ANIKE
Episode 8
I got back home, and I saw all my extended family members sitting in our living room, my mum was wearing black all through same with my siblings.
“What’s going on here” I screamed. I looked everywhere I didn’t see my dad. Where is my daddy?” I asked facing my mummy whose eyes had turned red.
“Your daddy is dead Anike, we hid it from you so that you could concentrate on your exams” she wept and I hugged her, crying bitterly, my siblings joined us, the wailing was much and some family members came to calm us.
My immediate younger sister, Adekemi picked my traveling bag and I followed her to my room.
“What happened, was he sick, accident or what?” I asked her.
“ He left for his office in the morning, that was three days ago, the next thing mummy was called that he was dead. He didn’t even make it to the hospital” she replied me
“Did the doctors carried out autopsy?”
“Yes they did, the result was out this morning and it says he was poisoned”
“Poisoned!”
“They found some substances in the tea he took in the morning”
“They should arrest his secretary!”
“Our uncle said the secretary did not make tea for him that morning”
“Then who did?”
“Mummy made tea for him in the morning before going to work”
“We all know mummy can’t poison daddy” I gestured with my hands.
“Our uncles didn’t think that way o, they all said mummy poisoned him”
“What! Are they all insane, this is conspiracy”
“Real conspiracy and Uncle Friday is the ring leader.
Uncle Friday is my father’s half brother and only brother. After my father, he is the next in command. My father so trusted him that he entrusted his company in his hands.
Tomorrow is the burial, we are all waiting for you to return”
“God if this is a dream I want to wake up” I said and cried the more.
The next day, my daddy was buried in the cemetery, Uncle Friday refused to let us bury him in the house, we never knew he had plans.
The next day after the burial the family members arrived, Uncle Friday the ring leader stood in the middle of the sitting room to address everyone.
“As we all know that my brother was poisoned by his wife….” I rushed up to him and attacked him.
“You b@stard you killed my father and pinned it on my mother. I will make sure I have you arrested, you will rot in jail”
Some people rushed up to me and made me sit beside my mum.
“Anike, what’s the meaning of that? Do you want them to kill you too? Just leave them, please….”
Uncle Friday adjusted his clothes.
“As I was saying before that bastard interrupted me….”
“Friday you are a b@stard, you this animal in human clothing” I shouted at him.
My mum and my sister held me down again…”Anike! You think you can fight him, let God fight for us o”
He adjusted his clothes again. “We are supposed to press charges against her but I let it slide, because who will take care of her bastard children if she’s in prison. So this is our decision we give you seven days to vacate this house with your children at least we’ve tried enough”
“You are joking, my mummy spoke to him for the first time. “Friday I don’t need to exchange words from you, you’ll hear from our lawyer”
“Which lawyer? My friend sit down, husband killer. He barked at my mum. The lawyer will come tomorrow to read the will” He said and adjourned the meeting.
The next day the will was read in favour of Uncle Friday.
He said he wouldn’t give us a dime from my father’s properties because my mother killed him.
He said in exchange of pressing charges, he’ll let us go instead.
They all left and I asked my mummy where the documents to all my father’s properties were, but she knew nothing about it, even the pin code to his ATM card, my mummy knew nothing.
Speaking of ATM Uncle Friday had packed everything, they already swept daddy’s room clean.
“Your father is secretive he didn’t tell me anything, he believed once I and the kids are OK, I don’t have to pry into his business” she explained
Why would a husband not open up to his wife, your wife should be your confidant for God’s sake” I said to my self.
To make matters worse, my mum was a full time house wife, my father did not allow her to work. My mum is jobless, she only had few money in her account. My father dropped cash for her everyday, so she never thought of saving for the raining day.
True to my Uncle’s words we were ushered out of our house, seven days later, we moved in with one of mummy’s friend. My mum got a lawyer and we took the case to court, my mummy started spending her little savings on legal fees.
She remembered I would be resuming school in some weeks time and gave up.
School resumed, the only money my mum could afford to give me was my school fees and transport fare I dare not travel by air. I joined a bus from Lagos to Minna.
My younger ones who attended an expensive private school couldn’t go back to school, Even Adekemi who was in SSS3,that needed to write WAEC couldn’t go back to school. Mummy just enrolled her in a tutorial for WAEC class for now.
With that we exhausted all the money my mummy had on her.
I got back to school, luckily for me I got an accommodation in the hostel, it’s a rare opportunity, the school hardly gives 400l students hostel because we are staying in school for only one semester, we are going for IT in 2nd semester. They only give 400l students who have legs, I mean connection and mine is just God’s favour. We were just two in the room and that was how I met Happy.
Happy was also in 400l, she was tall, slim, fair and beautiful. She smelled money, I guess she’s from a rich family and she had a car.
I really missed Tinuke, we talked earlier and I explained everything to her. She wished she was around.
Happy noticed I only moved into the hostel with just my clothes, she sensed I was not financially buoyant, so she gave me access to her food stuff. Since she owned the food stuff, I started cooking for both of us and she appreciated the fact that I cooked for her.
One day she asked after my family and I told her everything about me. Since the day I opened up to her, she started giving me money, which I used to buy handouts, make photocopies and all. She also bought me some clothes, I later knew she had a boutique off campus.
I noticed she doesn’t spend her weekends in the hostel. She travels on Fridays and come back on Monday morning.
My sister called me in the evening while I was busy making dinner for myself and my roommate.
She was crying on phone, Adekemi what is it?” I asked
“Mummy’s friend has started giving us attitude in the house, she had even stopped giving us food, to eat is even difficult for us now” she lamented.
“God will stand up for us and send help to us in Jesus name, please don’t cry, you need to be strong for mummy. You know I can’t be with you for now, I had to be in school” I pleaded with her.
I ended the call and called my mum.
I asked how they were faring and she lied to me, she said things were OK. She asked me how I was faring too and I told her about my room mate who had been of great help to me.
After the call, I wept, my mummy lied so as not to get me worried.
Happy came back from lectures and met me crying. I told her about the call I got from home.
“Anike please stop crying and clean your face” She said and I wiped my tears.
“Anike do you know what I like most about you? You are not the nosey type, you don’t pry into other people’s affairs and I really like that about you. But I’ll open up to you since you don’t ask questions. I’m into runs.
I was like it’s a lie, runs! how! Then I remembered she never spend weekends in the hostel, that explains everything.
Anike, I can help you and finance you till you graduate. she continued. That is not a problem, but Anike I can’t help your mum and siblings that will be too much of a burden for me but you can help them”
“How? ” my face lit up.
“For your person it’s not going to be easy because I know you are a church girl but it’s just an offer, you can turn it down and mind you, that will not stop me from helping you till you graduate”.
“It’s not about me alone Happy, my family is suffering. I can’t be enjoying here in school when they could hardly feed at home not to talk of having a roof over their heads”
“Are you the first child”
“Yes”
“You have responsibilities then”
“How can I help my family?”
“I can introduce you to rich men, you can get enough money from them to help you take care of your family”
“I can’t do it, I can’t sell my body, I’m a Christian, a child of God, Happy!”
“I’m not saying you should decide now, just think about it”
“There’s nothing to think about, thank you for your help” I said sharply and left the room.
Click 9 below to continue reading
