EPISODE 10
MARY ADAM
My life at the commissioner’s house was of mixed
occurance. Whenever the commissioner was
home, i and other girls do not go through much
trouble but during his absence, his wife treats us
just the way she wants. She never seize to make
us realise that we were just slaves. With time i
got use to the double life and gradually, i stopped
to weep for my home.
I stayed with my boss for five good years and
during the second year, i got to know that my
boss wife once had a child. I found out that she
was once kindheart some years back but she
became cruel and heartless when she lost her
only child. According to Hannah, the other girl
that told me her story, she blamed the whole
world for her loss and she vowed never to show
mercy to any human because no matter how good
you are to human, they will cause you pain at the
end. At a point, i felt sorry for my boss wife but
later i found out she was just pathetic, blaming
others for her misfortune.
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On the Christmas eve of my fifth year with the
commissioner, i was on my way to the kitchen
when i met the commissioner lost in thought in his
library. Due to the love he showered on me, i felt
the urge to go and find out what was troubling
him. I went to him and called out the
commissioner’s name but he did not respond, i
had to tap him on the shoulder before he realised
someone was with him. I apologized for meddling
in his affairs and asked him what his problem
was.
As if the commissioner was waiting to share his
trouble with someone, he sighed and asked me to
have my sit. The commissioner then closed the
door to the library and turnoff the light before
taking a sit. He cleared his throat and said ” am
greatful for your concern mary, surly you are my
daughter because you behave like one. Am sure
you’ve heard my story before but i will love to tell
you myself. I once had a child, a son. I lost him
to the cold hands of death after he finished
college. He had a plane crash on his way home
from abroad. My wife blamed the world for her
miss fortune by so doing she shut everybody out
of her life, including myself. I could not maltreat
her because i love my wife. We tried to have
another child but we failed on different occasions
and this is the reason for my trouble. Since my
wife could no longer give birth, she appointed
herself as my guard. She sends spys to know
what i am up to and if i am cheating on her, all of
this makes my life complicated. After many years
of fruitfulless attempt, i gave up on having a child
with my wife and decided to have a mistress. To
cut the long story short, my mistress is pregnant
and about to give birth but ever since she got
pregnant, i live my everyday life in fear. I know
my wife will soon find out and go after mistress
and her child but i want to do everything i can to
protect them. My mistress always plead with me
to protect her but i am lost on what to do” The
commissioner ended his speech and i felt sorry
for him. I thought for a while and i came up with
the idea of taking care of his child in a far away
land immediately, the baby is born. I made a
promise to my boss never to betray him and i
made him believe i will carter for his child just
like mine own. The commissioner believed in me
and he agreed with my suggestion.
On the first of January, the child was born and i
was informed, i rejoiced with the commissioner
and his mistress (Ada). The secret was kept from
the public and i was made the intermediary
between the commissioner and his mistress. After
the third month of the birth of my boss’s
illegitimate son, an incidence occurred.
My boss sent me to give some items to his
mistress, i was on my way to her apartment when
i noticed i was been followed. As the sharp girl i
was i tried to hide but i was caught. The spy was
a professional. Fortunately for me,he was the
same police man that helped me some years
back. He took me to a quiet corner and told me
how he had been following me for a while, he told
me he was appointed by our boss wife but he lost
the courage to hurt my boss and i. He told me to
inform my boss and we should act fast because
my boss wife will soon get tired of his excuses
and she might send someone else after us. I
thanked him profusely and ran the errand i was
asked to.
Immediately i got back, I informed my boss of my
encounter and we decided it was time for me to
escape with the child for safety.
Miss. Ada painfully let go of her child but it was a
necessary sacrifice for security. She made me
promise with my late brother soul that i would
treat her child like mine and i did. A week later
my boss told me an accommodation was ready for
me in another part of Kogi state and i flew with
his child that night with the help of a trusted
police officer. That was how i left my hometown
for another neighbourhood for the safety of my
boss’s child.”
