Mass Shootings From Our Point Of View — We The People Back Home

There’s been a mass shooting in a Texas church. Five people are confirmed dead, including the gunman, who turned the gun on himself. Over twenty other churchgoers are severely injured.

Olunna!, are you free to talk?

Hold on a minute while I step out of my office. Ok, mum, what’s up?

Have you seen the news? Someone just sent me a BC message on Whatsapp. There was a shooting in Texas yesterday during evening mass. What?!

Don’t scream. Please help me confirm if it is true.

I immediately google ‘Texas Shooting’ and I see so many.

One stands out. It is trending and as I click, it redirects me to a Twitter feed.

Thousands of Americans are tweeting about the incident. They say it happened in Austin. That name sounds familiar; too familiar.

The gunman has killed himself, so I cannot even say ‘God punish you!’

Nne calls me back and I have to be the one to confirm the shooting, in Austin.

Chineke! (God!)her shriek pierces my ears and my heart.

Mummy, please calm down. You don’t know if it’s their church yet.

But you said it happened at Austin. Yes, I did.

Thousands of people live in Austin, mum.

Please, put yourself together and try sending them a message.

I will send a message as well. She will answer. Don’t cry

Let’s talk when we get home.

She has not responded to my Whatsapp messages. Has she answered you?

Mummy, give me a minute to change out of my dress. Okay.

I have left her over ten messages but got no response as well.

All my calls went unanswered.

What if that was their church? Did the news say children were shot too?

Mum, calm down!

What did your uncle say?

Mummy, calm down. He says they’ve not spoken since Friday last week.

Chineke nnam e! (God, my father!)

Try calling them again. What does her last seen say on Whatsapp?

Says here Sunday at 3:27 pm.

She can’t have been offline from then till now, Monday evening.

Is that normal to you? She’s always online.

Mum, go and sleep. Nothing has happened to them.

Tomorrow, we’ll try again.

I lay on my bed, in deep thought. My aunt was truly never offline.

I can still hear my mum’s stifled cries from the room.

My mind is unstable. I begin to think of my lovely cousins, four of them.

The last time I saw them was in 2018. Will that be the last?

So, I’ll never get the chance to plait my Oby’s large fro again?

I’ll not get to clap for Oma’s latest catwalk skills? Or do some rapid-fire.

Who’ll call me Blessing in that weird American accent?

I walk to the fridge to drink a glass of water and get out of my head.

It’s Tuesday afternoon and she’s still offline. You say all is well.

Mum, please calm down. Names of the victims have not been released.

Did you speak with your uncle today? Has he heard from them?

No one has heard from Aunty Wanda. I have called Uncle Eddy and Clay.

What do you want to do, mum? We don’t know any of their friends there.

I have heard my mum’s stifled crying every night but I choose to stay positive.

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Hello, onye n’ekwu? (Who’s speaking?)

Bri, it’s Wanda pronounced [vanda].

Hmm…

I just got all your messages and voice notes. I’m so sorry.

The kids and I went camping for the weekend and I lost my phone there.

We are safe. It wasn't even our church.

Well, how were we supposed to know that?

What do we do if something like this happens again?, God forbid!

We need your neighbors’ phone numbers.

Bri, it does not work like that over here. You’ll freak them out with your calls.

Really? Won’t you like to come back home?

Nigeria seems safer than your famous American dream right now.

“For many, the American dream has become a nightmare.” — Bernie Sanders