Short Story Galore serialization begins again 2


SOMETHING CALLED LIFE


When she came home, she was crying. Her hair, the long, black, silky type was all mussed up, but her clothing was not dirty, torn, missing buttons, just routinely rumpled as expected of clothes when they are worn.

Her immediate senior brother, Uche (short for Uchenna, not Uchechukwu or another extension of Uche), who was also the first born of the family, was seated on the couch, watching a Shan George movie on the VCR.

Once he observed her … and her condition, her face streaked with tears dripping onto her blouse, he was on his feet immediately, after pushing the ‘pause’ button on the remote control and dropping it on the sofa.

He was the only person at home and he rushed over to her and put his arms around her.

“Kate, Kate, what’s it, what happened?”

When she didn’t answer, more questions poured out of his mouth. “Was it a fight? Did you happen on a shooting? Did some stranger accost you? Could he have gone far within the time it took you to get home?”

Uche was in his sophomore year at the University of Lagos. He was very strong but gentle and was respected a lot in the neighbourhood. He had proved his mettle in a couple of fights that he was a tough considerate guy who could tangle both ways: good and bad.

As a result, none of their area’s delinquents, bullies and wise guys could mess around with any of his family members as they would have him to account to which was why he was thinking whatever had happened to Kate had to be the doing of somebody passing through the area.

“No … no … no … U … che,” she sobbed into his shoulder. She was shaking and he could feel it vibrating off his system. By now he had steered her over to the divan and they sat on it with his arms still comforting her.

He spoke with a soothing tone. “So what happened, sis? What? Please tell me. Get it off your chest.”

She buried her head in his shoulder as a fresh spasm shook her. “Oh … Uche,” she trembled. “Are we alone? What of mum?”

Her asking after their mother made him realize the graveness of the situation. Mrs Nwafor travelled just four days ago which she knew. So why was she asking for her when she was aware that she wasn’t in the country?

He knew it could only mean one thing. Whatever she went through, or saw, was nerve wracking and had toyed with her mental balance. He’d better call Doctor Howard and their pop.

Note: This is the first page of Something Called Life, the second of the short stories in the Oseyiza Oogbodo book, Short Story Galore which’s serialization began some weeks ago but has to begin again due to some unforeseen hitches. More excerpts to follow on this blog. It is available on Amazon and many other stores through the links below. Other available Oogbodo books are The Good Life, and The Newell Murder with Dedication To The Ugly coming soon.


www.amazon.com/dp/B07DJYFJ28

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DJYFJ28

www.amazon.de/dp/B07DJYFJ28

www.amazon.fr/dp/B07DJYFJ28

www.amazon.it/dp/B07DJYFJ28


www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07DJYFJ28

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