A mother's Distrust

Choose your friend, and choose wisely, was an old saying among Aries’ circle. How would she have known that the concept should include neighbors? Not everyone who smiles at you, is a friend. One of her follies was that she was too trusting, until it nearly ruined her family, and destroyed her peaceful co-existence.

Aries, a widow with three children had nothing to worry about when she first moved to town. She relocated to a new neighborhood in Fodio, a relatively small town, whose economy relied solely on farming. On her first arrival, she lived at Agja, the upper end of the city, but the room there was too small and there was not enough space for the children to play. It prompted her to searching for a better accommodation. Four months after moving to town, she was introduced to a new house at the heart of the city. The occupant was an old couple, who died within the spate of two months to each other. The couple’s only child lived elsewhere, and put up the house for sales, immediately, after burial.

The property was a three-bedroom house and had a standalone a garden. To Aries and her children’s delight, it was a perfect home to start over. The family took over in June, new neighborhood, new friends, new beginning, and new life, what more could she want in life. Aries, a new landlady in the neighborhood tried to familiarize with her new home, and the people in her struggles to fit in. The locals introduced her to different events, most importantly trades and the lifestyles in the community. Mapel was her first child, a girl turning sixteen in October, John was thirteen years, and Lara, the last born, was merely an eight-year-old girl. The family weren’t buoyant after the purchase of the property and had to rely on what they could do to get by. Mapel registered in the local high schools in the community, while John repeated a class because he was never a bright child to begin with. Nonetheless, what he lacked in education, he compensated in social relations, he was a very keen observer, and good at studying people. Anyway, he would be going to high school, in the following term. Presently, he attended the same primary school as Lara.

In the neighborhood, a family who rented a nearby apartment was the first to knock at the new owner’s door. It wasn’t too long enough when they apparently became friends; helping each other to survive in the community. Mr. and Mrs. Aro had four children and Mrs. Aro two sisters stayed with the couple, which made their family, a little larger than theirs. The family had been living relatively in peace until the Easter season of the following year when a middle-aged man came by Aries’ abode requesting to see her daughter.

At first, she thought her daughter might have offended the individual and called her out to apologize, only to find out that Mapel hadn’t returned home from school. She then questioned the man involved.

“Mr., I am sorry, I don’t know in what way my daughter might have offended you. Kindly forgive her please. She is young, and still amenable, I promise to discipline her when she gets back home.”

“Her response infuriated the latter. Are you playing tricks or what? Your daughter collected my money and asked me to come down here to pick her up to hang out with me for a night. I am here to pick her up. And here you are, coming out here to talk about decency; on what moral ground are you appealing to me? Please, don’t play that game with me. You don’t know how rough I can get. If your daughter is no longer interested, she should return my money. Is this how you train your daughter? At so young an age, she is not only a slut but a scammer.”

Aries was furious and felt deeply humiliated. She couldn’t get passed the man’s words and wondered where she got it all wrong. All she could do was to beg the man because she simply didn’t know her daughter anymore. The strange man at the door gave her a slap and she collapsed and passed out. When the man realized that things might get out of hand, he left there out of frustration, and cursed the family all through his way out of the neighborhood. He hopped inside his taxi in a jiffy and sped off.

Mapel returned from school, only to feel the disdained of the people around her, if only look could kill, she would have dropped dead. She wasn’t sure what was going on, until she reached home and her mother who had just recovered from her dizziness, simply lost it upon seeing her. “You have become something else; I hardly know you again. What sort of life do you live out there, tell me is this how I trained you? At your age, you have not only become a scammer, swindling money from men, you have also started sleeping around. I am ashamed of you and myself. Your father would be turning inside his grave if he looks back to watch what you have become.”

Maple had no clue of what her mother was talking about and felt distraught of her mother’s comments. “Mother what did I do? I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Don’t you mother me! Everyone in the neighborhood knows what you have become, I am the only blind one, if that old man hadn’t stopped by the house demanding to see you today, I wouldn’t have known that you have become a damaged goods.”

