THE MISTAKE OF MY MOTHER
The Mistake Of My Mother -Episode 21
Anita
My sight was blurred so I could not understand why Derek was running towards the house all of a sudden when we had decided not to call his attention to our presence by staying as lowkey as we could. I mustered all the strength I had left and ran after him. I saw him grab Rose’s Dad by the neck and they both began to roll on the floor with each trying to gain the upper hand in the fight and I began to wonder when the backup he called would arrive. I drew Rose closer, she flinched when Derek rained blows on her dad while I flinched whenever her dad did. Nevertheless, we had one purpose and that was to free her from the man.
Derek was a trained fighter and so he was able to subdue him at last and handcuffed him…
Derek: “You are under arrest Mr Olamide for child abuse and molestation.it will be in your best interest to remain silent since any word you utter can be used against you in the law court” he said breathlessly.
Olamide: “Child abuse really? And who is the child I molested?” he asked defensively.
Derek: “Your daughter. You have been sexually molesting your daughter for the past three years now. Do not utter even one word again” he threatened with eyes blazing in the moonlight.
Olamide: “You are infringing on my right and I will sue you for this. I am innocent of these allegations and I will make sure I call the services of highly qualified lawyers in this country to fight this case. You will be done for Mr Hero”
Derek: “Well I want to be done for. I can’t wait to see how well your lawyers will argue your case and what lies they will use. I can’t wait to see your face when the judge pronounces judgment on you. It will be my life’s greatest achievement” he pushed him to the back of the car and instructed me to drive while he climbed to the back with him. Rose sat at the front and remained as silent as the graveyard. I had to drive as slowly as possible because of my blurred sight.
Olamide: “Oh you mean your downfall? This will be your downfall man. I will see to that” he taunted and laughed.
Anita: “I want to ask you a question please?”
Olamide: “Do you have to be polite about it? Hasn’t my interrogation started? Ask away”
Anita: “It is a personal question besides I am just a social worker and your daughter ran to me for help when you made her life into a living hell. So can you tell me the reason you treated Ahunli so bad even though you knew she loved you so much? She kept loving you even in death”
Olamide: “Well not everyone deserves to be loved, I am one of those and I made it quite clear to her even from the onset but she decided to stick around. People think that the most painful thing in this world is losing someone you value but no, the most painful thing is valuing someone so much and then in the process, forgetting that you are special too. She should have just lost me rather than losing herself loving me”
Anita: “You haven’t answered my question” I cast him a look from the rearview mirror. “Why were you unable to love her despite knowing she is special and all?”
Olamide: “Well, I am stone hearted. I don’t know how to love and what I love, I destroy. So I shied away from love all together”
Anita: “Then you were afraid that your loving her or showing her love will make you do things that would hurt her?”
Olamide: “Yes. I was afraid like that. Do you have your answer now?”
Derek: “Well you could have opened up to her about your fears. She could have helped you overcome it. You two could have worked it out but you pushed her into the lion’s den, didn’t she get destroyed at the end?”
Olamide: “I have punished myself for that ever since her death. You think I felt happy she died? Of course not”
Anita: “Then are you paying her back for all her love lost by hurting the daughter she left for you? Her only child?”
Olamide: “I am not hurting her, Baby tell them how I did not hurt you. Or did I really? Maybe I love you too much, I should never have allowed myself to care so much about you.” he became sober and downcast. In order not to start feeling sorry for him, I kept mute and so did Derek, we left him to his misery.
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Rose
Hearing my dad say all that wrenched my heart. I wished my mum was alive to hear it. To hear that he actually pushed her away cos he loved her and was afraid of hurting her. I looked up at the stars through the car window and wondered if she was up there, probably watching over me?
Anita was taken to the hospital and the injury on her head treated after my dad had been locked up in a cell which had five other inmates. Derek took the two of us to his own place despite Anita’s protests.
Anita: “We cannot stay at your place, just take us home please. Her dad has already been locked up so we are safe”
Derek: “How about Francis?”
Anita: “He does not know where I stay at so we are safer now”
Derek: “I can’t believe you just said that mehn. How did Olamide get to know where you lived? He even went as far as having a spare key and you think a man as dangerous as Francis will not do even more than that? He must be somewhere there as we talk right now, waiting for you to come back home so just stay here”
Anita: “So how are you sure we’d be safe here?”
I must give it to her, she was really stubborn, and how could a woman argue so much especially when it had to do with her own safety?
Derek: “At least I’d be here to protect you”
Anita: “Oh I see! So you will be here to protect us? Its okay”
So she concurred and that was how we found ourselves there. He was extremely neat, everything was where they were supposed to be, and nothing was littered around despite him being a busy guy. I saw the way they looked at each other, full of admiration and love. They cared deeply about each other even though they weren’t rushing things up. I found myself wishing my own parents had experienced the joy of being in love rather than the hide and seek they were doing.
He got a call at exactly 10:30 pm that the guys had found where Francis was at last and needed his attention there with them as soon as he could. He was more than elated but Anita had her reservations, call it a woman’s instinct.
Anita: “I don’t think you should go. They should handle that themselves, I’m sure they can, they are not kids” she folded her arms across her midsection stubbornly like an overprotective house wife.
Derek: “Don’t be stubborn baby girl. You know this is important to me. The guys need me there” he said wearing his jacket, I pretended to be asleep.
Anita: “But you said you’d be here with us?”
Derek: “Not to worry dear, you guys will be safe. I won’t be gone for too long so chillax okay? I know you will miss me but just hang on for me. I’d be right back for sure” he said, gave her a kiss and bounded for the door.
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Anita
I didn’t want him to leave but he did anyway. I am definitely going to tell him to resign from the Force too. I can’t have a husband who will be running off in the middle of the night leaving me vulnerable. I wouldn’t have that happen. I looked up the bar and saw a CCTV camera hanging right above it. I was more than impressed with his security measures. Rose walked up to me with a worried look on her face…
Anita: “What is wrong?” I asked setting her on my laps as I sat down.
Rose: “I’m scared” she said placing her head on my chest.
Anita: “Me too but hey! It’s gonna be fine, we are safe here with God by our side. Okay? Do you know how to pray?”
Rose: “No! No one ever thought me how to, will you teach me?”
Anita: “Of course I will” I made her go on her knees and say after me as I told God how we wanted to be safe from thence onwards. We heard the keys click outside and the door opened, I went to the sitting room to check and there stood Francis with an axe in hand looking like he won mega lottery…
To be continued
QUESTIONS
How could he be here and not getting caught? I guess it’s our turn to get dismembered just like Anita’s mum?
What is our fate now???
