CHAPTER 1: THE ZAKKA'S
Darkness falls on the compound of Mr. zakka a young average man in the far norther part of Nigeria as his youngest child Niri is having another episode AGAIN YES i said again because Niri is a sick child right from birth. opsss a little back story;
My name is Simi the first child of Mr/Mrs zakka, an indigene of plateau state, Nigeria. My parents are poor(yes poor because there is no better way to put it) we literally beg for everything; my Dad did one meniel job to another, my mom on the other hand from one trade to the other, myself a student of plateau state polytechnic, hmmmmmm(signs) you can call me a hustler a common word we use in the north to describe "a jack of all trade". (laughs) simiiiii simiiiii simmmmiiiii (snaps out of my thoughts) yesss! feng what is it; feng is my immediate younger sister who has been acting up because of our parents condition. Simi i am so hungry; (feng sobs) in my mind (what the hell is wrong with this girl, with everything going on, is she just being a teenager that she is or is she just being foolish) despite everything our parents are going through i think we should give them a break "and die"? she cuts in, no one is dying feng. Niri who has been lying down on a mat close to both of us coughs out loud; feng turns to me "that we are not sure of" as she worked away, you can literally say life has been so unfair to us. "Feng Feng where are you going to?" Feng turned and looked at me and continued walking away. I spoke loud to myself "I'm not going to cry (struggling not to) i just turned and saw Niri struggling to breath Nirrri Nirri please talk to me! ohhhhh my God! please help me, my brother (shouting in the neighborhood).
Mrs. zakka my mom, on her way back from "Du" market where she goes to sell oranges and banana, she had promised that she will not stay long in the market because she was aware of how Niri was feeling before she left the house, "shooo ngo simi" which was the popular greeting amongs the "Berom" people which means "good afternoon" a neighbor of ours greeted my mother; shooo my mother replied with a very long face as she walks into the house, on hearing her voice i was soo relieved at least we will be going to the hospital with my baby brother or at least so i taught! welcome mummy (taking a deep breath) he's been running temperature and struggling to breath, he has been throwing up too, (trying to pick him up) he's too weak to stand, come lets help him (noticing my mothers calmness) i looked closely; why are you crying mom? he'll be fine we just need to get him to a hospital as soon as we can mummmmmyyy (still crying) whats wrong? talk to me ( as i went to hug her) am i curse? ehhh simi God knows i was a good child to my parents ohhh, what did i ever do wrong to deserve this ohhhh lord(continues crying) mummy please we don't have time for this please we need to take this boy to a hospital, with which money (she shouted) "with tears trembling from my eyes and trying to find my words" i thoughts i saw an empty tray ehhh mummyyyyy, i was robbed on my way home (flig the tray on the ground) no money, no fruits and my babbbbyyyyy is dyinnnnng (treambling voice). (i rushed and hugged her again) noooo mummy nobody is dying, Niri is a strong boy he'll fight this!.
She walked to him "babyyy how are you, mummyyyy is here ok ill take care of you please i promise (her voice was shaking again) where is Feng i just looked at her and said she went out, and your dad? she asked again, he is not back but lets pray he comes home with something. "i cant just wait for him and do nothing" before i could say a word she picked him up and ran out of the gate.
I whispered "God when will all this things end" am just so tired but right now pleaseeeee "save my brother" that's all i can say at this moments. "Feng! is this what you want for your life? get inside this minute", I ran outside to check what was going on because that sounded like our father's voice and i was right! (there was our father in his dirty and torn work cloth furiously looking at feng) "dadddddy am sorry" feng said while trembling "what has she done this time?" i taught to myself! feng what did you do? Daddy sorry I said as she ran and hide behide me for safety( a common norm in the north). Dara Simi one of our neighbors "rakambok" which means "sorry" in berom but there is something more important than this, Simi you didn't tell your father what happened to your brother? i trembled to speak "what happened" (he said softly with tears rolling down his eyes) as he rushed inside to were Niri was laying down," where is my boy NIRIIIIII! simi please were is your brother"? "My mom took him to the pharmacy this afternoon," i could see the relieve on his face but he wasn't all excited though "ok, ill go and check on them" he said reluctantly and sadly as he ran out i ran after him daddy what are we going to cook? when he turned and i saw the pain in his eyes i knew for sure that he was in a helpless situation; i said don't worry ill figure something out "truthfully i didn't know what ill do but i somehow needed to relieve the man from that pain.
At the pharmacy were my mother had taken Niri, the man was not having it at all considering the bills my parents had pilled up, "Ma! i am tired of helping you and your family please talk this boy else where, abeg na only me? abi i be you brother please leave me alone and leave my shop too" the voice of the owner of the pharmacy was heard shouting at my mom as my dad approached and joined her to beg the man to please give my brother some medication, after much resistance he offered to help.
(In the coldness of the evening at my fathers dilapidated building) we all sat round a tray of gote(a delicacy best consumed by the berom people) from the look on our faces you can tell the taste of the food but do we have another option at-least tonight is not one of those night we sleep on empty stomach so we are grateful to God. (My father coughs, drops his spoon and turns to Feng) Feng what was the meaning of what you did today? Feng in her defense said; daddy he is just my friend i promise! how old are you? i am nineteen she said trembling and confused; just nineteen? listen i know things are hard for myself and your mother now but it doesn't calls for misbehavior, things were not like this and things will definitely be better but you all have to be prayerful and relentless, managing anything myself and your mother are able to bring to the table atleast for now please! look at your brother's health and look at how you are behaving".
Apparently Feng was caught with one of her sugar boys, in her words "if you cant take the heat get out of the kitchen". a lot of report has been coming in of how Feng has been frolicking with men for money at this tender age despite our parents warning and beating she has prove otherwise, you cant really blame her because sometimes we go days without food or the little they are able to provide will be given to our brother, that's how bad our condition has gone especially now that our maternal grandma who was our saving grace is no more, but in all of this i still see my parents holding each others hands; that's love right there! its in how the look at each other, how they hold their hands in prayers sometimes i would wonder how their love was able to survive the taste of time, through all the huddles life has thrown at them, they are still very much in love and if that is not love i don't know what that is! at least with everything we went through today watching them stare at each other with hope in their eyes gave me hope to wake up and face tomorrow with my head held up high.
We all prayed together holding hands and everyone crawled to his laying position in the room leave my mother holding my brother on the mat that was supposed to be the bed, as she whispers to him; Niri you will be fine okay, mummy and daddy loves you so much and i promise you that you will be fine ko, me and daddy loves you, loves everyone of you! tears roll down my eyes as i listen to those word.