...and we had to wait
for her to come back. After a moment of silence, I remembered not seeing my mom
for one hour. “If you still need food let me go to the kitchen and bring more
ugwuta.” Said Mama Patience Oluchukwu. I was not interested in the Ugwuta but
in my mom’s presence. I could see myself
in the mat outside the room closing my eyes but was not sleeping. Mom said she
would be back immediately after meeting the nurse yet “immediately” seemed to
have passed. I hear somebody speak to me with her voice, then opening my eyes I
could not see her. No one was coming, and it was completely dark. I looked up
to the sky, I saw glimpses of the glistening water, the stars and moon
obviously dressing it with luminance. As the trees rustled all around me, the
first tear ran down my cheek. After a
moment, I thought I could hear her voice. The sound of her voice was indelible
in my mind. I imagined her protrude stomach as I climbed back to the mat again,
trying to see her now in my mind's eye. I thought she was calling and I murmured
“mom please come back now I want to sleep.” I saw Mama Patience Oluchukwu in
the room putting Onuh Evaristus Tobechukwu into bed, brushing her hair out of
her eyes. I heard Onuh Jude Nwanna’s voice at the gate, whispering mom’s name
and then whispering mine. I tried to ignore them but could not.
Five munities later, I began
to hear a resounding cry of joy in every street advancing from Amuna. Suggestions
start forming in my mind about the noise and vibration that has been growing. People
trooped into our house because the gate was open, passing through the passage,
about four inches away from where I was lying on a mat. Some women were all
singing, sometimes in unison, other times in harmony, “Mama Olynwaonu amuma
ejima. s;m;-s;m;-;d;r-;r;t;-;d;-;-;-;- Meaning
Olynwaonu’s mother has given birth to twins. They were all together singing and
moving towards the gate swaying together in unity and with a great zeal about
the new born twins. As they were singing in unison they start moving out to a
location of the place where they were born together in a line with other
children dancing.
When my mom came back,
people started asking me, “why are you not rejoicing? Don’t you know what is
happening?” I ignored them, but when I looked at mom’s face, with every breath
I took, I began to smile more and more until my smile stretched across my face
and I began laughing to myself. When Mom looked at me, tears of joy began to
roll down again my cheeks again…
When I woke up the next
morning, the answer seemed so clear: as I hear their cry every day, then I
began to sing. 'Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!
Every year by this time
30 of October, I am indebted to sing for you “Happy Birthday to you.” But I
guess since you are not with me now… I'll just sing it to myself. Happy
birthday!” Hahahah… Smiling. “Do you want me to sing to you again?” Happy
birthday my Beloved Ejima (Onuh Faustina Kosisochukwu and Onuh Immaculata
Chinazaekpere). I wish you God’s choicest blessing. From your Brother Izunwaonu
