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In the beautiful village of Agaga, there lived two sisters, Tochi and Ebere. Tochi was the oldest and calmest sister, while Ebere was the prettiest sister, and she was very endowed. 

Despite not being age mates, as children, the two sisters were very close, and almost everyone in the village knew of their bond. 

Unfortunately, Tochi and Ebere were orphans, their parents died when Ebere was only seven years old and ever since their parent’s demise, Tochi had been taking good care of Ebere. Tochi loved her sister very much, and sometimes she would do odd jobs just to get money to feed Ebere. 

As they grew older, Tochi was forced to drop out of the local primary school they attended because she and Ebere could not afford to go to school at the same time. One person had to work or hawk, so they could put food on their table.

When Tochi realized that one person had to stop schooling for the other to continue, Tochi decided it would be better for her to drop out. She believed that Ebere was the more intelligent person when it came to school, so she ultimately stopped schooling.

Even though Tochi was only five years older than Ebere, she never made Ebere feel like a child. She carried Ebere along in everything she did. In fact, Ebere was her best friend.

But despite everything Tochi did for Ebere, Ebere grew up to be a very ungrateful person.

Because Ebere was prettier than Tochi, she would compare herself with her sister, and even mock her sister about not being educated. Every time, Ebere and Tochi had a fight or a disagreement, Ebere would use the slighest opportunity to remind Tochi that they weren’t in the same class.

It all started after Ebere completed her secondary school education. That day, Tochi had gotten a contract to help some villagers clear their plots of land. Because Tochi had gotten too much work than she could handle, she asked Ebere to assist her, and that was when Ebere’s insults started

“Hmmm, sister, you’re funny. So you expect a fine girl like me to come and join you to clear those farmlands, ” Ebere asked Tochi.

“What do you mean? How will you eat if you do not work,” Tochi asked.

“I’m sorry but I cannot do that eh. Imagine if all those fine boys who have been asking me out see me on the farm; what will they think of me?” Ebere asked.

“Look, Ebere, don’t make me angry; go inside and carry your cutlass; let us leave this place,” Tochi said.

“Are you deaf? I’m telling you I cannot reduce myself to your level to help you clear your farmlands, ” Ebere said in an angry tone, “these kind of work is for people like you, not people like me,”she added.

“Ebere!” Tochi thundered, “Is it me that you’re talking to like that?” Tochi asked, but Ebere sighed instead.

“What has gotten into you?” Tochi asked again, but Ebere refused to answer. 

“Don’t worry, I know what to do to you,” Tochi said before leaving for her work.

After that incident happened that day, Tochi forgave Ebere. In fact, after Tochi left to clear the farmlands that morning, she had completely forgotten what had happened. Tochi had a very soft heart and she couldn’t stay angry for long,  no matter what anyone did to make her angry.

But that wasn’t the last time Ebere insulted her older sister. Sometimes, Ebere would go as far as calling Tochi an illiterate, but despite all the demeaning things Ebere said to her sister, Tochi still had a soft spot for her.

It was this soft spot that Ebere took advantage of, and she manipulated Tochi to send her to the university.

Because Tochi believed that her sister was just being childish, she worked so hard and would even sell pepper and tomatoes in the market after farming for people or doing other odd jobs just to raise money for Ebere’s needs at school.

Three years after Tochi sent Ebere to the university, she fell in love with a trader in their village; a man named Adamu, and one year after they started dating Tochi and Adamu had a small wedding.

When Ebere returned from school and she realized that her sister had married an average man, she wouldn’t stop mocking Tochi.

Ebere even assured Tochi that she would find a rich man, who would do way better than her husband, and he would take care of her, but Tochi refused to let her sister’s words get to her.

One time after Ebere returned from her short break from school, she visited Tochi and Adamu in their home, and after Ebere left that evening, Adamu was forced to talk to his wife about Ebere’s behaviour.

“Why do you let your sister talk to you like that?” Adamu asked Tochi after Ebere left.

“How do you mean?” Tochi feigned ignorance. 

“Your sister is very rude and arrogant. She is not close to everything you’ve been telling me about her,” Adamu said.

“That’s how she is, but I still love her like that,” Tochi answered casually.

“Does she love you? Because all I see is an entitled girl who only wants the things she can get from you but doesn’t care how you get them. I’m not saying it’s bad to help your sister, but you have to be careful,” Adamu said.

“Don’t worry, my dear husband. We have absolutely nothing to worry about. Ebere is a good girl, I just believe that she is still childish,” Tochi defended Ebere.

“I know you will not see what I see because she is your sister and you are blinded by love,” Adamu said.

“Adamu my husband, do not worry about Ebere.  She will change soon, and in the long run, you will see it. My main goal now Is for her to complete her university education, so she can find a job and finally be independent. The last few years of sending her to school has not been easy,” Tochi said.

“Hmmm! I have heard you. Anyways, you’re right, she is your sister and you know her more,” Adamu said, before he stopped talking about Ebere.

Adamu had seen that Ebere did not love Tochi one bit. In fact, the reason Ebere still talked to her sister was because she had no one to sponsor her education and she knew that no matter what she said to or how she treated Tochi, Tochi would never stop loving her because she saw Ebere as her only surviving family.

Initially, when Adamu and Tochi were having that conversation, Adamu wanted to tell Tochi to not expect anything from her sister in the future, but since he did not want to hurt her feelings, he decided to keep it to himself.

