Admission at Village Clinic
Papa is admitted at the village clinic with a head bandage and on drips as Malo and Maha sat by the bed side. A nurse checked on him and left.
Tony
He came from the city and rushed to the clinic when he heard the news when he arrived he checked on the nurse on duty and asked about his dad;
“Go to Ward 4 upstairs on your right.”
At the Ward
He entered saw Papa with a bandaged head and on drips he panicked and asked his siblings;
“What happened? Why is Papa like this?”
Malo narrated the incident;
“I went to Mama’ shop got some items when she came she queried and became insulting Papa talked back and she pushed him down and he knocked his head on a stone and fainted that how we rushed him to the village clinic.”
Tony went close to Papa and asked after his health;
“I am struggling.” He answered in a feeble shaky voice.
Tony clenched his fist bit his lips shaking he left the clinic.
At Mama’ Shop
There was the trio enjoying a delicious ‘benachin’ drinking alcohol and chattering away as if nothing happen. Mama narrated her side of the story and as usual backed by her friend Mama Mossan and her boyfriend Papa Umpa.
“I cannot understand how a man refuses to fend for his family and instead batters his wife when she asks for fish money?”
“He would find his ‘match box’ in me I am equal to the task.” She bluffed.
Tony
He came and found the trio dining and wining and he confronted Mama;
“Such a heartless woman! Here you are enjoying yourself while Papa lay at the cold clinic bed suffering in pain what sort of human being are you?”
Papa Umpa
“Tony! You have to hear your mother’ side of the story before….. Tony interrupted him before he completed his sentence;
“You shameless he-goat what are you doing here dining and wining with another man’ wife? Did I ask for your dirty opinion?”
Pandemonium
Tony kicked the dining table everything came tumbling and crashing upon the ground; he insulted and started throwing boiled and raw eggs at them as the duo ran for dear life and Mama went inside the inner room of the shop to seek shelter;
“Come out wicked woman! Come and let me tear you to pieces!” Tony went into tantrums and destroyed a lot of shop items before he finally left for home.
3 days After
Papa is discharged and he left for home accompanied by his children.
The Nurses
They backbite the family;
“Papa Sanjaly’ wife is wicked how can a married woman treat her husband like this?” Nurse Joof asked.
“I am definitely sure that this relationship was a forced marriage it does not work one of the couple must suffer and in this case it happens to be the man.” Nurse Eliza posited.
“I heard his wife is shamelessly befriending that widower Papa Umpa and they always meet at her shop which is being sponsored by him and they meet and dine there with her friend Mama Mossan that shameless gossip.” Eliza explained.
“I pity this nice man so harmless!” Posited Nurse Joof.
Papa Sanjaly
He summoned his kinsmen with his wife Mama Margo.
“I was not dreaming or hallucinating when my wife told me at the face that my children were not mine and that when the time comes she would tell me who and who are my children let her do so in front of my kindred.”
Elder Dave Alhajj Dawda
“She was just talking like an angry woman don’t mind her she does not mean what she was saying.” He then turned to Mama Margo and cautioned her.
“You should not be uttering such words it cause confusion and it hurts.”
The Shock of their Life
“Sanjaly is not the biological father of the elder children it is only Hajum he fathered. The bombshell! The room became silent everyone became numb as death.
“What!” Elder Dave broke the silence.
Mama Margo developed ‘dry eye cover shame’ she turned her eyes around happy that she has finally take the cat out of the bag.
“I have to release the secret from my heart he is not their biological father it is only Hajum that he fathered.” She narrated again with defiance.
Papa Sanjaly
He was shocked to death as he just stared at one place with uncontrollable tears rolling down his cheeks.
It was like a funeral as the elder children confronted Mama.
Malo;
“Mama! What sort of madness is this? How can you utter such a word? How would our community see us as ‘bastard children’? Mama your folly has finished us! Am I in a dream? This cannot be true tell me it is a lie!” Malo rolled down upon the ground.
Maha
He asked the same question;
“Mama! Is it a joke? Why Mama? Why? How heartless can you be to do such atrocity upon your family? How can we explain this?” Maha wept bitterly.
Tony hibernated and refused to come home.
Mama Margo
“I am sorry my children but the truth have to be told Augustine is not your biological father I cannot hide it anymore.”
The family was devastated things fall apart the pieces scattered will it be put together again?
To be Cont.
