A final drift

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Sometimes the ones we love are the ones who bear the consequences of our mistakes
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"The burial is today, I know he's part of the reason you are here. I only wish you wake up atleast to say goodbye."

Agatha'a hand rested in Ngozi's palm as she breathed in softly. It seemed her words had fallen on deaf ears.

The doctors had told her that Ngozi had gone through a seizure that sent her into a coma.

Who wouldn't suffer gravely after encountering such misfortune?

"Osisioma was the one that planned the entire thing. Obanma has been the most affected of your remaining children. She claims she sees Obinna and he tells her things too"

A soft chuckle escaped Agatha's lips as she simultaneously wiped the tears that clung into her chin.

"Apparently Obinna is returning I nụkwa m. I won't lie Ngoo, it has been difficult. Those children really miss you. They keep asking when you'll come home and I don't even know what to tell them.

I haven't gone to see Iheanyị. His siblings managed to get him one quack lawyer but we know there's nothing to do for him.

He deliberately killed that man, it's sad to say but we'll be lucky if he ends up with life imprisonment. "

Agatha gently caressed Ngozi's face as she slept.

" Nnamdi can't get enough of the children " A broad smile danced around her face as she recalled the recent events that had been playing out in her home.

" Two days ago, he left our bedroom to sleep in Obanma's room after she told us about her nightmare.

I didn't even know my husband knew so many nursery rhymes. I slept humming one of the songs. Obanma slept on our bed yesterday, Nnamdi placed her in the middle after pushing me to one side. She also complained of another nightmare. I fear the bad dreams have something to do with the burial today.

I get worried that when you finally wake up and take the children away that things may not be the same in my marriage again.
. "

Another chuckle erupted from her throat and she shook her head.

" I sound very selfish and pathetic don't I? I can't help it Ngoo. You don't know how blessed you are to have those beautiful children. Children are such heavenly gifts that one must always cherish no matter how destructive they become.

Obanma has been tearing the house apart bit by bit. I can't help but wonder how it was when obinna was alive. "

Tears seeped out of her eyes once more and she wiped them swiftly.

Her conversation was only one sided as her sister lay motionless on the bed.

" Ta m mee gawa nnu Let me be on my way. I'll come back to see you after we're done. "

Agatha patted Ngozi's hand as she arose, securing her wrapper which had loosened around her waist beneath her navel. Forming a lump by her side as she tightened the material.

" Ndị ụmụnna and the family agreed to make it something private. A lot of people know the circumstance surrounding his death and we don't want them to keep reminding us of it"

She left the hospital feeling worse than she was before she arrived.

Things had really changed from bad to worse in her sister's family.

Agatha quickly mounted an Okada in front of the hospital and instructed the young man to take her to iheanyi's compound.

She had been slightly offended when the young man had mentioned the incident with Obinna when she was trying to clarify him on which Iheanyị she meant.

She almost hit him when he bluntly  said "Ọ bụ nke m gburu nwa ya? Do you mean the one that killed his child?"

They had rode past Osisioma who had been struggling with his old black Volkswagen.

He had been pushing the vehicle with some young men as she hopped in sync with the Okada man, galloping across an uneven road caused by humpy muddy sands heaped on road by the inept politicians that plagued their village.

Their yellow grader was restricted to a side of the road, a symbol of gross misuse of funds and mistrust for the future politicians.

The same issue might have also been the reason Osisioma's half dead car was arrested on the road.

She arrived the house after series of "nna jiri ya nwayoo Please take it easy" flew out of her mouth accentuated by waist pain. She dug out out a hundred naira note from her purse and handed over to the man who sped off immediately.

She had wanted to call out to him but he wobbled on his bike as the dunes battled for control and finally fell beside his motorcycle. She had been giving him a fair warning about his recklessness but the sand dunes had better punishments for him.

Thankfully the young man sustained no injuries as he slowly picked up his bike and rode off, this time moving with the pace the road instituted.

Agatha finally understood the implication of her great great grandfather's title.

"ururuaja na akwatu ìgwè"

He had been a renowned wrestler who had tenfold in strength what he lost in height. Their mother had always told them of how he beat gigantic men and took their wives after they made fun of him being petite.

He had twelve wives altogether and so many children.

Agatha gaited into the compound seeking for her family. Nnamdi had come with the children and she had quickly escaped them to be with her sister.

She looked at Obanma's solemn face as she was seated on her husband's laps, Adaugo's tear streaked one. Chijioke was too quiet for his usual self and Nnamdi only shook his head in disapproval.

Something must have happened "were Agatha's thoughts as she approached them.

" Ọ dịkwa mma?  Is everything alright? "

Adaugo shook her head slowly and tears accompanied the movement.

" Ọ bụ ngiri m mere? What happened? "

Her eyes were fixed on Obanma as she made her enquiry. She knew deep down that the little girl was the one who was the most sensitive of all.

It did baffle her a little that she was not crying like her elder sister.

" Adị onye ngwara gị okwu ọjọọ? Did anyone say anything bad to you?"

"mba"

Nnamdi gave his wife a look directed to Obanma and Chijioke that made her understand that Adaugo was probably trying to protect her younger ones from the cause of her tears.

He set Obanma down beside her brother and walked towards his wife.

"Nne m these people are mad!"

"Ọ gịnị mekwara nụ?  What exactly happened? You're scaring me Nnamdi"

"you need to see what they did to that little boy"

"Are you talking of Obinna? What did they do to him?"

