A Memorable Event

Normally, my mother always woke up before everybody else. She ensured that breakfast was ready before the rest of the family members woke-up. The sweet aroma of the finger licking breakfast mostly was what woke me up. But as for this certain day, the tables seemed to have been.

‘Mommy’ I called out as I knocked on her bedroom door. She did not reply and I thought it was wise to go in. Mom was still in bed but had her eyes open. “Mom you did not reply when I called you, is there any problem?” I asked. She still did not reply but silently stared at me. I tried to enquire the matter for some time. After almost 5 minutes, she stretched out her hand and touched my shoulder. I love you was her word before tears started falling down  her cheeks.

Mom had been sick for a long time but had always tried to hide it from me. “I have always tried to hide this from you, but I am unable to do it this time round, my dear you are the sweetest person that I have encountered in my life and would like you to be the same to others, be good. Your father is a person that in all my life I have never known. At the age of 15 years, I was raped as I was coming back to my parents’ home from the shop, where my mother had sent me to buy some salt. It was around 8 p.m.

 I ran home and told my parents. My mother reported the case to the police the next day. Lucky enough the criminal was caught after a long investigation. Poor me, the case was later cancelled after my father had received some amount of money from the criminal and in return decided to let him go away freely. To our amusement, any time that this case was brought up in the house my dad would command us to shut up. Later, I found out that I had contracted HIV/AIDS and become pregnant. You were lucky that you were not infected. My only dream was to live on and see you prosper”.

That was the moment that I realized that recently I have been so serious with my education that I lacked time for my mom. I looked at her body and saw that she had wounds. She coughed out in pain and chocked; I helped her and later she asked me to bring her some water. I ran out of the room in much pain with the feeling of screaming at her and questioning her why she had kept this as a secret for so long. I went back to the room and found her lying in bed quietly, having bitten her tongue so strongly. That was the last thing I saw before waking up and finding myself in a hospital bed. “Mum”, I called her once I regained my consciousness.

The nurses explained to me that my mother had died and that my neighbors brought me to hospital after hearing a loud scream. I could not imagine that I was an orphan. My crying and shouting seemed to change nothing, on the opposite - it just caused me extra pain. I understood that there are people who are living with AIDS’ virus but contracted it so innocently. I promised myself that I would live to be a scientist and that my main aim would be to discover the medication of this deadly disease.