Chapter 66: Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Dear Clara.

I hope you are doing well wherever you are.

The probability of you reading this letter when I am already dead and six feet beneath is 1:1. I am not going to be alive too long from today.

The reason I am penning down is so that I tell you things that you may have not known in your life. Or maybe you may never know for the rest of your life.

First of all, I want to tell you that I am so sorry for what I did. I was being very mean by doing that. I know that I messed up but I would like to ask for your forgiveness. I am sorry once again.

When I met your dad, he never had a problem keeping you as his child. I wanted to lie to him that I had been raped hence the baby but I didn’t because I needed to remain sane. He would have known anyway.

I didn’t wanna cause so much trouble being that I had been blackmailed into doing this. I wanted a home for you and not let you suffer.

I thought honestly that my cousin had died. I am so grateful that she is alive and that she is gonna pick up from where I left. I wasn’t the best mother in the world but I tried my level best.

The other reason why I am putting this down in writing t is to inform you that your friend Alvin, is Williams’ grandchild. His adopted daughter is the mother. I have wanted to tell you this all this time but I didn’t know how to do it.

Jenna took the baby and threatened the people from the orphanage that she would kill each and every one of them if they ever spoke about it.

It is not his parent’s fault. They genuinely needed a child when Jenna proposed to them about Alvin. She told them that he was an orphan and needed shelter.

She suggested to them that they move to the countryside because she didn’t want the babies to grow up close to their mums. She gave them upkeep money just as she gave me in the first but stopped at some point claiming that you and I were relatives and I should find a way of feeding you.

She had all the legal documents and not even his foster parents’ lawyer could suspect that the baby had been stolen, or illegally adopted.

I was a victim, I didn’t know what to do. She told me the whole story and used me to do these things. At the end of the day, she stilled blackmailed me saying I was her co-conspirator. Jenna is a wicked woman, be careful around her. She is sly and cunning.

I regretted all my whole life. I fell guilt wash all over me every time I saw that boy. Your friendship wasn’t a coincidence. I had to make you two know each other discretely because you are basically relatives. I literally thought that I had killed my cousin. I wanted my cousin to be alive. I didn’t like it that she had died and I was part of it. I haven’t seen my parents since then, my kids, your siblings don’t know them and you don’t know them too.

You are a jewel. He who has you even at this moment is quite lucky. You are the best thing that I ever had in my life. I wanted to give you a good life but that couldn’t happen because you were destined for a better one.

I don’t know if I will take long here because Jenna is sending her hoodlums here to threaten me. She might kill me sooner rather than later. I am telling you this because I know that by the time you will be reading this letter, I might not be there with you just as I have said.

Get justice for me.

I would have spoken out, baby girl. I would have but Jenna always had someone following me around secretly and each the time I was seen around a police station, it was unending threats.

If I die, please accord me a burial. Do not leave my body to be fed on by vultures. I don’t deserve any favour from you but whether you believe it or not, I love you.

I raised you well and that’s to the best of my knowledge. I may not have done what I wanted but I did what I could.

I pray that your life becomes a success and that you and your real mother bond well. Be the obedient girl that I raised and however tough it may be, just be assured that I will always be there to watch over you. I will always stand by your side spiritually. I will never let you suffer again in the hands of hooligans and that Jenna will face my wrath.

I love you, Clara. You may not believe that I do but I do love you so very much.

Lastly. Whatever is happening today in your life isn’t your fault. You never really planned for this to happen. You are a victim of the circumstances and I pray that you get to sort it soon. I know you may be very confused about this but I can assure you that it is well.

It is well Clara.

With love.

Yours candidly

Marcella. (Not sure if I should call myself your mother now that you have one.)

****

By the time I am done reading the letter. My face is soaked with tears and my mum absently pulls me to lie on her shoulder. My headrests on her shoulder with torrents of tears falling. I am literally drenching and saturating her dress.

My mum was literally a good woman. I never ever thought that Alvin could have been Aliana’s son. I in my entire life never thought that I could have been the one discovering the truth about Aliana’s long lost son.

My head is spinning when I make to stand up. I am about to fall but mum holds me supporting me until I am stable.

I feel so bad.

What happened is not right. I kept telling that wicked woman that mum left evidence against her, I didn’t know that it was this bad. Burglary of a child is one of those things that I never want to associate myself with. It is a very malicious act.

My mum I don’t want to blame her. She wouldn’t have kept quiet, she would have had the strength to speak out but just as mentioned in her letter, someone was always following her around.

She didn’t see her family for over twenty years. She kept telling all of us that she never had a family. I remember one day when I asked her why we weren’t going to see grandma she said that she doesn’t have any family members since all of them are dead.

She literally killed my nurturing grandparents.