About a month after Ebere returned to school where she lived in the hostel, she called Tochi and told her that she needed thirty thousand Naira urgently. Even though the money was a lot and it was nearly impossible for Tochi to raise 30 thousand in two days, Tochi assured Ebere that she would send it to her.

Unfortunately, two days passed and Tochi could not raise the money. Tochi had not made sales like she expected, and she even tried to borrow some money from her friends but it was unsuccessful.

Without even calling her sister to ask if she could raise the money, Ebere called her sister and began to yell on her. 

“Sister, why are you so wicked?” Ebere yelled as soon as Tochi answered her call.

“What do you mean?” Tochi asked in a confused tone.

“I don’t know why I was so unfortunate to have a sister like you. Other people will call their sisters and ask for money, and they will give them more than they asked for. But my own sister is something else,” Ebere said in an angry tone.

“Ebere, I’m so surprised this is coming from you, after all the sacrifices I have made for you,” Tochi said In a disappointed and heartbroken voice.

“Eh! Eh! Sister, don’t even go there. What have you done for me that other people have not done? Besides, I didn’t ask you to do anything for me. You did everything by yourself,” Ebere said.

“I’m very disappointed to hear you say that, do you know all the struggles I go through every day just to ensure that you finish your university education successfully?” Tochi asked. By this time she was already crying and she was struggling to hold back her tears.

“Please, sister, don’t even get me started with you. If you’re saying that you’re such a good sister like you claim, where is the 30 thousand Naira I asked you for some days ago?” Ebere asked.

“Ebere, you know how the market is, I thought I could make sales, and raise the money but I could not. Since you need this money urgently, is there no one you can borrow the money from and by the end of this week, I will send it to you so you can pay the person,” Tochi said.

“You want me to go and embarrass myself? What if you don’t give me the money by the end of the week?” Ebere asked.

“Have I ever promised you something, and I didn’t do it?” Tochi asked.

“Ok, I have heard you, but let it be by the end of the week, as you have said. I don’t want to call you for the money o,” Ebere said before she ended the call.

Because Tochi knew what her husband would say if she told him everything Ebere had said to her, she decided to stay keep it to herself. Later that week, Tochi was able to raise the money and she sent it to Ebere before She called to ask for it.

Ebere had a few more years in school plus law school, and for those remaining years, Tochi struggled so much to ensure that her sister completed her education.

Even after Tochi gave birth to their daughter, Soma, she would still put Ebere’s needs first before that of her daughter. There was even a time when Tochi tried to delay Soma from starting school so she could focus on Ebere, but her husband, Adamu, kicked against the idea.

“You cannot stop my child from going to school just because of your ungrateful sister,” Adamu barked.

“My husband, please understand. Soma is still young, and we can delay her for a year. Ebere is almost rounding up and she needs me now more than ever,” Tochi said in a bid to convince her husband.

“That’s not happening. Whatever you have with Ebere is your business. Leave our daughter out of it. And I’ve asked you several times, all these things you’re doing for this your sister, would she do the same thing for you if you were in her shoes?” Adamu said.

“You don’t know Ebere. She would do more for me and even for you,” Tochi answered confidently.

“Whatever. But my decision remains, Soma is starting school next month and nothing will change that, not even you,” Adamu thundered.

When Tochi saw that Adamu had refused for Soma to stay a bit longer at home, she doubled her work, so she could raise enough money to support her family and also support her sister. Thankfully, with Tochi’s endless help, Ebere completed her studies and she even served.

Luckily for Ebere, she got a job immediately after she returned from service. It was one of her prominent friends that connected Ebere to the job.

Not just that, the job came with a free car and a house, and the pay was very juicy. Once Ebere got the job, she suddenly stopped calling her sister whom she used to call almost every day while she was still in a school.

When a month passed and Tochi had not heard from Ebere, she became very worried. Tochi would call Ebere almost every day, but Ebere refused to take her sister’s call.

The one time, Ebere managed to take Tochi’s call, she warned Tochi to stop disturbing her and that if she wanted to see her, she would travel back to Agaga village for that.

Because of the rude tone Ebere spoke to Tochi, Adamu warned Tochi never to call Ebere again, but Tochi refused to listen. She would secretly call Ebere’s number whenever Adamu was not at home.

Unfortunately for Tochi, about a year after Ebere got a job, she fell very ill. The stress of all the hard work she had been doing took its toll on her health.

For weeks, Tochi took all kinds of treatment including herbs but nothing seemed to work. Instead of getting better like she expected, her health grew worse. All this while, Tochi tried to call Ebere to inform her that she was very sick, but Ebere refused to take her calls. Each time she saw Tochi’s call, she would hiss and watch the phone ring.

Sadly, after three months of battling with the sickness, Tochi passed away, and she never got to see her sister again or watch her daughter grow. When this happened, Adamu was very heartbroken because he loved Tochi a lot, but because he couldn’t handle the grieve, Adamu left Soma under the care of his best friend, and he travelled to his village in the North. 

When the news reached Ebere that her sister had passed away, she rushed back to Agaga village, and pretended like she really loved her sister. She even lied that her sister did not call her while she was sick, and even when she called her sister almost everyday, her sister never mentioned her illness.

A few days after Ebere returned, the villagers buried Tochi. Since the villagers believed that Ebere was a good person, they suggested that she take in her sister’s child, and Ebere agreed.

By this time, Soma was five years old, and she was excited to move to the city with Ebere, not knowing that Ebere was a wicked person and that she would do the unthinkable to the poor child.

Watch out for part two

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