Aduke came back to Mama Wùnmi's shop from Iya Kaduna restaurant.

"Did you enjoy your food?" Mama Wùnmi asked Aduke.
"Yes ma, I did." Aduke answered her.

"Okay, don't worry my daughter,... I will do something about it, you will go back home very soon,. Ehn... Did you understand me?" Mama Wùnmi said to Aduke who is extremely relieved to hear this.

"Okay ma." Aduke replied her.

"Look,... One of my daughters just came back from school... you would have meet her on your way, I mean when you are coming here. She also went to Iya Kaduna's restaurant to buy food, she will be back very soon, so you can talk to her and play together...hmmn." Mama Wùnmi said to Aduke.

It was a beautiful day for Mama Wùnmi, She just feel comfortable with Aduke, and something within her do not want to let the girl go.


Wùnmi came back after eating her food at Iya Kaduna's restaurant.
Before she could asked her mother who Aduke is, Mama Wùnmi told Wùnmi to meet her new friend.

Wùnmi is around thirteen years old, she is Mama Wùnmi last child and she has an elder sister, Bimpe and an elder brother, Remi.

Bimpe is in Form 1 at Fiwasaye community high school and her Elder brother, Remi, is in Form 3 at the same school.

Aduke was shy at first and was holding back, but when her new friend, Wùnmi start reading from the "Alawiye" book 1, Aduke join her.
From talking about the poems to the stories. It was an happy moment for the two children.

"What class her you?" Mama Wùnmi asked Aduke, and she told her she was in Primary one.
"Oh! You are in the same class? No wonder." Mama Wùnmi said.

Mama Wùnmi love Aduke and want her to stay with her.

That day, she took Aduke to Mummy Kalu's shop, Mummy Kalu sells clothes in the area, Mummy Wùnmi bought some clothes for Aduke to change with because she was still wearing her school uniform.


As they were coming back, they met the woman who own the shop in front of which Aduke was previously sitting in the morning.
The woman asked,
"So where did she come from?" The Woman asked Mama Wùnmi.
"Ehn... She said Ayedun In Kwara state but you know there are many town in Kwara state that are called Ayedun not to talk of some numbers of town in other states...."

The other woman cut in,
"Yes there are many Ayedun town... I think like three in Kwara..."

Mama Wùnmi interrupt her,
"I think its more than that.."

The other woman was surprised she said "Ha! Ha!"

Mama Wùnmi continues "Yes...and you know she is a little girl, what does she knows...so I decide to let her stay with me till I find someone who can help us. We need to be careful with how we handle the situation."

"That's true... That's good, May God bless you, Ha!... You tried ooo but what if someone who knows her saw her with you? Hope there won't be any problem?" The Woman asked Mama Wùnmi.

"What problem? The problem is with the woman who abandoned her child till she enter the wrong vehicle not me."
She turns to Aduke and asked,
"Didn't your mother abandon you?" Aduke shook her head in disapproval of this and said no.

But the Mama Wùnmi ignored her,
"What does she knows?" She said.

The two woman were now talking about other things.

After they got back to Mama Wùnmi's shop, Mama Wùnmi told Aduke that she will be staying with her till she find someone who knows where she came from.

Aduke is feeling a bit comfortable with Mama Wùnmi.


Remi and Bimpe are back from school now they were waiting for their mother, it's almost 6:30pm.

"You are back... How was school today?" Mama Wùnmi asked her children. And they greet her.

"Look at your Elder brother and sister, Oya, greet them." Mama Wùnmi said to Aduke who greet the two. They all exchange greetings.

She told them about Aduke and they accept her.

James came back in the evening and told Abímbólá What he have been doing since he left in the morning. From making a report at the police station to meeting with the chiefs and he have to attend to his workers and customers. It is a very tough day.
He was sorry for Abímbólá,

"We will find her, this is a moment of test for us and we shall overcome it, trust God. I know God knows why he allowed this to happen to us. There is a reason why this is happening to us. Even when we do not understand the reason, let's trust God." James said to his wife.

Mama Wùnmi is a widow yet in spite of her struggles, she helped Aduke.


After eating dinner that night, Mama Wùnmi asked Aduke about the real story and Aduke told her everything from the Cashew tree to the snake and the truck and how she was found.

Now Mama Wùnmi understand that it wasn't Aduke's mum fault.

"You should have listen to your senior, next time when an elder... Someone older than you warn you.... You should listen." She said to Aduke.


A week passed, but Aduke can't be found. Abímbólá is worried.

"But they said they will find her?" She asked James.
"Yes... They said that... It's just a week, we will find her. They told me no one have make any report or brought any missing child to the station" James replied.

"Aahhhhhh.... Just a week?... Just a week?... My God.... Did you know what I'm going through? A week is too long for me... think about me.... Think about your mother..." Abímbólá said.

And James assured her that she shouldn't worry about his mother, he is a man and he knows how to handle the situation they are in.

After some months, the police make a contact to James that someone brought a girl and she also look around the same age as his daughter.
James and Abímbólá rushed to the police station only to find a different girl.

"But you saw the picture I showed you?" James asked the police officer attending to them.
"Yes... But I have to let you know that we haven't forgotten you." The police officer said.
"This child..." James showed the officers Aduke's picture.
"Ehn!... Not every child you find... I'm looking for my daughter." James told the officers.

Abímbólá started crying at the police station, everyone took pity on her.

After six months, Aduke had join Wùnmi In her class, the two became friends and classmates.

Every Saturday, Aduke join Wùnmi, the two will hawk kerosene while the elder ones, Remi and Bimpe will hawk the fried fish.

By evening, they all return after selling off whatever they are hawking. Mama Wùnmi who is at shop will be making her sales at the shop.

After six months that Aduke have been missing at home, Mama Agba can't hold back anymore.

She forced his son to marry another woman, Bunmi.
It was a decision Abímbólá also support, if not, she don't know what Mama Agba can do.

The new wife was nice to Abímbólá, and Mama Agba was happy when she was told that the new wife, Bunmi is pregnant.

When it's time for her to have a child, she had a twin, a Boy and a girl.



No one is as happy as Mama Agba, She made a very big feast when the children were named.
"Now you see what I'm saying." Mama Agba said to her son, James.

Mama Agba doesn't care about Abímbólá anymore but in spite of everything, James love Abímbólá,

"You will have my child, I believe that." James told Abímbólá who doesn't know what to do.


After some years, Bunmi got pregnant again and had another twin.

This time... They are boys.


Now Abímbólá is desperate to have a child as she can't find Aduke.





To continued

Photo credit: Shutter stock




Please note that this story is a fiction, and locations descriptions given may differs from reality.


© Anu Ola