was the first to rush in.
She called her out and said, “Tell me the truth, do you know this boy?”
My sister nodded in approval, and I felt a bit relieved.
The woman scolded her for lying, saying, “Can’t you see you both look alike?
Don’t ever reject your own brother again.”
She said it softly, and my sister nodded with tears in her eyes. I didn’t even want to communicate with her anymore.
The woman was kind enough to usher me in and then asked, “Are you hungry?”
That question lightened my mood. I couldn’t eat because of my sister, and I knew the leftovers might have spoiled and needed to be disposed of.
I didn’t even let her finish before I nodded, already salivating.
I had imagined the food she would give me from the well-furnished and beautiful house.
I felt like my sister denied me a good life, but maybe we were just twins with different personalities.
The woman went into a room, which I assumed was the kitchen, and came out with a meal I had never eaten before.
It was a different kind of rice and stew with lots of mea.
I couldn’t even count them all. I rushed to eat the hot food, accidentally spilling some on my clothes, and felt ashamed as the woman and her children stared at me.
Then, she asked the question I wanted to hear: “Do you need more?”
I nodded, and more rice came in. I knew they might be laughing silently, and the other children might say I hadn’t eaten for days, but I was just grateful to be satisfied.
It was the first time I had eaten such meat, and I didn’t play around with it.
I made sure to eat every piece, even breaking the bones.
My eyes widened as I broke them into smaller pieces, making sīlly sounds.
“This your brother might have really been hungry,” the woman said, tapping my sister on the shoulders.
She gave a shy smile. I knew deep down she was ashamed of me and the woman saying that.
She couldn’t hold herself any longer.
When I was done, she went in again and came out with juice in a glass. I politely declined.
I just needed water. If only I could speak so that she would understand what I had gone through.
It would have been a lot easier. But I felt like I had finished their food in the house.
After eating, I was ready to hear her speak.
I wanted to know how my sister got to her house. Just as I expected, she started, “Your sister is a very beautiful child.
I found her last night on my way back from work. She was all alone, holding her stomach with her hands.
I noticed whenever I spoke to her, she didn’t respond.
I had to drop my car because I felt she wasn’t comfortable. I took her somewhere and bought her food.
I was hoping to take her home, but it was hard.
I had to go back home to take my children with me. I thought maybe she would follow them, at least.
It was too late for her to be all alone on the road.
I couldn’t ask her about anything because I couldn’t understand the sign she gave me in her hands.”
I was upset with the fact that my sister decided to follow a total stranger home, even when grandma had wārned us several times to stay far away from strangers.
I felt like I should run back home and report to grandma, but remembering Aunt Kate, I changed my mind.
I thought the woman was done speaking and she would ask me to take my sister with me, but she said something else that made me extremely sad.
“I’m thinking about adopting your sister”.
It was a shock to me. I screamed, “Why?” I paused to confirm if I was hearing myself.
Everyone was staring at me. My sister had her hands on her mouth and her eyes were pōpping out of their sōckets.
When I opened my mouth again, I couldn’t say anything else.
Thessycute Ekene
