Seeking The Truth: A short story
“Look, Ella, that’s your mom over there,”
Uche said, pointing at a mad woman at the junction just a few miles away from school.
“What! That can’t be my mother.
She looks malnourished and tattered,” I replied in disbelief.
“But Mom said she is your mother and she picked you up from that place over there,”
Uche explained, pointing at a filthy place close to the mad woman.
“But she can’t be my mother. Don’t worry, when we get home, I will ask Mom.
We don’t look alike in any way.”
I stood still, not wanting to forget what had just happened.
Dad arrived and picked us up. We got in the car, and he quickly drove off.
“Bella, what’s wrong? Why are you so quiet today? I hope your aunt didn’t beat you,”
Dad asked with concern.
“Dad, I’m fine. I just don’t want to talk to anyone except Mom.
She owes me an explanation,”
I replied, tears welling up in my eyes.
“My princess, is everything okay?
Why are you so upset with your mom?”
Dad asked again, eager to hear from me.
I remained silent, sitting quietly until we reached home.
When we finally arrived, I ran out of the car, leaving my school bag on the back seat.
I shouted, “Mom! Mom! Where are you?”
“My darling, what’s wrong?” Mom rushed out of the kitchen.
“Who is my real mother?” I asked, filled with rage.
“What kind of question is this? What happened?” Mom responded, concerned.
Mom, Uche said that the mad woman at school is my real mother.
I don’t want to believe him.
You are my mother, right? I asked, sobbing as if I had lost everything.
“My love, I’m your mother,” Mom said.
Uche might have said that to upset you.
I was relieved.
I gave Mom a hug, went to my room to have a quick shower, and I heard Mom scolding Uche.
“There might be truth in what Uche told me, and I will find out for myself,”
I thought.
I wore my best outfit, my pink body-fitted gown with my pink slippers,
then went downstairs to have my lunch.
After dinner, we had a short prayer and went to bed.
However, I couldn’t sleep as several thoughts filled my mind.
I had to sneak into Uche’s room and wake him up.
Uche woke up scared and wanted to scream,
but I quickly covered his mouth with my palms and reassured him that it was me, Ella.
He sighed heavily in relief.
“Uche, let’s play a game,” I suggested.
However, he hesitated and said it was already late, suggesting we play the game the next day.
I tempted him by promising to buy him his favorite cookies if he agreed to play with me.
At the mention of cookies, Uche’s eyes widened, and he was ready to play.
“Okay, the game is simple.
Tell me everything you know about the mad woman you saw,
and I’ll get you the sweetest cookies in school tomorrow.”
“Okay! I overheard Mom telling Aunt Celyn that;
she took you away from that woman because she couldn’t take care of you.
She also said that woman is your real mother.
I don’t know if it’s true.
I stood there, puzzled for a minute, trying to figure out the whole story.
then I finally said to him.
“Don’t tell anyone about this, not even mom”.
“I should be telling you that,he retorted.
You were so upset with me that you refused talking to me today because of what I said.
If mom finds out I told you this, she will flo.g me mercilessly”.
Yesterday, he had gone to his room scared that I will tell mommy but I couldn’t resist telling her.
He wiped his eyes as he continued, it was obvious I had disturbed his precious sleep.
“Please don’t tell Mom I said this. Besides, Ella, I didn’t mean what I said at school today. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Uche. You’re my brother. Now, go to bed. Tomorrow morning, I’ll get you cookies.
” He nodded and went back to bed.
I returned to my room, deep in thought about what I had just heard.
I couldn’t even sleep.
The thought of the woman I had grown up to love with all my heart not being my real mother broke my heart.
I couldn’t believe it, it was too hard for me.
I was deep in thought that I didn’t notice I had been awake all night.
I close my eyes and when I opened it, everyone was awake.
“What time is it”? I asked myself as I turned to the alarm clock and it was 6:30.
I knew if I stayed in bed till 6:40am, mom will come and wake me.
I had to cover myself up with blankets pretending to be sick so that I won’t go to school.
I had it in mind to search the whole house.
Turning everything I could lay my hands on to find any evidence I will need.
She finally came and I shivered.
“Are you ok?”, she asked.
“Mom I’m sick, I don’t think I will be fit to go to school today, I replied”.
It’s fine baby, get some rest, let me call your teacher and inform her that you won’t be going to school, she said”.
As she called my teacher.
Mom made sure I wasn’t disturbed, she made my favourite pancake with tea.
I ate just a little of it, so that they will believe I was truly sick.
Uche wasn’t convinced, when he was set to go to school he came to my room.
Then said “I know you aren’t sick, please make sure you buy my cookies while you are at home.
And don’t think about anything I said, I was just being foo.lish.
He teased me and they all left the house.
I took advantage of being alone and went into my parents’ bedroom,
searching for evidence that would prove I’m not their real daughter.
I searched my mom’s drawer then I found a piece of payer, thinking I have found something, I opened it.
But it was just a conveyance deed from her father, stating her father transferred the house we live in to her.
“That means mom is the owner of the house we have lived in for years now.
And she has never for once raised her voice at dad or disobeyed dad”, I had thought.
I have always wished for a husband like my dad, he is very caring and has never for once shouted at my mom.
I continued my search, moving to dad’s drawer but I didn’t find anything that could be of help.
I thought, Uche could be lying to me?
Uche has never lied before and he wouldn’t lie to me.
After an unsuccessful search, I went back to bed, continuing my presence of being sick.
While I think about other possible places at home where I can continue my search.
To be continued
Thessycute Ekene
