BYE TO PAPA AT LAST...

This is one of my first stories, but i had to do some editing, had to change somethings. 

Read and let me know your thoughts...

Happy holiday.

 

I smiled to myself. We are free of his presence after all the years of pain.

The sounds of my sister's whimpers were unbearable and many times I'd feel her pains like it were mine. She would return to the mat, hold me tight from behind and wipe away from my eyes the tears she refused to shed. Of course, she had grown accustomed to the pain and humiliation she received night after night since the death of mama. I was thirteen when it all started but I knew what was going on despite how hard Ada tried to shield me from it.

 

Ada grew quickly after Mama's death. Her rounded breasts were just starting to jut out of her chest and her hips didn't take long to sway elegantly. Despite her beauty and elegance, she was not able to flaunt her comeliness before the boys that stared at her eagerly. This was because she was busy taking care of our home, Nneka (the baby of the house) and me. Papa had refused to take up his responsibilities as a father. Mama who was the provider was no more, so we had to fend for ourselves. Ada tried her best to make sure we never cried for food or dropped out of school, even if it was just a public school. She strapped Nneka on her back as we moved to the market to sell seasonal fruits in our torn clothes while we sing joyfully to attract customers.

 

My beautiful sister's face took on more lines and her shoulders slouched more than she deserved. All her beauty became hidden but not from Papa who claimed her night after night. He continued to despoil her until she started vomiting, her breast full and her waist swollen. "Ada wants to disgrace me, but I will not allow her," he said to Mama Chidi who came to take Ada away up North to hide the so-called disgrace Papa was ranting about. Mama Chidi happens to be Papa's younger sister and he only invited her to come and take Ada away.

 

After Mama's death, Papa made sure that no close relative visited because he was scared his evil deeds would be exposed. We were not allowed to have friends or communicate with the neighbors as Papa said they will corrupt us. Not suspecting that Papa was responsible for the disgrace he was talking about, our aunt took beautiful pregnant Ada away.

 

Immediately Ada was taken away, I became scared of who the next target will be. I tried to talk myself out of the fear as I am not as beautiful as Ada, plain should be my best description. My counting at night began. I became scared of the nights. Once it gets dark, I would start to shiver, dreading his footsteps. Life became very difficult; it wasn't easy hawking and at the same time taking care of Nneka who was always falling sick. I had to drop out of school.

 

It never happened until two months after I turned fifteen. Papa came home past midnight, reeking of cheap alcohol(ogogoro) and cigarette. He stood towering above me for a while and as I felt his eyes run over my body, I knew it was the beginning of my own woes and destruction. The look from his eyes burnt me rudely through my light wrapper that had seen several hard days. Mama’s worn-out wrappers that have seen many sorrows.

 

He grabbed me roughly from the mat and pinned my body against his chest and without needing words, he made his point clear, glancing at Nneka. She would pay the price if I didn't submit. I couldn't bear to live with the guilt of Nneka being touched by my father. Nneka is just a baby who is sickly, how could he think of such? She just clocked five, two months ago and he was already thinking of her that way. I would never allow him to touch her, never! Ada and I had promised Mama on her death bed to take care of our little sister.

 

I knew pain before I felt it. I had shared it many times with Ada, except this time, like her, I did not give him the pleasure of my tears. As he tore his way into my flesh and had his way with me, I shed more than blood. My dignity and pride flew out of the window and I felt my sanity slip out in tiny bits. Not only did he steal my virginity; he also stole the little joy and hope I had in life.

 

He was through before I reached one hundred. I had to count to get myself far away in mind from what he was doing to my body. He pushed me away after he had done what he deemed fit to my body, along with my blood-stained wrapper. Instinctively, my hands wrapped around Nneka but her naive eyes held no tears for me to wipe away, just like Ada had wiped mine. There was nobody to share my pain with because she was too innocent to understand what had just happened.

 

I remembered Ada's words before she left, the words she said as her eyes brimmed with the tears she had held back for years. " Don't worry, Papa won't touch you. I did it for you and Nneka." But he touched me, night after night until I decided to play god to prevent Nneka from going through the same. The picture of Ada’s tears was still fresh in my mind, and I know it will soon be me this time.

 

Out of the abundance of pain, my mind was made up. I had to get the Papa out of the way and our lives. I had carried the big stone into the room, kept it where I could easily reach when he starts and I hit him severely on his head. I watched him while he struggled for breath, with a bitter smile of fulfilment, I told him how I wanted him to get punished for all the pain he had caused Ada and me. I made sure he heard my dry laughter filled with pain bidding him goodbye. The neighbors came for his body after saying he died in his sleep.

 

Ada had returned with the other family members for his burial, without needing words, she understood as I told her before she left that I will take care of the problem. Holding hands, with tears we had saved over the years, we burnt his wretched bed, his little belongings and watched the smoke suck up the sky for hours, until the only memory of him turned black and smoky.

 

Bye to Papa who was never a father.