Uloma was relaxing on her bed, reading her favourite novel. She heard a beep from the phone and discovered that her Mum was trying to reach her. She quickly took the phone and placed it on her ear.

“Hello, Mum.”

“Hello, Uloma how are you?”

“I’m fine Mum.”

“I want to see you tomorrow. Make sure that you come and see me,” she instructed.

“Mummy please, I won’t be chanced tomorrow. Can we fix the meeting for the next week end,” Uloma pleaded.

“No. Uloma, if I am  truly your mother, then you must come and see me,” She commanded

“Mum I hope that there is no problem? Are you fine,” Uloma asked.

“That question should be directed to you. So I don’t have the right to demand to see my daughter. Must I be sick or in an unfavourable situation before I will demand to see you,” She asked in anger.

“No Mum. It doesn’t have to be so. I’m just curious to know what is going on. What of my daddy?”

“Your father is fine. Infact, he want to see you.”

“Really? Mum are you sure that my father is fine”

“What is wrong with this girl? Why are you always having bad thoughts. This wicked heart is what kept you in the situation you are today.” She blasted Uloma.

The last word hit Uloma like a bullet. She was quiet for some minutes.

“Hello, are you there? ” Her mother asked.

Uloma kept mute.

“Uloma!”

“Yes mum.”

“So it has gotten to the point that I would be talking and you will ignore me,” She said in anger.

“Mum, I am not ignoring you. Please can I talk to my dad?”

“You cannot talk to him. If you want to see him. Come back home. Come home very early in the morning. Or else whatever you see, you take,” She concluded and dropped the call.

Sudden fear enveloped Uloma. She quickly started dialling her dad’s phone number but it was switched off.

“God please, preserve my father for me,” she cried.

“What is the matter” Itohan, her roommate asked. She had tried to pretend as if she didn’t hear the discussion that Uloma was having on phone because it was a family matter. But the last sentence caught her attention.

“I.T it’s about my daddy,” Uloma explained.

“What is happening to your daddy?”

“I don’t know. But my mum called on phone requesting that I must come home tomorrow.

“She insisted that I must come because my father wants to see me. I pray that God will preserve my father. ” Uloma broke down in tears.

“You know that I hate seeing you in this condition. Please wipe your tears. No evil will befall your father,” Itohan prayed.

“Amen! That’s my prayer. The little fresh air I’m breathing in that house is because of my father.”

“Don’t worry no evil will befall him. Did you see any negative sign?” Itohan asked

“No, nothing of such. That is why I am confused.”

“Don’t bother yourself. Nothing happened to him. May be your mother just want to see.”

“I hope so . But if truly this is what it is, the joke is an expensive one.”

“You trust your mum. She can pull such prank. Just relax,” Itohan advised.

“I am trying hard to. I.T please, I have a question and I want you to answer me sincerely.”

“It’s okay. What is the question?”

“I’m I a bad person?”

“No you are not. Why do you ask,” Itohan requested to know.

“My Mum just told me that it’s my wicked heart that kept me in the condition I am,” Uloma explained in tears.

“What! Don’t be offended. Actually I have been trying very hard to keep off your family matter so that I would not offend you. But at this juncture, I have to say what is in my mind. Are you sure that the woman you call mother is truly your mother?”

“Yes, she is my mother.” Uloma told her.

“I don’t think so . Try and make inquiries. You might be surprised at what you might find out. No mother treats her daughter the way she treats you? ”

“Is that what you think?”

“My dear, I am not just thinking. I have my facts. I remember the day she came visiting with your younger sister. She slapped your face just because you asked a question. What mother slaps a daughter that is over 30 years of age for no just cause? Answer me.”

Uloma kept mute.

“You remembered the programme we had in church that we were asked to tie red George. You travelled to see your mum that weekend, you begged her to give you her wrapper but she refused.”

Uloma suddenly looked up in surprise.

“Are you surprised that I knew. Though you refused to tell me what happened? I joined one to one to get my answer. When you were going , you told me that you will get wrapper from your mum. But when you came back, you started talking of buying a red George. That was when I knew that she refused to give you. This is a woman you always buy wrappers for, from your meagre income.”

“I never knew you understood. I was so ashamed to talk about it,” Uloma said in tears.

“Of course, who will not be ashamed to talk about such. You were trying to protect a woman you call mother. Every good child will do that. But a mother does not do to her child what she does to you. Which mother embarrasses her grown up daughter the way your mother does to you. Mothers are their daughters confidant. But you confides in your father instead of her. You are trying to convince me that she is your mother. You are joking,” Itohan said firmly.

“Hmmm! I.T you have seen my life” Uloma lamented. I don’t know what to do.

“The first thing is to make inquiries to know if she is truly your mother. Other things follows suit.”

“I.T she is my mother. That woman once treats me well. She doesn’t allow flies to perch on me. She was so proud of me, shows me off as her priceless jewel. Things were moving fine until one day. That fateful day….”

Tears could not allow Uloma to complete her statement. IT tries to comfort her.

“Please, it’s okay. I don’t like seeing you in this situation. That was why I purposely decide to keep away from your family matter. It’s just that things are getting out of hand. Every day you are praying that God should touch your mother. Yet nothing positive is happening. It breaks my heart. But then, you have to be strong.”

“My dear, I am trying hard to be strong. It’s just that once in a while, I break down. Whenever I remember the good moments I shared with my mother, I wish that it had lasted forever.But alas, it was so short. The only thing that can deliver me from my mother is God. I pray that he visits me soon.”

“Please exactly did you say caused problem between you and your  mother. I am eager to know,” Itohan asked.

“The entire problems started on a Saturday afternoon.”

Watch out for the next episode