As I lay on the floor covered in my own blood, I thought of different ways to commit suicide. I didn’t want to keep living. I felt hurt, sore and useless. This was the height. I just couldn’t go on with this. I heard voices and it was Laide.
“How could you do that to her? What kind of a mother are you?” He was weeping and voicing out in anger. Olaide has never raised his voice at anyone before and this was new to me. But, I couldn’t get up. I was too weak and felt lifeless. I heard sounds like he was getting a real beating and I heard mum shouting. I just closed my eyes and shut them out of my head. Mum’s voice woke me up moments later.
“I thought you were dead. Here, use this.” She dropped a cup of water and some pills on the floor and went out immediately. I used the pills and managed to get up. I cleaned myself up and cleaned my room and just lay on the bed again. I couldn’t bring myself to leave the room. It was like I had being separated from the rest of the world. My mind went back to dad. I just missed him so much at that moment and needed his support. The only thing I had from him after he died was a silly big frame I hardly even looked at. It was one of those fancy frames but it could not replace my love for him. I pulled the frame. I turned it around and toyed with it. I noticed a little handle behind and I pulled it. A neatly folded paper was lying on the back and I just thought it was part of the frame. I took it out and opened it and I got the greatest shock of my life.
I was holding my father’s will in my hands
With shaky hands, different thoughts flooded my head. This had been with me all these while and I never even realized it. I couldn’t even understand why he would have given it to me. I just knew I had to talk to my aunt before anyone ever finds out. But I didn’t have a phone. I would have to wait till I leave the house but fear just kept creeping into my heart. I wish I hadn’t seen it or never knew I had it. Holding it with me just put me in very grave danger and I knew my dad had a very good reason to leave it with me. He had to have been hiding it from someone. I didn’t have much sleep that night.
Very early in the morning, I went out of my room to cook for my siblings and sneak off before anyone could even notice when I heard soft noises from my mother’s room. It was one of their altercations again and I tiptoed to the door to listen.
“You’re not doing anything and that is the most annoying part.” It was her boyfriend and he was blurting in anger.
“What am I supposed to do? Kill her for it” My mother replied in anger and my heart skipped a beat. Something told me the “her” in that statement was referring to me. At this point I didn’t feel safe anymore but I still listened in.
“It is just a will, how hard is it to know if she knows anything about it? Do you realise that if that will ever come out, that would be it for us?” He asked again
“Oh, I’m just supposed to ask her, Temi, do you know anything about your father’s will?” I widened my eyes and my heartbeat increased its pace. The will? It has been about the will? No wonder she didn’t want to send me off. The whole thing just started making sense to me. I could understand everything perfectly now. In my own world, I missed out on what they were saying until I heard her boyfriend raise his voice slightly.
“You said she could get through to her. You said she could get it from her.”
She? I had no idea who this “she” was. I heard footsteps and I ran to my room and locked up behind me. It was like my heart was going to fail. All these while, I had being living in danger and I was too oblivious of it. I needed to be strong and very smart. My exams were coming soon and finding out about this would just make me lose concentration. I remained in my room still shaky and when I was a little bit composed, I dressed up for school and left. I found a way to call my aunt but all I said was that we needed to talk. I didn’t feel it was safe telling her over the phone. She promised to come over later that afternoon and that made me feel a little better. I managed to go through the rest of the day and left for home earlier than normal. I waited around for my aunt and when she finally came, I ran into her arms and breathed heavily.
“Are you okay?” she asked when I finally relaxed.
“They’re trying to kill me. They want the will. They…”
“Slow down. They?”
“Mum and her boyfriend.” She starred at me in confusion.
“Your mum has a boyfriend?” she asked in shock. “Who’s he”?
“Some guy that’s always around. He just started coming one day and then it became frequent. This morning, I heard them arguing about me and he was really furious.” My aunt just starred at me and didn’t even know what to say.
“What were they arguing about?” she finally asked.
“The will and I have it.”I replied quietly and she starred at me with so much shock.
“How? How did you manage to get what even we weren’t able to find?” The surprise on her face was priceless. I knew it was a lot to handle.
“I just found it in my stuff. The one dad gave me before he died.”
“Do you realize they can’t ever find out about it? Where is it?”
“I have it but I can’t just keep taking it about. I just found it yesterday.”
“You have to give it to me. You can’t hold on to it.” She replied looking at me in fear; as if she felt I was going to die in a matter of days. From where we were staying, Mum and her boyfriend drove out of the compound. He got down to fix something I couldn’t really point at. I quickly tapped aunt.
“That’s him, that’s my mum’s boyfriend.” She starred at the man like she had seen a ghost. When they finally drove off, she looked at me still in shock and said;
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