As usual, birthdays in the Onyango family were special events, where serious preparations were made before the day. Serious deco was done, family members would do the cooking together and of course, friends were invited over. This time it was Jabali’s birthday, and the routine was on. His birthday had come on a Friday evening, a perfect day when most people could attend because the next day would be on a weekend. What had started as a good evening where everyone anticipated having fun moments, turned into hours of drama and emotions all over, simply because Eveline could not keep her mouth shut.
On this particular day, all was set for the evening. The living room was full of friends and siblings doing preparatory activities. One of the uniting events that the members of the Onyango family enjoyed was birthdays. It seemed to be one of those activities that brought everyone closer. Every task to make the day a success made up part of their bonding. As others were putting up decorations, others were creating a perfect playlist for the night. Everyone was busy.
As Jabali finished making a call, he realized that Evelin was waiting for him to finish. She stood a few metres, let’s say three steps away from him. He had gone towards the window of their huge living room to make this seemingly special call. While others had remained doing other stuff, Evelin had been standing near him, looking at him. She gestured that she wanted to speak to him while he was on the phone.
As Jabali looked her in the eyes, trying to exchange pleasantries as expected since Evelin was a family friend, he could not help but realize that she looked tense. Her big and happy eyes were reddish and jumpy. Moving from side to side in a bid to ensure that no one was looking at them. Seeing her state, he had to ask if everything was well with her.
“Are you okay?” Jabali had inquired.
Eveline answered him in a very unconvincing way. “Yes, I am. I just need to talk to you.”
Though Eveline was their family friend, they were not very close. They only exchanged pleasantries when they met and that was the furthest their interactions went. They also attended such events in each other’s homes because that’s what family friends did. But between them, friendship never developed. And that was never a problem. But to appear this tensed and jumpy and wanting to speak to Jabali caught him off guard.
“You are acting so weird, what is going on?” He asked.
“I need to tell you something.” She said after ensuring that they were alone. She took his hand and lead him outside the house.
Jabali looked very concerned. “I am listening.”
“I was walking home and decided to use the back door. Mum was alone at home and in the kitchen.” Eveline started fidgeting and then kept quiet for a few seconds.
“Okay.” Jabali said to encourage her to say more.
“I walked on her having a conversation with an unknown person. She did not see me so I eavesdropped on her.”
“Aaaaaand…” Yet again, Jabali seemed impatient. He wanted her to tell it all at once.
“She was telling this person on the other end that his or her son had grown. That this son had a birthday today and was turning 17. She couldn’t believe how time had flown”
“And what does that have to do with me,” Jabali asked impatiently.
“Can’t you see you are the 17-year-old they are talking about?” She asked him.
“What if it was my mum?” Jabali asked.
“I thought it was her at first too. Until she mentioned something about adoption.”
“What? You can’t be serious.” Jabali had said squinting like there was something he wasn’t seeing clearly. All these things did not seem clear to him.
“Listen I finish then. You’ve not heard everything.” She told him.
“No Eveline. I don’t want to hear everything you have to say. That can’t be true.”
Jabali walked away towards the back gate. He did not want to go back to the living room. He needed to be alone. But Eveline was determined to tell him everything that she had heard to get it off her chest. She followed him.
“Jabali, the woman who gave birth to you will be at the party. She has never missed any of your birthdays,” Evelin said.
This last statement made him come to a halt. He stood there for a moment, moving his head from side to side in slow motion. He had not accepted what had been said, and he did not want it to be something he’d have to internalise. He had closed his eyes. seemed like he was trying to let everything Eveline had said to sink.
He then turned and walked slowly toward her. Pointing his index finger at her and trying to make a comeback after the shocking revelation.
“You are messing up my mind right now. For what? Can’t you see that there isn’t any truth in what you say?” He told her accusingly.
“I am sorry that all this is messing up with your mind. But I am just telling you what I heard. I don’t intend to hurt you,” She defended herself.
“What do you want from me, Eveline?” Jabali asked.
“Nothing, Jabali. I just wanted to let you know something that I considered important to you.” She softly told him.
Now, Jabali was walking all over the place muttering words that were not loud enough for Eveline to hear.
He then started shouting and that brought everyone outside.
“It’s not true, it can’t be true,” he shouted this repeatedly.
How could this be true? He has known Mr and Mrs Onyango as his biological parents all his life. He had watched his siblings, Caren (10) and Jemima (5), birthed and raised to that age. He was the elder brother that everyone in the family was proud of. He even remembered how their bond had grown through games and sometimes protecting them from the estate’s bullies and even at school. His family had been his world. To tell him all of a sudden and out of nowhere that they were not his real family shattered his heart.
He continued shouting even when his dad, Mr Onyango came out. “It can’t be true!” He took moments to do some heavy breathing then added “Or is it, dad?”
“What is going on here,” his father asked concern in his eyes directed at Jabali. “What’s the problem?”
“Is it true that I am adopted?” He asked furiously.
“Calm down son. Calm down.” His father said, trying to calm him down.
People came outside to see what the commotion was all about. The birthday boy was furious and shouting. Instead of him being happy and excited about his birthday, he was walking all over the place shouting and throwing hands. Had it not been his dad, he could have hit someone.
His dad, who was in a short and a vest, held him tight. Without saying a word, he hugged him tight. Jabali tried to push him away in protest, but his dad was stronger and kept on holding him in a hug.
The mother, who seemed to have been a bit far, appeared from the living room walking hastily toward the backyard. She was so tense, wondering what had happened. She was anxious when she asked, “Jabali, are you okay?”
