"How many months has it been since I had meat?" I was lost in thought as the hunger continued to hit me from within. I couldn't even tell what was happening in my surroundings, but I could faintly hear my name.
"Demola, Demola! Where is this boy? Where has he gone?" That was my mom's voice calling from the balcony. She often calls our names from a distance instead of coming into our rooms to check on us. The door to my room opened slightly, and there stood my brother at the partially opened door.
"Big Bro, Mummy is calling you. She's waiting outside." He said it with a sad expression. I could immediately tell he was hungry too, so I sluggishly stood up from the bed and headed towards where she was. "Yes, mommy. I am here," I said as I rested my shoulder at the edge of the door, holding my hands together, waiting for her to start talking.
She looked at me with a neutral expression; I couldn’t tell what was on her mind, so I didn’t know what to expect. I couldn't tell what was going on in her mind as she stared at me without saying anything. "Was she angry because I didn't answer on..."
"You will go to Mummy Fiyin's house." She finally spoke, cutting my thoughts off. "She said she has a package for us; go to her house and get it so I can cook for you and your siblings."
"Yes ma," I said, then turned around and I made my way to Mummy Fiyin's house. On my way to her house, I remember when all this started. Having to depend on what other people will give to us before we can eat, I have never felt so embarrassed before but what is embarrassment in the face of hunger?
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It all started when my dad lost his job. That evening, I was surprised to see my dad home very early. After our dinner, he called all of us together and we sat in the sitting room waiting for him to teach us the word of God as he used to.
"Guys, I need to talk to you about something." He paused, took a deep breath, and then continued, "I lost my job today."
My mom's eyes widen in shock, while my siblings and I look at each other in concern. At that moment, I did not know how to feel or what to say; I just kept mute as my dad continued to talk
"I know this may come as a shock to all of you, but I want to assure you that we'll get through this together. It's not going to be easy, but I promise you that we'll face this challenge as a family."
"Yes, that was what he said, and it's almost a year now and we are still going through these challenges. When will it end? Can't he just go to a company and tell them he needs a job? How long do we have to suffer this? It's almost a year now and I hate going to people's houses to get food." All these thoughts clouded my mind as tears began to brew underneath my eyes.
I walked in silence to Mummy Fiyin's house; when I got there, I saw her standing in front of her house with a black nylon bag. "Walk fast; I want to go inside the house," she said to me. I hurriedly walk towards her because it seems she has been standing outside her house for a while. She handed the black nylon to me and went inside before I could say, "Thank you."
I walked back home in silence, trying not to cry. I was holding my tears so well because I didn't want people asking me, "What is wrong?" I just wish things could go back to the way they were before.
I got to the front of my parent's house and from a distance, I could hear my mom and my siblings singing and shouting. "They have started again." I thought. I made my way to the front door, walked in, and I saw my dad sitting on the chair with his legs crossed and a smile on his face. My mom was holding a white A4 paper as she danced and sang praises to God. My siblings were dancing with her.
Before I could ask what the joy was all about, my little brother walked to me and said, "Daddy got a new job, and his pay is three times the pay he was getting before. No more begging for food."
I dropped the black nylon, knelt down, and started crying so badly. I was crying and coughing at the same time and everyone got confused. They started asking me what was wrong but only my dad understood what was wrong. He walked up to me, pulled me up, hugged me, and said, "Everything is fine now, Just what the doctor ordered."
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I tried to stop crying countless times, but the tears kept coming. My mom joined in on the hug, and then my siblings followed. We sang praise together and that started a new beginning in our lives.
The End.