Just For A Moment( Episode 1)

This story is about a beautiful young girl called Deborah Johnson who was a handicapped girl and because of this, she was mocked and bullied by her classmates at school. And due to this, she faced a lot of challenges at the hand of her classmates and also from her father, as he promises not to sponsor her education because of her predicament, leaving the responsibility to her mother with that of her sibling. But her mother died when she was writing her West African Examination. Her mother's death made her feel downcast and sad. But what will later be her fate in life? Will she be able to further her education? What happened? Was she able to overcome her challenge and moved on with her life? Find out in this intriguing story.

"Consumer! Consumer! " Come and buy now." I heard the shout of my mummy as I was coming back from school with my sibling. She was calling a woman who wanted to buy the guinea corn she placed on the table near her stalls, but the woman went away as she saw her friend. Oops... I'm sorry. I didn't even introduce myself. My name is Deborah Johnson, but most people call me Debbie. I'm from the circle of a relative of five, my dad, my mom, myself, and my more youthful brother and sister.

I need to describe myself better so that you can understand what I'm about to tell you. As I said earlier, my name is Deborah Johnson. I'm a stammerer who has a speech Impediment. I became mild and shy as people usually took advantage of me. "I'm a brilliant girl; however, unluckily, I did not make the best student in school due to my condition. Life was tough and Insufferable for me as I was hated by my classmate at school and even by my father as his hatred for me became handed directly to my sibling. He is a teacher. He teaches in a government school away from our residence, but my mother loves a lot with my siblings. My mummy is a trader who sells all kinds of agricultural products consisting of guinea corn, dry maize, and melon seeds. I felt unhappy and dejected anytime I was mocked, but I always held on to the adage which says, " Tough times never last, but tough people do." **********

Good afternoon mummy." We greeted my sibling, and I approached my mummy. "Welcome, my children." She said, beaming with a smile and quickly attending to her customer. I generally feel satisfied and comfortable each time I stay with my mummy due to the fact I forget the bullying and mocking I was given by my classmate. But David, the second child, will keep traumatizing me with such a lot of questions. He is a curious and clever boy who is good at asking human queries. He likes to grouse a lot. And with that, there is no difference between him and my younger sister, Stella. She also grouses a lot; maybe it is because she was the last born of the house. I know; David wanted to ask me a question once I heard him calling my name.

"Sister Debbie, will you help me to do my homework." He requested as he opened his school bag and drew an exercise book it. "But why can't you do it by yourself?" I asked, feeling annoyed. And one of the things I like about him is whenever I stammer, he won't mock me, unlike my classmate, but instead, he will say. "Sister, sorry. "It is because of the assignment our teacher gave me; I don't understand it." He pouted. "Okay, I will help you when we arrive..." I was saying this when my mummy interrupted. "How was school today?" She asked as she sat beside me while David and Stella sat on a bench facing us. But I heaved a sigh before I could respond to her question. And luckily for me, I failed to stammer as that made me remember what my mummy told me, that I didn't use to stammer when I was a little child, but It was caused by my father as he usually shouted and threatened to beat me at slight provocation.

"It was fine," I replied to my mom's question. "But mummy. I continued. Our teacher Informed everyone on the assembly ground when going home that we should ensure we pay our tuition fee from tomorrow." I said. However, she was the only person I could explain this to, not unlike my father, who would tell me he didn't have any penny with him, but I should Inform my mother about it. I was not amazed at his response due to the fact he had Informed my mummy that he wouldn't sponsor my education and that of my sibling due to the fact I have become a stammerer. And this was when they were having a conversation together.

"Okay, do not worry. God will provide by that time." My mummy patted my shoulder. "Mummy, I'm hungry." Stella cried out childishly. "Mummy, I'm also hungry," David added with a frown face."Okay, the two of you should come here." My mummy said as she brought out a little loaf of bread from her bag. I also wanted to tell her that I was hungry, but I became quiet. "Manage it. We will go home soon." My mummy handed a portion of the bread to them as they approached her. "Thank you, ma'am." They appreciated it as they collected the bread. "You are welcome." My mummy said, and they went to sit down. "Debbie, please help me buy groundnut oil." My mummy gave me two hundred naira note.

