Scenerymania entry; wits from the dark 2

Wits from the shadows 2
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Mum was at the veranda processing a bowl full of Egusi seeds.
“Mum good afternoon,” mum stood up and gave me her electric smile.
“Mummy am fine, am very fine.”
“Yes I know you are, you are always fine my son.”
She was still all over me trying to see any sign of blemishes.
“Mum, there is a problem though, it’s exactly why I am here. I’d have been dead now if not for a strange hero. I need to...”
“My son, what are you talking about? What happened?”
“Mum, do you know any wale?”
She looked at me with a flash of perplexity.
“Wale shouldn’t have shown, it’s not yet time”
I gave her a stern querulous stare. “Mum you need to start talking.”
She sighed and gave me one lengthy stare. “My son, where is he now, he Can explain himself better.”
“Mum, he is dead. The men that came to our house killed him, he died while saving me.”
It took mum another five minutes to find her voice. “Wale shouldn’t have died, he was a good man.”
“Mum, who is this Wale guy, mum you should just open up and stop putting me in this awful dark. Mum.”
“My son, Wale is the only person who stood up for me after your father’s death. Today I will tell you a story I’ve never told you. When I married your father, we were happy, however we were having trouble with child bearing and after about 5 years your father’s family began to get really hostile. There about then, the business of your uncle’s elder brother began to take sour turns. I was regarded as nothing less a mountain of bad luck by your father’s family members and their hatred for me continued to heighten. My husband stood by me a 100% and he fell out of favour with his family, however since he was now the bread winner as the former bread winner of the family your father’s brother-we call him uncle Bolaji- had almost sank into nothingness.
One fateful day, your uncle came to our house to request for a loan from your father, having invested a huge chunk of his savings on an importation deal, your father asked his brother to hold on for him that he didn’t have such money at that moment. However your uncle didn’t believe your father and he promised to show him why he was the elder one for his actions. A week later your father travelled and didn’t return. I knew your uncle had a hand in the event, however since I had no physical evidence, there was little I could do.
A week after your father’s death, your uncle again came to me. Calling me a witch that I should leave his brother’s house that after all I didn’t have a child for him. Sooner had your uncle left had strange things began to happen in the house. From night mares to ghostly presence, and worse of all are the frightening voices that reverberated the house walls at nights. I was troubled and sleepless. I fasted, prayed I even made spiritual consultations but the horror in that house persisted. All through that ordeal, Wale was there, he was our house help and instead of leaving after your father’s death, he chose to stay. He even fasted and prayed with me, to me Dare used to say, “Oga is a good man, I won’t abandon you madam because of his death. Unknown to your father’s family, I was already pregnant with you. To them their son had no heir. One day one of those strange ghostly presence got me running down the stairs, I slipped along the way and was seriously injured. I almost lost you that day. After my discharge Wale warned me, that it is best I go into hiding with you because that is the best way to protect you. That your father’s family will because of their hatred for me choose not to believe that you are a legitimate son of your father and someone like your uncle will rather see you dead than be a threat to his greedy ambitions.
Finally I left your father’s house and abandoned all his properties. Your uncle claimed all his properties and till now he his living large on it.”
My mother paused, her eyes were already wet with tears. She looked at me passionately with her wet glistening eyes and smiled, a forced smile I know, but she managed to do it well. She continued her story.
“Wale had called me when you were five, then he was already through with his HND with my help. He told me he wish to tell me that he would love to go and work for your uncle and that he would make sure he act as a spy for me and he would tell me anything he discovers that would help me with retrieving the stolen properties from me. Since then, he’d often return with one news or the other, however non he had brought was ever worthy enough to nail the man. However what I cannot explain is what Wale is doing with those men that wanted to kill you.”
“Mum, what is that my uncle’s name?”
“Chief Odunola Adebowale.”
“What? Are you kidding me?”
“Son, what is the problem?”
“Mum, he is a friend’s dad.”
“What?” My mum was surprised too.
To be continued… In case you missed the first part click here