Anna was attending a naming ceremony, one which her husband’s family was hosting. So she was at the party greeting all the strange faces she had never seen and the people she had never met. She recognised a few faces, those of her sisters-in-laws and their drivers. They sat at the dining where her husband settled down to a plate of food. She couldn’t make out what he was eating and she was not quite sure. But her sisters-in-law were eating pounded yam and egusi soup, her husband and their respective drivers were having the same. She remembered she had earlier congratulated one of her sister-in-law for a nice shape and encouraged her to keep up the good job.
“Risi, where are you? Get us some food from the kitchen.” Anna said to her younger sister.
There were in her husband’s Aunty’s house. It was her Husband’s 80th Birthday.
Risi placed a plate of meatpie, a little cup of chin-chin and a glass of zobo.
Anna looked confused.
“I want pounded yam and egusi soup.” Anna blurted
“There is none. I was asked to give you these.” Risi said pointing at the snacks.
“How about rice?” Anna asked.
“There is none.” Risi said.
Anna marched straight up to the kitchen, it was littered with leftovers and no sign of food. She walked back to where one of her sister-in-law sat, she was licking the egusi soup off her fingers.
“Janet, where is my food?” She demanded.
“It’s on the table, didn’t your sister place it there.” Janet responded.
“No I wanted pounded yam and egusi soup.” Anna said
“It is finished, my mother said to give you that, since you live closeby.” Janet said lackadaisically.
“It is not happening again, why am I being marginalised? This is not the first time you guys are treating me this way.” Anna shouted.
“The food got finished, don’t you understand simple english.” Janet screamed back.
“Oh No, and Montana’s family and her driver all ate pounded yam. No one could even keep for me. My son is sleeping with an empty stomach when he wakes up what will he eat? And my sister should starve too. You guys have been doing this for a very long. I can’t take it anymore.” Anna vented.
“It exactly because of your big eyes and spirit of covetousness that food never gets to you.” Janet said.
“So, that’s how you guys repay my good works, abuses and nasty comments about me?” Anna said.
Tears freely rolled down her cheeks. Anna walked straight to her husband who was outside the house to complain about the situation.
Anna saw her husband at the corner listening to some men talk about the state of the nation. She smiled at the men.
“Well done Madam, your husband is a lucky man. Look at how you took care of everybody.” one of the men said.
“Thank you sir.” She said in a low tone.
“Emeka, if all women were like your wife, we won’t have any problem in this world.” The man continued.
“She is also very beautiful.” The man said.
“Erm … thank you. I need to leave now. Excuse me.” Emeka said.
“What was so important that you had to interrupt my discussions with the men?” Emeka asked
“Sweetheart, your family is at it again, they did not give me food to eat.” Anna said.
Emeka was quiet. He imagined if those men would still call him lucky, if only they knew that his wife was so petty.
Risi walked out at that same moment.
“Aunty, Greg has woken up.”
“Bring him. He must be hungry.” Anna said.
Emeka decided not to be involved in the brewing trouble. After all, food was a woman’s thing.
“So you are not taking sides, we are leaving.” Anna said.
“Gather our things.” Anna said to Risi
“This is not the first time they are treating me like trash. I won’t be taken for granted anymore.” Anna said.
“Stop being unreasonable.” Emeka said.
“So I am being unreasonable to ask for food. I came before any of your sisters. I have been helping your Aunty for the past one week in preparation for this birthday and the food she kept for me has been eaten by the very same people who did not lift a finger. Yet you call me unreasonable.” Anna vented.
“Calm down, let us discuss this when we get home.” Emeka said.
“Exactly. I am leaving now!” Anna said firmly.
“Risi can you call Janet.” Emeka said.
“Janet, where is my wife’s food and that of my son? I thought you were asked not to touch it under any circumstances?” Emeka asked
“Erm… Sister Montana came and she didn’t want to eat rice, so I gave her. You know her family is large.” Janet said.
