Chapter 7 Mother's Worry

They got into the room, and it was Prisca's first time stepping into Patrick's room. Sharon wasted no time in pointing towards the dried blood stained on the bed as she walked towards the room window to pull the curtains widely open for Prisca to see it clearly, and she said,

"Look!".

"Oh my!" Prisca gasped out as reality dawned on her about what she was seeing, and she said, "No, it can't be true. It can't be possible."

"It can't be what?" Sharon asked her in disgust, and she said, "So your friend didn't even have any self-control, as immediately we went out the previous night, she came in here to my brother's room and slept with him, and yet she pretends like she's a Holy Mary?. Hm.."

"No, Sharon," Prisca shook her head as she wouldn't believe that, and she said, "I've known Tina for a long time. And Tina wouldn't just agree to sleep with your brother, not after rejecting Patrick's proposal from me several times. I thought your brother was a saint, as I cannot believe this, as Tina has vowed never to sleep with anyone until she gets married."

Sharon became irritated at Prisca's words, and Sharon asked her, "So what are you implying? That my brother r*ped that yellow wench, right?."

"No," Prisca said, as she didn't know how to answer, and she cussed and blamed herself internally for leaving Tina behind. It was also her fault, as she thought that Patrick wouldn't dare touch Tina or take any advantage of her. She never knew that Patrick was only a pretender, waiting for them to leave the house so he could devour Tina. And she felt really bad for Tina and wanted to see her immediately.

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When Patrick arrived at Tina's village junction, he didn't know the way to her house, and so he stopped the car along a street as he parked and switched off his car's engine. But as he wanted to ask Tina for directions to her house and see if he could drop her off at home,

Tina immediately rushed out of his car, not staring back at him nor thanking him for dropping her home, as she ran off, walking faster into the streets, and off to her house, while Patrick sighed as he was shocked at her action, and he slided to the second side front seat and shut the door closed, while he started his car engine, and drove off to his work office since he was already getting late to work.

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Mama-tina was still at home and preparing for the market shade, while she stood out in front of her house, as she was worried that she hadn't seen Tina yet, as Tina was her only daughter, and she sighed, as she remembered how Mama-Prisca had embarrassed her when she went to Mama-Prisca's house to find out if Tina was there, since Jude already told her that Prisca visited her home the previous day, before Tina left with Prisca, but Mama-Prisca rather insulted her for coming to her house and asked her for Tina's whereabouts, and also blaming her for not training Tina well too.

Mama- Tina sighed as she blamed herself for rushing to Mama-Prisca's house earlier before the day broke, as if she had known that Mama-Prisca was a nonchalant woman, she wouldn't have wasted her time going to Mama-Prisca's house and confronting her as to why Tina wasn't yet back home.

As Mama-Prisca told her, "How was I supposed to know where your daughter went with mine? Did I follow them?.'

"Hmm.." Mama-Tina gulped, while Mama-Prisca spoke, "You could've at least trained your daughter well, not to have any friends, or not to go out with Prisca either! .. Please just leave my house and don't show yourself here again, because I haven't seen Prisca either, and I didn't go to your house or anyone's house to ask them for Prisca's whereabouts."

Mama Tina knew that Mama Patricia was the type of mother who could backup her daughter's wrongdoings and hide her fearful emotions. So she left Mama-Prisca's house and prayed that nothing bad had happened to Tina and Prisca as she returned home to her house, and yet Tina wasn't yet back.

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Mama-Prisca also knew that it wasn't the first time that Prisca had kept late and didn't return home to sleep, but she didn't take it seriously and only assumed that they had slept in a friend's place due to the heavy rainfall that fell the previous night.

And she knew that if she had told Mama- Tina all that, Mama Tina might get more emotional in her house, probably refuse to leave, and keep on condemning her own daughter, Prisca, while making it seem like Prisca was the bad influence on Tina.

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Mama-tina sighed on remembering how Mama-Prisca had treated her, and she started arranging her empty basket and handbag that she would take along with her to her market shade, where she sold her fruits, and also waiting for Jude to be through eating his meal, as Jude was inside and eating his breakfast, while she sat out in front of the house and on a bench, as she didn't want to leave only Jude alone in the house, as she didn't know when Tina would return home either, as Richmond had gone out to his friend's house, named Alex. So as to assist Alex's father at his furniture workshop.

Mama-tina sighed as she sat down on the bench placed in front of her house, while waiting for her son, Jude, to be through with his meal, and just then, she saw Tina looking haggard and dejected walking into their compound, as their house had a small entrance gate, and their compound wasn't big enough, as her husband owned the house before he ran away with another woman, but he didn't really finish the house, as he only managed to fenced the half plot of land around, and left a little opening as entrance, so one could see the person passing through the street.

Mama-Tina knew her husband was enjoying the rich yellow curvy woman's money that he had followed and claimed that she was too local and troublesome to him, whereas she was a calm, peaceful, and God-fearing woman, but yet her husband claimed he couldn't stand her and abandoned them all when Jude was only a baby.

Mama-tina had tried confronting her husband in the past about their misunderstanding, and she prayed and hoped that one day Papa-Tina would change and return home to them, but he hasn't, and she hasn't also given up hope on him, left his house, or returned back to her father's village, as she had kept on believing that one day he would return home because she still loved him. And she had started her fruit business to train her children through government school education in their village.

Mama-tina sighed and stared at the tattered-looking Tina approaching her as Tina walked into their compound and walked up slowly to meet her, knowing that she would question Tina about where she went the previous night. Mama-tina sighed and stepped down from the house frontage, where she previously sat on the bench before Tina approached.

"Good morning, mom." Tina greeted her mother, staring downward while Mama-Tina saw that Tina's eyes were swollen red from lack of sleep, making her frown, and she replied, "Good morning, Tina. Where are you coming from, and why are your eyes so red?."

Mama-tina continued to peer at Tina suspiciously, but Tina couldn't reply the truth, as she started to stammer, "I was with Prisca, and she took me to Sharon's place, and we couldn't return back last night because of the rain."

"Hm.." Mama-Tina hummed, and she asked, "Is that why you're this red?. And who's Sharon?. Did you sleep at her house, or where exactly did you sleep last night?."

Mama-Tina stared at Tina eagerly, and Tina replied, "I slept there, at Sharon's brother's. No, I mean Sharon's place," Tina answered correctly.

"Hmm, Sharon's brother. Sharon's place. Which one should I believe now?. Don't let it be that you went to a man's house and slept with him." Mama-Tina questioned out, with narrowed eyes, as she eyed Tina from head to toe, as Tina really looked so unkept and worst with red marks all over her face and neck, but Tina immediately replied, "No, mother, is Sharon's place? I mean Sharon's family house."

Tina was staring downward and not able to meet her mother's gaze on her, and she heard her mother sighed, "Hmph. Is it alright?"

Mama-Tina continued to stare at Tina, as she felt all was not well with Tina, as if all was truly well with Tina, then why would Tina be looking so sad if she only slept at Sharon's place and nothing really happened?.