…her father, who loved her dearly, was so traumatised when she left…

I am sure of what I’m saying Mama Enuma,” said her neighbor. Mrs Obi listened in astonishment as her neighbour described how her 16-year-old daughter, Enuma, was seen entering Mr. Okehi’s house around 5pm.

“I actually waited nearby until around 6pm when Mr. Okehi’s room door opened and Enuma snuck out” her informant continued.

Mrs. Obi heart was racing. She was actually crying when she recounted the incident to her husband. Both of them decided to act on a popular saying in their environment that it is better to look for the lost black goat before sunset so that it will not be shielded in darkness when it is night. So Mr. and Mrs. Obi waited for the arrival of their daughter who requested for permission to see her friends at the village square.

On sighting Enuma, Mrs. Obi thundered at her, “Come hear you liar! What did you go to Mr. Okehi’s house to do?” Enuma, stricken with fear,  was about to make an explanation when her father came in with two long cane sticks and descended on her,flogging her mercilessly and pouring his rage into every stroke he delivered. At a point, Enuma ran to her mother for succor, but her mother pushed her down and the flogging was intensified. Her parents threatened to shave her hair and lock her up in room for one week.

Mr. and Mrs Obi got the shock of their lives when they woke up the next morning to discover that Enuma was missing. Initially they thought she would be back soon. After waiting for two days without seeing any trace of her, the village search team went after her without any success. In fact her father, who loved her dearly, was so traumatized after she left that he developed a health problem that claimed his life.

Three years later,Enuma, then a ghost of her former self was recovered from a nearby village with a 6-month-old boy. On sighting her daughter, Mrs. Obi wailed, rolling on the ground. Her sorrow was made worse when she realized that the 6-month-old boy was her grand child who contacted the HIV virus from Enuma, his mother, at birth.

• Uchenna N. Nduka

 

Writer’s Comments:

1. Most parents really love their children and desire the best for them, but lack the require skill to cope with the ever evolving child training challenges.
2. The issue that caused the anxiety and rage in this story could have been addressed through dialogue, including sex education, in an atmosphere of love.
3. Any wrong behavior by a child should be seen as dirt on a delicate glass. Parents should be skilled in providing assistance to wipe off the dirt without breaking the glass into pieces.

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