The Orphan Girl

Jessica's father died when she was still suckling. She was only one and half years old when her dad fell from the udiko palm tree. The Udiko palm tree is the tallest in its vicinity and on of the tallest in the village. It is from that fall that her father broke his spine and could not survive the trauma.

Jessica's mum was at the backyard cooking meal for her husband when she heard the crying call. She rush to the open to get a glimpse of what was happening only for her to meet her husband unable to move or talk. He was laying with him back flat down an facing upwards. He was just looking into to are not blinking the eyes. Jessica's mum hold little Jessy at her back jumped in a mix of reaction: Fear, shock, not knowing what is happening. She was restrained by the men holding the stretcher carrying her husband.

There was no orthopedic hospital closer or a tertiary facility to give him a professional care. The closest one they have which is the Federal medical center. But access to those they couldn't due to lack of funds.

They took him to the traditional bone setters where he only endured for two days before giving up his last. Before his death at the traditional bone setter's place, he was mad to drink local herbs every morning and night. There were no means to tell the efficacy of such herb.

The death's Jessica's father would be the beginning if a new journey for his wife. And even before his death, her in-laws were not really in the best relationship with her. The death of their son affords them the opportunity to finally act as they please without restrain.

In their tradition, when one husband dies the wife's hair is shaved and she is made to drink the water used in bathing her husband. This is so as it is sure she has had no hands in the death if her husband.

Even being a nursing mother and morning her late husband she was not spared the torment of tradition. It took only three days after the death before the rites began. While Jessica's husbands body must be placed in the morgue until all the rites are carried out before his burial.

The rites started with the deceased's wife swearing to the gods of death that she had nothing to do with her husband's death. She said it loudly three times that " oh, god our death, if I had anything to do with my beloved husband's death,then take my own life". But the immediate yonger brother to Jessica's husband shouted at her and called her a "witch." He insisted she was responsible and said he go to know that because the spirit of her husband cane crying to him.

She wept until she had no energy to cry. And each time she cries, her baby Cry's too. But it was the beginning of a new journey for young Jessica and her mother. The next day after her oath taking the previous day was another rite to come. All matron from the household of Jessica's father would bath his wife with the water they have used in bathing theirs son's dead body. Jessica's mother was also made to drink the water and that water she drank would cause her an ailments that she did not recover from.

After all she's been through she would stay indoors for 7consecutive days. Nobody would visit her and she won't visit nobody. Not only that she would not make no fire to cook her meal instead she would be served food by her In-laws.

After the seven days passed, Jessica husband was buried. And yet according to the tradition if the people, Jessica's husband immediate younger brother would inherite everything his brother left behind even his wife.

But Jessica's mum would not agree to be inherited by her husband's brother. And a cold night while she was sleeping in her hut, her husband's brother walked in. Saw her suckling the baby while asleep. He doff his clothes and began to undress her. The cry of the baby woke her up and shocked to see her husband's brother in her room. Before she could push him away, he held tight to her and tried to pin her down while the baby's cry go even louder. Suddenly she bite him in the neck and didn't let go until he started bleeding. He was able to break from the her gripping teeth and rushed outside shouting that she attacked him.

To be continued.