Chapter 74: Chapter 74

Chapter 74.

Albeit so much that has been going on in the past, I can say that recently, life has been cool and quiet. I have so much peace and the love of the man that I love with all of my heart.

I have known Harrison for more than one year and I count on the best that has happened. It has not been all milk and honey but it never lacked totally.

I met my mum who has been so good to me and I appreciate the fact as much as I appreciate that my dad finally came back to his senses and realized that life is more precious when you are good and polite to the people that live around you.

Liam died when he tried to use Viagra on a much younger girl. The stupid betting ways that led to him winning over a poor parent and the daughter who decided to marry him, either way, decided to go live with Liam and that’s how he ended up dying.

Very stupid.

‘’Hey, you are not concentrating. Mum just said something.’’ Harry says bringing me back from my trail of thoughts.

‘’What were you saying, Mrs. Williams?’’

‘’That I want to confess before my kids, or rather the kids that I have raised as mine. I was never a good mother, I know. I never sired any of the children that too, I know.’’ Everyone’s mouth goes wide open and her children, well, Harrison looks confused Anita is crying already but Henry is putting up a face. I don’t know what this woman is talking about.

‘’I was born in a very poor family. My dad was a drunkard and the best job he could do was drinking. He never had any visions in life. No future at all. He had debts all over and he had wrangles with his debtors almost all the time that I knew him in life. One day, there were foreigners that came to my country, yes, your guess is right. I am not originally from this country. I just learned your ways and that’s the reason I look like one of you. I have been living in this country for so long as an evacuee. So, dad decided to sell me to the foreigners so that he could get money for his drinking spree. Was I the only child? Not exactly, drunkards give birth like that’s the only job that they are meant to do, so, I had like 8 other siblings.’’

‘’Wow!’’ someone exclaims from the group.

‘’Shut up! I am trying to reminisce about what happened back then. I was the firstborn of that family and guess what? I was only 14 years when the shit happened. My dad got millions of money and before you ask, I hope that he used the money to raise my other siblings. I desperately hope that he never sold the others that were left. Leaving your country to go to a foreign country is the most mystifying thing ever.’’

‘’I left everything that concerned me. My parents, siblings, friends and so on. I left my preferential shoes and clothes, our neighbours and even my secret admirers.’’ She stops a bit and bites her bottom lip then smiles slightly. I know the pain that could come with it. I know at some point I lived in a very strange house and with strange people but I at least knew Tabby and I was received amicably.

‘’I never knew anyone. We crossed the sea. I never had any money and I know what that means, I was literally going to be their slave. Dad had been paid so, my work was to work, work and work again and earn nothing. Life can fuck you up sometimes and this one had done it to me. I hated what I was going through but that’s what had to happen at that moment. I literally had no option at all.’’

‘’What happened?’’ I don’t know who that is but the question is shot to her. I am currently dumbfounded but I am the one who now has to be strong for Harrison.

She never sired any children? That’s funny. Aliana and Harrison suspected it though.

‘’I worked there for about two years. I was patient enough to do that because that’s the only way I could save my parents from their poverty. Well, my drunkard of a daddy, he was a teacher who was exorcised and banished for not being careful and that’s how he got himself into more poverty.’’

‘’What did your mum do?’’

‘’she was a housewife who literally had no say at all. Anyway, one day as I was working, that man who had just two kids came back early from work. I feared for my life when he said to me that I had to go to bed with him or he would kill me. I didn’t want to die, so, I decided to go the other way. Trick him then kill him in the process. I hated my dad, mum and everyone else who was in my life. He pulled me to his bed I froze due to fear and he kept caressing me all over. He tore my dress and just as he was about to do his shit. I pulled a knife that I had been hiding and stabbed him on his throat. He started bleeding and before long he was lying down fully dead or so I assumed.’’

‘’I walked out hastily and I never looked back. It took me several days and nights to get here. I met different people some of whom wanted to help genuinely and others who only wanted to harm me. I didn’t know where to go and I never had any relatives anywhere, I mean the only ones I knew were my parents. I got hungry, famished and emaciated at some point. I needed water because my throat was dry and cracking. I ended up in this country thanks to the person who got me stranded on the road and decided to bring me here. I have never met him since then. He only bought me food and left without caring what will happen next. I lived in the streets for another two years before I met the people who raised me up in this country.’’

