6 Hiatus

"Its your turn this Saturday" Ogar could hear Minka say.

"You will knead the flour while I proof the pan. Hurry. We need to round this all up before mummy returns from the market"

"Okay" came the reply from Nkom. His head ached as though people dwelt inside it, and were drumming in preparation for a ceremony.

He wondered what the time might be. He turned to look behind at the clock and gasped "Oh I am not in my room' He heaved heavily as he mumbled a prayer. He wondered what his uncle Travis might be up to and planned to see him soon. He had spent one of his first nights without his uncle since the demise of this mother. Uncle Travis had been his all. He narrated interesting tales as he cooked delicious meals. Ogar wondered why uncle Travis had not considered being a chef.

At least it was better then fighting a battle for a course you are not sure you might be appreciated for. If not, that uncle Travis being an industrious man had some investment he grew somewhere, he would have still been waiting and applying for his gratuity. He narrated the story of the retired soldier who died while on a queue underneath the hot sun, waiting to be paid. That was the day Ogar decided that he could never be a service man, not in Nigeria.

He recalled the story of uncle Paul, whose burial he accompanied his uncle to. Uncle Paul was a loyal soldier of the Nigerian Army and a friend to uncle Travis as well. He fell ill after one of the missions to take out Boko Haram and he was rushed to the military hospital. The procedures to be observe were numerous. Protocols had to be observed and though uncle Travis had said that he was duly cared for but after his burial and demise his wife was given an ultimatum to leave the barracks. As at the last time he saw uncle Paul's widow, she was a shadow of herself.

She used to be a lively and jovial businesswoman with customers all over Cross river state but recently Ogar saw her, pleading with the tax collectors to be considerate that she will pay her debt. The task collectors were know for their brutality. They had no mercy as they moved from stall to stall at the market. She had abandoned the building project she had commenced, due to the demise of her husband.

In futility, she attempted to sell of her parcel of land. The Nigerian Army had promised to assist her financially as her husband died in active service. That was six years ago. Ogar wondered if the Nigerian army will ever come to her rescue.

He got out of bed and strolled in the direction of the kitchen. The happiness he felt had been accompanied with a strange kind of feeling. At last, he had got what he wanted, proximity with Minka now what? He wondered as he peeked into the kitchen motionlessly. The two girls now immersed in their work had not noticed his presence but as he turned to go, he was betrayed by a loud creak from the door. He shrugged in embarrassment. The two girls laughed.

He smiled sheepishly as he looked up to hold a conversation.

'How are you feeling?' they asked in unison.

'I feel better except for a little headache' he opened up. They looked at him as he struggled to hide the bubbling feeling of joy inside. It seemed constant yet whenever he thought of Uncle Travis it felt like a little wet cloth of discouragement rubbing off on his joyous moment and the smile quickly disappeared. He wondered what might be happening to his uncle.

There was a knock on the door.

"Oh, let me see who it is" Minka jumped to her feet. She looked through the peephole and opened the door without a word. Nkom ran forward.

"Mummy welcome"

"welcome mum" Minka called out as she joined Nkom who was collecting the black sack bags in her mother's hands.

"welcome ma" Ogar joined them, for it will amount to disrespect and lack of home training if he did not collect the bags of an elder returning home from outside.

"how are you feeling now?" she asked with a smile that warmed Ogar's heart. This smile was inherited by Minka, he could tell.

"I am fine ma" Ogar replied

"Well, I have got good news" Aunt Sheila replied studying Ogar's face for a reply.

"Is it about my uncle?"

Aunt Sheila nodded.

"He is recuperating and would be discharged as soon as he recovers completely. That of course would be after due test has been carried out to ensure he no longer has the Boom disease."

He wanted to let aunt Sheila know how much he enjoyed the company of her daughter and as a result, was glad to be there, instead he said" I wish he could recover faster"

"Oh, I hope he recovers speedily as well" she replied. "In the meantime, you are going to be here with us"

He nodded briefly with a smile of approval. "Thank you, ma,"

Aunt Sheila smiled back as she headed towards the shelf where she turned on the radio. A soothing female voice announced

"The boom disease has spread it's tentacles even further into the country as a few more states have discovered cases. They are Bayelsa, Oyo, Enugu and Kano. Bayelsa has one cases, Oyo has four, Enugu has thirteen and Kano state has twenty-five new cases. The six other states that previously had cases of the boom disease include: Lagos state, Edo state, Ogun state, Osun state, Delta state,Anambra and Cross River state.

