Brothers End Emeka

Emeka searched the garbage bin outside the city. He tossed aside plastic bottles, cans, and other junk until he saw a shiny object in the trash. A single earring with a white bead on a small chain.

A rich white lady must have thrown it away by mistake. Her loss is his gain. Emeka pushed it deep into his pocket, then dusted off the dirt on his dark green shirt, even if it wasn’t enough to wipe away the smell. He looked over his shoulder, feeling someone staring at him from a distance. There was no one around but he ran toward town as fast as he could.

Emeka passed through the rushing adults on the dirt road of the farmer’s market. His mother would spend all day here, but he didn’t see her today either. A melody played by the banjo man overtook the roar of the crowd. Children were running in circles trying to dance. It made him remember the time when Chima clapped along to the music while Jelani danced and force Emeka to be his partner.

“Thank you. Thank you,” said the Banjo Man. The crowd scattered as Emeka approached.

“Are you still collecting junk?” asked Emeka.

“Depends. What do you have on you?”

Emeka showed him the earring.

He gazed at it, then fiddled with his banjo. “It’s a nice find, but no thinks.”

“Come on! This is a rare find.”

“The answer is still no.”

“Why? You could sell it in the city and make a lot of money.”

“It's not worth it.” He played another song.

Emeka tucked the earring back into his pocket. He’ll have to find someone else to sell it to. If it had been his dad selling it, the Bango man would have taken it without question. “Can you at least tell me how to get a city pass?”

“You want to work in the city? Who’s going to take care of your brothers?”

“My mother will.”

The song slowed to a stop. “If she agrees, I’ll tell you."

In a two-room house. Emeka lived there with his mother and little brothers. When they moved there his dad said he'd get their house back and they haven't seen him since then. His mom would be out late talking to the neighbors or going for a walk, but he hadn’t seen her in a month.

Chima slept on the only mattress they had covered with a big blue blanket. His baby brothers favored color. Jelani, the middle child, lay beside him telling the tale of the king’s Magic drum, again.

“Jelani, did you give him the medicine?” Emeka sat next to his brothers.

“Yes. I was telling him a story. So he could fall asleep.”

“Thanks.” He patted his brother's head, then did the same to Chima too.

His small, round face was burning. Chima gets sick a lot, but this was the first time he had a fever for as long as a week. He needed to go to the hospital.

“Did Mom come home today?”

“No.”

“What about Dad?”

Jelani shook his head.

Next to the front door was a bag of can food, a pair of new clothes, and bed sheets. Whenever the boys got new things, their parents would leave them there.

“Jelani, is that true? Did no one come into the house today?”

He turned his back to Emeka.” No.”

“I’m planning on taking Chima to the city. That’s why I’ve been trying to earn money, but for me to do that, I need to see Mom or Dad.”

“No!” Jelani stood up. “The people in the city are mean! You can’t go there! Abdullah will take care of us.”

“I told you Abdullah is not real.”

“He is too!”

Emeka stared at the frustrated look on his little brother's face and sighed. “Then how come I’ve never seen him? No one’s going to forget a person walking around in a wooden mask.”

“That- that because he didn’t want to show himself to other people, and he didn’t want to bother you.”

“How can he bother me if he isn’t real?”

“He is real! Our Mom and Dad are not real!”

“Emeka rose above his little brother. “We’ve seen them!”

For a moment, his gaze fell to fear, but he didn’t turn away. “Not in a long, long time!”

“Then where does the new stuff we get every week come from?”

Jelani shoved a black wooden doll in front of his older brother. It had a big head but a small body.

“This! This brings us new things.”

“Stop making things up!”

“No fighting.” A soft cry got the boys’ attention to their baby brother.

Jelani crawls back into bed. “We’re not fighting!”

“Really?”

“We were playing a game. The loudest wins!”

“Can I play?”

“No. It’s time to eat.” Emeka took out a can of vegetable soup from the food box.

“I want fruit,” said Jelani.

“Me too,” said Chima.

“After dinner.” He opened a can of food while thinking about a white clean kitchen, plates of food line on a table, and their mother calling them to get ready for dinner. Maybe she could have gotten Jelani to stop making up stories.

Why did they have to lose their home because of white people? But that wasn’t important. They needed to help Chima.

The boys were sleeping together on the mattress that night when a bang shuck the house.

Emeka carried his brothers to another room. “Stay here.”

The front door slammed open by two white men dressed like soldiers. They didn’t have bowl hats or light brown jumpsuits, but pants and shorts of the same color. One of them had his shirt untucked and stained. While the other was neat and taller. They both had guns in their belts.

The tall white man glared down at the boy. “Kid. Where’s your Mom?”

Emeka clenched his teeth. “She’s not here.” The man punched him in the face.

“Hey!” the messy man yelled. “Look at this.” He held the can on top of the food box. “I’ve only seen this in New York. Were you getting this?”

“My parents got it.”

“They did? Or did you steal it?”

“I didn’t steal it!”

The tall man grabbed Emeka by his neck, while the other one dug into his pocket. “Then where did you get this?” The messy man dangled the earring in front of Emeka.

“It’s my mom's.”

“Where is she then? We need to ask her to be sure.”

“She’s not here.” The large man's hand tightened around the boy's neck.