‘’I was about eighteen years, a young teenager with no hopes of living at all. I met this woman in a mall. I had gone there to beg for food. I had been seeing her and she never failed to give me something when she saw me there. On that particular day, I decided to speak to someone who would have cared to listen to me and she was my target. I wasn’t insane or anything, just completely exasperated and unfulfilled. When I saw that woman who is standing right here.’’ I lift my eyes to meet hers. I know this woman. I have seen her before. Mum introduced her to us as our grandma. This cannot be good.

‘’I know what you are thinking and yes, she didn’t take me home but she took me to a home, an orphanage. She said she never wanted me to associate with her children and even though I was grateful, I still felt like her taking me home was somehow isolating me. I did my research and I knew that I would strike where it hurts one day. I know she helped me but her saying she didn’t want me to associate with her children because she felt I would be a bad influence on them was pure bullshit to me. I made sure that I went to the college where she was, her daughter and I swore to myself that I would ruin her so that her parents or rather her mum could know that I didn’t like what she did.’’

‘’You are …’’

‘’Evil?’’ she laughs evilly. ‘’I have been told that over a million times, I am used to this and I know what it means. It simply means that I don’t fit where good people are. Well, I had to make Williams leave the love of his life and marry me. He easily fell for my lies and he married me. All these years that we’ve lived together with Williams he had no single idea that I never got pregnant. I had to find a doctor who I paid Williams money to convince him that mine was a cryptic pregnancy. A pregnancy that never shows at any time until you are in labour.’’ Everyone is in tears because trust me, I never knew that she was this evil.

This one has gone a notch higher.

‘’I know you are asking why I couldn’t just have my own children. Well, for several reasons. One I couldn’t just do that because I didn’t want to bring up any creatures and make them suffer as my dad did with me. Two, there was no way I was going to give Williams any kids, I wanted him to pay for not seeing me but instead, eyeing the enemy who I had closer but couldn’t sense anything. She thought I was her best friend and three, I had several abortions while I was in the streets and that’s one major reason I couldn’t give birth. I was raped by both normal people and fellow street children and I made decisions to never give birth because even the abortions were just not easy for me. Sometimes I bled to the verge of death but I somehow ended up surviving.’’

For me here, shocked is an understatement. I am stunned, shaken, traumatized and dazed at the same time. Someone cannot be this evil and still subsist in this world. That just sounds too much.

‘’Now, the only legitimate child sired by Williams here is her.’’ She says pointing at me with his lips and I bow my head down knowing that Harrison is going to question me. ‘’The rest of you, I have no fucking idea where your fucking parents are because the doctor who stole you from his hospital is no longer with us. I had to wipe evidence so, I made sure that his hospital was completely burnt down to ashes and him killed. Yes, those of you looking at me with those condemnatory and disparaging eyes, keep it to yourselves because I needed to survive. I adopted Harry after seeing how much Williams loved that girl Aliana. Well, I didn’t adopt him. Jeddah stole him for me. I hate Aliana for coming into our lives. I didn’t want to have kids but seeing how much Williams loved her, it forced me to get the three of them.

‘’Their poor parents were either killed at birth or told that their children had died. For example, Jeddah, Diana’s mum killed your mother, Harry.’’

Harry tenses against me. ‘’Is that why you two were blackmailing each other?’’

‘’Yes, because I knew I had killed Clara’s mum and she had killed your mum. It was strange though because she would send me gifts and I got so traumatized. Anyway, goodbye, you all, my children. I cannot say more than that. I appreciate the fact that I raised you blindly. Not even your father Williams knew that he was fiddled but now that everyone knows, don’t leave him. He remains your father. I doubt you will be able to trace your parents.’’ she doesn’t look remorseful at all. ‘’By the way, I am not sorry at all for doing this. This world is full of shit and I always struggled to survive. I, however, am very happy that I have managed to confess to you all. I hope you find it in your good hearts to forgive me. Enjoy the rest of your lives without me. Don’t ever pay me a visit at the penitentiary because we don’t have any ties at all.’’ She says and turns back the wheelchair and wheels away.

She turns to look at the dumbfounded crowd when she gets to the door. ‘’And just so you know, you and Harry aren’t brother and sister. I said what I did because I didn’t want you two together but this is just fate. Blessings in your marriage, Clara.’’ Then she turns and manoeuvres away without saying anything. I don’t know if it hat was genuine or not but anyway, I had made my final decision and I was gonna marry him with or without admission from her.

