by Daniel Nkado
Nne Akunedo has been at the Ugwuoji Memorial Hospital for over a week now.
Her case was acute appendicitis.
Mama needed to have an appendectomy conducted as soon as possible.
But the truth is that the hospital has an outstanding order of not treating any patient till at least 50% of the bill has been deposited in advance.
Rebecca, who is Mama’s youngest daughter and long-time caregiver, only barely managed to afford Mama’s transportation to the community clinic on the day they first arrived.
And so the sick old woman lay there on her bed, immersed in her deep pain, whining and groaning all night.
Having not had the desire to eat for many days now, Mama only grew thinner and thinner.
‘I will sell my sewing machine, Mama,’ Rebecca suggested.
‘Sell it,’ Mama said. ‘Sell it, nnem inu.’
The young woman nodded and went about looking for a buyer.
But no one could offer to pay more than N5000 for the old model machine.
Rebecca returned to the clinic sadder than she was when she first left.
‘What of your brother?’ Akunedo asked. ‘Have you not heard anything from him yet?’
Rebecca shook her head, sorrowfully. ‘Nothing, Mama.’
‘Ewuchim!’ Mama cried.
‘Mama ndo.’
‘Mmm.’
‘Ndo.’
‘Mmm.’
‘He must come o,’ Mama started to cry again. ‘He cannot just abandon me at a time like this. He cannot.’
Rebecca stared at her poor sick mother, swallowing one sad lump of air after another.
Brother Uche used to be a rich man. Till the crises in Maiduguri started and his shops burned and he lost almost all he owned.
Even now that he is in Kaduna, only barely managing to support his young family of five, he’d been running around since the first day Rebecca called, trying all he could to raise the N35, 000 needed to be deposited before his mother would be operated on.
But time is no longer on the poor family’s side.
In a few more days, Mama’s appendix ruptured and she gave up the ghost from severe sepsis two nights after.
Rebecca cried like she had never done before in her entire life.
Nobody could restrain her. Not the doctor, not the nurses. She slapped and kicked them as they come.
But as Mama’s corpse was been cleaned up and prepared for the mortuary, one of the attendants made a shocking discovery.
In the waist purse firmly tied around the old woman’s waist, there was a bundle of money.
The young man counted all the neatly folded notes over and over again, slower in each session.
The amount came to a total of two hundred and forty thousand naira, more than was ever needed to deposit for Mama’s surgery.
***
Get all complete stories by Daniel Nkado on DNB Store, OkadaBooks or BamBooks!
Poor Rebbecca will better clean her tears and use the money for all her stress!
What!!! What was her aim?
I have no pity for mama. So the money must come from her children. Smh
Mama loves money more than her life. SMH
poor old granny don't want to spend a penny from her money.
or
she had rather her children use the money to take care of themselves than use it for the surgery
Hmmmm. Some parents are bad o. Must u squeeze those children until they die? Chai! At least she has the money she would have saved her children from running helter skelter. And she will even have lived more. Rebecca abeg go spend money buy new machine
Hmmmm! That woman is so selfish o. Can u imagine? She killed herself.
What!! So the mama has that amt with her. she is responsible for her death then.
This is so true. It happens in my own part of Eastern Nigeria. Agulu to be precise. Most Granny there have stalks of money in their houses but they can never spend it. They have this ideology that my children must take care of me. I just hope things changes though. God help us
Hian…dead or alive, Mama needs to be slapped real hard. Imagine!
Which kind stingy mama be this? That woman needs seperate judgement when she gets to the land of the dead
Hahahahahahahahaha!
You may be surprised that her mind did not for one day go to the money on her waist. Or as far as she was concerned, the money on her waist is not meant for spending. Not out of meaness or anything but just the way it is.
Nnem are you from Agulu? I am from Agulu too. Nneogidi 2 b precise
Yes Ugonna I am from Agulu. Ifiteani Village. Good to met a brother here
I want to concur to your second thought,
Is like she have good intention for her children over her health.
If so,what a worthy granny!
Greetings my neighbours
i think she kept that money for children
If she kept the money for her children I salute her good intention but if she kept the money because she believed it's her children's responsibility to take care of her, then she's self centered
This stuff actually happened in a teaching hospital. The man was a farmer. They discovered more than what he needed on him after his death. life sha..
Mama na aka gum! Na wa oooo!
This is just my grandma. she can hide money for Africa. She will say she is broke and can't afford bread but will still scream that the security men stole her #10,000.