01/03/2024
When I was 12 years old, my elder sister, Adiya slipped to coma, but before then, my parents already killed her with their reactions as they did not hide their disappointments, especially papa.
By default, my family is Catholic in nature and it has always been like that cos I learnt my great grandfather was one of the pioneer members during the missionary era.
My dad was a strong ardent and a catechist who had always wanted me to be a priest, a celibate reverend father. I detest that idea but would never tell him to his face.
Our house is not far from St Peter's Parish, so we were always instructed to carry out tasks for the priests and God in the Church and the priest's abode.
Adiya and I hate Saturdays and Sundays because I would sweep and clean the church while Adiya wil clean father Fred's house. We interchange our duty post sometimes.
At other times, I will wash father's clothes while Adiya will do the dishes and make his food immediately after the confessions on Saturdays.
Anytime we fail to execute any of these tasks, papa will make sure we confess it to Father Fred during the confession and father fred in the veiled cubicle will ask the vigin Mary to intercede on our behalf asking God to forgive us for not cleaning his house or washing his clothes.
After sealing the prayers with a sign of the cross on me and Adiya, we would run to our duty post; his house or the church so that we would sin no more.
While Father Fred would always rub our backs saying, ''God bless you" and give us bread to take home, papa would be waiting at the door to clutch us in a tight embrace while rubbing our heads telling us, "I am proud of you, two."
That was our everyday routine and we dare not complain or rebel until Adiya broke Papa's golden rule that faithful Saturday.
We had woken up and rushed through our devotional prayers so we could go tidy Father Fred's house. I wore a singlet over a short calling out to Adiya when she muttered, " Henry, I am not going please"
"What did you just say," Papa shouted from the corridor with anger in his voice as he walked to the room.
"Papa, I am not feeling fine, I can't do laborious works today, pls," she informed papa pleadingly
"Before, I close my eyes and open it, will you get down from the chair my friend," papa thundered and Adiya will have non of it as she also roared back, "Papa, I said I am not going, is it by force?
That was the straw that broke the Carmel's back. We were all taken by surprise which engendered a pin-drop silence but it didn't last up to a minute as papa scampered towards Adiya, gripped her and tossed her to the floor with all his might.
Adiya bled and was rushed to the hospital where papa told the doctor that Adiya had a home accident. The doctor told us that Adiya had lost her baby due to the impact of the injury as she was three weeks gone.
Papa stared at the unconscious Adiya with so many questions running through his mind and called our Priest, Father Fred to pray for Adiya, "in case she would die a sinner for committing formication, abortion and not attending to God's servant."
As Father Fred made the sign of the cross over the comatosed Adiya, I was filled with rage recalling how Adiya has told me with pains amidst tears how Father Fred r***d her countlessly telling her it's God's will.
Β©οΈ Henry Monday Agbo
HAMsβοΈ
