THE ORDEALS OF NNEOMA
Episode 11
*****
They stood on the road for a little while before getting a bus.
“Madam, where you dey go?” the driver asked.
“Bakers Avenue.”
“That’s our last bus stop, enter.”
They entered the bus and the driver drove off.
About an hour later, just close to the last bus stop, Stella told the driver to stop her. She paid and stepped aside, then the driver zoomed off.
Stella went to one corner of the road and stood there watching what would happen to Nneoma.
When the driver got to the last bus stop, every other person in the bus got down and paid except Nneoma.
The driver looked back and saw her still sitting.
“This is the final bus stop.”
Nneoma was mute.
“You no dey hear!”
She was still not responding. The driver got down and went to the passenger’s side.
“Oya come down,” the driver said dragging her out of the bus.
Nneoma got down and was gazing at the driver.
“How this one take enter my bus, carry your problem dey go,” the driver said and drove off.
Bakers Avenue is situated in a residential area with a few shops around.
Nneoma stood there for a while and then moved to one mango tree in that area and sat on the ground under the tree.
As soon as Nneoma sat under the tree, Stella stopped a bus, entered and left the place.
Meanwhile, Stella’s phone had been buzzing with calls from her husband.
She stopped at a junction leading to the hospital and then brought out her phone and called her husband.
“Please where are you?” Stella said sounding tensed.
“Inside the hospital, where are you people? I’ve been waiting here,” Nneoma’s father shouted over the phone.
“Please come out, I am in front of the hospital gate. Please come now!!” she said wailing.
In no time Nneoma’s father came out.
“What is happening?!! Where is Nneoma?!! Where is Nneoma?!!”
She refused to talk and was rolling on the floor crying.
“Please stop this, where is she?”
“We went strolling because she was feeling uncomfortable in the room. When we got to a locked shop there, I told her to wait so that I could ease myself. I left her and on coming back, I noticed that she was no longer there. I’ve been searching for her since morning,” Stella said amidst tears.
“Which place was she sitting before you went to ease yourself?”
“Come let me show you the place.”
Stella took him through a road which was at the opposite direction from where she and Nneoma followed.
She showed him a bench in front of a locked shop and claimed that was where Nneoma sat before she left her.
There was a mini-market towards the end of the road.
Nneoma’s father quickly left in search of her and Stella followed him.
He went to one shop nearby to ask the owner whether she saw nneoma. He gave her her description but she said he didn’t see such a person.
They went from shop to shop asking about nneoma but they all said they hadn’t seen her.
They later went to the mini market and searched thoroughly but to no avail.
After several hours of searching for her, Nneoma’s father was exhausted and frustrated.
He went and sat on the bench in front of that locked shop.
“It’s all my fault. I was trying to make her feel better. I’m sorry,” Stella said as she sat on the bench with her husband.
Her husband kept mute.
A few moments later, both of them got up and went to a police station in that community and reported the case.
The police promised that they would search for her and get back to them.
Later they both went back to their house.
Nneoma’s father became a shadow of himself. He was always looking forward to seeing his missing daughter.
A few days later, a lady came to their house and met Stella all alone at home. They both greeted and Stella offered her a seat.
“I’m from your daughter’s school. We have not seen Nneoma for some days now and when we asked Dera about her she said that she is having a challenge.”
“Yes, mental challenge. She is currently m@d and cannot be found anywhere.”
“It’s a pity. I was thinking I could see her.”
“We haven’t even seen her for some days too. We have reported to the police to help us search for her.”
The teacher felt sorry for her. She then opened her handbag, brought out the international passport booklet and handed it over to Stella.
“This is Nneoma’s passport booklet. I don’t think she could meet up with the plans for their travel. The beneficiaries of the scholarship will be leaving for the airport in two days. I’m sorry about this development ma. I’ll still check back to know whether she has been found.”
“Ok, no problem. Thanks for coming.
The teacher stood up and left.
“I said it,” Stella said and laughed hysterically.
Later in the evening, when nneoma’s father came back from his shop. Stella took the passport to him and told him all that the lady said.
He collected the booklet from her and wept bitterly.
