The Last Days

By Calista Charles

The last days I spent at my aunt’s house had been hell on earth, every day I worked tirelessly like a wretched slave who had no other choice in life other than to oblige his master’s commands.

“Tony, have you washed my underwear?” She barked from the kitchen as I came into her room to pick up the clothes in the laundry basket. I grimaced as I caught sight of her dirty underwear squeezed up and rolled in one of her shirts. She was a very dirty and careless woman who only cared about her looks.

“Ma…” I grumbled as I took out the basket. She was frying plantain in the kitchen while her son Barry played around the kitchen eating the fried delicacy.

“It’s like your ear is paining you right?  She barked advancing towards my direction with the spatula she was making use of, ” Don’t let me hit you with this spoon, check that basket well, I dropped them there. And make sure you wash them properly ”

I nodded as I left  her presence “OK ma”

“Barry, get yourself on the chair!”  She commanded and the poor kid ran to get a seat. That was Cynthia, she was always bossy no wonder her husband spends more time at work than with her. He always works overtime and barely sleeps in the house on Sundays- he was always on one business trip or the other.

I sat outside the flat on a low stool washing her clothes, she preferred to have her son and husband’s clothes dry cleaned but I still wonder why she orders me to wash her’s. I always felt awkward while doing it and wondered if she felt any guilt or shame. This was not my only misery here,  I also had a big issue I have always battled with.

“Tony, please bring me my towel from the room” she called out to me from the bathroom, I was done with laundry and was now eating my breakfast with Barry in the sitting room. I felt disgusted each time she did this but what could I do? I went to her room and found it lying on the bed, I got it and hurried to her. I knocked on the door and tried slipping it through the door but she had the door ajar. I looked shyly at my feet and handed her the towel.

“And what do you think you are doing? Will you get in here at once!  She ordered. I had had my fill of this treatment and dared to speak up for once even though I knew it would not end well.

“But aunty I’m not supposed to be here..”

“Eh! What did you just say?” She cut in and I wished I had said nothing but something inside me kept persisting.

” You’re my aunty!”

Before I could say, Jack! A thunderous slap landed on my innocent face.

“Who are you to talk back at me?  I want you in the shower with me and that’s what you’re going to do!“

She dragged me inside and closed the door behind us. I stood there so ashamed and bitter.

“Scrub my back!  Hey gently before I kill you with my bare hands!”

I reluctantly picked up her sponge and did what she asked, just then I began to sob. How life could be so cruel to the vulnerable,  if only my mother could help the situation, I wouldn’t be going through all this. I left the village to attend my secondary school in Lagos, but obviously, that didn’t happen!

I have never seen the gates of any school not to mention attending one, the only time I went to school was when I had to pick Barry from the school. The poor boy was not getting the motherly attention kids his age use to get,  he was scared of his mother because she could barely tolerate the sight of him. She was always barking orders and abuses on him. One day when we returned from school, I undressed him and changed him into his home wear and left to wash his uniform. He approached her as she was sitting on the couch with legs crossed, chewing gum and chatting on her phone.

“Good afternoon mummy” he greeted trying to sit beside her.

” Ahem, please shift a little bit before you will stain my clothes, go and get your food from Tony!

Barry adjusted his sitting position, stretched his legs on the couch and placed his hands on them.

“Mummy,  my teacher taught us about the family,

“OK, so what is it?”

“She said the Father and the mother should spend time with their children”

“Yes I know, Barry, go and get your lunch!”

“No mummy, why don’t you and daddy spend time with me?”

She dropped her phone on the couch and uncrossed her legs

“Shut up! You little bastard, what do you know, get out from my presence!!”  She thundered.

But he only stood up and kept starring at her with his tear-filled eyes.

“Mummy, why do you hate me?” He said.

“So you now have the guts to talk back at me? Are you crazy?” “Yes! If your daddy hates me, I hate you too!! Nonsense!”

He broke into tears and ran into his room. I could hear them from where I sat washing. I felt for the little kid but I still had myself to save.

That evening Barry refused to eat his dinner and she kept a stern gaze on him.

“What is wrong with you Barry?” “Eat your food now or I break this glass on your head!”

But he didn’t budge, instead, he stood up and was about to go when she grabbed him.

“Young man where do you think you are going to?”

“Mummy I hate you!”

She could not contain her anger and she slapped him so hard that he fell to the floor. I nearly cried for him, he was too young for this. This was child abuse as my primary school teacher always taught us.  But who would speak for us?

She grabbed a plaited wire and threatened to beat him up if he didn’t eat so he ate and sobbed bitterly.  After dinner, Barry went into his room and locked the door. I went to the kitchen to wash the dishes, after which I took my bath and went to sleep. I had quite dozed off when I felt something crawling on my body, It was ticklish and I forcefully sprang up at the thought of having a snake crawl over me.  Indeed it was a snake,  a human snake.

“Aunty what are you doing here?”  I questioned in fear.

” What do you mean?  Who are you to tell me where to stay in my own house?”  She asked angrily, I felt like a chicken in front of a lion, but what she was attempting to do was ungodly, morally unacceptable, it was abuse, molestation. I couldn’t stand it, I threatened to hit her with a bar beside my bed. Before we heard someone open the main door.

Her husband had returned home with another woman, they were giggling and laughing together probably drunk. She rushed out to meet them,

“Cynthy, meet my new wife Linda. She will be staying with us from now on.”

“And I’m three weeks pregnant!”  Linda announced happily. My aunt flew at her with rage and began to blow her, her husband pushed her away and dragged his mistress up.  I stood at the door watching. Just then something we never expected happened and shook everyone to their bones. Barry rushed out in tears with a bottle in his hand, everyone froze for a moment.

” I hate you mum, I hate you dad. You want me to leave your lives, I will.”

Before anyone could act, he gulped down the full content of the bottle which we later realized was “SNIPPER”

“Barry!” Everyone echoed but too late, the poor kid was gone.

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