Her mind went to Osisioma and his burial arrangements. Had they done something that somehow affected Obinna's corpse. But it didn't seem right as Obinna's corpse had been at the morgue.

"We came here and they said they were starting the burial without you. They did not even wait for that their mad brother that orchestrated this whole rubbish!

I mean this boy left this world in the worst way possible, all they could have done was to send him away in a befitting way"

Agatha's mind was raved with curiosity as she tried to understand what her husband was saying.

"What did they do?"

"They began the rites and told us to come and attest that it is truly Obinna in the coffin"

"Ehe" Agatha impatiently Prodded.

"I came out and they said they also needed one of his siblings in the absence of their parents. Adaugo came out and we went into that room." A tear slipped out of her husband's eye and she quickly caught it,shaking his head in the process.

God will punish all these People! Nne I don't even know how to describe what they did. Just walk into that room and see for yourself"

Agatha turned away from her husband almost immediately, her heart thudding furiously and tears already stinging her eyes as guilt plagues her.

Had she done wrong by telling Osisioma to plan the burial.

She opened the curtain that led to the room where Obinna's body lay in state.

Her breath shaky as she approached the coffin, she finally came face to face with the lifeless body.

His eyes were shut and the hole that had been drilled into his skull, had been stitched together.

He appeared bloated and his body seemed dry. More tears seeped out of her eyes and she gripped the coffin, feeling suddenly nauseous.

Her eyes trailed down to his lower abdomen as he was clothed in a native wear.

His legs had been chopped off and placed beside his thigh.

Agatha ran our screaming, her whole body shook as she approached where her husband was.

Nnamdi caught his wife as she wailed and rolled on the ground. Obanma and Chijioke joined their wailing aunty even though they did not understand what had happened.

"Nne ozugo! It's okay it's okay ịnụ"

Osisioma arrived with his vehicle, he had barely stepped out of his vehicle before Agatha got up and pounced on him.

"Onye nshi! Chineke lee kwa gị o. Evil man!"

Osisioma tried to pull Agatha's hand away from his collar and ended up ripping his cloth to shreds.

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Onyedikachi and his mother watched from their balcony the ruckus that played out in their neighbor's compound.

He had wanted to attend the burial but knew his mother had placed a surveillance on him. She had specifically warned her two sons about leaving The house and made sure they stayed put.

Onyedikachi could tell his mother was also sympathetic with the loss of that young boy. She had also been fond of the twins before they became arch enemies.

She had once been Obinna's favorite go to aunt, who supplied him with China biscuit as they nicknamed the snack.

One of his father's business associates used to provide such snacks for them and his mother specifically left some for the boy.

It often marveled him when his mother acted like such history was non existent.

"Ndị ala! Nekene ka da si eme!  Mad people! Look at how they are behaving!"

Onyedikachi could sense the subtle concern and sadness in her voice. Her eyes were red and he could see her eyes twitching like she wanted to cry.

"They can't even give that boy a proper burial!" A hiss slipped out of her mouth and she cleared her throat.

Onyedikachi watched Obanma intently, his thoughts dwelling on the things he wished he did right.

It wasn't long before Osisioma angrily left the compound as he claimed Agatha and her husband to be insane.

He had claimed they had mutilated the boys limbs because they didn't have money to afford a bigger coffin.

Nnamdi threw a punch that almost rendered the man toothless.

If money had been the problem Osisioma knew very well that he could have contacted his family.

Nnamdi suspected he had done the act deliberately but for reasons he couldn't fathom.

Agatha now knew clearly who the person that wanted her family dead was.

Cutting off Obinna's legs to her symbolized that he wanted his spirit paralyzed. It probably meant the boy's spirit was also truly roaming about. Osisioma wouldn't want  that if somehow he didn't have a hand in the boy's death?

They all watched as he tried starting his rusty vehicle so many times before it finally shot out a large fart and quaked into ignition.

The plethora of smoke that left his exhaust  pipe able to cause a fog.

With anger , disappointment ridden heart they managed to bury Obinna. Obanma strangely did not cry, she only took sand and threw into her twin's grave.

At a point Agatha could have sworn she saw the little girl smiling.

They left the village very much late that night exhausted.

Obanma was seated on Agatha's laps, Adaugo and Chijioke had each taken tablets of paracetamol to curb headaches.

"Daa Obinna said he spoke to mummy"

Her eyes widened and she tried to hide her shock.

"He said she's not going to come back soon, they want to do something to her"

"Eziokwu" Agatha Prodded, as she gently tapped her husband to gain his attention.

"He's the one keeping her safe" She declared with a smile.

"Daa we are not coming back to the village ọ kwaya?"

"No you're not" Agatha promptly replied biting back the remainder of the statement she had in her mind.

They wouldn't go back until their mother came to.

"Why did you ask?"

"Obinna said our new uniform is going to be grey and white"

Nnamdi grew speechless as he listened to the exchange. The thought of enrolling the children to schools in his place had occurred to him, but he brushed it aside as he thought of the possibility of their mother not wanting them to stay with him.

The little girl rested her head on Agatha's chest and slept off.

Agatha turned to her husband who looked genuinely terrified.

"Nne m when we get home, she's going to be delivered"

His wife concurred with a nod

Agatha's mind wandered back to the burial, she made up her mind that she was going to visit Iheanyị where he was held.

There was something his family had against him and she was going to uncover it.

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Hello everyone!

How are we? Hope we enjoyed this chapter

What do you think Osisioma might be up to?