THE GLORY MY MOTHER BROUGHT AND LEFT!

I sipped my tea and hurried to get my school bag in the room.  Unlike in my family, my mother usually wakes me up around 6:30 am, but today, she wakes me up around 8 a.m. 

Preparing for school was a rush for me that morning, so I that could be able to meet up before the morning assembly ended.

My mother hurried out of the room at the same time and asked me to follow her out instantly.

We left.

I got to school and discovered the assembly was over before I could get there. I faced the penalty for coming late. 

I was feeling bad throughout the school day. I knew it wasn't my mother's fault for waking me up late. She, too, had her cross to carry.

Even as an only child, my parents didn't spoil me. They raised me the way a child should be trained.

My father works for the white military that is working on a government project in our community. 

My mother is a trader. She sells different kinds of foodstuffs in the market.

I'm the only child they gave birth to, and giving me a sound education was their top priority.

After school, I wanted to go home directly but I changed my mind. I walked straight to the market to see my mother before I headed home. 

On getting to the market, I saw people running Helter Skelter. I rushed to my mother's shop but she wasn't there, as I made a step to ask questions I saw a group of military men coming towards the market square. 

A hand from nowhere held my hands and forced me into a dark store. 

That was my father. He asked me to keep quiet that war was about to break out.

From the dark store room, we could be able to see the outside view. 

The military head dragged my mother from the hand to the center of the market square. 

I almost screamed but my father covered my mouth with his hands.

“Where is your husband?” the military head asked her.

“I haven't seen him since morning”, my mother cried out in pain.

The military head threatens to kill her for my dad's sake, or they will put the whole community in a havoc state.

I could see the fear in her eyes, but she stood strong and composed in front of the military men. Despite the chaos and danger surrounding us, she did not show any signs of weakness.

My father whispered to me to stay hidden and quiet, as we watched the events unfold from the dark store room. I could hear the commotion outside and the raised voices of the military men questioning my mother.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, causing me to jump in fear. My mother remained calm, even as the military men threatened her for information about my father's whereabouts. She stood her ground, refusing to betray my father.

"Kill me, I chose to die for the sake of my family and community." Tears streamed down her face as she spoke. I knew at that moment that she was thinking of me, her child.

The day before, my father had stumbled upon a shocking secret. The white military, who claimed to be helping our community develop, had discovered a valuable diamond deposit beneath our land. Their true intentions were sinister: exploitation and theft.

The sound of gunfire shattered the air, accompanied by screams of terror from the villagers held hostage. My father's face contorted in anguish as he watched the scene unfold. I felt paralyzed, shocked, and in grief.

The soldier's expression remained cold, unfazed by her words. A single shot rang out, and my mother collapsed to the ground.

The days that followed were a blur. The military gang eventually left our community, abandoning their claims of "development." Peace and harmony slowly returned but at a devastating cost.

My mother's sacrifice would forever be etched in my memory. 

She had given her life for our community's freedom and our future.