MARY ADAMS
I moved to Idoma in Ofu LGA of kogi state. My
boss already
got a two bed room apartment for me. Apart from
myself and my boss, miss Ada and the police
man knew about my destination. Though i wished
our plan was still a secret but deep within me, i
knew it was an open secret. A secret is
something only one person knows about, once
two to three people are involved, it is as good as
the whole world knowing about the so called
secret.
I kept to myself throughout the first week, my
boss already made provision for me and the baby.
It was not easy to train a baby especially an
infant. The baby would cry all night for food,
whenever i offer the provided food, the baby
would refuse, until i forcefully feed the baby. I got
so close to this child that sometimes i would start
to cry whenever the child cries. I some how had
the taste of motherhood.
On the last day of my first week of arriving Idoma,
i suddenly heard a knock on my door one sunday
afternoon. Since i had no friend, i knew it was
either my boss or his messenger. I slowly
wrapped the baby and opened the door. It was
the commissioner himself. He entered the house
and we exchanged pleasantries before i asked if
he would love to have anything to eat or drink.
He coldly rejected my offer and that was when i
noticed his sad mood. I moved closer to my boss
and asked what the problem was, he only told me
to hand him the baby. After giving the baby to
him, he looked at me and said “Mary, i cannot
thank you enough for your sacrifice for this little
one. My thought was that when i have a child
again, i will be the happiest man on earth but i
was totally wrong. I now sleep and wakeup
everyday with the guilt of causing the death of an
innocent woman who committed no crime, apart
from giving me a child”
At the mention of death, i had to interupt my
boss. “Who died” i shouted. He shook his head
slowly and said “Ada, Mary, Ada is dead. The
night you escaped, she was killed cold blooded in
her apartment. If only you did not leave with the
child, i know the baby will also be dead by now”
I stood up from the chair and sat on the bare
floor, i could not stop the tears flowing down my
cheek. Miss. Ada was nice and kindhearted. “If
only i could die in her place and leave her to take
care of her child” i thought. I slowly walked to my
bag and brought out the chain gift she gave to
me. I gave it to my boss in tears and he said
“This belong to you, keep it with you till we will
meet again, never let go of it”
he wore the chain round my neck and i treasured
it like my life. That night my boss informed me
that i would have to leave my current destination
because it was not safe enough. He told me he
already arranged an apartment for me in Igala
and i should be more secured there. I agreed
with my boss’s plan and started to pack my bag
that afternoon . My boss left late in the evening
and i left the following morning. It was a world of
no safety for me but i was determined to do
anything for Ada’s child and my boss.
**********************
I spent a month in Igala, i already made friends
and i portrayed myself as a single mother. I
communicated regularly with my boss through the
mobile phone he got me. My baby was getting
use to me and i was beginning to enjoy my life.
All of this changed on a sunday afternoon.
I got a phone call from my boss “Mary, i can’t
really talk now, do not ask me questions just
listen to me. My wife want to ruin my political
carrier with that child. One way or the other she
linked your disappearance with the child and a
search team has been sent after you. I got this
information from one of her trusted officers. Mary
you need to fly, do not run! Fly away from Kogi,
you need to fly for your life and the baby’s. Go as
far as possible, to a far away land. Keep this
phone, i will keep intouch” my boss said. Before i
could say a word, the line went dead. I quickly
started to pack.
I was still packing when i got a new message. “I
will be selfish if i say you should run with the
baby cos i know you cannot make it out of this
alive with the child. Put the baby in an orphanage
home or anywhere you can. If fate allow we shall
see him again.(A worthless father)” that was the
content of the message from my boss. I read over
again before deciding to pack our bags. I got the
needful and left for the car pack. I had fifty
thousand naira with me, i thought of a place i
could get a living with that amount and the first
place that came to my mind was “Ilorin”
I took the bus going to kwara state with my baby.
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