“Mother stop it, stop it.” Mapel became frantic as she listened to her mother’s hurtful comments. Nonetheless, her mother wouldn’t stopped she kept hauling insults on her daughter because she was truly disappointed in her. She started questioning her parenting skills. The worse parts were that the neighbors too started questioning Mapel about her private life. Soon, it became a norm, hardly could a week go by that Aries would not receive at least two older men asking for her daughter. She resorted into selling off some of little treasures she had managed to gather over the years, to pay off the supposed debts that her daughter incurred.

Mrs. Aro and her younger sister, Leah would come by the house to offer her emotional support. Sometimes, sat Mapel down to talk sense into her to stop her wayward life and live uprights to delight her mother. The girl felt suffocated, her mother never believed her again, and couldn’t stand her presence. John, who wasn’t considered bookish, but keen in social relations started paying close attention to event to gain clarity.

Another incident soon transpired; Aries had gone to the local market to trade vegetables from her garden and could considered that she made a good sale. She was on her way back when a bike rode passed her by. She was cursing the guy because apparently, if she hadn’t been quick enough, the rider would have knocked her down. Upon her arrival, she soon sighted the same rider, patiently waiting at her door post. The yet to dissipate anger, soon rose in her and she lashed out involuntarily at the man. “What, did you come here to finish the job? Since you couldn’t knock me over, so you rode down to my house to kill me. Is that it?”

“Woman, do I know you? Please, enough, I am looking for Mapel. Wait the girl did resemble you a bit. Are you two into the same business? So, you are the one instigating her to take people’s money.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Enough! I am not buying what she is selling again! The money she swindled off me, I want it back, in full. I have had enough of her lies. Tell her to take her business elsewhere, if she ever comes near me, I will treat her fuck up.”

“How could you give an underage girl, money, and still have the audacity to come down to her house claiming a victim? I have had enough; please leave my house, otherwise I will call a police officer.”

“You think I am afraid of you, I have more than enough about both mother and child scamming business. You will instigate your daughter to go out and swindle people hard earned money. When the victim comes to your door, you will start crying wolf. Call your police, I want to see the police.”

Mrs. Aro who was nearby, walked down to the house. “What has Mapel done this time around? Hey, poor woman. What kind of a child is this, who wouldn’t give mother a piece of mind? I am truly sorry. How much did she owe this time around?”

“Mrs., do I know you? Are you interested in paying back?”

“I am just a concerned neighbor. I don’t have the means to pay back. Please, look at the condition of the poor woman and have mercy. If she has the money, I know she will pay you. The girl had reduced her to nothing. In fact, she has turned her mother to a practical joke.”

“How is it my business? If you fail to train your child, this is what you get! I will get my money back one way or the other. Tell your daughter not to cross path with me. If she ever dares to cross three-sisters-bridge, then she is asking for it. Do me a favor, tell her, that the money she tricked off me and the service she refused to give, she will pay thrice the amount, and double the service. Tell her, the message is from Jobi.” The man mounted his bike and rode off. Shame washed over Aries, she couldn’t stare the neighbor in the face, she just walked straight into her house.

That day, Aries lost it. As Mapel stepped into the house, it was the silent rage of her mother that welcomed her. The next thing she felt was a whirl of slaps darted across her face. A mother raised her hand against her daughter amid fury, disappointment, and doubt. She not only beat the girl, but also rained curses and abuse on her; threatened to sever relationship with her if such event ever transpired again.

None had dinner that night, it was an extremely bitter night. Aries grounded her daughter; she didn’t allow her to go out or attend school for a week. In the midst of the on going internal and external strive, John called her mother aside.

“Mother, I may be very young to have opinion about what is going on, but don’t you think your approach to this situation is wrong?”

“What do you mean? John, do you suppose I should condone your sister on the path of destruction she embarks on?”

“No. I have a question for you, if you can go back and think about it, maybe you will think of a better way to address this unpalatable situation in our family.”

“I am all ears.”

“This incident of Mapel’s moral issue when did it begin? Or have we been experiencing it before moving down here?”