The boom disease is real. Please take precaution. Wear a mask when you need to leave your home. Keep a safe distance of at least six feet away, from people. Wash your hands as often as possible using soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitizer.

Drink alot of warm water, eat fruits and vegetables. Stay indoors if you have no compelling reason to be out. Stay safe.This is the news at 2:00 pm, brought to you by Joy Nyanya. Keep listening to Ninja News hub, Calabar for updates"

It was ten o'clock in the morning and the church service had been concluded. Ogar went to church with Minka, her mother and sister. He rushed out to go and see his uncle after over a fortnight of not being able to see him. The quarantine for people with the boom disease was at the outskirts of the town where they lived.

This It was a distance away from the market. This means that to get there you must pay at least 100 naira as

transport fare. Ogar remembered that his uncle had old him it was once the site for the evil forest, back in the olden days. When people commit heinous atrocities they are sent there. The bodies of those who commit suicide were abandoned there. He gasped and kept guessing what it would look like, while he trekked towards the market. He raised his gaze and heaved a sigh as he got to the bus stop. He wiped an immense amount of sweat from his face with a handkerchief.

Upon arrival there he pulled out his face mask and placed across his face. He did so as soon as he read the instruction on the wall that:" please wear your face mask" A white picket fence had been raised around the facility. Adjacent to where he stood, he could see the washing hand basin where he went to wash his hand and face. The fragrance of the sanitizer was lavender. He loved it. The environs were quiet. There was no one in sight, he noticed.

He looked father to see a sign that read "reception' and thankfully he proceeded to the outfit where he was received by a burly headed fellow, mid-fortyish and about five feet tall.

"Sit "Sit" persuaded the man, pointing at a wooden brown chair, just like his next to where he stood. The man disappeared and after about an hour came and said he might have to return as his uncle is not available.

"I don't understand" Ogar began, "what is going on, can you please explain to me?" Ogar inquired.

" As I said, you will not be able to see him now"

"Why?"

"You cannot see him now. Don't you get it?" Ogar frowned astonishment. That did not make any sense.

"Sir "sir, what exactly do you mean?"

"YO! Youngman you may have to come back on another date to see him"

"I do not understand, I was informed that I could come and see him today and your public relations officer passed the information across and now, this?"

"There is nothing I can do about it"

"He is a patient here, is he not?"

No response. Ogar looked at the man and shook his head as he stormed out of the outfit, wondering what aunty Sheila will make out of it. He felt pressed and felt the sudden urge to ease himself. He walked out into the so called "evil forest" looking for a visible spot. As he ventured further, he could hear birds tweeting and the stream nearby, rushing off so sweetly as if bluffing for a lover, it was offended by.

He began to whistle to cheer himself up. H e paused to listen. What did he hear? It sounded like voices. Human voices in low tones. He wondered what they were doing in the forest. He decided to advance further into the forest.

"You know you will be court marshalled?" one voice said.

"I could not help it. That was why I left the army" the other person replied. Ogar frowned in confusion. Maybe this was just a dream but something about the conversation did not seem right.

"Well you should have let me know. Everyone know the other men involved are reckless and wild. You would have received pardon. Why did you do it anyway?" the first voice inquired.

"You know what they say, curiosity kills the cat"he could hear the voice of uncle Travis but this time it was not in his head."I left town under the pretext of illness. You know I will never want my folks there to know about this"

Ogar was in still in shock when he turned around to see two pairs of eyes looking at him.

"what are you doing here?"

"I, I came looking for you."

"What about you?" Ogar challenged him. Uncle Tracy heaved heavily. He fixed his gaze to the ground.

"You too know each other?" the other man asked.

Uncle Travis nodded.

Thank you for taking out time to read this piece. I hope you enjoyed it? I will love to know your thoughts.