I will look for them. I will take them home to where their daughter is buried and I will ensure that they all forgive her. I am literally not holding grudges against mum. Besides, she was indeed a good mother. She took care of me without a doubt. She loved me equally to her daughters and son, we only had serious issues when I decided to go to the city.

Not her fault. I understand her. She feared that all these things might have happened and guess what? Yeah, your guess is right, it did happen and a lot more.

Just as it is said, ‘only mountains will never meet. Human beings will always meet.’ I pull away when my mama sniffles and my heart stings with pain. I wouldn’t have read this with her. This was very selfish of me.

‘’I am so sorry, mum.’’

‘’Why would you be sorry, baby?’’

‘’I have forced you into this. I have read the letter loudly for you to hear and that’s not …’’ she cuts me off by raising her hands.

‘’This isn’t your fault. Don’t worry about it,’’ she says drying my tears and pulls me into a hug one more time. She is so adorable, I am really blessed to be associated with her.

She hailed me into her home even without knowing who I really was. She then later found out that I was her daughter. Her good heart led to me giving birth safely. She took me to the best doctor and because of her, I met my long lost friend.

‘’Mum, she is dead. She died painfully and there is nothing I could have done. I had to sneak into a home I was raised in to be able to mourn my own mother. I think we shouldn’t have taken her to the police cells.’’

‘’Hey, relax. At that point, that was the best thing to do. She was in danger either way and letting her stay there would have been worse. You remember them threatening to kill your siblings? No death is good but imagine if they killed your whole family.’’ I nod at her, she is right.

‘’What do we do?’’

‘’We are taking her word for it. We will speak to Aliana right now. You were about to go see Harry, right?’’ she asks audibly and I nod at her. ‘’Good, I will accompany you. We will go and speak to Aliana fist before speaking to Alvin, okay and the police?’’

I shrug. ‘’Okay, mum.’’

‘’I have no idea how to break the news to her but we will tell her anyway. I am so happy that Aliana is finally going to get her baby. It has been long overdue. I don’t know her that much but I am really happy that she is finally gonna find him. I know the suffering that comes with all these and I will speak to her.’’

‘’Thank you, mum,’’ I Say quietly.

‘’You will never have to ask me anything and I say no when I am in a position to do it. I love you and I can literally catch a bullet for you.’’ She laughs heartily after saying that.

I swear I wasn’t intending to laugh but I do it anyway. This is literally crazy. The revelation will shock everyone. Aliana is a good woman and all she deserves is happiness.

Mum is avoiding meeting Harrison’s dad. She literally thinks that exposing herself to him isn’t a good thing.

‘’Mum?’’

‘’Yes, baby girl.’’

‘’You came back without taking the one week you were to take on your business trip. What happened?’’ mum is driving and making fun of me how I am letting my mama be my chauffeur. We laugh it off and I decide to get steadier and sturdier on the road.

‘’Anything for my baby girl. I wanted to be there for you during that hard time. Comfort you even though I am not sure if I did it right. I wanted you to not only see the mother you lost but also the one that is still alive. I wanted you not to be alone at the tempting moment and I also wanted your siblings to have someone from their mum’s side being there for them. I have no idea how to pass the message to her parents. It will be a real hassle but I will hack it.’’

‘’Thank you, mum. Because you managed to pull all that and will still be able to manage the upcoming. I will be here to do all these with you.’’

‘’Thank you, you are very smart. I am so grateful to Marcella for raising you up to be such a lovely girl.’’ She says nicely. ‘’Call your friend, by the way. In fact, this is good because I will be able to pay a visit to my son in law.’’ I smile slightly at that.

I dial her number quickly.

‘’speaker.’’ Mum orders and I do as told.

‘’Hello, Clara,’’ her deep voice comes through two rings later.

‘’Hi, um … my mum and I are here. We would like to come and see you on a very crucia matter. Are you home?’’

‘’Yes, I am. Tell me how far?’’

‘’Like two blocks away, please have some wine on the table for us,’’ I say jokingly and mum gives me a very unpleasant warning glance. She knows that I shouldn’t take the wine but she isn’t taking chances.

We get to Aliana’s in less than ten minutes. Mum advises that we don’t talk much, instead just hand her the letter.

After exchanging our pleasantries, she welcomes us to her study room.

‘’To what do I owe this beautiful visit?’’ she asks her question directed to me.

‘’Um, mum left a letter for me.’’

‘’And?’’

‘’She wrote in here,’’ I pause and pull out the letter. ‘’Something that I want you to read by yourself.’’

‘’Something that concerns me?’’ she asks worried and I just nod. I stretch my hand ad she takes the letter almost doubtfully. ‘’Your mum, she knew me?’’

Let’s find that out.

Harry chooses that moment to walk in. He looks super-hot and I feel my heart leaping happily when I look at him. I stand up and rush to hug him. We stay in that position for a few minutes and when we hear Aliana scream on top of her voice, we break the hug and we both turn to look at her.