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°° Prologue °°

Unedited

"Your Ma'ale don die oh" A lady informed Osas in the most inconsiderate manner anyone has ever heard , she could hear her chewing gum loudly from the other end of the phone.

Imade doesn't call without chewing gum, what amazed her was that it was just past six in the morning.
Maybe it was a form of inspiration cause gossiping has always been her forte!

Shock like electricity ran through her down her spine on hearing the news. It was only twenty five minutes past six, couldn't she have waited till day time before breaking such a news?

It definitely wasn't the way she hoped to start the day. She wasn't sure how to react to the news. Should she cry over it or not, for all knew, her mother has not been part of her life for 19 years, not since she gave her out at the age of 12.

Osas kept mute while her eyes became heavy with the tears.

"Osas na airtime I dey use oh, not be bonus! You no talk anything, abi you dey hear me so? I say you Ma'ale don pkai! (Died), she don delete commot for this world so meet Baba God but I doubt if she go make that heaven!"

"I being hear you, I just.... i dey find how I go take react to the news."

"How you wan react again? You wan cry before?"

"How she take die?"

"Mehn, i hear say she being one go another round again oh. For where she dey push the pikin come out, na there she die, them say the baby even hang for her Toto sef. The head don come out already but base on say she no get strength and she being dey do am alone ehn, na there she die. Even before them carry her go hospital. You understand?"

It began to rain tears as her cheeks became wet with tears. "Yes.... I...." "Wait, you dey cry? I no even know why I dey tell you oh, I no say that woman no deserve your love, she no deserve make you even show for her burial but I just decide say make I tell you cause whether the woman try about she no try, na still your Mama she be"

"Thank you Imade, you do well" she wiped her tears. "E no go bad if you send me recharge like 200 naira own. No be bonus I use call ehn, no vex" she requested, making a loud sound with the gum.

"I hear"

"No cry oh. Bye bye now" "Bye bye" she replied back and Imade hung up.

She immediately busted into silent sobs, now covering her lips so not to wake her roommate whom they share the same room and bed. Omo, disturbed by the sobbing, turned her head at Osas. "Wetin happen this morning wey you no wan allow person sleep in peace?"

"Imade just call"

"Eh en?"

"Mama don die" she spoilt her lips and Omo scoffed, "Na why you carry your face like shit wey trailer marsh? You well so? Them say your Mama die, you sit down here dey cry. Na the champagne wey you supposed to pop be that?"

"Haba!"

"Haba? Na Mama them dey call that Kain person? Woman wey abandon you! Osas, I dey advise you as friend, no cry make I hear you, she doesn't deserve your tears!"

Osas continued sobbing and Omo let out an exasperated sigh. "I swear to God, if I hear you cry again, I go slap you, you go travel go meet her" she laid in bed but Osas continued sobbing knowing Omo's threat were just empty threats.
Omo covered her ears with her palm, afterwards she sat up letting out a loud and dragged hiss then she walked out of the room.

25 years ago

February 1995

"I no get food chop, Uyi, things hard for me." 29 years old Ese explain to her 24 years old sister who came all the way from Lagos to Benin in order to pay her a visit.

Uyi scoffed restraining herself from batting her eyes arrogantly at her sister, her complains were beginning to annoy her!

"Things hard naim you dey born children dey go. How many you get now? Three, only you one, you never fit feed Osas, na Edosa or Uwa you go fit feed. You still get another belle on top!" She snapped looking at her belly bump.

Ese cried, "No be my fault" "Couldn't you have made some concoction to stop you from giving birth? Where him dey now?" "I think say him go stay but as you see...." She shrugged.

"I no fit find person sef, no man go like cater for other people children."

"What about your occupation?" She asked, Ese was a traditional mid wife. "No be only when person wan born them go come? If I no get customer, I go con starve with my children?"

"What do you want from me now? How much do you think i earn in Lagos? How much do you think the adoption agency pay? I have tried and I'm only your little sister. Sister, you should be the one taking care of me"

"No use big English scatter my head, assuming Mama being move me go Lagos too, I for Sabi speak pass you. No make me feel useless pass as I feel"

Uyi suddenly felt guilty for her utterance" Have you asked Veronica and her husband in Abuja?" He asked about one their Aunt and Ese shook her head.

"I no ask for money again. I want your favor"

"What do you want?"

"I want sell my children, you fit help me?"

"Osalobua... (My God) Sister Ese! God forbid! E never reach that level now"

"E don reach. That una adoption agent" "Agency" "You fit give my children out, tell them say their Mama don die. Abeg help me give them to all these rich people wey dey find children before them die for my hand because of hunger. Na beg I dey beg you" She knelt down before her sister and Uyi cried looking away.

