“Sister Onyinye, sister..” Onyi’s younger brother cried, calling Onyi who was rolling on the floor rumpling her tummy.
Immediately Austin came in, Onyi was already having seizures, he did not ask any question, he quickly carried her, luckily there was a hospital nearby. The doctors did all their best to neutralizing the substance from further absorbing in her blood, but she was still unconscious and
so the doctors began cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but when they noticed she was loosing her breath, they resorted her to a ventilator.
Austin was outside the emergency ward with so much anxiety: “see what I have caused. Why did I allowed myself to fall into the arms of Ebere in the first place, why! Just to have a taste of her again that I fell into this temptation. If anything happens to Onyinye, I will never forgive myself”
He called Onyi’s father and informed him on what happened.
When the father calmly told the mother, she nearly fainted. He tried his best to calm her down but the news that her daughter was in a breathing machine threw her off.
“Heeeeeeyi! I am finished!! Who has cursed my family? My enemies have succeeded in getting me. Heeeyi! What have I done to deserve all these” The mother wailed.
The father who was calming her down told her that, she was in a hospital, that she was disturbing the patients.
As she was still crying, they heard Anna who was unconscious murmuring: “Onyinye, come back, where are you going? Come back…Onyinye, come back, where are you going? Come, come back”
When the mother bent and listened closely, she got gripped of what she was saying. As an older person she was, she already knew what was happening and ran out of the hospital. Her husband tried to stop her, she told him to look after Anna, that she was heading to the Church to ask God what was happening.
She ran to a chapel, cried all her heart out, asking God to restore her daughters, that she will come for thanksgiving if he answer her prayer. That he should not allow her enemies to laugh at her.”
She stayed in the chapel for 42 minutes, by then it was already late. She then headed to the hospital Onyinye was admitted, hoping in her heart that God had answered her prayers. But kept wondering what could make Onyinye poisoned herself.
Austin was sitting beside Onyinye, telling her sweet things, asking her not to give up, that she should fight it and come back to him.
When the mother reached the hospital, she was directed to the private ward Onyi was staying..
When she saw her daughter lying helplessly with the help of a breathing machine, she was weakened. She thanked Austin for helping out in the situation.
As she was still speaking, her younger son who was 8 years old told her to come out that he had something to tell her.
So she heeded
“Mummy, did you know that when Uncle saw Onyinye in the house, he shouted, and started crying. He carried her and put in the car. So we followed him and entered the car too. Mummy, hope sister Onyinye will not die?”
“No, she will not die, but she needs our prayers. Uncle is a nice person, thank God he was around to save your sister” Mummy replied
“Yes Mummy, he is a good person, and he likes sister Onyinye, he is calling her my sunshine, my love….do not die.I.will….”
“Wait.” Mummy cut in, getting so interested in what her son was telling her. She took him and shifted further and asked him to continue with what he was saying.
The boy narrated how Austin was crying, petting Onyi not to die, that she can’t leave without her, that everything was his fault, that if she returns to life, he will make everything right again, that she was the one he wanted to marry.
“But where were you when he was saying all these things you just mentioned?”Curious mummy asked
“I was sitting down there, that was why I did not hear everything he said. So Mummy, he is a nice person, right? He will marry Sister Onyinye too” the little boy asked
And that explained everything to mummy, and she was able to drew her conclusion.
She entered the room with all furious look.
“Chijioke, why do you want to use my daughters for rituals? Chijioke why do you want to kill my daughters for me?
Austin who was confused on the mother’s sudden outburst, stood and said:” Mama, I don’t understand “
“I have been having this suspicions that something is going on between you and my daughters. And now everything is clear to me, Ok now tell me, why would Onyinye poisoned herself? Chijioke, answer me, why?”
“Mama, it’s not what you think, you are getting it all wrong. I think its high time I tell everybody the truth”
“The truth about what? About how you tried to kill my daughters?”
“No, Mama, Onyinye is my life, I can never dream of killing her”
Oops! Austin has exposed himself, it just slipped from his tongue, the situation Onyinye was in was making him went crazy, so he lost control of his senses.
“But Chijioke, you are marrying Eberechukwu, and not Onyinyechukwu. So, they sent you to destroy my family. Do you know what, your marriage with my daughter is over, we are returning the bride price you paid on her head. I don’t need somebody like you as my son Inlaw. I will make sure my daughter never return to your house”
“But mama, you should have heard from me first. Let me explain how everything happened”
“Chijioke, there is nothing to explain, I know everything”
“Mama, you don’t know anything, hear me out first, it’s not what you think. Everything was Anna’s fault. I was helpless in this situation”
Mama was no longer interested in what he was saying, she had already called her husband, informing him that Austin was responsible for what was happening to their two daughters, and urged him to get a police and arrest him, that he is a ritualist.
To be continued…….
By Ngozi Lovelyn 0
To be continued…….
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