Chapter 7 No. 7

"Dad, would you please help me with my homework? I'm confused here." Olakitan said. He was seven and in Primary two.

"Come here, buddy. Let me take a look. What subject?" Mr Adeniji asked as he pulled Kitan closer and in between his legs.

"It's the English language, I just have to fill the gaps. To make a word. That's all," Kitan said, looking up at his Dad.

"Alright," Mr Adeniji said and changed the channel from the table-tennis he was watching to nickelodeon for us.

"Oh, thank God!" Bisola said, smiling. She had been frowning since her Dad changed the channel he wanted to watch.

Mr Adeniji smiled at Bisola and looked back through his son's book. Mr Adeniji was a popular journalist with an average height, slim and fair in complexion.

"Hmm... This is occupation, Kitan."

"Dad, you can't just tell him the answer straight away. You guide him to guess," Bisola said.

"Hmm... Okay, so, Kitan," Mr Adeniji looked at his son and saw that he was distracted while watching SpongeBob Square Pants. "Kitan, how about we do this assignment in your room? It's getting late and I don't want you to sleep past your bedtime."

"Okay, Dad. I haven't spoken with Mum tonight."

"Don't worry," he scooped up Kitan, "I will call her before you sleep, okay?"

"Okay." Kitan rested his head on his father's chest.

Mr Adeniji bent down a little to pack up the assignment before he bade us good night.

"We're also going to sleep too, " Toyin said and we looked at her.

"What was that about?" Bisola queried.

"What? Oh, come on, we're going to bed," Toyin said and switched off the TV and the other sockets. "There we go, ladies. Let's go to bed. I'm going to get cookies."

"Please bring me a clock," Bisola said as she let down the curtains and confirmed if the windows were locked.

Having done that, we retrieved to Bisola's room and without thinking I asked, giving them a puppy pleading look, "So, you guys are ready to gossip with me about your group?" I was already liking the two so much that I considered them my best friends. They were the two friends I had after all. Those brats never gossiped about my situation in school even though they had friends of their own. Their group. But yet, they made me feel less lonely like I would have been if I didn't have them. "Oh, zip it, Tosin!" Toyin glared at me.

Bisola collected her drink from Toyin and gulped it down. "It's so chilling."

"Do you get a lot of menstrual pain?"

"Well... Yeah, most times, why?" Bisola replied to me.

"You take an excess of sugar and I wonder how you aren't fat." I eyed her body.

"Hereditary, darling," Bisola said, smiling.

"Hey, how about I get my tattoo next week? Toyin asked.

"Your choice, darling," Bisola responded as she brought out three pyjamas for us to wear.

"Your boss in the group you are in, does he get happier when you guys get new tattoos?"

The only response I got was them having their hands on her hips glaring faces.

"What, I'm just curious! That's all."

"Are you interested in joining?" Bisola looked me straight in the eyes.

"Me? Of course not! I just...you know... Want to know."

"You will when you decide to join us. And we aren't pressuring you."

"I know." I was disappointed none of them was going to tell me.

After minutes of taking a bath in turns, we laid in bed. Bisola and Toyin were busy with their phones, so I strained my neck to take a look now and then.

"You need to get a phone, you know?"

"I know, Bisola. It's not now. You guys know what's going on in my family." Maybe if things were alright, I would have gotten it now.

She hummed at my response and soon enough Toyin turned the lamp off as we laid in silence in the dark to sleep.

"It doesn't make the boss happier. It's just something recommended for us whenever we have our party," Toyin said.

Toyin's voice made me open my eyes as I was about to go to sleep.

"And he doesn't pressure us to have one or something. Instead, he says we are growing or something like, 'Wow, that's a nice one you have there," Bisola said.

"He seems nice."

"Yeah, he is," Toyin said. "And neither is Tosin a stranger to me." She referred to Bisola.

I smiled. "You guys are the best, honestly. In fact, best friends."

"Took you long enough to say it!" Bisola threw her hand over me. "Good night, besties."

"Good night." I closed my eyes to sleep with a smiley face.

__________

"Bye, Dad," Bisola said, beaming.

"Bye, and you girls should take care of yourself!" Mr Adeniji said and drove Kitan away to his school.

We made our way to the class and had History as the first subject that morning, but as I was concentrating, I felt my neck poked and I turned back to see who it was only to see Seun grinning at me with a pencil in his hand

"Don't poke me with that pencil again, or I will report you," I summoned courage.

Seun scoffed and replied, "What are you, five?"

I looked away to the teacher with my heart thudding. How didn't I know he was at my back? That wasn't his regular seat, but he was Seun, he must have swapped with someone to frustrate my life.

Seun of course didn't listen to me. He continued like I didn't just tell him not to poke me again. I leaned on my desk to distance myself from him, and in spite of that, he still found a way to poke me. The guy was poking me with a pointed pencil!