“Don’t kill him yet.” Let's see what he's hiding in the other room.”

“No!” Emeka struggled out of the man’s hand, but the tall man slammed him into the floor and punches him again and again.

The other man looked into the room. “There are only brats. I bet she ran away.”

“She. She didn’t… run away!” Emeka choked with a bloody mouth and nose.

“Get them out of there. I won’t be satisfied with just this.” He kicked Emeka hard in the stomach. “His whole family is going to pay.”

Emeka had to get up, but the pain thought his body wouldn’t let him. His eyes were blurry and heavy.

A roar shook the house. And the screams of terror and gunshots followed.

He gazed at it, then fiddled with his banjo. “It’s a nice find, but no thinks.”

“Come on! I bet it belongs to a rich White lady.”

“The answer is still no.”

“Why? You could sell it in the city and make a lot of money.”

“It's not worth it.” He played another song.

Emeka tucked the earring back into his pocket. He’ll have to find someone else to sell it to. “Can you at least tell me how to get a city pass?”

“You want to work in the city? Who’s going to take care of your brothers?”

“My mother will.”

The song slowed to a stop. “If she agrees, I’ll tell you.

At the edge of the neighborhood is a small house. Emeka lived there with his parents and little brothers. But their Dad didn’t come home much at all. His mom would be out late talking to the neighbors or going for a walk, but Emeka could always find her. Is what he thought a month ago.

Chima slept on the only mattress they had covered with a big blue blanket. His baby brothers favored color. Jelani, the second youngest, laid beside him telling the tale of the king’s Magic drum, again.

“Jelani, did you give him the medicine?” Emeka sat next to his brothers.

“Yes. I was telling him a story. So he could fall asleep.”

“Thanks.” He pat his brother's head, then did the same to Chima too.

His small, round face was burning. He's been sick for three days and his not getting any better. Chima needs to be taken to the doctor. Emeka has been doing everything he could to make more money.

“Did mom come home today?”

“No.”

“What about dad?”

Jelani shook his head.

Next to the door was a bag of can food, a pair of new clothes, and bed sheets. Whenever the boys got new things, their parents would leave them there.

“Jelani, is that true? Did no one come into the house today?”

He turned his back to Emeka.” No.”

“I’m planning to work for the city to earn money other than find scrap in the trash. But for me to do that, I need to know where mom or dad is.”

“No!” Jelani stood up. “The people in the city are mean! You can’t go there! Abdullah will take care of us.”

“I told you Abdullah is not real.”

“He is too!”

Emeka stared up at the frustrated look on his little brother's face and sighed. “Then how come I’ve never seen him? No one’s going to forget a person walking around in a wooden mask.”

“That- that because he didn’t want to show himself to other people, and he didn’t want to bother you.”

“How can he bother me if he isn’t real?”

“He is real! Our Mom and Dad are not real!”

“Emeka rose above his little brother. “We’ve seen them!”

For a moment, his gaze fell to fear, but he didn’t turn away. “Not in a long, long time!”

“Then where does the new stuff we get every week come from?”’

Jelani shoved a black wooden doll in front of his older brother. It had a big head but a small body.

“This! This brings us new things.”

“Stop making things up!”

“No fighting.” A soft cry got the boys’ attention to their baby brother under the covers.

Jelani crawls back into bed. “We’re not fighting!”

“Really?”

“We were playing a game. Who’s the loudest wins!”

“Can I play?”

“No. It’s time to eat.” Emeka took out a can of vegetable soup from the food box.

“I want fruit,” said Jelani.

“Me too,” said Chima.

“After dinner.” He opened a can of food.

One of their parents had to have come home at some point.

The boys were sleeping together on the mattress that night when a bang shuck the house.

Emeka carried his brothers to another room. “Stay here.”

The front door slammed open by two white men dressed like soldiers. They didn’t have bowl hats or light brown jumpsuits, but pants and shorts of the same color. One of them had his shirt untucked and stained. While the other was neat and taller than the other. They both had guns in their belts.

The tall white man glared down at the boy. “Kid. Where’s your Mom?”

Emeka clenched his teeth. “She’s not here.” The man punched him in the face.

“Hey!” the messy man yelled. “Look at this.” He held a can on top of the food box. “I’ve only seen this in New York. Where'd you get this?”

Emeka kept his eyes on the tall man. “My parents got it.”

“They did? Or did you steal it?”

“I didn’t steal it!”

The tall man grabbed Emeka by his neck, while the other one dug into his pocket. “Then where did you get this?” The messy man dangled the earring in front of Emeka.

“It’s my Mom's.”

“Where is she then? We need to ask her to be sure.”

“She’s not here.” The large man's hand tightened around the boy's neck.

“Don’t kill him yet.” Let's see what he's hiding in the other room.”

“No!” Emeka tried to push and kick the large man, but he slammed him into the floor. Then punched Emeka again and again.

“There's only brats. I bet she ran away.”

“She. She didn’t… run away!” Emeka choked with a bloody mouth and nose.

“Get them out of there. I won’t be satisfied with just this.” He kicks Emeka hard in the stomach. “His whole family is going to pay.”

Emeka had to get up, but the pain in his ribs wouldn’t let him. His eyes were blurry and heavy. He couldn't stay away any longer. The lost thing he heard was screams of terror and gunshots.