"Okay, mom." I stood up from my seat and quickly went to a trader far from our stall to buy the groundnut oil. On getting back to our stall, my mummy was already packing her agricultural product inside her stall while I assisted her in doing it. After a while, we went home as we were done with the packing. ********** "Good evening, daddy." I greeted my father as I was the first person to walk to the sitting room.

He was busy watching his favorite movies on the television. "Welcome." He said coldly as he glanced at me before he turned his eyes back to the television. "Come here! He shouted as I walked to my room. "And where is your mother?" He asked, glaring at me as I approached him. "She went to v...visiting mum Fe... Felix when..." I stammered. "That's okay." He said, cutting me short. "You can go." He demonstrated with his hand. At that point, I walked slowly to my room, feeling dejected as I saw he was using that to mock me. "My daddy is mocking me because I am stammering. But why?" I thought sadly as I sat down on my bed with tears trickling down my cheek. After a while, I sighed heavily when I heard someone calling my name at the entrance of my room."Who is that?" I said angrily.

"Sister Debbie, it is me, David." He said."Oh, tell her I'm coming." I wiped off my tears with my hand and quickly left my room, and went to meet her. "Mum," I shouted as I walked to the sitting room, but only to see my father still busy watching movies. "Oh! Your mum." He scoffed. She is in the kitchen while David and Stella are in their room. "And why won't they be in their room when you do not allow them to sit in the sitting room," I said within me, rolling my eyes at him as I walked past him without saying a word. He shouts at my sibling whenever they sit in the sitting room. And with that, I also made sure I did not sit in the sitting room whenever he was there. "Debbie, what have you been doing in your room." My mum shouted as she sighted me approaching the kitchen. "Emm... Nothing." I said as I stood at a spot without moving."Won't you come here! She exclaimed as she placed two tubers of yam on a tray. "Peel this yam and cook it." She gave me the tray. "Be fast with the peeling and the cooking of the yam so that David and Stella can eat before they sleep." She said, and she left the kitchen. "Okay, ma'am," I replied quickly, and I began to peel the yam. But as I was peeling the yam, I heard the voice of my mother in the sitting room. Her voice was squeaky, but I ignored it because I thought she was probably telling my dad about my tuition fees, which I informed her about. And a few minutes later, the yam was already on the gas cooker as I was busy washing the utensils used for the preparation of the food.

At that point, I heard the voices of my dad and my mom. Their voices were louder, and without hesitating, I left what I was doing and went to meet them. "But why? Are they not your children." I heard my mummy saying that word to my daddy as I stepped into the sitting room. "Mom," I shouted as I walked in her direction, but she did not answer me; rather, she was shouting at my dad. "Mom. The food is ready." I lied as I saw her going to where my dad sat. "Okay." She replied as she turned her gaze at me. "Fool." She blurted out, and we went to the kitchen. "Mom, what did you tell dad?" I asked as we got to the kitchen. "Don't worry. my dear." She said. "No, mom." I protested. Why are you shouting at dad?" "Okay, I was telling him about your tuition fee," she announced. "And is the food ready?" She asked and walked toward where the food was, in a way to stop me from asking another question. "I don't know, mom," I told her. "But why?"

Why will you not know? Are you not the one cooking the food." She added, glaring at me, but I kept quiet. Just then, she opened the lid of the pot and put some yam in her mouth. "The yam is already done." She mumbled and quickly turned off the gas cooker. "Give me five plates and after that, go and call your sibling." She ordered as she turned her gaze at me. She was serving the food on the plates I gave her while I went to call David and Stella into their room. But getting to their room, they were already asleep. "David! Stella! I called and woke them up. "Come and eat," I told them, but to my greatest surprise, they quickly stood up, and we went to the kitchen. "Mum! They called; they yawned as we got to the kitchen. "Yes, my darling children," My mummy said as they were quiet.

"Take your food." My mummy stretched out a plate of yam to them. She gave me my food and my daddy's food. And in no time, we went to a corner in the sitting room where my dad won't see us after I gave him his food. And some minutes later, we were done with our food, so we went to meet our mummy in the kitchen. "Mum, we are going to our room to sleep," I said as we got to the kitchen. "Okay." She said. And with that, we went to our room, leaving her in the kitchen.

To be continued.