Infallible Detective
©️ Nzubechi Queen Ozabor
Part 4

The next day was when I was to go to my aunty’s place to resume the training. As I was preparing to go,I picked just few clothes but my mum urged me to take more.

“I hope you have packed all your clothes, especially the new ones I bought for you and the new shoes?”

“Mum I didn’t take the new ones o,” I told her.

“Look at this girl. Why won’t you take the new ones. Do you want my sister to say that I have not been taking good care of you?”

“Ha! mummy you know that she cannot say that.”

“Even if she cannot say that, you need to be dressing well. Ifeoma; her daughter dresses so well. I don’t want her to outsmart you in dressing? They will be calling you mgbeke.”

I laughed.

“No problem, I will go with the clothes,” I assured her.

“Most importantly, you will wear one of the new clothes and shoes now. I want people to be admiring you as we are going,” mummy told me.

“Mummy are you going with me?” I asked in wonder.

“Yes. I need to see the place you are doing the training to confirm that it is of standard like my sister said. Another is that we still have to make payment. I need to get first hand information concerning everything so that I can tell your father.”

“Mummy you right. God bless you for everything you’ve been doing for me . You will live long to reap the fruit of your labour on me.”

“Amen! God bless you too my child,” mummy responded.

Ejike quickly went in to have his bathe. Afterwards, he dressed up and sat in the living room.

“Ejike, it’s like you have an occasion to attend?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Not really. I heard when mummy was talking of having a first hand information about the place you want to do the training. I felt that I should join too. You know that two is better than one. If am there too, we will access the place better.”

“Ejike please , I don’t have money for your transportation fare,” Mummy told him.

“Don’t worry mummy. I have the money to pay my transportation fare,” Ejike informed her.

“Ejike! Ejike!! Ejike!!! How many times did I call you. I never planned any journey with you.”

“Mummy what is my offence?”Ejike asked.

“Your offence is that you are jobless. Your mates are hustling to Make some money during this holiday so that they can assist themselves when school resumes. You are busy gallivanting. Can’t you save that money, and use it to buy handout when school resumes?”

“Mummy please, allow him to go with us?” I pleaded.

“No I don’t need Ejike’s company” she insisted.

“Mummy, I must go with you o ,if not my sister is not going anywhere.,” Ejike declared.

“Who are you threatening Ejike . Is it the daughter of Okeosisi that you are threatening. You are playing with fire,” Mummy warned him.

She searched her bag, brought out a bunch of keys and threw it to Ejike, “Take this key, go and open my shop so that you can attend to my customers.”

“Mummy why are you doing this now?”
Ejike murmured in anger.

“Now listen, none of my goods should miss. Keep my money intact too. Atleast the shop will keep you busy so that you will not be thinking of embarking on a journey that you are not invited for.”

When we arrived at my aunty’s place, she was so happy to see us. Ifeoma her daughter was so happy too. But I noticed that Ifeoma’s mum was not comfortable with her getting close to me.

As my mum and her sister was chatting in the living room Ifeoma attempted to take me to the room.

“Ifeoma what is your problem? Leave her alone to rest,” my aunt shouted at her daughter.

“Mum I just wanted her to be with me. What is wrong with it,”Ifeoma asked.

“Every thing is wrong with it. Stay away from her , so that you don’t teach her your bad ways,” my aunty told her.

“What bad ways could Ifeoma possibly teach me,” I taught to myself.

Ifeoma was using her eyes to talk to me. She was trying to pass an information to me but I couldn’t understand. I decided to go to the rest room so that I could have chance to talk with her.

“Please ma, I went to use the rest room ” I told my aunty.

“Come let me show you the place” Ifeoma said and quickly got up.

“Ifeoma! So Uloma does not know where the rest room is. Don’t allow busy body to put you in trouble,” Her mother cauntioned.

“Please leave her. She is just excited to to see her cousin” My mum told her.

“My sister leave that thing. Ifeoma is on a mission. What she want to achieved is what I don’t know. I sent Ifeoma on an errand but she refused to go. Ifeoma is growing wings.”

“Ha! Ifeoma why would you do that?”My mother asked in wonder.

“Aunty, my mother want to send me out of the house. I don’t know her reason. She said I should go and visit my sister to know how she was doing, I told her that I have talked with my sister on phone. She is fine. My mum is still insisting that I must go. ” Ifeoma told my mum.

The two sisters looked at themselves and kept quiet. Then my aunty asked.

“Have you told Uloma what she is here for?” My aunty asked.

My mum kept quiet. I thought she wanted me to talk to my aunty.

“Yes ma. She has told me everything. I am ready for the training.”

“Which training, please?” My aunt asked.

