The Visitor

I cannot say completely truthfully that I was not expecting what happened that fateful morning. It was an event I had carefully orchestrated albeit not entirely willingly. I had help .......

0600hrs and a loud continuous rage of banging on our giant gate woke up our peaceful neighbors as the dogs in the large empty compound began to bark their strange barks. My grandmother woke up, picked up her walking stick placing one foot after the other. She struggled her way to the gate and at the same time screamed curses at the wretched soul that thought it wise to disturb an old woman's sleep at that odd hour of the morning. 

As she opened the gate, she let out a silent scream that pierced my heart. I watched her face and countenance as I peeped from the windows, my little brother stretching as much as he could to catch a glimpse of the morning drama. Mama swung the gate with what seemed like all her strength and shut it in the visitor's face. The action took a told on her; she immediately bent down grabbing her knees and breathing as much as her asthma could let her. I wondered if our curiosity would push our grandmother in to the grave she was already tip toeing around 

When she finally caught her breath, mama shouted our names at the expense of her fading lungs coughing eerily at the end of the long noise. The dogs barked again echoing the turmoil in the atmosphere. Simultaneously, there was a faint knock, three times it came, as if a ritual was being performed. We raced to mama almost pissing ourselves with fear. Once she saw us, mama began a monotonous rant ....

"tell that waste of a woman"

"that wretched woman" she stammered 

 "to leave this place" 

"listen children"

"tell her, before, before I sin to my Lord and kill her"  

I and my fretting little brother walked synchronously to the gate, opening it as slowly as we could. We repeated to the woman "please, leave before mama kills you, thank you" even in dire times mama could have smacked us silly if we ever forgot our manners! 

The woman stared at us, with eyes red as thought she had been punished with chilli peppers. She walked away without a word not even looking back. I felt my brother calling to her with sobbing wimps. We shut the gate. 

" You know I know I only do what's best for you. You children are my treasure" she said with tearfully holding us in her arms. My brother and I went into our room telling ourselves how much mama meant to us but secretly and silently, with our eyes we told each other how we yearned for out mother's embrace.