It was a chilly afternoon, with the dark cloud gathering for a downpour.

I had left home

for the market half an hour ago to buy foodstuffs that will keep us going for the
weekend. The market is always rowdy on Fridays, bringing my little daughter will be a
burden to me. I dropped her to my neighbour as I left for the market through the back
door. She must have been crying after realising I had left her behind.
Excluding the fact that weekend attracts more people to the market, the clouds
contributed to the haste that went on in the market. People wanted to get done with their
business in the market and get going. Only for the market women who had shops over
their goods, they felt comfortable, and were ready for the rain. The sellers who placed
their goods facing the sky are making sure they hid the bulk of their products under a
shade, and advertise with the little right in front of them. Some on the wheelbarrows,
some on the mats while some kept their goods on the bare floor.
I aimed to get some frozen foods and some fresh pepper to prepare for the weekend. I
was almost done with my affairs in the market when I saw a woman in a pair of jeans
and an orange top. Her sunglass prevented me for quickly placing the face of whom it
was. I stood for a few seconds watching the slim woman interacting with the yam seller.
“This must be Elizabeth.” I gave my attention as I ponder over the words over and over.
Passerby hit me; some even abused me of not facing the road. Engrossed to what my
eyes were seeing, I decided to move close to the person. Seeing Elizabeth might not be
a beautiful thing after what separated us years ago, nevertheless, she’s my family, and I
wouldn’t ignore her. We might be the one who was wrong about the decision that
caused the division. I walked towards her, keeping my eyes glued on her so that she
won’t disappear among the hasty crowd. The woman helping me to grind my pepper
must have looked up and discovered I had gone.
She was busy pricing the yam as I moved closer to her, the closer I move the more I
affirm my sight wasn’t in the wrong. I tapped her immediately she was an arm away
from me. She looked back and saw me. The excitement on her face was unadulterated,
pure and unflinching. She screamed my name and jumped at me.
“Bola, this is you,” she said as she continued hugging me. It has been a long time I saw
her; she angrily packed her clothes after the family refused to accept the man she wants
to marry. None of us supported her idea of getting married to an illiterate—someone
without a formal education. Despite having a second degree in Philosophy, she chose
to be with a man who can’t fluently interact in English. It appeared like she was
bewitched; we didn’t want her to make that terrible decision. Daddy promised to
renounce her as his daughter if she goes against his will. In this part of the world, we
believe a university graduate should get married to someone with like manner, and her
with a second degree definitely she is a hot cake. So many suitors asked her hand in
marriage, but only heavens know what she saw in the dark young man. Some of us
would say maybe she liked him on the bed and that glued her to him. So many thoughts
flew our minds, but we all failed in convincing her to make another choice, cause she
made the choice already.
The pressure was getting to much for her, with my father's threats and my mother’s
silence. No one was going to support her despite her claim that the man is ambitious
and formal education is not a credibility of a successful marriage.
She was happy to see me.
“Aunty mi” she said as we walked to a nearby restaurant there in the market. She didn’t
look like a woman suffering; she might have parked her car to walk into the market. With
what I saw, she was living well. We might have been wrong about what we wanted for
her. We sat down to discuss in the restaurant with two bottles of Pepsi on our table. I
almost forgot I was grinding pepper with my customer; I can always go back there
anytime. Tears dropped from her eyes before she could utter a word about what
happened. She never regretted getting married to her husband as she later helped him
to go through some online courses that helped him. But she regretted leaving us in that
manner. Packing her goods while everyone was away without telling us, she fled with
the man. She bothered that mum must have been distraught and same with everyone.
But there seems to be no other choice than fleeing with her lover. She had always
wanted to come back home, but her hindrances were beyond her ambition. I hugged
her and told her we also made a mistake going against her desire. We were wrong not
to support her. Having my sister back is just another wonderful thing, I thought she
would be angry at me and then ignore me.
“You remain my big Sis, and nothing can change that,” she held me tightly to herself. In
the mood of a great reunion, I had a noise that could almost make me go deaf. The
gravity of the force pushed us to the ground. I was trying to get up when I realised it was
a blast. The terrorist must have done that. Elizabeth looked at me in fear, she must
have known what happened. The market might be under attack but it will be better if it
was just an explosion. She held me as we took cover under the table. People were
screaming and running around. Running during an event like that needed a lot of sense
of direction. Where to run to is very important in that kind of chaos. Some might be
running towards where the attack was coming from, but we stood still for a while to
know which way is save. As expected, the second blast came up. Just about twenty
yards from where we were. The cool day became hot. Elizabeth hits her head on a chair
during the second blast, leaving a scare on her.
During my service days in the southern part of the country, I was one of the best among
the females in the camp. Though years have taken a lot from me, but I still have what it
takes to lift myself and run for my life. Elizabeth was fidgeting, think right wasn’t coming
to her. She wanted to join the people running around. I held her and told her to look at
me.
