EMA'S FAME

Ema walked for some time and stop at the market to gather what the traders have thrown away, flies buzzed over a pound of flesh at the corner near the butcher table , Ema rush over shattering the flies incurative meeting and took the remains of the meat and left to pick more stuff, it was already evening the shops and market have closed and the security man have come prepared for his business, he brought out a packet of cigar and light one just as quick blow off smokes from his nostrils and mouth twist his head sideward like he just won a trophy. Ema has just finished picking up the vegetable from the truck of dirty. She happily head out heartily that she has pick more today than what she would before, she walked as fast as she could hoping that she leave before the security man arrived, she quickly rush to the rusted half-eaten gate. Ema was shocked as soon as she step to the gate post, she was threw back by a strong hand, before she could scream out she was on the ground and was raped 2 years later Obibuike was hacking in the street of Lagos, after his birth, his mother can not walk again, so he has to caterer for his needs and take care of her “Gala gala” obibuike runs in traffic shouting “oga buy e sweet well well” “ hey gala boy, how much be your gala” he was stop by a traveler inside a moving vehicle that was asking to buy, “ oga na 700 naira o’ ‘ ok give me one, bring change o’ The man bought one and gave him 1k and he gave him change, he fold the money and put it inside his hang bag on his waist, he was wearing two different slippers and an undersized shirt and oversized trouser which his mother picked from a dustbin and washed it with mud water during rainy season, they can’t afford to buy water. Obibuike runs after another vehicle soon after selling for the man, A woman and her son was calling out for water in the next vehicle, only this time it was a Luxus 690 new model, obibuike and another boy was runs towards them shout “ na me dey call first, getting close to the car the woman shouted , “ Jesus he looks like my brother Rex, she calmed herself and call him closer ‘ na that boy I dey called , she point out. Obibuike came closer, ‘madam which one you wan buy, I get eva water, notre dame dey self, e go refresh you’ he explained to her. The woman was not minding who he was saying instead she asked where is your father and who is your mother’ obi was surprise and angry at the same time. ‘these kind women wey dey look for small small boys to sleep around with,’ he thought to himself, ‘ madam if you no wan buy make I commot for here’ he said. ‘ ok sorry don’t be offended, give me Notre dame ‘ you get 1000 naria change’ she asked Yes ma , take m, i dey come make I find change’ he said, but she stop him ‘please don’t be angry I only asked those question because you look like my brother who was staying here many years ago as a security guard after my father disown him for some reasons’ she tries to explain. Obibuike looked at the woman but he did not say anything, but walked away he still need to do his business to meet up with daily needs and for his mother. He do not care much about his father even if he wanted to know about him and ask him why he left them. His mother will not talk about him and each time he tries to ask she will start crying which made him to stop asking and focus on life. The woman left after the traffic ends but she swore to come back later to know more about the boy who looks like her brother. He was an intelligent man who was heart broken by his wife after he caught her with his best friend. That push him into drinking and smoking which leads to his abolishment from his heritance which his father did not mean to but only to see if he might come back to his senses but he packed his things and left and started work as a security guard in the market ever since his father had been looking for him up till this day, she signed and look at the side mirror again to be sure she was not dream, ‘I will surely come back again’ Obibuike finish for the day and head home, he does not like to sit and chitchat with guys because he doesn’t want to get into drinking and smoking with them, obibuike was just ten years old when he started street business he knows very well how things are run in the area and procreatively knows when to go home, he walked careful toward the glutta as it called by all who knows the place, the mud water splash as he walk but without a care in the world he walked on , he wants to help his mother with the cooking because of her leg which is yet healed, his mother Ema was hustling when she had an accident and broke her leg, they sold all most everything that she had and used up all the money for medical expenses so there was no money left for anything neither for housing or feeding,talk less of education, obibuike has to help out for them not to strave, Obibuike home to where they were staying, a bars compartment, there was a drum of water at the entrance to the house, the left side was serve as a cooking place, close by it, it a hanging space filled with torn and fared washed clothes hang out to drying. Close to the door that lead inside the small room is a small stool with a used broom at the side of the stool, ‘mama !’ obibuike shouted calling out his mother. He sat down on the stool outside the house , bring out things he kept in the bag, Obibuike thought for a while without knowing when his mother came up before him, she has been talking to him but he was listed in his thoughts. Ema tap him on the shoulder and said, "nna what are you thinking about, is there anything bothering you,. Obibuike knew his mother doesn't like hearing about his father but the words of that mother he met while at the traffic, seem to caught his attention and makes him want to talk to his mother about him again. but he doesn't want his mother to cry, he remembers when he once did how his mother cried through out that day, which he vow never to bring up such topic again in front of his mother and he will make that man pay for what ever he had done to his mother , " mama nothing is bothering me, am just thinking about today's sale, that all" he said Ema knows that he was not a person that bother about things like that, but she let it go because she was sensing something she was not going to talk about to him. How can she tell him that he was a product of r**e, and she knew not his father, he doesn't want to break her son, how will she explain, she staggered and sat down close to him and said "my son it will be well with you and I know things will change hand because there's season for everything on Earth. Ema ask him if he will make food, "mama don't worry about cooking tonight, I bought agdi and akara for us to eat, and this one is from mama oji that sell at the junction, I know how much you like her akara, here you go mama , eat this one" he gave her the agdi and akara which was steaming out from the paper it was wrapped in, Ema was happy and thankful to God for giving her such an amazing son, so she ate happily. THE SEARCH Mrs Smith quickly put her things inside her purse, ' I had to be at this traffic' she thought. she quickly picked up her car keys on her glass designer table which has her system and a picture frame of her family, her husband,son and daughter smiling beautiful, on the corner of the table sat a flowering plant which was used to decorate her office. Mrs Smith works at DCC and has a great love for her work. she quickly left the office and entered her car, red Carmel with air conditioner, she drove off to ward home, her children has always been picked up by their driver, Mr ihua