The LONGEST WAIT

ies' THE L

PTE

so attached to you. Chidinma, my youngest daughter didn't miss her mum so much. As for Chioma, it wasn't easy for her. It took a very long time before she coul

the last child of the house, and I was a male. A female might have been taught how to cook. The children were having a hard time with

ow and then, she brought us food. Those days she brought us food were some of the happiest days of our new lives because we felt li

er figure in the house. The children loved their grandmom immensely and I prayed she could stay with us permanently. But you know how old African grandmoms behave. All

em with her so that they could live with her. Chioma would have loved the idea but not Chidinma. The latter always wanted to be by me. Though it was a good thing to be attached to one's father, I feared wha

wn, I met a group of friends drinking at an off-license bar. Amongst them was Chima. They asked me to join them, and I did. I was there for three whole hours and completely forgot that my girls were at home and hungry. When I finally went back home, I had roast f

ed for too long.

fish, my dear." I tried

She would not allow h

e. I did stay and I am

re hungry, Chioma a

t, I won't do that aga

ad. I l

u too, m

ed she was a boy. But she wasn't. I had been hoping that Chisom and I would have one last try to see if it

t was happening. I feared something bad might have happened to her. However, I kept that thought in my mind and didn't reveal it for fear of that it might come true if I voiced it out. I was that

s heightened that very evening because Chima came to

know what is happening. I don't kn

oh, but I don't k

you hear?" I was

nin line is Europe by

by road? How d

ope, which is either Libya or Morocco. Then, they take a boat which is most often a dinghy, sometimes a

taken." I felt like peeing in my pants. My temperature was seriously

contact you? Why did they have to go to Benin when there

What am I going to do? She's the only thing I have. What would I do without h

calm down and let us reason

on about, Chima? My wi

ook for means to have information.

her church. He was the one who had brought the whole thing. I needed explanations on where my wife had

ay for counseling and that the pastor was busy attending

immediately. Tell him it's urgent. In fact, tell him it

pastor now. As you can see, there is a

r you, better tell him I want to see hi

pportunity and I seized it. I rushed into the office before the next person in

fe, pastor. Whe

own Mr.

What have you guys done to my wife

n able to contact him. I

That is what you are saying tha

Buch

m giving you two days. If you don't get back to me within that time, I will get the police involved. What a

t. He knew he had just talked himself into a hole in the ground. He had to do something fast befo

fore I came back to this town? I

. I heard you w

least, you know with whose wife you

really understand what was happening. All they knew was that someone had walked into the pastor's office and bullied him into submissio

n through my mind. What if Chisom has drowned in the Mediterranean? God forbid. What if she has been trafficked into prostitution. That par

. They might suspect something had gone wrong and start being depressed. I tried as much as possible to arrange my composure, b

ad

, ba

you c

my

ok like you

am tired. Don't worry, my dear. It is

Better go

tinued brooding and sulking. It was remaining just one more day for the pastor's deadline to expire. After that, I would take the matter to the competent for

hi

are you

om

turn on

on, Chima. Yo

the TV on and go

NN. As soon as I turned on the TV,

CONTIN