“We are getting through this.” I told her as I held her hand to lead her away from the
restaurant. I saw a baby crying beside her unconscious mother. It was a terrible sight;
the boy would be a little older than three years old. Leaving him is equivalent to leaving
him to die. I tried to wake the unconscious mother to save her baby, she never came to
life. Carrying the baby would be a burden to me and my scared sister, but I won’t forgive
myself if I abandon him. I grasped him and attempted walking out of the deserted
restaurant. A lot of people who were running out of the market started running back,
something must have been behind them. They continued screaming with some falling to
the ground and ran over. For once in my lifetime, I saw what was called chaos. Every
man for himself, I pitied some market women looking for their kids. They were running
towards the direction everyone is coming from, screaming the name of their children.
I saw what everyone was running from; it was the bandits. They drove slowly after the
people and opened fire on everyone. It appeared like the end. I saw bullets piercing
people's body and the bandits excited doing it. The men mounting the machine guns
were shooting with so much strength that they wished no one leave the market alive.
Some out of fear left where they were hiding and wanted to run away. They got it by the
bullets. Elizabeth was already crying; I held her in my left hand and carried the boy with
my right hand. I knew the restaurant must have a back door, it would be a place to hide.
Running is suicide. We went there and his in the restaurant restroom. We met a young
man there. He was scared when he saw us. We joined him and hoped the military men
come to our rescue.
After a short while, the shooting stopped. The bandits started singing and rejoicing.
Jumping around in victory after killing innocent souls for political reasons. Then they
started taking valuable properties that are easily movable. I knew immediately they sight
a restaurant, they would come over. While pondering over this, I heard two of them
talking in a native language I couldn’t understand.
I held the boy’s mouth so that he won’t make a sound. Not too long, some other men
joined the two. We could hear the plates clanging. The more they entered the restaurant
the closer they are to us. Then I received a message on my phone, the sound sent a
signal to them that someone is around. They spoke in their native language and started
checking around. It was too late for me or anyone to do anything to the phone that
smoked us out. We were like sitting duck, waiting for a miracle. They started opening
doors and scattering the place, looking for where the sound came from. They moved
closer to us every second.
If we are found, we might not be shot. They may determine a more cruel way to end our
lives. I held Elizabeth and told her I love her no matter what happens. The four of us
congested in the toilet started muffing words of prayer. The boy looking at us innocently,
he had cried for his mother earlier. I was able to get him to stop so as not to nail us. We
heard another gunshot. The men in the restaurant cock their guns. The military men
came at the expected time. The man in front of our door was about to open it when one
of them called him and told him the military men are around. He ran to join the battle.
For another ten minutes, we had to close our ears cause of the noise. The cloud
gathering minutes ago started raining. The bandits faced the military men and stood
their ground.
That moment, I realised how valuable my sister is, I would die for her to live. I almost
came out of the toilet to present myself to the bandits and safe others. All thanks to the
gunshot that changed the story. We continued praying everything should end. Then
silence again. I walked out when I sensed everything was calm. I went to check if others
would be safe to come out. I didn’t see the bandits but saw some of the soldiers fifty
meters away from where we were. The bandits must have fled. I ran to meet them in the
toilet and told them we should run to the soldiers, by that we would be safe.
“Run very fast,” I warned them, cause I know we would only be safe when we get to the
soldiers. I carried the boy. We walked out of the restaurant and started running towards
the soldiers, the soldiers spotted us, and some of them ran to our rescue. We heard a
shot from the back, some of the bandits aimed at us. The soldiers moved closer and
started shooting to the direction the bullet came. My sister became so scared. We were
in the middle of flying bullets, any of it could hit us. The boy I carried didn’t allow me to
run very well. Maybe about two persons were shooting from behind, but they aimed to
take us down.
I have read it that you don’t hear the sound of the bullet that hit you. Suddenly, I lost
control of my right leg—a bullet as just passed through it. I fell to the ground with the
baby down with me. It was only a few meters away from the soldiers. I couldn’t move
the leg. My wet cloth got soaked of blood in a few minutes. To my surprise, Elizabeth
saw me on the ground and ran back to help me. I told her to go; she refused. She ran
towards me fell to the ground and dragged me aside. She pulled the small boy beside
us. The soldiers continued to close in; they killed one of the supposed two remaining
bandits. I was bleeding and thanked my sister for coming back for me.
“I won’t leave you, not anymore,” she said, covering the bullet wound with a piece or
torn part of her dress. I didn’t know what to say; I discovered that true love is found
mostly in blood. No matter the separation, we are still on. The torrential downpour didn’t
cease for a second. The military men came to rescue us. The young man had found his
way to the end earlier. They carried me and took me to their waiting van. They took us
away.
A day it was. Taking Elizabeth back to the others would be a dream come true for
everyone. I smiled at her on the hospital bed as she sat beside me. My mother came
and saw her long-gone daughter sitting beside me. It was a moment I would never
forget.