BULLY AUNT

So one day, my Aunt’ visited. You know those kind of ‘bad belle’ aunties that look forward to seeing ‘FAIL’ in your report card so that they can leave a heavy knock on your head and call you ‘OLODO’, and tell your parents that they’re wasting their money on you. (Although I never got a bad comment on my result).

So, this my auntie came to our house, with some other relatives. I grew up dreading this woman. Thus when I learned of her visit, I ran out of the house to go play somewhere with friends.

I thought I had escaped her nagging and bullying but she sent for me; she ordered them to call me very fast, “That pikin too like play”, she queried. Mom was outside packing our dried clothes from the sun. I was already edgy from fear of what her questions would be, and my mom knew of course how much I dreaded this woman. So I waited for mom to finish packing just so we could go in together.

As she was going inside the house I hid behind her,  (trying to hide from my aunt) mom had to pass through the sitting room, and unfortunately this ‘wicked auntie’ managed to notice my tiny toes as I sneaked behind my mom, I don’t know how on earth her eyes went there. She saw me trying to hide, and she called out to my mom:

“Yawo, (meaning ‘wife’) na which pikin dey hide for your back so”?

Before she could finish her statement, I dashed off into my parents bedroom. We lived in a two room apartment, so she sat with the other visitors in the sitting room discussing.

Mom laughed and said:

“Progress, come and greet your auntie na”;

I came out nonchalantly, stood before her clinging tightly to my mom’s wrapper so that she doesn’t leave me alone. I greeted her:

“Migwor ma”...

Auntie started o! Without even answering my greeting.

“See im eye, play play girl!" "So watin der teach you for school today”? I was mute.  Fear would not allow me even speak cos she was ready to falter any answer I gave, I was just staring at the ground. She then ordered me to go and check the time. Our wall clock hung inside my parents room, so I quickly dashed in, and my mom followed, as if to go drop the clothes she was holding.

I was only 7yrs, I couldn’t tell the time. I was trembling...

Kudos to my sharp mom, as soon as she entered into the room, she quickly whispered the time to me:

“Go and tell her it’s 15 minutes past 8pm”. I crammed it. And walked out of the room. Getting to the parlor, it was as if the whole world was on a STAND STILL! I was looking at this woman; then she yelled:

“Watin be the time wey I say make you go check”?

“15 minutes past 8pm”. I responded. Which was correct!

This woman wasn’t satisfied, she must have figured my mom told me. Looked at me from head to toe and ordered me back to go recheck the time again. This time she invited my mom to the sitting room, leaving me in the room alone. I am ‘DED’!

After calculating the time I spent to walk back to the room, I presumed the time must have gone farther than what my mom had earlier told me, it couldn’t have still remained 15mins past 8pm anymore; but my problem was that I couldn’t differentiate between hours and minutes. I was yet to acquaint myself with time telling.

So after struggling with the calculations in my head, I concluded it must have increased from 15mins past 8pm to 15mins past 9pm. (A whole one hour extra in just few minutes) lol...

 I ran out of the room and told her my new formulated time: “15mins past 9pm”.

Auntie screamed and began yelling “OLODO RABATA! “I talk am! E nor know book”.

Mom was listening inside the room, and am sure she must have been disappointed immediately she heard me say “past 9pm”; cos that wasn’t what she had told me earlier.

I ran into the room tearing terribly as I buried my face in Mom’s wrapper. Mom hugged me and calmed me down. I remained in the room and never went out again till the cruel visitor left.
I spited her. Cos her goal was to always make me feel bad. She never wanted to see me happy. I grew up with these terrible and hurting memories of her; hoping to outgrow them, but guess what, she hasn’t changed one bit! She’s never happy when you’re smiling.

She’s the first and worst bully I ever knew. But hey! “This okro don grow pas e master”. NO MORE BULLYING!!!

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Replace bullying with LOVE!
Thanks for reading!