LIAR

‘So my dear, what did you learn in church today?’
 
She angled her head, grunting as she tried to remember. I watched her in delight, her long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her brown eyes well fitted into her caramel skin. She look simply adorable.
 
‘Eheen.’ She snapped her fingers. ‘I remember now, the pastor talked about humility, using Jesus’ example. He said Jesus was humble enough to obey the father and come to earth. He also said he was humble enough to wash his disciple’s feet. He said something about robbery. Was Jesus a robber? Are robbers also humble?’ Her eyes were now wide with probing curiousity.
 
I chuckled. ‘No, what he said is that Jesus didn’t consider being made man robbery, even though he was God. He didn’t cling to his rights, so to speak. So the next time Yemi asks to share your toys you shouldn’t whine about them being yours and not hers. Learn from Jesus and deny yourself for the sake of love. Are we clear?’
 
‘Yes’ She said smiling. And after a brief thoughtful silence, she spoke‘I have another question tho.’
 
‘Okay?’ I prompted.
 
‘Why does the pastor speak such terrible English with so much confidence?’ The confusion in her eyes was sincere and funny. I tittered and quickly kept a straight face as I realized it wasn’t something to laugh about.
 
‘You don’t say such things about men of God, but then you have to work on your own English so that you don’t have to make errors when you become a big woman of God.’ I winked and she giggled. ‘So the next time you hear a grammatical blunder in a preacher’s message, overlook it and focus on the message. Okay?’
 
‘Okay.’ She seemed satisfied. I was too, her satisfaction was what satisfied me.
 
I turned to the window and watched the city unfurl before me and careen by; the streets crammed with plush and dilapidated homes, stalls and shades under which some people traded, hawkers and beggars and a whole lot more that kept the city bustling, the tainted glass gave everything a tinge of blue.
 
‘Granny.’ She called and I turned. ‘When are my parents returning?’
 
‘Soon.’ I replied tersely.
 
‘Why are you looking away?’
 
I said nothing, then she said, ‘Why are you lying?’
 
‘You don’t call your elders liars, apologize!’ I reprimanded her sharply. She held my gaze before saying, ‘because elders are not supposed to lie, isn’t it?’
 
My throat felt dry.
 
‘Where are my parents?’
 
‘Sade, for how long are we going to dwell on this?’
 
‘I think the question should be, Granny, for how long will you continue telling me lies.’
 
‘I said you shou-’
 
‘Where are my parents?’ Her tone was unusually flat, her eyes intense and piercing.
 
‘Can we not talk about this, please?’ My head was aching already.
 
‘We are talking about my parents here, I deserve to know where they are!’ She was like an enraged dog barking with it’s hackles up. ‘Where are my parents? Where are my parents? Where are my parents?!’ She repeated like it was a mantra, shaking my shoulders vigorously. My eyes smarted with tears.
 
‘They are dead.’ I managed. She froze, everything in that car froze momentarily, there was such a hot, electrified hush in the air, even Ikeneme the talkative chauffeur was held by it.
 
‘For five years now you kept telling me my parents travelled to a far place, that they’d return soon.’ She paused, her voice was so choked it made goosebumps shroud me. ‘For all these years I’ve been hoping that someday my parents would return, that someday I’d meet them.’ I kept my eyes on my feet, I couldn’t dare look into her flushed face or her beet red eyes.
 
‘If you’d told me the truth from the beginning, maybe by now I would’ve got over it, but instead you left me hanging on false hopes.’ I could hear her hard wracking sobs and I couldn’t hold back my tears. ‘Why?! Why did you lie to me all these years. Why?!’ She bellowed amidst tears. ‘Why? Just tell me why. Why should I ever believe you? Why did you do this wicked thing to me?’
 
On hearing the word wicked my heart drooped. She thinks of me as wicked? All I wanted to do was protect her from hurt.
 
‘I didn’t want you to feel bad my dar-’
 
‘I feel worse!’ She snapped, shrugging my hands off her shoulders. ‘You made me feel worse!’
 
****
 
There are a lot of things we do to children totally oblivious of the fact that it damages them internally. Handle children with care, their minds and mentalities are just forming and so they are fragile. Be careful to etch the right things on their pristine minds, because whatever you scribble on it, no matter how faintly, would last because it’s a first impression. Children too have emotions, they are also sensitive. Stop telling children lies for whatever reason!
 

10 Comments

  1. So true…the commonest of them is…’If you don’t get away from that place, I’m going to call the police…Police!!! Come!…. God help us.

  2. True talk dear,may the Lord help us.

  3. Great work sir. The Issue of lying to kids seems to be overlooked but doesn’t make it right.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *