EAGLE FROM THE RUBBLE: CHAPTER 7

geniusvic (54)in #story • 7 years ago (edited)

Euna and her children had been at Nkwoma for three weeks. Her sisters married elsewhere, brothers living abroad all came home to see her and her children during this period. They contributed among themselves and offered Euna a cash gift to enable her begin a trade. Her most senior sister, Joy offered to take Oyibo with her to Ibadan to continue her education there. Euna was reluctant to agree to this while Oyibo was very happy about the development. But later Euna prevailed on her sister, Joy and it was agreed that Oyibo would join her after her primary education which was almost getting to an end. Of all Mama Vicky's six children, Joy was the closest to her, Joy was the one that she always confided in and sought advice from when in doubt or worried. Therefore, she narrated to Joy everything that transpired between her and Euna at Nneri. She also told her about Euna's behaviour towards Nwamaka. They discussed this at length and Mama Vicky told Joy of her intention to keep Nwamaka with her permanently at Nkwoma. Joy was against this and tried to dissuade her. She argued that considering that the baby was still too young to be weaned and judging from the fact that Mama Vicky was advancing in age, it might be a lot of trouble for her. They spent some hours talking inside Mama Vicky's bedroom.

Suddenly, they heard Nwamaka wailing as if she had fallen. Both women rushed out to behold the sight of Nwamaka who had been tossed into bed by her mother, and Euna who stood above her screaming at her at the top of her voice.

"Stop wailing you fool. Why do you keep crying? Must you continue to torment me every moment of your life?" she shouted at her.

"Euna have you gone mad? Are you out of your mind?" Joy asked, enraged while Mama Vicky picked Nwamaka up.

"See what I was telling you?" Mama Vicky said to her daughter, Joy.

"What were you telling her? So you have been making me a topic for discussion?" Euna queried angrily. In anger, Joy advanced towards her.

"Please my daughter, I don't want people outside to come in here to restrain you two. Just let her be," Mama Vicky pleaded with Joy while holding Nwamaka in her arms.

"Don't restrain her, let her come and fight. Didn't you know that I merely tolerated everything you and Ezekwe and his family did to me back at Nneri. I tolerated it just to save face, but now; I don't care what happens anymore. Let anyone of you come closer and she will know the stuff I am really made of," Euna shouted at them.

"Shame on you. You are a disgrace to this family. If I were you, I would have hidden my face in shame. You should be really ashamed of your actions," Mama Vicky said while Joy stood watching her, boiling with rage.

"Why should I be ashamed? Was I caught stealing, committing adultery or any other abominable act? Tell me why I should be ashamed," Euna shouted.

"If you had been caught stealing or committing adultery it would have been better than what you are doing." Joy replied.

"What am I doing?"

Neither Joy nor Mama Vicky answered back as she went on reeling off a barrage of complaints against everyone. All this commotion frightened Nwamaka and she wailed even louder. Mama Vicky held her closely and tried to soothe her. She took her out of the room and sat down outside. She started singing a lullaby ignoring Euna and her outburst.

Nwamaka stopped wailing and listened, staring intently into Mama Vicky's face. When the lullaby ended and Mama Vicky stopped singing, smiling at her, she started wailing again with added frenzy. Mama Vicky started singing again. She sang one lullaby after another and before long, Nwamaka was sound asleep. Mama Vicky took her into her own bedroom. She laid her down gently on one side of the bed and sat down on the other end starring at the sleeping baby. She was startled when two drops of tears fell on to her cheeks. She had not realised she was crying, she did not also notice when her daughter, Joy came in and sat down beside her.

"Mama, please don't cry. Everything will be alright. I am sure she is behaving this way due to her condition. Remember, she has just lost her husband. Maybe we are expecting too much from her and it is wearing her down. Things will work out well in the end," she said, wiping Mama Vicky's tears.

Mama Vicky nodded without conviction.
"My daughter, I agree to everything you have said but one thing I cannot do is to allow her go back to Nneri with this child. The baby might die out of neglect and I will never forgive myself if that happens. Based on that, I have made up my mind to keep this child here until she is old enough to survive the harsh realities awaiting her," she concluded. More tears was flowing down her face. Joy was also moved to tears.

