ALLEGATIONS
At what time do you realise you really know someone. Like really know, know what they are capable of and their true character? I think it's when an allegation is made against them. For some people when an allegation is made against someone they know ,they impulsively say "That's not true, that's not possible". For other people they would pause,hesitate and then say "Are you sure".
This story is really about a woman and her children. Usually a mother trusts her children over anyone else. To most mothers their children's words are as good as an oath but this mother was not so sure.
Over thirty years ago there was a single mom in rural area. She had a son and she had a house. A pretty big house and constantly felt lonely even after having her son,so she paid a visit to her sister one day and begged to take her favorite niece home and be a foster parent to her. This woman's sister agreed immediately. Her daughter shared a special and stronger bond with her sister than she did her,her own mother.
This single mom (let's call her Elizabeth to avoid confusion) went home with her niece. She rented out part of her house out to a family of five. The family were good polite people and were very sociable,soon they were like one big family. One could enter the other's apartment without an invitation. Elizabeth and the couple that she rented her house out to looked after all the children together. It was common for any of the parents at home to have all the children stay at their apartment till whenever their biological parents returned home from work or anywhere else. The new couples children,two sons and a daughter were well raised and became close friends with Elizabeth's children, except for the first son of the new couple, that was really troublesome and very stubborn having constant fight with Elizabeth's daughter, they got on fine.
Elizabeth's daughter was hard-working,
Elizabeth's daughter was hard-working,
and so very beautiful with rich ebony skin, puberty did her well and bestowed upon her African curves. She was very caring too. She cared so much for her brother and he loved her. They went through primary school together and got into secondary school, they could pass up for twins as they did everything and went everywhere together. The daughter was a year older than the son.
This now seemingly large family lived in harmony and were happy. Then Elizabeth's tenant paid her a formal visit one evening. She requested to talk with her privately. They exited Elizabeth's sitting room and sat out on the verandah that dusk in cold air, entertained by frog's croaks in a nearby mud as it has rained earlier that day. Although Elizabeth found sitting out in this cold air totally uncomfortable she was determined to listen to what her tenant, now friend wanted to say that made her behave so formal. Surely she didn't want to move out?
Her friend started the conversation with an accusation.
"How can you be so blind?" She asked
"What do you mean" Elizabeth asked.
"How can you ask me that,have you not noticed the change in your daughter?" Her friend fire.
"I still don't understand" Elizabeth declared. "What change,what are you talking about?".
Then her friend revealed that she was certain Elizabeth's daughter was pregnant. Elizabeth was furious,she made to pick a quarell but thought otherwise,she thanked her friend hastily and went in to her house. She said nothing to her children. She had difficulty sleeping that night,tossed endlessly on bed and had nightmares. The next day was Saturday and she rushed to the market as early as she could. She bought beautiful lacy underwears and bras for her daughter and rushed back home. She went to her room and called her daughter. She gave her the items she bought for her,as her daughter made to leave she stopped her.
"Wear it here,let me see if they are your size". She said. Her daughter refused and she insisted till her daughter reluctantly took off her dress, unhooked her bra and made to wear the new one. Elizabeth screamed. She could not believe what she was witnessing, dark,dark nipples on swollen breasts,dark line under the navel,the belly taking a new shape although still almost flat. She was furious,more so when her daughter didn't answer her question of who the father was, what would she tell her sister,her would she explain this?.
She ran out to her friend's apartment and told her she had confirmed it was true. She was shouting and crying at the same time. Her friend in turn suggested that Elizabeth's son was responsible. Her daughter had no friends save her foster brother and they usually were home alone all the time,and their bond was beyond normal. Elizabeth was slowly loosing it,she went in and attacked her son, after several lashes and slap her son heard the accusation and vehemently denied it. He begged his sister to say something but she was mute. This made his mother hit him more,she employed all the african discipline method, slaps,belt,slippers,whip but her son admitted to nothing. Elizabeth cried, her friend tried to sooth her but failed.She travelled to tell her sister the news, her sister as predicted went berserk, fought her, and in the end she said Elizabeth should return her daughter to her non pregnant state and bring her back to her original home.
