The Power of a Mother

I saw pain through mummy’s eyes. I thought I knew what they called pain. The 10-year-old-me stood, watching as her body screamed and echoed into the forest. It seemed like she was in so much pain. And I had not realized that tears were already rolling down my cheeks. My mind was racing. She held her tummy. Her eyes were closing. Her legs opened. And her body was moving unsteadily. I could not imagine what she was going through. What if something happens to my mummy? I thought. My heart slammed as my legs were pacing but I was still at the same spot. Then, mummy started kicking, and kicking, and fighting, as though she was suffocating. Then, her waters broke.

“Nkem…oh!” She screamed so fiercely and it made me fear. And I wondered why she was calling daddy. Nobody would hear us. We were far away from home. The farms were already lonely. I was confused with fear. I did not know where to get help. And I wondered were daddy would be. Daddy would not be at home. No. He would be at mama Nkechi’s bar playing draft. I wondered as tears gushed from eyes.

But daddy was never like this. It all started when he lost his dream job in the Big City. For months, he would sit talking to himself alone as though he was getting mad. And mummy would always comfort him.

“Nkem, ozugo, it’s okay. God that did it would do it again. Don’t kill yourself. At least, I still have my table in the market where I sell okro and crayfish. We still have our farm. We will survive it. Please don’t kill yourself. I am fasting and praying every day.”

A few weeks later, mummy and I were returning from the market. We met a man holding daddy in his trousers.

“You this foolish man, if you don’t give me my money today, I will kill you.” The strange, ugly, man roared at my father but daddy did not alter a word. He stood, almost lifeless. Then mummy intervened

“Please, leave my husband alone. Why are you holding him like that?”

“This foolish man came to the bar some days ago. And drank on credit. They held him but I bailed him out and he promised to pay me today. I am here for my money. And he is acting lifeless.”

“Is that all?” Mummy asked. Then she brought out her sales for the day and cleared the debts.

That night mummy advised daddy a lot, as she pleaded with him to hope on God. She prayed for long that day. And it worried me why daddy who was directly affected did not seem to be more concerned.

But after everything mummy said, daddy got worse. He became a drunk. He would not return home until night falls. And sometimes, after a minor argument, he would reject mummy’s food. Yet mummy would cry, and start praying. By morning, she would make his favorite.

“Come, why is there no meat in this soup?”

“Nkem, biko, there is no meat. I am going to market now. If I make morning sales, I’ll return to make the soup better. Biko. Just manage it, for now, e-nugo?”

When we would get to the market, mummy would absorb the hotness of the sun and all sorts of insults. Mummy would return, cook, wash my clothes, and daddy’s own. And by the first streak of light, mummy would make way to the farm. She became everything.

Just like today, she wanted us to clear the remaining grasses on the farm before darkness. So we were discussing and working, and we didn’t realize the sun was setting.

“Adaobi!!” Mummy called now, gesturing to me. I was confused. I did not know what to do. She tightened her eyes; clenched her fist. Her head sagged backward; her shoulders slanted. Then she began to push as her neck veins grew thicker. She pushed and thundered, and suddenly, I could see a baby’s head. I was happy but, somehow scared. It was the strangest thing I had ever witnessed. And it seemed the baby’s shoulders were still inside.

At that moment, mummy took a deep breath. I could feel her gathering every grain of energy left. She adjusted herself; shut her eyes. Now, she pushed with everything and screamed till the evening wind took her voice. At the tail-end of her scream, I heard a baby’s cry.

Then, a cold feeling ran through me. Mummy was exhausted yet, she smiled at me. And I smiled back. It was then I understood the power of a mother.

𝘗𝘚: 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺.

#dedicatedtoallmothers

#Strongwoman

#Theloveofamother

#SharingBravery

#BigDaddy

Photo Credit: Chika Onuu