By
Mercy UdoAkang
“I don’t like your stay with aunty Mfon” Uko my only brother started with a startling calm voice.
“In fact, I don’t approve it, you are not leaving this house to anywhere.” Although my father has the final say, he sounded vigorously, striking the familiar deadly fear in me and I began to tremble as usual. I felt my heart pumping fast whenever he sounded thunderous.
“Had I known I wouldn’t have come back” I spoke at heart. Am I just regretting? It sounds vague, I thought, I missed him. Sure?
“Come on, go in and pack my cloths at the corridor and get them washed, immediately” He commanded. Only the breath from his mouth blew me inside. In comparison, I was always as fast as the speed of light in doing whatever he commanded me to do.
Uko and I had been brought up by our parents in the same home. Indubitably, he was a bully right from infant. He once threatened me with dead rats when I was five, while he was nine.
His mischievous character earned him ‘mad dog’, in school and within our neighourhood. He was feared by every child when he plucked out his playmate’s left eye in a scuffle. That was more than enough trouble for my parents but Uko never saw anything wrong with that.
As we grew up, he started practicing wrestling and football kicks on me. My mother shouted till her blood pressure rose, resulting in her death. Our mother was gone; his eyes were still not opened. He continued with that manner and almost killed someone in a fight at the lecture hall. My father paid a huge ransom for his bail when he was locked up in jail.
“Idra-Idra” Uko yelled from within the house and I jumped to my feet before he emerged. He was always stuttering whenever he was violent and could not pronounce words correctly (Idra for Idara, weak for quick).
“What I say must stand” He stamped his feet on the floor that I feared the occurrence of a tremor. “You are not going anywhere’’ he roared. “What did I say?” He moved an inch closer and I started shivering as if tormented by fever.
“You said that I’m not going anywhere” I replied cowardly.
“Right, now listen, if I come back and notice that you are gone. To God who made…I’ll kill you with my own hands” He finished, moved to his motorcycle and mounted it while I nodded like a frightened lizard till he speed off. Then I heaved a sigh of relief and discovered that I was holding my ears when he did not command me to do so. I shook my head despairingly, sat back and continued washing.
It has been two days since I returned and my eyes are not puffy from crying because he has not yet touched me. Maybe I have not committed the worst yet, I suggested.
I and my brother have never been separated for a day. It was because of his arrogant and deleterious attitude towards me that my father decided to render me into the safe hands of his kid sister: aunty Mfon. And I lived with my aunt for three months and was bailed out of Uko’s slaps, blows and kicks. That was the very first time I experienced peace. Yes! Peace.
“Now I’m back to violence” I said, my heart galloped and I began to sweat. “No, I will return to peace, hopefully” I assured myself.
“What I say must stand…you are not going anywhere” Uko’s voice resounded like a whirlwind in my ear, blowing shivers of fear and terror to me. I paused to think, Why is he preventing me from returning to aunty Mfon’s house when he hates the sight of me? Sure. I am asking the wrong source.
That evening, after dinner, my father called my brother and gave him a surprising warm hand shake “I must commend you on one thing” My father said smiling while my brother and I watched with huge shocked eyes. It has never happened before, Daddy and Uko were never friends.
“Yes… What?” Uko replied
“I was pressurized by your younger sister, she said that she missed you and wanted to see you after three months without you. So, I had to bring her home and I hope she has seen you and your willful character. But I thank you for your yells and not casting hot coals on her head for the past two days she returned” My father paused and turned to me. “Idara, go and pack your cloths, tomorrow morning, you are returning to your aunt’s house”
My heart was filled with joy at that announcement and I rushed to my room and started loading my box as instructed by my father. Just as I was about zipping up the box, the door flung opened and the intruder was Uko, he never in his life dared to knock. He walked in calmly and sat gently on my bed.
“So you still want to go back to aunty Mfon’s house?” He spoke calmly but atoms of harshness were still felt rough in is voice.
“Yes, I answered in a half joyous voice.
“Okay, Aunt’s house and ours, which do you love most?” he asked intriguingly.
“Aunt’s house”
“But I don’t want you to go and please can you stay?” The roughness and harshness of his voice disappeared but I wasn’t gullible by that.
“No” I replied
“Why?”
“Nothing” I answered but he knew that I was lying.
“You are the only sister I have…” He started in a staggering calm voice and I listened with incredulity. “…And I don’t have any other sibling apart from you” He breathed in deeply and continued “Since our mother died, I have been looking up to you as my mother.” I thought Uko never felt sorry for our mother’s death but I’m surprised to see him feeling absolutely sorry that I thought I was dreaming or in a trance. “My stay without you has made me understand that loneliness is the worst dilemma. Please don’t go.” He stood up and walked closer to me.
“I- I thought that you hated the sight of me” I stammered out my mind with great sensitivity and delicacy.
“No, may God forbid” He spat out. ‘I’ve suffered in the cruel hands of loneliness for the past three months and experiencing it again is what words can’t describe” I took a deep breathe to gather strength and to soften my voice.
“But you know that Daddy will never reverse his words” I breathed out.
“Yes… you are right” He nodded slowly with understanding “I will miss you, I love you” he hugged me and left.
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