“No. I think it starts here. Is it because we are experiencing a bit hardship, is that why she cannot endure?

“Have you ever asked this individual to describe who they are actually looking for whenever they barged into our house? Because it appears to me that Mapel is a household name that anyone could bear. If the person is able to describe the individual, then have you once present Mapel to identify whether she is actually the person they are looking for? If you have not done any of these things in the past, and you are accusing your daughter of most despicable sin of all, I will say you need to re-examine your parenting approach, mother.”

Aries looked at her fourteen years old boy ad for the first time seeing the traces of her late husband in him. It was like Mike was standing before her berating her for what she had become, she felt extremely fretful and remorseful. She thanked her son and went back to reflect on what her son had just told her.

It was on Saturday afternoon; the family had just finished gardening and Aries sent the children back to shower when she had a knock at the door. She was surprised to see a complete stranger, a man who half of his face was covered in pimples, which gave his appearance a hideous look.

“May I know who you are looking for?” Aries asked.

“ I am looking for Mapel.” The man replied.

“Is there anything you want from her?”

“Please don’t waste my time. Ask her to come out, I want to know why she failed to keep our appointments.”

Aries would have become livid like before but that day she remembered John’s advice which made her to patiently questioned the stranger. “Sir, are you sure you’re in the right address?"

“Yes. She gave me this address herself, on Tuesday evening. Am I getting the sense that Mapel doesn’t live in this house?’

“Of course, Mapel lives in this house, it is just that I don’t know which Mapel you are actually referring to. The Mapel, who lives here is an eight years old girl, and she didn’t live my sight throughout this week, as a matter of fact she had been sick. That’s why I ask if you aren’t making a mistake, could you please describe to me the feature of this Mapel, I may be able to direct you better if it is a mistake in name or address.”

“How can I not know who I am looking for or mistake the address, she gave me this location. She works as receptionist at the Edet local clinic along Pierre rd. She is dark skin, with a big eye and a small mole below her chin and had an open gap front tooth.

“Is she tall as me?” Aries questioned.

The stranger studied Aries’s features for a few seconds before opening his mouth. “Slightly taller than you. She likes to ware bangles on her two arms.”

“I think I have a better clarity on whom you are looking for. She doesn’t live here; she is our neighbor. See the next building to us; go there and asked for Leah, I think she is just playing hard to get. I hope she didn’t take much from you this time around.”

“Not much, 100 bucks.”

“That’s still a lot. Best of luck.”

Aries closed her door, when she turned back, her three children were staring at her. When her eyes settled on Mapel, the girl burst out crying. Her friend in a new neighborhood had played her for a fool. They wanted to destroy and painted her daughter black as a loose girl, in the community. “Does Aro’s family think they can have it easy? Do they think because I am a widow, they can toy with my family? They are quite mistaken!” Aries’ anger was palpable, as she tried to salvage what was left of her relationship with her girl.

Leah was having fun with her sisters and her family, while mocking Aries when they heard a knock at the door; upon siting the man, she was taken aback. The man didn’t hesitate to slap her in the face. You think you can fool me? Is this how a lady behaves? So, you intend to swindle me, give me my money back otherwise, I will be calling the police. Leah and her sisters started pleading with the man. None of them wanted the rest of the co-tenants and other neighbors to hear about the shady deal. However, the guy wasn’t going easy on them. Leah had spent the money and didn’t have anything to refund. Her plea went into deaf ears. The man notified his brother, who was a local gang member in the area. Within the shortest period of time, the whole neighborhood had become chaotic. Amidst the chaos. The police arrived at Aries house; the woman was shocked when John told her that he was the person who contacted the police about the stolen identity. Leah and her sister were arrested. Leah was sentence to three years and three months imprisonment for the stolen identity and two years for traumatic experiences she caused Mapel. Mrs. Aro was sentenced to five months imprisonment for conspiracy and abetting criminal.

Aries thanked John for his maturity, despite his age. She took time to beg for her daughter’s forgiveness. As they reconciled, they learned to trust each other, more, and the family lived happily in harmony.