Harry hasn’t spoken a word, everyone is wondering and confused. With all this concession. I wonder what I will tell Harry

Harry lets go of me and walks away, towards his siblings. This is just messy. The three of them, raised up in one family and they are all not sons and the daughter of the same person?

I turn to look at mum and she looks all collected and composed. I look from Mr. Williams who seems lost, to Aliana who must be wondering what kind of a woman this is, then I look at the rest of the people one after another and when my eyes land on the three, I feel their pain.

They are all in a tight hug. Not talking just quietly embracing each other.

It has happened again. The part where someone or some people are literally raised by people who are not their parents.

Pure trauma.

**

‘’You knew Williams was your dad?’’ he is calm and composed when he asks that. I nod gently. I don’t want to lie because lies break marriages and relationships. We are at the apartment. I am sure it is past midnight and I feel like we are going to have a major fight.

‘’I found out a few months ago. I …’’

‘’And you didn’t care to tell me? You found out such a thing and you still didn’t break up with me? What the …’’

‘’Don’t blame me, Harry. Love it is. I didn't want to do this but I ended up doing it. I wanted to walk away from you I wanted to let go and start my own life. I saw how much you were suffering and the only thing I wanted at that particular moment was to be there for you, with you and beside you. I was suffering too and I did what I felt was right. The only thing that I knew would be good for you and I. Please don’t make me regret my final decision.’’

He walks towards the window and stands there looking outside. I know there is danger lurking and prowling and I also know that I might lose the battle.

I try walking to where he is. He is facing me with his back and I lift my hand in order to hold his shoulder but I pull back without doing it.

‘’Baby, I want to believe that this is the only lie between us. I hate the fact that I have lived a lie all my life and believe you me it hurts. Now I understand what you have been going through all this while.’’

‘’I am sorry, love. I was devastated but I came over it. With time, you will come over this too. I can imagine what Williams is going through right now.’’

‘’He will be fine, I suppose. I don’t want to sound evil but imagine if he stuck to your mum. He wouldn’t be facing these things. So all this while he raised, clothed, sheltered and educated all three children only to be told they are not his?’’

‘’That’s super shattering.’’

‘’Let’s go to bed. We will go see dad tomorrow morning. I want to talk to him. Ask for your hand in marriage then take you away for a month or so.’’

‘’Are you okay?’’

‘’With this beauty here, how can I not be? The news shocked me but I will not dwell so much on it. I have a family to raise and that’s the most important thing. Let’s go, beautiful.’’

I shilly-shally for a bit but he doesn’t vacillate to lift me effortlessly. Our next stop is our bedroom and he sets me down then helps me to take off my party wears because we are going to the bathroom. The water is warm and very purifying. I close my eyes as it cascades on my skin.

Harrison takes his time in scouring my body gently until he feels I am clean. It’s his turn and I do the same when he takes the white towel and dries my body with care.

I love him.

He lifts me easily again to the bedroom and lays me in the middle of the bed after drying off my wet body.

He lays beside me and rolls me over until I am facing him. His fresh breath hits my nostril and a butterfly dances religiously inside my stomach.

‘’Go to sleep, I love you beyond qualm.’’

‘’I love you too, Harrison.’’ He kisses my forehead fondly and I smile meekly as I drift into a sweet sleep.

***

‘’Good morning, my daughter, son, I am glad you two are here. How are you doing?’’ everyone is seated around the table having breakfast.

The lady who is going to take care of little Ian in Seychelles is already being driven by Luke and Tabby. They insisted on seeing us off and I really appreciate their presence in our lives.

He knew we were to go to Fregate so he had requested that we meet here and have breakfast as a family. Clare is here with Henry while Anita is all alone. Alvin, Janet, and Aliana are also here. Harrison and I are here too.

‘’Good Morning, we are good. We couldn’t have missed it, dad.’’

‘’I want you all to know that despite your mum being so evil, I don’t want to dwell on her bad behaviours. You all are my children and I hope to maintain the relationship that has always been there between us.

‘’I wish each and every one of you blessings. All the best to Harry and Clara as they all go to Seychelles on a vacation. Enjoy your stay there, children.’’ He says quietly.

‘’Thank you.’’ We say in unison as we circle up in a group hug. I am finally going on a vacation with the man of my life.

Harrison, my love.

He holds my hand and leads me away to his car in slow motion.

No hurry in Africa.

End.