Today is the day I would be going home. Mum had been discharged a day before and now she and Aunty Anne were here to pick me up from the hospital and I was really excited to leave my confinement.
Mum, Aunty Anne and I were on our way out of the ward and I looked back and smiled "Bye, I hope I never see you again " I said to the ward and we all laughed.
" I hope the both of you will rest o " Aunty Anne said when we got into the car "I don't even know who will take care of who " "We will be fine" Mum said "Just drive us safely "
"Oh, so I'm now your driver abi? If not for the baby you're carrying I would have thrown you out and left you to trek in this harmattan" Aunty Anne threatened mum
"It's not possible. Your love for me is too much "
"Too much love ko, excess love ni" Aunty Anne said quoting a line from a gospel song 'Excess love ' and we all laughed
We were soon home and as Aunty Anne pressed her car horn. I sighed "Home , troublesome home"
"It is well" Mum said and we kept quiet. Mr Tanko screamed as he saw me in the car "Jasmine, welcome o"
I laughed "Thank you Mr Tanko" I answered him. Mum asked him to help us with my bag and he carried it in with the three of us behind him.
We entered the parlour and we saw grandma and my aunties watching the television "Good afternoon grandma." I knelt to greet her and proceeded to greet my aunties while mum went upstairs with Aunty Anne
"Jasmine, welcome back home o " Grandma said
"Thank you grandma " "Ngwa , stand up " she said and helped me up
"Boxer, welcome back o " Aunty Chika said and I muttered a 'thank you'. Leave it to Aunty Chika to always remind someone of negative things and then preach the gospel "Where in the bible is it written that you should fight? Ehn Jasmine. Where is it said that you should disgrace your family name? " . I wanted to ask her where it was written that you could judge a fellow human but what came out was "Nowhere ma "
"Nowhere?" She shifted towards me and I imagined her plump body landing on the floor with a loud thud. I scolded myself for such thoughts and continued listening to her preaching "It is written nowhere in the bible and you chose to do it okwa ya ?" "I'm sorry ma , it won't happen again "
"Mba , don't say that because I'm very sure it will happen again if care is not taken. That's why I'm here , since your mother did not train you properly, I will do it for her. I'm ready"
Oh God! I could as well be dead. Aunty Chika wanted to 'train me well' . The woman was going to make my life hell. She'd probably draw up a timetable for me which I'm very sure was going to include at least two hours of prayer everyday, Bible study, moral lesson and house chores. I always wondered how her children had been coping with her everyday of their lives but now , I think I was going to have a little insight on that
"First thing tomorrow morning, you will be following me to a pastor who came highly recommended I'm performing deliverance services. You need to be delivered from that spirit of fighting" Aunty Chika said.
My jaw dropped. So grandma, a strong Catholic and Vice president of the Catholic Women Organisation in her parish was going to let her granddaughter be dragged to a 'highly recommended pastor' and Aunty Ebere was actually laughing
"Ogini? Why is your mouth open? " Aunty Chika asked me
"Aunty, we are Catholics and we have a priest and he didn't see any need for deliverance of any sort"
"My friend, will you mechieonu gi " Aunty Chika said and then turned to look at Aunty Ebere and grandma "Ebere, Mama, can you see this girl ?"
"Sister, leave her " Aunty Ebere said and turned to me "You must go for that deliverance tomorrow, do you hear me?" She pulled her ear as she spoke
"If she doesn't agree to go, let me know" grandma said , eyeing me vigorously
"Am I not a Catholic? Are we not all Catholics?" Aunty Chika shouted. "Let me tell you, even as a Catholic you can worship God and pray to him anywhere, anytime, any day so if I like today, Mountain of Fire, tomorrow Reedem, next tomorrow Foursquare Gospel Church, another day Catholic Church, I won't go to hell fire. In fact, the day I die I will be ushered majestically into the kingdom of God so you will go with me to that church tomorrow "
I could not take this. What on earth is this woman saying? "But aunty, isn't deliverance for possessed people and what is the name of this church and how are you sure he is not a fake pastor? " I asked her and in response to my question, she threw her slippers at me
"Are you alright? Who told you you're not possessed ehn? Imagine this rat asking me questions. Telling me that my pastor is fake. Disappear from my sight before I kill you " She clapped dramatically " If you are not possessed , why will you fight? Get out! " she screamed and I was on my way when mum came down with Aunty Anne
"What's going on here?" Mum asked and held me back
"What is going on is that Jasmine is following me for a deliverance session tomorrow" Aunty Chika said
"Efian !" Mum exclaimed and Aunty Anne hissed
"What for? " mum asked
"She is possessed " Aunty Ebere said "Exactly! " That came from Aunty Chika
"Ebere, it is you that is possessed " mum said and Aunty Anne shouted "Exactly! "
"Are you crazy? " Aunty Ebere and grandma said at the same time and mum hissed "You all are the crazy ones. My own child is possessed, you are definitely not normal " mum snapped
"Mabel, you are the abnormal one here " Aunty Chika said standing up
"I'm telling you that my niece needs deliverance and you're here arguing blindly "
" Oh God " mum said and rested her palm on her forehead "Calm down" Aunty Anne said
"Deliverance from what exactly? " mum asked
"From the spirit of fighting " Aunty Chika said
"You are a joker " mum said and grandma shouted "She is not joking at all. We have all discussed this issue and this is the solution we have come up with. She will go for that deliverance session tomorrow whether you or anyone else likes it or not"
"That will not happen. Look at you all, the people that actually need deliverance have not gone for it. You now want to take my daughter for that. It isn't possible and there is nothing anyone can say or do that will change my mind "
Thank you mum. I said mentally
"Have you forgotten that her father is my own child? " grandma asked mum "so if I ask him to let her go , he will"
"Michael and I are Jasmine's parents. Not you or anyone else. So your so called decision as far as I'm concerned is only a suggestion which has been turned down. My child was not, is not and will not be possessed" mum said and ordered me upstairs with she and Aunty Anne behind me.
We could hear the shouts of grandma and my aunties as we went "Let them keep ranting" mum said "All I know is that I've said my own. Mad people, it's them and their children that are possessed not my child. Especially that Chika , she had better leave for her husband's house "
"Mabel, just calm down. You're now a pregnant woman " Aunty Anne said as we got upstairs
"Jasmine, just go to your room and rest " mum said and went into her room with Aunty Anne.
As I entered my room, I locked the door and sank on my bed. I guess I've officially been welcomed home. Deliverance, really? That was a quite a stunt they pulled. Only God knows what is next. Welcome home to me.
------------------------------
Ewoo, deliverance ke?
Welcome home to Jasmine.
Mba means no in Igbo
Mechieonu means Close your mouth in Igbo
Efian means Impossible or Never in Delta
YOU ARE READING
Behind the Mask✔
Teen FictionWhat's a family without drama? Jasmine's family is full of it only that her family's drama is a nightmare. How can she cope with a father who hates her and relatives that have the sole mission of making her mother's life hell and at the same time p...