"Abeg"

May 1995

Edo state

Uyi arrived dressed in a cream colored guinea gown. Immediately the children noticed her they all to hug her. Ese got out flashing a smile at her.

She handed them chin chin and bread and they all went into the house leaving the both of them outside.

"I have good news on that issue we discussed about. I don't know if we can call it good news but it's a breakthrough"

"There are people that wants the children. Desperate parents; them ready to pay good money" she opened her bag revealing some money.

"Osalo....." She trailed off then she covered her mouth, "They are really rich and they are willing to pay handsomely" "That Kain money, so them give you money, na so them take trust you"

"They do."

"Dem never balance me, but I go give you your share for the money"

"Sure say no be ritualist them be?"

"No! It's something we call a closed adoption, you'll have no connection with them that's why they are willing to pay so much" she explained and Ese exhaled.

"So I no fit ever see them or visit?"

"No. You won't even know their address"

"Them go gree collect my baby join?"

"You want sell your baby too? He still needs breast milk"

"I no want am, na only Osas you go leave for me"

"Why?"

"No just carry her go, if she go now, she go die"

"Why? Na your vision again?"

"I don see am happen already. My pikin no go last ten days for Lagos. No be time for her to go yet"

Uyi shut her eyes, "What am I supposed to do? One of the client requested a child six years above. Osas is six" "If you believe in the gift wey I get, you no go still dey repeat that thing wey you talk"

"Okay... Whatever you say. You said it's not yet time for Osas to go Lagos yet, does that mean, she'll definitely go"

"Yes"

"When?"

Ese shrugged, "I no know. Promise me say my children go dey okay"

"I promise. They'll be okay"

Uyi held a man by his hands then he looked around to make sure there was no one around to listen in to their conversation. "Mathias, I need something from you" "You go accept my proposal to marry you?"

"No!" She winced in irritation, "We no get business together now" he attempted to turn back but she held him back. "Come on Mathias, I really need your help and I'll pay you. If you claim you love me as you profess, you'll help me"

Mathias hissed, "All this emotional blackmail ehn, okay, wetin you want?" "I want to take my sister's children to Lagos and I'll need you to play their father so no one suspects me of kidnap or anything"

"Wetin you want carry them go do?" He asked and she hesitated. "Personal business"

"Ese wan give her children out?"

Uyi raised her brow up and Mathias scoffed, "How you take know?" "You work for an adoption agency shey?" He asked and she bit her fingers already getting nervous.

"Can you keep this a secret?"

"Na small town we dey, people go still talk. Why do you need me? The children knows you now"

"The baby.... I don't want people suspecting me when he cries"

"Have, Who go give am breast?"

"That's why I need you. Please help me out, please"

"To give am breast?" He asked, he was intentionally aiming to make her laugh and he succeeded. Uyi rolled her eyes afterwards, "You know what I mean Mathias, with a husband, I can scale through that journey, without one, I might even get arrested"

The next day

5:45 in the evening, Osas went outside in search of her siblings. Then she returned back into the house to find her mother rubbing her forehead, she was nursing a headache. "Mama, shey you say dem go come back this night, where dem dey?"

"Them travel" she opened up and Osas hesitated now folding her hands. "Why you con lie?" She asked and her mother shot a glare at her.

"Them travel go Lagos"

"Why?"

"For better life"

"Why I no follow them?"

"No ask me stupid question abeg! Headache dey worry me, no add your own join" "When dem go come back?"

"I no know" her mother answered in tears then she licked the tears that had rolled to her upper lips. "I no know" she repeated.

Six years later

2001

Twelve years old Osas sat down in a bus with her mother, she had no idea where they were heading to she blindly followed her her. "Mama, where we dey go?" "We go still reach" Her mother answered, the same answer she has been giving since they left the house.

The response was beginning to annoy her but she didn't let it show. Her mind wandered back a hour ago while her mother arranged her clothes in the popular 'ghana-must-go' bag.

Her mother had packed her clothes but did she even pack hers? This made her grow suspicious and uncomfortable with the journey.

She squinted her brow in worry.

"Wetin dey make you worry?"

Osas shook her head, "Nothing" "Osas, you no say you don grow shey?" Her mother asked and she shrugged not sure how to react to the topic. Why will her Mom begin a conversation with that?

She has never seen herself as being grown up. She only just started growing breasts, she was even yet to see her period.

"Whatever you do for this life, dey wise. Do good, your future go bright, I hope say you know"

"You dey carry me go sell? Everybody dey say you don't sell all your children finish."

Ese cried, "I care about my children very well and I no want see them suffer na why I dey make some decisions" "Why you dey tell me all this?" She asked and her mother kept quiet now wiping her tears off using the Ankara top she had on.