“The sewing training, “my mother quickly answered ” while using her eyes to communicate with my aunty”

“Okay….” she said as if she suddenly remembered.

“Aunty, what was wrong with your eyes,” Ifeoma asked my mother.

“Nothing is wrong with my eyes.” My mother answered.

“The time you were talking with my mother, you were blinking your eyes. I thought that something entered your eyes,” Ifeoma insisted.

“Ifeoma, get out of here ,” Her mother commanded. She quickly obeyed.

Sound of car was heard outside the house. My mum and her sister stepped outside. I and Ifeoma joined them too.

An old man of about 60 to 65 years stepped out of one of the 2 cars. Other 2 middle aged men also stepped out, while the drivers remained inside the cars.
The cars were so beautiful that I really admired it.

My Mum and her sister were greeting the old man and was calling him in-law. While the other 2 men were packing gifts inside the house. I thought that the old man was a husband to one of my mother’s relation.

When we finally got inside, my mum told me to greet the old man. I don’t understand why she was asking me to greet him again. We have all greeted him outside. But I have to oblige her.

“Grandpa good afternoon sir,” I greeted.

Every where become as quiet as a grave yard. I noticed that my mother and her sister were frowning.

“I am not grandpa. My name is Mr. Lawson. Go ahead, say Mr. Lawson,” The man urged me.

I looked at my mum. She was giving me sign to say what the man told me to say. But I refused to mind her.

“She is shy. Please excuse me for a while. Let me talk to her,” my mum told him.

“No problem. I understand. She will soon get used to me.”

“Get used to you? How?” I thought to myself.

“Yes o that was how we all did in the beginning,” My aunty chipped in with laughter.

My mum got up, held my hand and took me outside.

“Mum what is going on here?” I asked in anger.

“That man is your husband. He is very rich and has spent lots of money on us. Most of the money I sent to you while you were still in school were from him. Even all the things I bought for you recently is from him. Please my daughter, you have to marry him.”

“Mum! What did you just say? You arranged for me to marry a man that is older than my father because he is rich. Why would you do that?”

“I did it because I am your mother. I did it because I know what is good for you. I did it because poverty is a disease; I will not want it to affect you.” My mummy said in an angry tone.

“Mum, I will not marry that man!” I said in tears.

“Uloma, itugbuo onwe gi na asi. I said you lied.” My mum told me, raising the tempo of his voice.

“Uloma if I am your mother, then you must marry that man and deliver me from shackles of poverty. A man that promised to build a house for me. A man that want to buy a car for me. He even promised to send you overseas to give birth to your children. Nobody will make me to lose this opportunity, not even you,” she threatened.

” Mummy why are you doing this,” I cried .

“I am doing it because I love you. I love myself too and I am tired of suffering. I am going inside. Clean your face and join me.”

Immediately my mother left Ifeoma came to meet me.
“Uloma don’t mind these two sisters. They are money cautious . This was exactly what my mother did to my elder sister. She married her of to a rich old man.”

“What!”

“Yes o. All the money we have been throwing around is from the man. My mother decided to show your mother the way!”

“I can’t believe this,” I shouted.

“You better believe it. I overheard the discussion and tried to call you on phone to inform you but I couldn’t reach you. When my mother noticed that I heard her, she wanted to send me out but I refused to go. That was why she has been trying to avoid us to be together since you came.”

I shook my head in wonder

“But my mum cannot do this. She knew that my father will not take it lightly with her,” I said firmly.

“Uloma you are joking. By the time they force you to go to the man’s house and you become pregnant, what will your father do? Your mother will even deny that she has a hand in it. She will just beg your father to forgive you and that will be the end. Your father will be so angry that he will not want to hear your own side of the story. My dear, that is how you will get married to your grandfather as you rightly said. Though, you will enjoy money. This man is very rich.”

“God forbid. I don’t want this kind of enjoy ment. Anyway let me wait for events to unfold . I will make up my mind on what do. I will never go with them . Let’s go inside.”

“Go inside to where? If you enter there, you must go with that man. What do you think is the work of those 2 hefty men with him? They will forcefully put you inside the car. You will never leave his compound until you give birth. ”

“What did you just say?”

“I said what you heard. This was the experience of my sister. Our mothers are so wise but in a cunning way. They know you will never agree to this. So, they will force you. Have you asked why your mother did not allow the man to come to your house. ”

“Hmm! You are right,” I told Uloma.

“Even me , I will not enter that house. They have already collected money. If they did not see you, they may use me to replace you.”

Almost immediately, I heard a voice in my spirit, “Uloma run! This is an answer to your prayer.”

That was how I took off.

The story continues….