03/01/2026
At 11pm on Friday, I just couldn’t sleep cause I slept so much at noon, my mind kept wandering about. I was thinking of what I could do so that I can fall asleep, I thought of reading one of the books I collected from a friend or write down in my notepad what my weekend schedule would be like. Not until, I remembered one “not too funny” incident that happened when I was only 13yrs old.
Unkown to me, my auntie extracted breast milk into her baby’s feeder, and then before she left, instructed that I feed her baby as soon as she wakes up and starts crying. I thought it was the usual SMA Gold.
‘Okay ma, I said. After hearing all she had to say.
And then she left.
I was mopping the sitting room when I heard the cry of the baby, it was obvious she was hungry and she needed someone to do the needful. I rushed to go carry her from the bed and as well went straight to the fridge to go carry the breast milk. And I hurriedly went into my room with the little baby, sat on my bed and began feeding her, she held the feeder with both hands like it would disappear if she doesn’t act fast.
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While baby Esther was feeding herself, cause obviously she was. My duty was just to support her tiny hands at that point.
I don’t know how I managed to look through the window, I saw a young boy my age being mercilessly beaten, his auntie continuously was beating him like a thief until her husband intervened.
Next thing I heard was….
Oga, leave me to deal with this boy. He makes me talk to much in this house, as if I’m a mad woman.
It’s okay nah. Her husband said.
It’s okay what ? She continued.
I hate it when I give instructions in this house and he doesn’t take it. I’ll have to repeat a particular instruction like 10 times before he listens.
Stewwwwpidddddd boy !
She shouted.
She didn’t stop there. She continued barking again.
Idiiiiooot ! I’ll kill you in this house one day and I’ll bury you myself, just to make sure you join your late parents. She wickedly said to him.
I was touched at this point. I felt like crying 😭 She was too mean.
I noticed the poor boy started crying silently.
When the husband saw that his wife was not going to be calm anytime soon. He sparked (got angry) and started raising his voice at her.
For me, I liked what he did cause he’s been calming her down but it’s as if the ‘honey pls it’s okay’ was charging her the more.
If you say anything else again to this boy I’ll take drastic actions you wouldn’t like. Why why why would you talk to my nephew in sur- sur-such manner ? Do,do,do you have to,to,to remi——-nd him tha-tha-tha-tha-that he’s an orphan.
Her husband said angrily.
He stammers but with steeze.
Baby Esther was struggling with the feeder, like she was trying to pass a message to me that she was done sucking, but I was so engulfed with whatever was happening to Ifeanyi.
‘Sorry mama, you’re done eating right.
I playfully asked her and all she did was smile at me like a well feed princess.
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That was when I knew for the first time that there was a fine innocent boy named Ifeanyi in the next compound.
The auntie stopped talking and left the scene immediately after her husband had threatened her.
I saw the man consoling Ifeanyi and advising him to always follow his auntie’s instructions.
He went ahead to say that he wouldn’t want a situation where he’ll be sent back to the village because of petty things like this. That people would rain curses on him for treating his late brother’s son that way.
And please don’t let what my wife said get to you, okay. I’ll talk sense into her. The man said.
I saw how unhappy and bitter Ifeanyi was, I felt like appearing in that room so I could give him a hug and cheer him up.
His auntie was really mean with her words. To think that she wasn’t even related to the boy and she was treating him that way.
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When Ifeanyi’s uncle left the room. Ifeanyi became lost in his thought, he was looking at the window but his mind was elsewhere. He was literally looking at me and baby Esther. I had to wave👋 at him so he could look at me properly and see that I’m really sorry for what just happened to him. He waved back with a gentle smile and I saw his beautiful dimples. He was a shy type, I saw it through his eyes, in fact his smile gave him away.
That was how we became window friends. We communicated through the window, all we did was smile at each other and never stopped looking out for each other at the window. When we meet outside the house we don’t talk to each other, in fact we’ve never spoken to each other outside aside “smiling & waving“.
I forgot to say that I sucked out the little milk that was left in the feeder. It didn’t taste like milk and it didn’t matter then, not until the day I tasted mine. No wonder baby Esther was smiling at me while I was pulling out the milk with my tongue.
To my window friend, Ifeanyi.
I hope you’re fine and I hope
life is treating you well. Just be
good and know that someone
here is hoping to see you
someday. I’ll keep looking
through my window, maybe I’ll
see you one day. Just maybe.
Yours sincerely,
Chetanna.