Jabali who seemed to have cooled off asked her calmly.
“Is it true?” He asked.
“What?”
“Please give us a moment everyone. We talk to our son.” She told everyone and directed them back to the houses.
People were reluctant to leave. They wanted to know what had transpired. Some did not move at first while those that moved did so very slowly. Jabali’s father had to speak in a commanding manner for there to be hasty movement.
Jabali kept on asking if indeed it was true without giving the details of what he had wanted to know about. Finally, when everyone had gone into the living room, including Eveline who had caused all the drama, and they were the three of them, he asked the whole question.
“Are you two my biological parents?”
“Where is this coming from?” Her mother asked after a few moments of silence.
“Just answer me. Are you my biological mother?” Jabali’s question was harsh. He had to know.
“Can we all calm down and talk about this some other time? After the party maybe because people are waiting for us in there.” Jabali’s mother tried to postpone the uncomfortable conversations to another time.
“No. I can’t wait. I want to know right now.” Jabali’s voice was rising.
To avoid more drama, she answered him. “No Jabali, we did not give birth to you. But we raised you ever since you were one month old.” She said with tears filling up in her eyes.
Jabali felt all kinds of emotions at the same time. He felt faint and he decided to sit down on a lounge chair.
His birthday had turned into something he had not expected. One minute he was secure and happy as the biological firstborn of the Onyango family and the next he did not know who he was. He did not know who his mother was or father. He knew nothing of where he had been born and what led to his parents giving him up to be raised by other people. It still did not register in his mind that it was reality, and he hoped that it would turn out to be a bad dream.
However much he wanted it to be a bad dream, some details about their past life came to mind vividly. He has never understood how he was light, while everyone in the family right from the grandparents were all dark. Also, he was very tall, he was 6 foot 9 and played basketball at school. There was nobody who was that tall in his family. He had thought about this for quite some time but dismissed it because no one ever made it an issue. Plus he had been loved equally with his siblings by his parents. Even as he looked for reasons to believe that this new information was a lie, his adoptive parents were right there in front of him.
“Who is my mother…and father then? What happened that led to you adopting me?” He asked.
The two looked very worried. Their eyes showed it all. Were it possible to avoid all that was going on, they could have gone for that option. But Jabali was angry and he needed to hear all the truth that led them there. He was shaking and asking questions at the same time. They looked at each other and nodded to each other. They accepted that it was time to tell him the truth he wanted.
“It was a closed adoption. We don’t know who they are, Jabali.” His mother responded. His dad was quiet.
That was not what Jabali expected. He had expected his parents, now adoptive ones, to tell him everything that he needed to know. Eveline had told him that his parent was known. He had thought that she wasn’t right but she was. Meaning she was also right about the identity of his biological mother.
“I hear that she’s been coming to my birthdays. Stop lying.” He firmly said.
His mother tried to hold his arm but he moved away. “I am afraid I can’t tell you that, Jabali. At least not right now.”
“I want to know it! Right now!” He yelled.
“Who told you all these things, son?” Mr Onyango asked.
“Does it matter?” He asked in return.
“Yes, it does. Because we would have told you on your 18th birthday in a dignified way. Giving you all the details of what transpired leading to all this.” His father said.
“Then I don’t think we’ll reach the 18th, because I want to know now. Who is my mother?” He asked yet again.
By the look of how things were transpiring, Jabali was not going to calm down any sooner. He would only calm down once he had his questions answered. Instead of doing all the explanations, Mrs Onyango decided to allow his biological mother to do the work. Mrs Onyango made a call and once the other end picked she instructed the person on the other end to come outside.
Jabali turned his head toward the back door leading to the living room. Where Ms Agnes, his teacher in high school came out from. She walked as slowly as she could. She was teary.
“Here she is,” Mr Onyango had said.
Jabali stood there confused. He did not know what to do or say. He stood there numb, looking at his English teacher, light in complexion and tall, just like him. He stood there dumbfounded, thoughts racing through his head. Everything now made sense. Ms Agnes had been very close and supportive of him. She went over and beyond in checking on him and encouraging him in class. He had always felt free and he had a unique bond with her too, something that he could not explain. It now made sense.
His mother explained that the plan had been to tell him the truth when he was 18. To tell him that after ten years of their marriage and actively looking for a baby, they were not successful. That amidst their trials, Agnes who was at that time waiting to join university had gotten pregnant. Agnes was a friend of a distant relative who then explained to the Onyangos that though she wasn’t ready to keep the baby, she was willing to carry it to full term, and then give up the baby so that she could go to college. There was one condition though, that she’d get to be a part of the child’s life even as they keep her identity a secret. They wanted to tell him this in a dignified way, and even bring his biological mother there on that day. But all that had been made impossible by a nosy neighbour who couldn’t keep her mouth shut.
“Please, I need time to process all this. It’s too much for me.” He said as he walked to his room where he locked himself and lay on the bed. There were so many thoughts racing in his head. He needed to make sense of how his family of 17 years wasn’t his real family and that his favourite high school teacher was his mother. He needed time. He did not want to celebrate his birthday anymore.
Here are other short stories you may want to read.
A Wife’s Secret Comes Out As They Adopt A Child
The Nanny Found Out Their Family’s Secret
She Keeps Getting Calls from Prison From A “Ghost” Who Revives Trauma From Her Past
Martin’s Addiction To Social Media Pushed His Girlfriend Away
When The Other Woman Is Tired Of Being A Secret And Wants To Be Recognised
