Beyond Blame.

The rain had just stopped, but the ground was still very wet when the small shop where provision was sold at the corner of Johnson Street suddenly caught fire, alot of people ran out of their houses, shouting and pointing, while the thick smoke curled into the sky.

“ Ewooooo..... who left the candle on ooooooo?!!!! ” shouted Mama Chika in agony , waving her hands in the air.

Her son, Chika, was standing close by, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his face. “Mama, I swear it wasn’t me o, i blew it out before leaving the shop!”

Before Chika could say more, his cousin Tunde jumped in. “Abegi, don’t lie joor, i saw you yesterday, you were rushing to meet your friends, you didn’t even lock the shop well sef".

“Ehn! So you are blaming me now?” Chika shot back, his voice rising, "What about you,?, you were the last person to buy something there last night, maybe you knocked the candle without knowing.”

The crowd murmured as they watched the two cousins argue, mama Chika held her head with both hands, “God, who did I offend today? My shop o , my goods!”

Then Mrs. Funke, the neighbor, stepped forward. “All of you should calm down first, ehn, Fighting will not bring back the shop, see let us find out what really happened.”

But Tunde was not ready to let things go, “No o, aunty, let us talk about it, this Chika is very careless, I mean he's always distracted, See now, everybody will suffer because of his mistake.”

Chika’s eyes turned red, his hands balled into fists, “So you just want to blame me for everything? Did you even check the electric socket in the shop? That thing has been sparking for weeks, and I told Mama about it.”

Mama Chika gasped. “Jesus o! , That’s true, the socket has been giving trouble.” She looked around, confused. “But whose fault is it now?”

Then silence fell, People shifted uncomfortably, Some people wanted to side with Tunde, others knew Chika had a point.

Suddenly, Old Man Musa, the landlord, cleared his throat, “see all this shouting will not solve anything, the fire is already done, Blame will not build another shop, Instead of you people fighting, why don’t you all think of how to help Mama Chika get back on her feet?”

The crowd nodded slowly, and even Tunde went quiet too , though his face was still tight with anger.

Chika exhaled and looked at his cousin, “See, whether it was me or the socket, the shop is gon , and blaming each other will not change that.”

Mama Chika wiped her tears, her voice shaking. “Both of you are my blood, I don’t care who’s at fault, What I care about is how we move forwarr, Will you fight each other, or will you stand with me to rebuild?”

For the first time since the argument began, Tunde looked ashamed, he muttered, “I’m sorry, Mama, I will help.”

Chika nodded too. “Me too. I will work double shifts if I have to.”

Old Man Musa smiled faintly. “Good, because when fire comes, it does not just only burn the woods and goods, it also tests people, so let us see what you all are made of now.”

And just like that, the whole mood shifted, blame then gave way to responsibility, and on that smoky evening air, another new resolve was born.

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