THE MISTAKE OF MY MOTHER
The Mistake Of My Mother -Episode 9
You probably weren’t expecting me to say she slide the knife through my mum’s stomach then ask you if she or I will survive, were you? Well that wasn’t it. Well she dropped the knife as hurriedly as she could when she saw who was in front of her at the last minute. My mum collapsed on the floor when she saw the knife fall off her hands. The happenings of that morning was too much for her to take; first of all it was an assailant who almost cut off her boobs and now a furious prostitute threatening the life of the man she loved.
Olamide: “Hey Ahunli! Are you okay?” he bent over her and shook her vigorously trying to rouse her up. He ran to the kitchen, got a clean cold water and splashed it on her face while the lady looked on with concerns written all over her face.
Lady: “Is she okay?”
Olamide: “Wake up dear. Are you okay?” he looked at her intently as she stirred wearily on the floor.
Ahunli: “Yes I am okay. How about you? Hope you are okay? And your leg? She reached out with one hand to touch his cheek looking directly into his eyes.
Olamide: “I am fine, it was just a graze. Can you get up? Maybe I should get you to a hospital?”
Ahunli: “No I am fine” she said and made to stand on her own but he reached for her, helped her up and led her to the bedroom. He laid her gently on the bed.
Olamide: “Next time, don’t do what you did. What if she hadn’t stopped? What if she had plunged the knife into your stomach? Do you know how scared I was?”
Ahunli: “I smell love in your tone my heart’s terrorist” she giggled and slept off immediately. Her body and soul were worn out to the core.
He stood towering over her for some time, shook his head and left the bedroom. By the time he got to the sitting room, the lady had already left. He looked around to be sure nothing was missing and yeah nothing was. He went out to check but she was nowhere around. Whether she jumped over the fence or disappeared into thin air, he didn’t bother to find out.
===
Four months after that incidence, I was given birth to. An innocent, bouncing and beautiful baby girl. I instantly became the apple of their eyes. My dad gave me more attention than he gave anyone in the world. But just so you know, their relationship did not change before or even after my birth infact it became worst. Shortly before my birth, my dad became even more distant to the extent that my mum stopped worrying about his whereabouts knowing he must be at the same drinking den with his friends. What they did there, only God knew. So a week before I arrived, she decided to drag him along on her daily walk. she did not relent even when he refused so many times and asked her to go alone, he had to give in when he saw me kick with vigour from inside. He was enthralled with that he didn’t know when he wore his shirt and followed her out.
As they walked wordlessly on the marbled estate road, the stars did not change the way they shorn, the atmosphere emitted cool gentle breeze that blew her long dark hair about. They passed houses upon houses until she decided to break the silence…
Ahunli: “Uhmmm!” she cleared her throat.
Olamide: “I know you have something you need to say. Just say it already, isn’t that the reason I am here?”
Ahunli: “Okay! I want to talk to you about your lifestyle” she paused
Olamide: “What about my lifestyle?”
Ahunli: “Isn’t it high time you stopped living such frivolous lifestyle now that the baby is on the way?”
Olamide: “I don’t understand English so break it down. What is frivolous?”
Ahunli: “I am not joking here. You wouldn’t want to have your baby see the way you are sometimes would you? The way you drink, womanize, you even deal with prostitutes. Please I beg of you to retrace your steps or id be forced to take my daughter far away from you and file a restraining order against you. The way you are right now, I doubt you can be a father in the real sense of it”
Olamide: “You wouldn’t dare do something like that to me. How is drinking alcohol a bad influence on a child who wouldn’t even be wary of it till she is 20years? And don’t you ever threaten me again with something like this or I’d be forced to create my own threats too. Don’t forget how you dramatically bullied me into accepting this baby and the marriage. We should start talking of how to separate already”
Those words of his stung her in the heart than the venom of a cobra would have.
Ahunli: “So you really feel there is nothing wrong with your lifestyle? That our baby will be safe? You really think so?”