A jerk is always a jerk! I thought but I could do nothing.

"Watch it, Oluwaseun! If you poke her with that again, I will slap that head of yours!" Bisola warned me after I heard her kick Seun's chair.

"Whatever," he mumbled.

The bell rang and the teacher went away. Hours later, the school was over and I went home, but not until I informed my crazy brat besties.

I looked at my wristwatch and saw it was 4:30 pm. Mum must be home. I caught sight of the house and heaved a sigh. I didn't want to see him. To see my adopted father.

I opened the door, entered the house and saw grannie sobered. My siblings were at the dining table, crying. "What is going on?" I smelled trouble! "Are you all okay?" I faced grannie as I moved to her but she returned to me with a tight smile.

I moved to my siblings instead, "You two okay?"

"There's trouble." Busola was the first to speak.

"Oh, with who or between who? Where is Mum?"

"With Dad." Bayo looked at me with teary eyes.

I ran upstairs, taking the steps two at a time with thousands of thoughts running to and fro in my head at that short moment before I heard something crash in their room.

"You're messing with me, right?" Mr Johnson boomed.

I rolled my eyes upward and turned the knob frightened. My adopted father was going to kill me. I entered the room and saw my Mum against the reading table crying. The books were on the floor, scattered and a glass cup was broken.

"Mum!" I ran to her as tears found their way out of my eyeballs. Are you okay?" I asked, already crying.

"Yes, I am fine. Just go. Get out!" She pushed me weakly away from her.

"Now you!" Mr Johnson said, startling me to look at his face. His face was red. He was a man in a fair complexion that Busola took after while Bayo took after Mum's dark skin, "So tell me where your mother got the money she used to buy foodstuff in the house?!"

My Mum couldn't shake her head or nod it because my pathetic adopted father would get the hint.

Mr Johnson's hand flew across my face when I least expected it. It was a hard slap.

I sobbed and shook my head, saying, "I don't know."

"Really? I will show you who I am today!" he said and started unbuttoning his shirt.

What is he going to do? He is a monster already!

Mr Johnson went by me and pulled my Mum up and started strangling her.

Mum widened her eyeball and started to pull away the hands wrapped in her neck.

He was torturing her. I didn't want her dead. She wasn't just going to die because of anyone. For caring. Not even her life would be taken because I knew if she died, we were all going to suffer. Except for grannie who I only think would be suffering emotionally. But I, I would be the one feeling the heat of hell most. No doubt.

I watched my Mum's eyes begin to close and I couldn't see her suffering like that anymore. "She sold some things!"

Me Johnson looked at me with doubt.

"She... s... sold some of her pro...properties an...and mine to buy some little foodstuff!" I stammered as my eyes soaked with tears.

Mr Johnson chuckled, eyed his wife over like she was some kind of dirt and released his hand around her. Like he dropped a speck of dirt.

As I went to her and gathered her in my hands, she gasped hurriedly.

"Where is the remaining money?" Mr Johnson demanded.

I looked at him with hatred and wished him dead.

"Where is the remaining money?" he furiously asked.

How dare he ask for the money he didn't work for? And almost strangling my Mum to death?

My Mum pointed at the drawer and he went to pull it. He counted the money he mumbled, "Five thousand naira."

He turned to us as he thrust the money inside his rear pocket. "I thought you stole from me. And oh, before you start stealing my money because I guess I just gave you an idea, I want you to pack ya things to my mother's room. I want to be using this room alone," he said and shut the door with a loud bang on his way out.

My mum began to sob and I felt her temperature was high. Her body was hot. She seriously needed a doctor and my adopted father a psychiatrist or a psychologist.

"Mum, can you get up?" I asked, trying to pull her up.

She only shrugged as an answer and I tried pulling her up. After she was on her feet, I suggested to her if she wanted to take a shower or a nap.

"Come, let's have a seat first" she whispered. We sat down and my Mum smiled at me as she began to rub her left fingers all over my face as her right hand held my hand. "You are strong, you know? To come in here when you are so afraid of him. Don't do that again. He could kill you, Tosin."

"I was frightened, Mum, but I couldn't watch you suffer alone in his hands. And I love you."

"I love you too, darling. I do. You know I never will regret choosing you at that orphanage. Honestly, sweetheart."

I smiled and cupped her cheek and said, "And I will never regret calling you my mother. Biological or not. Because you are the best." I hugged her and cried. Soon, I felt someone join us hugging and I knew it was my siblings.

"Alright, guys, I think that's okay. Would you prepare lunch for the family, Tosin? Just jollof rice and eggs. Your siblings would help me pack"

"Alright," I nodded slightly and walked out of the room. Immediately I shut the door and leaned against it, I heard Busola crying as she told mum she loved her too.

I sighed and shook my head wondering what was happening to their grades in school.