Elena in Pain

Elena is a very tall lady, she is slim and dark in complexion. She has a very soft and cool voice, respectful and obedient. You could barely see her angry or argue with anyone.

She lives with her grandma who is 68years old. Elana's grandma is a market woman. She sells used clothes at early hours of the day and fishes at dawn. She could hardly feed herself for 3times daily, so she considered her grandchild a burden. However, she could not afford to let her die of anger since she's the only grandchild she had. This is because Elana's parent were well-to-do before they died in a fatal accident and as rich as they were, they forgot the grandma who lived in the village. When the news reached the grandma in the village, she cried bitterly and regretted ever selling the only house his husband left for her just to pay for her only son's school fees in his final year. She felt that was the wisest thing to do. Since the son would graduate soon, call his brother to help him secure payable job in the city and then her sufferings will be over.

What a regret! Only for the young graduate to get to the city, find himself a beautiful lady, got married and never thought of taking care of his mum.

Now he is dead and the poor daughter of his was left with the old woman. "Where do I start from!" she lamented.

Elena the hard working girl became a farmer at age 18. She goes to the farm with her neighbour so she can feed her grandma from whatever they harvest from the farm and when they sell the main harvests she could buy grandma some clothes, food stuffs and necessary things from her savings. Yet, her grandma steals her savings.

Actually, her plan was to use her savings to get her desired university enrollment form. She weeps bitterly each time she steals her money, then she decided to save her money with a daily contributor.

One day, grandma was so cold towards Elena. While she was washing the dish, her grandma instructed her to go and fetch some water. As she arrived from fetching the water, she told her to go and collect some money from her debtors. While she got to one of the debtor, the man insisted that he had no money to pay now and as she repeat her words asking the money again, the man slapped her.

Elena felt embarrassed, she looked left and right of no one was watching a full grown lady been slapped by a shameless man. She was about to rain curses on the man when she saw the man two matured children. She knew if she dear to say a word, she would be beaten to death. Tears rolled down her eyes bike a baby. She felt her grandma would solve the whole issue by going back to fight for her rather, her grandma sense she was not given and was bitten, she unleash curses on her and slapped her for not getting her money by all means. The hatred was so obvious.

After she was calm, she called her grandma to ask if she was indeed her mother's father.

" Sit down and let me tell you the story of your life" She said.

My husband and I waited for 5years before I became pregnant. We visited places just to have at least a child. After giving birth to your father, we faced challenges nurturing your father. We sold a piece of land I inherited from my father to pay for your father's primary and secondary school fees. One day, your father disobediently ran into the bush and was nearly teared apart by an antelope however, his father instructed him to go home and fought the animal instead. This animal had chopped his right leg before the villages could rescue him and on the sickness his father died.

After his father, my husband died, I struggled to ensure he eat, cloth, and go to school for his university. In his final year when I had no one to help anymore. I sold the only house built by my husband and me. Yet, at the end of all these sufferings, he fooo-rrrr-g------t all our labour.

(She wept bitterly)

She cleaned her tears. I am glad he had a child at least. So if I die, you will be there to represent your father but remember this, Your mother was a witch and she gave birth to a witch. She use spell on your father that he forgot all I went through for him and left you to destroy me even in my old age.

I will make you see hell even on Earth. I will torment you and make life miserable for you and your offspring if at all you'd live to have any.

Bitch!

Elena cried. She beat her chest so hard that she started to cough. Tears rolled down her eyes, her face turned red. The vain in her head we're visible that you could count. She wish she was never born. The suffering and frustration was much.

At dinner, her grandma had a good meal for dinner but gave her two slices of bread and few egg sauce which could not satisfy a two years old child. Tears rolled down as she dipped food in her mouth. After her meal, she could not sleep. Questions became an image in her head. Who to ask?

I wish I could ask my father, I wish I could turn back the hands of time. I wish I could correct my father's mistakes. There she concluded " I must go back to school and be great. I will surely prove to this old woman that I am not a witch and I refuse to work in my father's foot print".

Elena has been able to save up for her first year at school. She registered for Special Education and was given admission into the University of her choice.

She told her grandma of the development. All she went through for her son came back in a flash to her memory in a sec. She was devastated. "Will I go through the same trauma for this witch at my age?" No, never.

Without hesitation she shouted, "Elana has stole the money, I have been saving in my jar for years just to purchase a piece of land in remembrance of my late husband" Elena how could you?" This she reported to the local police station in the community and she was punished. Her grandma insist that her money should be returned. She groan in agony and in tears, she gave her the left over money that she had kept for her accommodation, handouts and feedings.

She could not go to school the first month so that she could do a four man's job to save up for her school needs.

On a Sunday morning, Elena joyfully washed all her clothes, shoes and stuffs she was able to secure from her father's rented apartment before she left the city. She was the girl at the moment. So happy she would be going to school. She had saved up some money for her new school. She woke up in the middle of the night to arrange all her belongings. Grandma was asleep and any mistake could interrupt her plan, So she tiptoe to carryout her operations.

There was a black old cushion chair very close to the bed, while she place her luggage by the chair very close to the bed side in the room, a stainless spoon fell from the chair. Grandma stood up agitating. She cleared her throat in fear

"What happened?" she demanded. "I'm trying to dust this chair when the spoon fell off" she replied

At this hour of the night? ....