On and on I lived a happy life with the children of Mrs Omotayo. If only I could live with them forever, I wouldn’t have anything to worry about.
I was obsessed with the love of Biodun to the extent that I learnt the Braille method of writing,
since that was the only way I could communicate with him without asking for the help of Laide his sister.
If only Biodun had eyes, it had been better. He would have learnt the sign language too. I found the sign language the easiest means of communicating.
I acquired the material for writing in
Braille, the paper,
the pin, then I began to write:
Dear Biodun,
I have been wanting to tell you this all
the while but I
didn’t know how to express myself
because I am a
female and you are the male. However, I
thought it
doesn’t matter.
The simple truth is that I want us to be
lovers. It may
be funny, a deaf mute girl dating a blind
guy. How would
they communicate with each other? How
would they
protect each other? I shall do all I could
to protect you,
Biodun, and no hurt would come to you
while I live. I
love you as you are because Love Is
Blind. Infact, love
is also deaf and dumb. In summary, I
LOVE YOU. Pls
reply me.
Rose.
Bode was spying at me while I was
writing it. I took
the paper and began to make for the
garden to give
him. I didn’t want to give it to him
myself, else he
wouldn’t take me serious.
I pushed Laide’s wheelchair to him and
Laide gave it to
him after a brief conversation between
them. Biodun
didn’t read it at once. He just held it in
his right palm.
I was disappointed.
The day after, I began to await Biodun’s
response, but
he didn’t say anything. I even asked
Laide to ask him on
my behalf if he had read it. Laide herself
didn’t seem to
understand the content of the letter I
wrote in Braille.
Maybe I didn’t write it well, I thought.
Perhaps my
English was bad. However, Biodun’s
disposition towards
me didn’t change. He remained as he
used to. I doubted
if he read the letter at all. If he had read
it, then he
should either show more interest in me or
show hatred
for me; he shouldn’t be sitting on the
floor.
During the second term holiday, Bode did
something
very annoying as he was wont doing. It
was a shock
when I saw Laide lying on the floor, her
wheelchair
lying upended on top of her body. She
was weeping
profusely.
I rushed with impulse to raise her up.
When she was up,
she began to point towards the back of
the house. I
rushed there and found Biodun tied to
the mango tree.
His mouth was gagged such that he
couldn’t shout. I
began to loose him. No one needed to
tell me that it
was Bode’s doing.
As I bent to loose his feet, an elbow
landed straight on
my spinal cord. I fell in excruciating
pain. Bode laughed.
I began to rise with the little strength
remaining in me.
Bode opened his dry lips and slotted in a
mango leaf to
remind me of my situation. The chemical
in my head
mixed together. I groaned like a wounded
Lion ready to
attack.
Bode rushed forward to hit Biodun whose
feet were still
tied to the tree; only his hands were now
free. His fist
landed on Biodun’s face. His mouth went
wide apart for
a scream. I knew he was screaming when
I saw the
shape of his mouth. I couldn’t bear it.
I lurched forward immediately. Bode
didn’t expect me
to reply his attack on Biodun because I
had been living
like a dummy ever since my mother was
imprisoned.
He realised how serious I was only after
my slap had
rocked his cheek. I knew he felt it so
much; the impact
was immense, like an earthquake.
Bode rushed at me with full force and
gored me down. I
was angry. I lost my guard, else I should
not have
fallen down. However, I had Bode’s cloth
in my grip. I
pulled it until he was also on the floor
beside me.
I turned Bode around and beat him black
and blue. I sat
on his back as I turned his neck to the
sun and filled his
mouth with sand. I believed Biodun was
hearing Bode’s
cry. It would do me proud before him;
perhaps he would
reconsider me and reply my letter. I
untied Biodun at
once and rushed back to deal with Bode
who had just
managed to get up his feet.
I grabbed Bode by the neck and put my
fingers into his
nostrils, wanting to tear them apart.
Bode pleaded for
mercy but I wouldn’t listen or I didn’t
hear him speak.
But his gestures carried it all.
Biodun even came between us to stop
me. I listened
for his sake and left Bode alone. The boy
ran like
thunder and rushed into the room,
shutting the door
against himself.
I held Biodun by the hand and put a
hand around his neck
as I led him to the front of the house.
Biodun and Laide
laughed. They were talking to each other.
Laide saw
Bode while he was running into the
house, filled with
tears.
I led them inside their house and sat on
a chair.
Laide tore a piece of paper and wrote
something in it;
something she had just discussed with
Biodun and felt I
should ‘hear’ it too. I read.
Now I believe we are able indeed. If three
disabled
people could conquer Bode, an
ablebodied young boy,
then it means that Bode is the disabled
and WE ARE
ABLE
Laide said it wasn’t all yet. She said she
had a gift for
me:
What’s that? I wrote back.
Laide asked me to wheel her towards the
reading table.
I did. Laide reached for a big notebook
on the table and
poured down its content. A thick paper
fell. Laide
pointed at the thick paper and I picked it
up. It was a
reply of Biodun’s letter a month ago.
I was shocked when I saw the date he
addressed it to
me; same day I gave him mine, but Laide
kept it so long
from me purposely.
I read the Braille writing style and my
eyes flashed like
torchlight.
When Toyosi returned, she had to knock
and knock
before Bode opened the door. I knew I
was done for it
and my heart lurched. I had her bags on
my left
shoulder.
Toyosi met Bode in tears. She asked him
what
happened and Bode pointed to me as he
spoke. Toyosi
turned to me with a wrinkled face. I
consoled myself,
knowing what exactly would follow. I
wouldn’t mind
since I was only doing it for love, I
thought.
To Be Continued