“This is how they treated me when we attended that party, now they are doing it here again. All of them would eat and not keep anything for me. Even though I work so hard to serve every guest.” Anna said.
“Do you want me to address this or not?” Emeka asked.
Anna walked out, she walked so fast that Risi ran behind her to catch up with the speed. Anna could be so fast whenever she was angry and this usually end in one mishap or the other.
Emeka followed her, he was more concerned about her safety, he had heard rumours of robbery around the neighbourhood but he never warned her against it because he did not want to alarm her.
Their house was a walking distance from his Aunty’s house. They got to the hill top of the road, it was also a junction. He had a phone call, it was his mother. Anna could tell from his countenance. He moved farther away from them and he muttered.
“What is this I am hearing? How can you people leave before others and you live so close by?” His mother asked.
“Greg needs to eat, Anna needs to eat too.” Emeka said.
His mother was quiet, at least will you come back?” She asked.
“Yes, once they are home and safe.” Emeka said.
“Ok. Love you.” His mother said.
“Love you too mom.” He said and hung up.
That’s when she saw the robbers at the corner of the street, adjusting their black masks, all of them had it on except one. She looked past them to the man they pointed a gun at.
“That’s what you get for looking.” One of the robbers said before pulling the trigger.
She jerked. But it was happening far away, by the corner of the street. Maybe, they were actors. She thought.
Just right in front of her and Emeka, some men alighted from a car. Some wore normal clothes and one in particular was vested in the robe of a priest. They had sacks with lots of stuff in it. But no one could tell the content of the sack.
“Can you show us the nearest catholic church? We are new here and we need a catholic church.” One of them addressed Anna.
“Erm, There is one really close by.” Anna paused.
“Where is it?” The man broke the silence.
“I am not sure, walk down the street.” She waved her hands at the deserted road filled with grey houses and shrubs by the side.
“Once you get to the end of the road, ask questions.” She said.
“More questions, ok which Catholic church do you know?” The man asked.
“I know one but it is really far from here.” Anna was thinking of her church where she worshipped every Sunday.
“Why not tell them to ask someone else. You don’t know any catholic church around here.” Emeka spoke up. He suspected they were fraudster.
The men smiled at them and left. They stood by the side of a house, waiting for their next victim.
Emeka was on the phone again and it was to his mom. Anna kept on pacing but the phone call wouldn’t end.
“I am going home, you can come when you are done.” She said.
“Bye mom.” Emeka hung up.
He looked at Anna
“Its either we turn back or I will have to return, Mommy wants me to come back.”
“Look, Greg has a lot of weight, neither Risi or I have eaten, why not assist by carrying him, and once we are home you can return to your Aunty’s house. Anna said.
“Good idea.” Emeka said.
They walked briskly without saying anything to each other.
The houses were the same with the previous ones but had higher steps. They were all grey and had shrubs behind them. She was pressed, she did a detour and started urinating when she saw the robbers again, behind the next house, they wore facemasks except for one of the who had his mask off. She quietly wore her pants and tiptoed.
“There are robbers on the street, should we turn back or continue walking?” She whispered to Emeka
“Keep walking and pretend as if you did not see them” Emeka responded.
Anna beckoned Risi and whispered “Don’t look sideways. There are armed robbers.”
“I think they might trail us, let us run.” Anna said to Emeka.
They evenly distributed their bags and souvenirs.
“Who can run faster than me?” Anna said. She looked backwards for a brief moment, she saw the robbers coming after them.
She ran and Emeka carrying Greg and Risi followed suit till they got to the end of the street. It was a hilly road, so the run was pretty simple as they ran down the hill.
At the bottom of the road. They quickly turned right and ran some more till they got to their apartment. The key was bent and Anna’s hand shook as she struggled to open the door. She eventually did. And they hurriedly rushed in.
