AUNTY PATRICIA!

I was too young to know how sick she was, too naive to know what the thought of death does to the mind, I just needed my big tiny looking aunt to be healthy and get back to her annoying yet sweet self. I always thought she was the greatest snitch ever, she'll tell on me every wrong foot I took.
Little husband, she fondly calls me. I never understood why she always had her sweater on and her hot water bottle close by. 12 years after I think I now do!

Aunty Pat was our downstairs neighbor and a primary school teacher, it was easy to notice she was one of the best judging by the way kids and parents hover around her. Team light skin, pretty (I'm not even saying this for story sake). She had a very confident and assuring voice that didn't match her physical appearance.

I stopped communicating with her because she reported me to my mum for something I did which led to me being flogged. She tried to draw me close and make peace before she stopped. I was a stubborn kid and would walk past her without uttering a word, I was probably 11 years old then and didn't understand the implication of what I was doing. Around this time she fell sick, I had no choice but to make peace with her, I'll do her errands, make tea for her, fill her hot water bottle and keep her company. She was later admitted into a hospital as I couldn't see her again. 

About a week later, on a Sunday, my dad had us dressed and we went on a 45 minutes trip, on arrival, I was asked to wait in the car. My parents stepped out of the car to a building and returned about 15 minutes later. Nobody uttered a word till we got home. 

I waited for weeks for Aunty Pat to come back, I waited for months, went to boarding school, got back and she wasn't back still. She never came back because she died. She had sickle cell and fell sick a lot before she died. I think about her every now and then and I greatly miss her.

I love you Aunty Pat.