I Know My Mother👩🏽(IKMM)✅

Drive

Shock rippled through her body. "Eh!? Wetin dey happen!" Nneka turned to face her, revealing a small gash on her left cheek, as well as a few mild bruises on her forehead. While driving, Dennis rested his hand on Nneka's. His face was just like hers: wounded and bruised. "Mama, allow me to take us somewhere. They are waiting for us there." "Who are the they?" "Mama, let him take us there." She flicked her head towards Dennis, who adjusted his rear mirror. Mama Agnes went silent for a few seconds before turning to her window. Nneka faced the front windshield and tapped her foot anxiously. While she gazed out the window, Mama Agnes noticed a movement in one of the bushes they passed. 

"Nna, this boy better know how to drive fast." Dennis took a quick, deep breath before speeding slightly. Apart from that, they sat silently for the entire ride. Mama Agnes's heart deflated. As if she finally remembered something, she shot up and grabbed the back of Nneka's seat. "Where is your father?!" Nneka's body shuddered. She didn't want to tell Mama Agnes what happened to her father because his death was too tragic to explain. Mama Agnes was slowly losing it. Nneka knew something was wrong, but she refused to tell her. Her heart raced faster. Her only son! What happened to her only son!?

Mama Agnes's sweaty hands gripped Nneka's headrest. Her voice shook as tears welled up in her eyes. "Nna, please...what happened to your father!?" Dennis slowly accelerated as they came to a bend in the road. A family of goats was about to enter their lane. Dennis swerved wildly, nearly hitting the oldest goat. A few young male goats tried to ram the back of the car in anger. After the episode with the goats, Nneka took a deep breath and turned to Mama Agnes. Mama Agnes's anticipated the worst. Was Jide killed? Was he robbed? Did someone attack him? 

Her heart banged in her chest as she watched Nneka's eyes finally lock with hers. "Nna, we went to Baba's house..." Mama Agnes's chest painfully strained. Her motherly instincts could not tolerate unfortunate news about Jide, especially after the attack on his farm. The AC blew cold air like Harmattan wind, but her clothes were suddenly soaked in a pool of sweat. "God o! What have we done to deserve this na?" She broke down into tears, trying to wipe her eyes and the snot on her lips.

There would be no more peace in their lives from this moment.

The car moved at a speed of 60mph. Dennis's knuckles tightened on the wheel. The road they drove on was empty, except for a few hawkers and worn down cars. Nneka's voice broke as she faced Mama Agnes. "Nna, I saw my mother!" Nneka boomed in Mama Agnes's face. Mama Agnes felt Nneka's betrayal, anger, disappointment, and despair. Mama Agnes's head bowed in shame. Mama Agnes did the most she could to keep Nana a secret from Nneka for her safety. Nana could never be the beautiful, virtuous woman Nneka believed she was. 

Mama Agnes's heart was crushed because Nana finally gave Nneka a reason to stop trusting her. "Nna, please...tell me what she told you. I'm sorry for not telling you-" Nneka held up her palm. "Nna, we'll leave that one for now, but let me tell you what happened. We don't have much time." Dennis finally spoke up. "Excuse me, Ma, do you know anyone named Landlady?" Dennis tried to make Mama Agnes talk to Nneka about her debt to Landlady. If his cult allowed him to tell Nnkea about Landlady, he would have done it the very day they met. His cult threw Nana out for stealing from them a few years ago, and she came to seek revenge.

"Nna, after you left, we wanted to go and steal some crayfish, but I felt like something was wrong. It was as if God talked to me, but I decided that we should go to Papa's house. We caught rats and harvested their blood for protection juju. We walked to the house, then we found a [Nana's car] parked on the road near his house. Dennis didn't see anything wrong with the house, but the moment he pointed at the front door, I knew something was wrong. The door was open at night! Mama, you never leave any doors open at night! We bolted to the back door and entered from there. We entered the secret hall behind the wooden kitchen cupboard. Nna, the closer we went, the more I feared. I heard him whispering to a woman. The woman sat on his bed-that bed is still very noisy-and they started making love. Papa's movements were powerful."

Nneka paused to wipe the tears from her eyes. His faith in God could not tell him that she was wicked, Mama. Nna, I heard waistbeads shaking in the room. Me and Dennis did not arrive in time. Nna, we stood behind the picture of you and Papa and looked through the eyeholes. We saw how she stabbed his head and ripped his brain out. She pulled out a small plastic bag from her handbag and threw it there. This happened when Papa was about to finish. The woman sprinkled pepper in his empty skull and spat inside it, then she started chanting for him. Papa turned into a zombie. His head shook like a rattle as she tore his organs from his back o! Nna! My mother!" Nneka spoke in rushed, frantic Yoruba. Her hands flew all over the place. "We rushed to the back of the house, and we were careful and quiet. Nna, this witch was waiting for us near the rubbish pile.

"She talked to me for exactly ten minutes. I don't want to remember the rest of what she said, but this is the important part. She told me that she was working to bring down one Lanldady woman and that you worked for her. I never believed her until she mentioned the suitcase. She told me the truth about your sneaky adventures at night. I know the truth about everything you've done, Nna. I know Landlady, I know Efezino, and I know about Baba Jide. I heard what you did to Mama C and that Dorcas. Nna, you have committed many sins, and she said that Papa has paid for some of them. She killed him because of you, Nna! Because of you!" Tears streamed down Nneka's face. Mama Agnes betrayed her trust. After the spiritual conference, the doubts in her heart were finally confirmed. Nneka cut Mama Agnes off. "As my mother talked, she drew a cutlass from her armpit. She wrapped cowries, red ribbon, and red beads on the cow skin handle. His body walked outside, like a zombie-"

A red Ford truck sped behind them, catching up to the crew...