CHAPTER 2: GOING TO MY SISTER'S

Two weeks after Dad's funeral, my mother and I could no longer live in the house my father had built with the sweat of his brow. My father's relatives came to throw us out. Mom and I left the house in tears.

Those people must have wanted to take over my father's property, so they killed him. How else could they throw us out when Dad's body was still wet in the ground?

Mom, not knowing where to drag me, took me to her mother's house. It had been a long time since we'd lived in a hut. When Dad had bought a plot of land and built a beautiful house on it, memories of a clay and straw room had been forgotten in no time. But now, life's circumstances have brought us back to where we started.

Now that you've read a lot about my father, let me get to the heart of the matter.

***

They call me Fidelia. I'm eleven years old. I don't need to tell you I'm an orphan anymore, or else I am. Dad died recently. He's not a polygamist. Nor am I his only daughter; there are two of us. I'm the youngest in the family. So I have an older sister called Idelphonsia. If I didn't mention her in the previous chapter, it's because she no longer lived with us, in my father's house. You might wonder how this happened. It's because Idelphonsia, very early on, had gone to taste a man's penis. After tasting it, she got pregnant. And since Daddy's house wasn't a surrogate mother's home, Daddy kicked her out and she joined the man who got her pregnant. The imbecile who got her pregnant wanted to deny the pregnancy and my father, a lesser man, wanted to throw him behind bars and very quickly accepted the paternity. This is how Idelphonsia left my father's house to return to her lover's roof. Dad's reaction had upset her so much that when Dad kept the bed, she never visited us, and my mother never reproached her for it either. Sometimes when I broached the subject of my big sister, Mum got angry and told me she didn't want to hear me call her by her first name or talk about Idelphonsia at her side. Mom was angry with my big sister for her inhumane reaction to Dad. She stayed away from Dad, pretending not to know anything about his illness. But strangely enough! When Dad died, she came to mourn his eternal departure.

In fact, when Dad died, Mom and I had nowhere else to go, so we returned to the house of my grandmother, my mother's mother. Grandma managed to eat. It was thanks to Dad's fortune that she lived a happy life. When Dad was alive, Mom sent him a lot of money to support himself, because we had plenty. Dad also sent her his share. Let's just say that Granny was happy because she had plenty to eat. But since things had turned out differently, the bad life had started with her too.

I sat in the bedroom, thinking about my new life. I used to go to school. I was in an exam class when our life lost the meaning that brightened us with joy. Fatherless, I wondered what my future held. Carrying on was no longer my concern, because there was no one to help me. Yesterday I was the daughter of a rich man, but today I was the daughter of a poor man, and a poor man who no longer existed. I was crying in the bedroom because I could see my future being trampled underfoot. Yes, there was no hope. What could my mother do, apart from help? Nothing! Could my grandmother do anything? Nada.

I cried and cried. Remembering my father's eternal journey, I cried all day long.

***

Two months later.

It was evening and I was in the courtyard of my grandmother's house. Sitting under the mango tree, I had my head propped up against the tree. With closed eyes, I was reliving my past, a past I would never relive again. I was crying without realizing it. I only realized it when I heard a voice calling out to me. I jumped out of my reverie and stared at my interlocutor.

- Why are you crying?" said my mother.

I swept my face with my right hand and caught myself in tears.

- Tell me why are you crying?

- I'm not crying.

My answer surprised my mother, who drew me closer.

- Wait, Fidelia, are you losing your mind?

- No, Mum.

- Then why do I catch you crying and you tell me you're not?

- But Mom, it's true that I'm not crying!

My mother turned her back on me and grabbed her head with both hands. Standing still, she jumped up and down because she didn't know how to comfort me.

- Fidélia, please come," she whispered to me.

I got up and quietly went to cradle myself in her arms. She wrapped both hands around me and whispered in my ear: "It'll be all right one day.

Slowly, she dragged me back to the hut. My grandmother was lying in her tara, probably thinking about life.

My mother sat me down on a small stool and pulled out another.

- My dear Fidélia, life is like that. Nobody, I tell you, nobody knows what the future holds. Even the most slender person in the world can never see the future. All this that's happened to us isn't something from God; it's obviously man who's behind it. I want you to be happy with your life. You have to be happy because as long as you have your health, everything else will come. You're crying for your father. I haven't stopped crying for him either. But I'd like you to stop crying, okay? We're not the only ones forced into this kind of situation. They hurt us by making us poor before they killed your father, but don't worry, everything will be back to normal.

My mother calmed down before continuing.

- I'm traveling tomorrow. Even if it's water, I'll sell it in Cotonou's biggest market to support you and your grandmother. I want you to be good to your grandmother. I'll send you money from time to time. I don't want your grandmother to phone me and tell me that you don't obey her. Be good, Fidelia. At twelve, you've already grown breasts. With your breasts and your build, you look like a fifteen-year-old girl. All this happened because of your diet. You ate fatty meals and your body, very early on, took advantage of the various vitamins hidden in these foods to give you that beautiful build. Men will think you're already a big girl, and because of your well-matched buttocks and pointed nipples, they'll want to chase you. My dear Fidelia, don't let yourself be taken in by those boys in the neighborhood who have nothing but penises. Take a look at your older sister; at least she had seventeen years before she got pregnant. Today, she's in a good position because she was lucky enough to find a good man. That's why she doesn't fear anything and doesn't bother me either. If you're patient, you'll find a good person who'll do anything for you. Don't be in a hurry, my darling Fidelia. I'm leaving, but don't forget I'll be back. I won't be gone forever. So be good until I come back.

My mother was still talking to me when her phone began to vibrate, before gradually dropping out of the sound system.

- It's your sister calling, let me answer.

- Okay, Mom," I answered.

My mother pressed a small button and activated the phone's speaker.

- Hello, Idelphonsia darling?

- Yes, Mum, hello!

- How's your little boy?

- He's fine, Mom!

- I'm so glad you called. I'm here with your sister. We're talking.

- Wow, that's great. She's the reason I called.

- Was it?

- Yes, it is! I'll come and get her and she'll come and live with me. That way, you'll be free for a while.

- Thank you so much, darling. I'm traveling tomorrow and, to be on the safe side, I was just leaving her some advice.

- You bet, Mom, I'll pick her up tomorrow.

- It will give me great pleasure.

- Hold still, Mom! How's Granny?

- She'll be fine.

- Okay, when I come, I'll bring her some nice surprises.

- Thank you, darling.

- Bye, Mom.

- See you soon, my daughter.

And my mother hung up the phone. Then she stared at me and, overcome by an emotion of great joy, grabbed me and held me close.

- Your life is going to change in the Mighty Name of the Lord," she said.

And it's true, my life was going to change. But the problem was, my sister's husband was about to become my ass chewer.

May the prophets, evangelists and pastors refrain from reading the rest of my story, because it's about to get ugly!