"Okay, I agree, if that will make you happy. My only concern is that the baby is not yet weaned. How are you going to manage that?" Joy asked.

"Some babies become motherless immediately after birth or few months after and yet they survive. if Euna breastfeeds her grudgingly, it is as good as her not being breastfed at all. We are even lucky she is not a sickly child; she would have been worse off. This is because when a woman breastfeeds her baby, what the baby is taking is not only the physical breast milk but her mother's whole essence and I think it would be better to have her off Euna's breast to avoid further regrets," she resolved firmly.

"I am only worrying about how you will cope with this. You are no longer as young as you used to be, and it might prove difficult for you," she reminded her.

"No, love covers everything. I love my grandchild and this is the only protection I need against every other evil," she replied.

"Alright," Joy replied shrugging her shoulders.
"When I get back to Ibadan, I will send you some money and some baby food. I will also be visiting regularly to see how you are getting on."

"Thanks for your support. Later, I will talk to Euna about my decision. I will also get Obichi to stay here and continue her schooling in order to help out in baby sitting her." Mama Vicky said.

"That's a good idea too," she agreed.

That evening after supper, Mama Vicky made sure that all the children were sound asleep. Then she went into Euna's room, accompanied by her daughter, Joy. She had insisted on being present when the matter would be discussed. Euna was already in bed. She became visibly upset when the duo entered her room. Since after the incident of that afternoon, she had been moody and refused talking to either of them. She had not equally bothered about the whereabouts of her baby.
Mama Vicky and her daughter, Joy took seats. Joy occupied the only available seat in the room while Mama Vicky sat on the edge of the bed Euna was lying on. Euna sat up too, ready for whatever might be cooking. She eyed them suspiciously.

"Euna, my child, two good heads they say are better than one. Your sister and I have been conferring together, trying to find a way of helping you ease off the emotional burden you have been struggling with since the death of my in-law, Chikezie." Mama Vicky paused, stole a glance at Joy who nodded in support.She turned to Euna who was supporting her head with her hand, a fixed stare on the floor. "We know you are passing through a very difficult time, catering for all your kids all alone, including the new baby. So, we have decided that in order to help you get back on your feet, it might be better for you to let me keep Nwamaka with me while you go back to Nneri with her sisters. I will keep her till you are strong enough to take care of her. Is that well with you?" she asked. She waited and watched Euna's reaction.

The most impulsive reaction was to blurt out 'You can have her for keeps' but she checked her tongue and rather pretended to be weighing the matter in her mind. After a while she turned to her mother.

"How would you manage that? I mean, she is still too young for you" she ventured.

"Don't worry about that, I have a way with babies and they love me greatly. What will happen is that you will leave Obichi with me so that when I am not around, she can baby sit her. Go back with Oyibo, Nkechi and Natachi while Obichi and Nwamaka remain here at Nkwoma for the meantime," Mama Vicky replied.

Euna could not contain her joy at this new development and she hugged her mother happily.
"Oh, Mama, I don't know what I would have done without you. Sister Joy, I am really grateful for this help. God will reward the both of you," she said shedding tears of joy.

"But first of all, we will all go back to Nneri, you and I and the children and obtain Ezekwe's permission. Then I will return with Obichi and Nwamaka" Mama Vicky said.

Euna reacted sharply. She flared up.
"Do we need Ezekwe's permission for this? What has it got to do with him?" she asked in annoyance.

"My sister, calm down. In the traditional Igbo society, Ezekwe has the final say in anything concerning you and your children since his brother is no longer alive. In fact, were it in the olden days before the emergence of Christianity, he would have inherited you. Even in the present age and times, you are still his responsibility. Before any major decision is taken concerning you or your children, he has to sanction it. So Mama is right in what she said." Joy told her.

Euna grudgingly agreed and from then on till the end of her stay at Nkwoma, she manifested a lively spirit. She became happy once again and seemed to have forgotten already the pain of widowhood. But one issue which she avoided and treated as if it did not exist was that of Nwamaka. She stopped breastfeeding her entirely and never bothered to know where she was or what became of her. To her, Nwamaka was non-existent. Therefore, from the age of three months, Nwamaka became entirely her grandmother's concern while Euna returned home with her other children.