"Why you dey cry now? You con dey fear me sef. Mama I no want make you sell me, I fit still help you for house, I no mind the hunger, we go endure am together, you hear?" She asked now wiping her mother's tears and Ese pushed her hands away now looking out the window.

From her house to Ologbo community was about two hours drive. They took a motorcycle to a house, Ese dropped down and Osas got down too dropping her bag on the ground. "Mama Loveth supposed dey inside, I don tell her say I go come drop you"

"Drop who? No drop me oh?"

"Na for your sake. Mama Loveth go take care of you, give you education wey I no fit give you" She replied and Osas shook her head crying, "I no want, the only thing I care about na my Mama"

"Okay" Ese exhaled, "Go carry your bag make we go" she demanded and Osas turned her back.

Her mother jumped back on the bike, tapped the bike man to drive off and he did. "Mama!" Osas exclaimed clutching the bag tightly to her body as it was beginning to look like a bad dream to her.

Her mother was leaving her for real!

"Mama!" Osas dropped the bag then she ran after the bike man all to no avail. She sat on the sandy ground in tears when she turned back at a woman who she didn't recognize now staring at her with her hands akimbo on her waist.

"If you don't finish your cry finish, you go stand up cause work dey to do!"

Now

"Hello!!" A girl yelled waving at Osas face and she immediately blinked her eyes snapping out of the flash back of when her mother left her.

"Hey" she replied waving at the girl too. "No vex, wetin you want?"

"I was actually hoping to talk to the pharmacist"

"Oh the chemist? Him no dey around"

"I guess I'll come back"

"No. Make I handle am"

"How? You haven't even spoken a single English since I started a conversation with you. How will you handle my situation?"

Osas' heart broke on hearing the young lady say that to her. "I ...." She trailed off, thinking her words through. "I can handle it. I no dey too get joy when I dey speak make people no laugh me when I make mistake but I understand things. Just let me know the problem in hand, I will try to handle it. Just trust me"

"I've been having this itch in my...." She trailed off then she lowered her voice. "My private parts, when I pee, it's like blood and my discharge are kind of I don't know how to explain it, it smells too"

"Like rotten fish?"

"Yes"

"How well you dey use condom?"

The girl rolled her eyes, "Barely. Is it gonorhea? People are saying it's gono but my partner doesn't have it, how come I do and I don't keep multiple partners" "Well you can't say he doesn't have, unless he perform the test"

"Melvin won't do it"

Osas noticed a young lady, that seemed to be about the age of twenty enter into the pharmacy with a guy who seemed to be her boyfriend.

They both had worried looks on their faces, she wanted leaving but the guy kept on dragging her back in.

"Forget it Paul, I'm not doing it!" She snapped leaving, "Faith!" He called out chasing after the young girl.

Osas' finally took her eyes off the both of them now staring at the customer in front of her. "I fit prepare one native concoction for you. You no have to pay, just give me one thousand naira for the leaves that I will buy for you. Shey you get?"

The young lady hesistated, not sure whether to trust the traditional method or stick with drugs. "Nah, I don't want to die young. How am I supposed to know what you're mixing? I'm sorry I'll pass on that"

"Okay...." She trailed off, "You will have to take flagyl and amoxicillin and have you heard of gynamead?" She asked and the girl gave a nod. "Is it just that? Are you sure you know what you're saying?"

Osas exhaled, she hates when people have doubts about her capabilities especially because of her inability to speak proper English.

"If my boss were here or was here, he would have give you something that is expensive but I dey beg you make you just believe me. If e no work, I will return your money back"

The young woman smiled taken by her faith, "Let me give you the benefit of the doubt then"

A week later

There was a knock on the door and Osas opened up seeing a boy about fifteen years old. "Good afternoon" he greeted and she wondered who the boy was, "You lost?" She asked, "Who you dey find?"

"This is sister Osas address shey?"

"Yes and this is Sister Osas, na she you dey talk to. Who you be, who send you come?" She asked and he exhaled. "My name is Osaretin, I'm your brother" he announced and Osas opened her mouth in shock.
How? When? The only brother she had was Abelief before he was taken away.

Mama for still get mind born another pikin again?

She had a lot of questions in mind, she only shut her eyes then opened it afterwards then she opened the door letting him in.

What do you think of the prologue?😁

Quite emotional right? 😫

What's your thought on Osas and her mother?

There's this controversial notion that if a woman can't take care of her children, it's preferable for her to give them away, do you think her decision to sell the children was a wise one? 🤔

If such happens, can one forgive the mother easily?

Let me know! 😃

Vote and Comment!