WOVEN III

Remi would have given all of hers but thankfully they needed just a couple of pints. Remi! she hadn’t been informed yet, she’s the only one who can give blood to our daughter, she was supposed to have arrived by the morning but all the outgoing flights were canceled.

Today of all days.

I fought hard to keep it together, Precious was my only child, after trying for 6 years for another, I more or else accepted my fate, Precious was everything to me, I couldn’t lose her.

I steadied my fingers as I dialed Remi,

I’m sending a driver to bring you home now, precious is in the hospital, she needs blood,

I mute my mind to the shriek she lets out over the phone,

I’ll give you details when you get here.

We were now at the hospital, I, the Proprietor and the Mousy G&C. I could only get as far to see my daughter through glass partitions, she never looked so pale, her face was puffy and I could see long slashes all over her body.

my baby

At that moment, I cursed myself, cursed my silence, cursed my own people. Months ago, I had refused to be bothered about the incessant shed of blood but now that my daughters’ life was hanging in the balance, it dawned on me on how interwoven we all were, woven intricate threads making up the mosaic. I should have called out the infested rusted thread regardless of the fact we were of same yarn and color, but I didn’t and now, the rot had spread, the tear had reached my end.

This time I really did break down, money couldn’t save me now, no amount of Ac-ed armored tanks could save my baby girl, lying helplessly. I wish I could snap the pain away but here I was, unable to help my little girl, the one I had sworn to protect, the one I limited my responsibility to.

My phone rings, its Remi, she’s hysterical. She says something about blockage at the outskirts of the state, southern Kaduna was under attack, they couldn’t get through, the Fulani’s were at it again. I would have slumped had I not been seating while on the call.

Why me?!

It looked like karma was out to get me. I was being affected by the action of same group of people. I was suffering directly now, my daughter was going to die because, by my silence, I encouraged them to continue to wreck havoc and destroy lives and property as far as none of mine was concerned, now look where I would be speaking from.

I tried to console Remi that it was all under control but the words wouldn’t come. I had to end the call, a little commotion from the adjourning path roused me…

(to be continued… ☺)