The corridor of the apartment housed the toilet and bathroom and it was difficult to tell that there were inner rooms there as the door of the bathroom was constantly left open.
“Put all the bags inside the room, they saw the bags.” She said.
At the same instant the door was shut, she heard mumbled voices at first.
Then the voices became clearer.
“You sure say na their house?” One of them asked.
“Guy leave that thing first, she see your face?” Another asked.
“If she no see your face abeg make we dey go now?” He said again.
“Shhhhhh, e be like say person dey live for here.” The first one said again.
“Abeg pull that door, na camouflage.” He said again
“wetin be camouflage?” One of them asked
“I go tell you later, we no dey English class, just pull am or comot dia make I pull am.”
Anna and Greg hid under the bed, Risi was in the wardrobe and Emeka held a cutlass. He hid behind the room door. He was ready to charge should the robbers invade their home.
The door busted open with so much noise.
“Nobody dey this house, make we go.” One of the robbers said.
“That woman too smart, I no say she see my face. I no wan go prison o!” The other said.
They were about leaving, then Emeka’s phone rang at that moment, it was his Mom.
The robbers discovered the room door.
“I will call you back Mom” Emeka whispered.
“Don’t you hang up on me.” His mom said.
“Na here the noise they come from” One of the robbers said.
Emeka held tightly to the cutlass, the door was flung open, and he charged at the first robber cutting him deeply, the blood splattered.
The second robber rushed in firing shots.
The sirens wailed loudly, perhaps it was an emergency, perhaps it was the Police.
A head rolled to under the bed.
Her son screamed, he was terrified, his eyes popped at that moment. Anna couldn’t handle the shrill, she covered her ears and waited.
“Hey, get up.” The third robber said to her
She pretended not to hear a word as she sobbed.
The pain was quite terrible, she touched her head, the blood oozed from the cut.
She groaned.
“Stand up.” The robber said again.
Anna said Emeka writhing in pain, he was in a pool of his own blood oozing from his stomach. Anna screamed.
The robber made to hit her one more time, but a voice from behind made him stop in his tracks.
“Let her be.” Their Leader said.
“That won’t stop me from killing her. She has already seen enough to put us behind bars for the rest of our lives.” The third robber said
The shrill cry from her son wouldn’t stop.
“Make him stop.” The third robber said
Anna pulled herself towards her son, and hugged him
“Shhhhh, it will be alright. Mommy’s got you.
He sobbed uncontrollably.
The sirens wailed loudly this time.
The robbers panicked. They ran as fast as they could.
Anna breathed freely, she was relieved.
She scrambled around the house, in search of the first aid box. They must have hid it because of her son. He always had a way of littering the house.
Risi was shaking, she froze in her position when she saw her brother-in-law in a pool of blood and the headless body of the robber lying on the floor. She couldn’t move and Anna had to slap some sense into her.
She screamed at the sight of Anna’s head.
“Shhhhh”
Anna washed her face in the bathroom and stared into the mirror. One side of her head was battered like mashed potatoes.
She hurriedly looked away, she cleaned the tears flowing down her face.
What the heck? I might as well cry she said to herself.
She dialled her neighbours and asked for help. She called her mother-in-law but there was no response. If she had stayed in her house as she earlier planned to, she wouldn’t have been a party to this mess she thought.
She closed her eyes momentarily and started dreaming.
She floated in her dream and could fly so high that she could touch the clouds.
She smiled and was awaken by the sound of voices.
“She is alive, I checked her pulse.” One of the person said.
“Let’s take them all to the hospital, they will love it there.” The other said.
Then she felt the touch of a cold nozzle on her face. His face was masked but she could tell it was the same robber.
“What are you smiling at?”
Lie on the floor and say your last prayers
Please don’t shoot, please
I give you whatever you want, the moment she said that she regretted her words. She clutched her dress tighter and waited.
What I want is for you to leave this house and never come back. Leave alone, without your son or sister.
