Rejected At Birth
Bonus Episode Three
We tried to act normal, but I started crying while Aunty Kate laughed at me.
“Are you sure you haven’t been born in this world before?
You act so differently,” she asked, shaking my shoulders with a smile.
I never imagined she would change like that and even help me find my sister.
It confused me because she never liked us before.
After what that woman did, I couldn’t trust anyone, not even my own Aunt.
We arrived at the woman’s house, and when we approached her, she seemed scared, maybe thinking we found out the truth.
Then I burst into tears. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
I moved closer to her and said, “Aunty, I want to thank you for taking care of us and making sure my sister was būried.
I’m sorry for doubting you. I know you would never hurt us.” That was just to get close to her.
I had another plan to live with her and watch her every move.
Aunt Kate played her part well, just as we planned, and she believed everything.
“Thank God you have come to your senses,” she said.
“Come inside, you are just in time for lunch.”
Even though I was hungry, I shook my head and said we had already eaten.
I didn’t even believe myself because the last meal I had at her place was the best of my life.
We both said we needed to go back and console grandma, and she agreed.
I will also come and check on her later in the day,” she concluded and went inside the house.
I watched her go, and her expressions said it all. “She’s hiding something, and my sister is in dānger.
Why would she only want to adopt my sister and not both of us, even when grandma tried to explain things to her?”
The truth was right in front of us, I thought as we turned to leave.
We didn’t talk on our way back because I had so many unanswered questions in my mind.
Even Aunt Kate was talking, but I couldn’t hear her.
My head was on fire, and I needed to find a way to get closer to the woman to execute my plans effectively.
But I didn’t know how because she wouldn’t let me into her house. Then a thought came to me.
“Make friends with the children.” It seemed like an impossible task because she had two boys who played rōugh, and I didn’t like that.
At first, I thought she liked my sister because she didn’t have a daughter, but I realized there was more to it. I didn’t have a choice.
it was the only way out, and the children could give me information about their mother.
I was lost in my thoughts when suddenly a car came dāngerously close to me.
Aunt Kate noticed and screamed, “Chinedu.”
I jumped up in fear. “What’s going on in your head?
If I hadn’t called you, you wouldn’t have seen the car coming.”
I didn’t answer her, I just reluctantly followed her while she asked me to switch to the other side of the road closer to the bush.
We walked side by side without saying anything else, and when we got close to the compound, we realized we needed to lie to grandma about where we went.
“What should we tell her?” I asked, while my aunt was thinking.
Then she said, “You’re the one with the knowledge, so come up with something, and we’ll go along with it.”
Can you believe I was just six years old, but I had so much on my mind, like I was a grown man?
I had to think of something. “Let’s tell her we saw the woman and found where my sister was buried,” I suggested.
My aunt didn’t even let me finish, she just accepted everything I said.
We composed ourselves and went inside the compound.
Grandma was outside sweeping, and when she saw us, she stopped and asked, “Where did you two go so early in the morning?”
I wanted to speak, but I found myself stāmmering and begged Aunt Kate to help me out.
It was like my mind went blank. “We went to escort the woman,” she said, not mentioning everything we had agreed on.
Then Grandma asked me, “And you Thomas, have you finally seen where your sister was būried or her body?”
I nodded, already crying, and she hugged me, joining in the tears.
I was relieved that we were able to convince her as we executed our plans to find my sister.
I felt like she was calling out to me for help, and time was running out.
Then I heard her voice calling my name from somewhere inside the house, “Chinedu.” I ran inside to see if she was there.
Julian, where are you? I called out, and I started searching and moving things around in the house to find where the voice was coming from.
But grandma and Aunt Kate rushed in and held me back.
“Your sister is gone, she won’t come back,” they said, but I still heard her calling my name.
I kept trying to find her, but they held me back.
It was just my mind playing tricks on me. I felt like my sister was calling me for help.
Thessycute Ekene
