HELPING HALIMAT COST ME.

 I rushed into my room after muttering greetings to my elder brother who looked at me suspiciously as I walked past him.

 

"Amaka ..." He called

I halted and turned to look at him

 

"Sir?" I answered

"Are you alright?" He asked and furrowed his brows

 

I nodded and turned to go

I knew his eyes were on me as I rushed into the room, but I ignored him

 

I took two bags and put some of my clothes in one of the bags.

I put some sell-able materials into the second one and rushed out

 

I heard my elder brother calling me but I didn't listen.

I ran until I was one street away, I rushed to the back of Kolade's house and met him sitting down there

 

He stood up and rushed to me immediately I got there

 

I gave him the two bags

"There are clothes in this one and sell-ables in this, I told him differentiating the bags "Sell what you can and buy what I had described to you earlier "

 

"Amaka!" I froze as I heard my brother's voice

He followed me here?

 

"Run!" I said to Kolade and he took to his heels in the opposite direction

 

My brother pulled my ears and dragged me all the way home

 

****

 

I knelt in front of my mum and dad with tears in my eyes.

"Enter inside!" I heard my brother shouting at someone.

I turned to see him bringing Kolade into the house

Kolade came into the house, holding his cheeks with tears streaming down his face. Apparently, my brother had slapped him

 

I stood up in rage.

"Why did you hit him brother? He was only helping me!" I barked

"Helping you do what? Since you have refused to talk, he will tell us" my father retorted

"If you had asked me politely would I not have spoken up, you just kept on hitting me like I have done something wrong. I only asked him to help me sell some of my ear rings that I wasn't using and use the money to but pad"

 

"Pad??" My mum asked shocked

"Yes! But, not for me."

"For who?" My brother asked

 

"For Halimat"

"Who is that?" My mum asked confused

 

***

Halimat is a poor girl. She begs on the streets together with her family. I was on my way back from school when I saw her crying. I went closer to her and asked her what was wrong.

She pointed to the blood dripping down her legs, she explained to me that she wasn't injured and that she had washed up so many times but the blood just kept pouring.

I asked her when it started and she said it had started yesterday.

Her mum wasn't paying any attention to her, she just kept crying.

I met Kolade on my way back, knowing I wouldn't be able to get to Halimat’s stand again, I explained to Kolade the things I needed to do for her and he agreed to help me.

He was my only friend and the only person I could trust.

I asked him to sell those things and get her some pads, any kind he could get. And then, I asked him to give her my clothes.

She always wore tattered clothes and I had so many that I wasn't even using.

****

"I was only helping her " I wept.

My mum stood up and embraced me

"I'm proud of you my baby"