Elizabeth left,she could not have a thirteen year old have an abortion, neither could she let a child from incest be born. She was confused and briefly considered suicide to avoid this shame but she discarded the thought,it would cause more complications and resolve nothing and she was no coward. She withdrew her son from school and would beat him as often as she was in dispair.
They were begining to make arrangements to have the baby aborted, when out of the mouth of babes yet another truth was confirmed. The babe was the youngest son of Elizabeth's friend/tenant. He said Elizabeth's daughter was impregnated by his older brother, and that the baby was very likely concieved on one of those nights Elizabeth's children had to sleep over at their house when she was not home. Elizabeth's daughter admitted it,her baby's father was the tenant's son.
Read here: 69
This now seemingly large family lived in harmony and were happy. Then Elizabeth's tenant paid her a formal visit one evening. She requested to talk with her privately. They exited Elizabeth's sitting room and sat out on the verandah that dusk in cold air, entertained by frog's croaks in a nearby mud as it has rained earlier that day. Although Elizabeth found sitting out in this cold air totally uncomfortable she was determined to listen to what her tenant, now friend wanted to say that made her behave so formal. Surely she didn't want to move out?
Her friend started the conversation with an accusation.
"How can you be so blind?" She asked
"What do you mean" Elizabeth asked.
"How can you ask me that,have you not noticed the change in your daughter?" Her friend fire.
"I still don't understand" Elizabeth declared. "What change,what are you talking about?".
Then her friend revealed that she was certain Elizabeth's daughter was pregnant. Elizabeth was furious,she made to pick a quarell but thought otherwise,she thanked her friend hastily and went in to her house. She said nothing to her children. She had difficulty sleeping that night,tossed endlessly on bed and had nightmares. The next day was Saturday and she rushed to the market as early as she could. She bought beautiful lacy underwears and bras for her daughter and rushed back home. She went to her room and called her daughter. She gave her the items she bought for her,as her daughter made to leave she stopped her.
"Wear it here,let me see if they are your size". She said. Her daughter refused and she insisted till her daughter reluctantly took off her dress, unhooked her bra and made to wear the new one. Elizabeth screamed. She could not believe what she was witnessing, dark,dark nipples on swollen breasts,dark line under the navel,the belly taking a new shape although still almost flat. She was furious,more so when her daughter didn't answer her question of who the father was, what would she tell her sister,her would she explain this?.
She ran out to her friend's apartment and told her she had confirmed it was true. She was shouting and crying at the same time. Her friend in turn suggested that Elizabeth's son was responsible. Her daughter had no friends save her foster brother and they usually were home alone all the time,and their bond was beyond normal. Elizabeth was slowly loosing it,she went in and attacked her son, after several lashes and slap her son heard the accusation and vehemently denied it. He begged his sister to say something but she was mute. This made his mother hit him more,she employed all the african discipline method, slaps,belt,slippers,whip but her son admitted to nothing. Elizabeth cried, her friend tried to sooth her but failed.She travelled to tell her sister the news, her sister as predicted went berserk, fought her, and in the end she said Elizabeth should return her daughter to her non pregnant state and bring her back to her original home.
Elizabeth left,she could not have a thirteen year old have an abortion, neither could she let a child from incest be born. She was confused and briefly considered suicide to avoid this shame but she discarded the thought,it would cause more complications and resolve nothing and she was no coward. She withdrew her son from school and would beat him as often as she was in dispair.
They were begining to make arrangements to have the baby aborted, when out of the mouth of babes yet another truth was confirmed. The babe was the youngest son of Elizabeth's friend/tenant. He said Elizabeth's daughter was impregnated by his older brother, and that the baby was very likely concieved on one of those nights Elizabeth's children had to sleep over at their house when she was not home. Elizabeth's daughter admitted it,her baby's father was the tenant's son.
Read here: 69
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