Olamide: “Stop asking me stupid questions. This sure is the reason I never really wanted to get married. Every lady wants to change something in a guy’s life. Can’t you live and leave me to live too? Can’t you leave me the way I am? Isn’t it God who created us all?”
Ahunli: “I cannot allow you to keep threading on the path of destruction when I am having a baby for you” she said stubbornly.
Olamide: “I guess we are done with the walk right? I will be heading back home now” he said, turned back and started walking towards the direction they came from.
She watched him walk away with her heart in her mouth. Her sadness affected me in such a way that could not be described. I turned and kicked but she did not even notice, she was numb to every other form of feeling except the one in her heart.
===
PRESENT DAY
Miss Anita: “Hey why did you stop?” she asked shifting uncomfortably on her seat in the little office space which had piles of books and files littered around, the desk was not spared either as files were littered all over it. I could hardly see her face. Miss Anita is the social worker assigned to my case. She is to find out as much information about my life as possible and one particular secret I know which was very crucial to an on-going investigation.
Rose: “Nothing. Can we continue the story some other day please? I am so worn out right now. I need rest” I said sadly. And yeah to be sincere, I was really tired and needed to get to the comfort of a walled enclosure which would give me enough privacy to do what I wanted.
Looking at the little girl before me, I just couldn’t help but notice how shaken she was. She was probably already getting to the part of the story that touched her the most and that was why she needed some break. In all of my years as a social worker, I had come across broken children from broken homes but never really felt as attached as I felt towards Rose. She was a beautiful girl with deep scars which at that moment, she was yet to tell me about. All I knew was that she witnessed a murder which she could not talk to anyone about. It was a traumatic experience for her. I didn’t want to end the session with her but I gathered the girl really did need some rest, mentally and physically and so I decided to defy my boss; Mr Rotimi’s direct order to make sure I get all the information from her that day. I didn’t have the balls to work the little girl out no matter how important the investigation was.
Anita: “Okay! I will drive you back to your hostel but will come back for you in two hours’ time. Hope we have a deal?”
Rose: “Yes we do. Thank you”
I sneaked her out of the office and drove her back to the home at Nasko Gasko road in Kuje, a two storey apartment we had provided for young girls still under our care until their case was over. She shared the room with other two girls whose cases I was not in charge of. I accompanied her to her room and made sure everything was secured.
Anita: “You know you can trust me right? I want to help you” I said as I stood at the door front, ready to leave the room. The rest of the girls were nowhere in sight, probably at the office.
Rose: “Trust?” she looked at me suspiciously from head to toe and shook her head. I did not blame her of course, how can a person like that trust anyone in the world again? But I wanted to win her trust. She was like the younger sister I never had. I walked back downstairs and scrutinized the area, making sure the security men were in place and alert. I issued out some orders to them and left. Didn’t want to take any chance of incurring my boss’ wrath any further. The murderer could still be out there.
===
I was there at exactly two hours’ time later to get her back to the office. As I climbed the office, I had an eerie feeling that something was not right. I climbed the stairs two at a time, thanking God in my heart that I had decided to wear the pant trousers rather than the pencil skirt I had deliberated on wearing. When I entered inside the room, Sade, one of her roomies was sprawled on the floor- sleeping. Rose was nowhere in sight.
Anita: “Hey Sade!” I called out sharply and the girl jumped. Where is Rose?”
Sade: “She was in the bathroom when I came back”
Anita: “That has been since when?”
Sade: “I slept off immediately I got back. But that should be like an hour ago or more. I cannot remember” she said robbing her eyes sleepily. She was like twenty years.
I walked towards the door of the bathroom with an ominous feeling almost engulfing me. I knocked on the door but there was no reply. I tried again and again but the same eerie silence echoed back at me. I then turned the door handle and it gave way freely. I jumped back when I saw the blood on the floor, there was splashes of it on the wall and the bathtub too. I looked around the little bathroom but all I saw was blood and no sign of Rose anywhere.
To be continued!
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QUESTIONS
Where is Rose? Has the murderer come for her? Can you guess what happened to her parents?
Why is the murderer after Rose’s life?
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