Chapter 5 Sent Olima away

Olima found a taxi, and she got into the back seat and told the taxi driver her destination, "To the Emerson estate."

The taxi driver replied, "Okay."

He started the car and drove ahead with Olima as the only passenger, arriving at the entrance of the Emerson Housing Estate gate.

The taxi stopped, and Olima paid for her ride before alighting from the taxi and rushing through the estate gate, running home speedily.

The estate security guards stared at Olima, wondering what was chasing her as they knew her.

One of the security men said, "She's a gorgeous young lady, mostly running about on errands since her parents were gone."

The others remained quiet and continued with their jobs. There were four security men there.

Olima finally arrived home in front of her late father's mansion gate. She knocked heavily on the gate and called out to Nathan.

Nathaniel quickly approached the gate from within, pulled open the small gate, and asked her, "Why are you banging on the gate like that?"

Olima smiled faintly at Nathan and apologized, "I'm sorry, sir. Please open the gate quickly."

Olima quickly rushed into the compound and made her way toward the mansion front after Nathan opened the small gate for her.

She was nervous and knocked on the entrance door of the white mansion. Pulling the doorknob open, she walked into the living room and saw Mia still seated on the couch, watching television.

Mia looked at Olima as she stepped into the living room. Olima's big brown eyes quickly traveled to the living room wall clock and gasped when she saw that the time was already 8:30 p.m.

Olima quickly rushed into the kitchen and started preparing their dinner, knowing her stepmother would soon come downstairs to inquire whether she had finished cooking their meals.

Olima didn't want her stepmother to beat her mercilessly for wasting so much time in the market and not arriving home on time.

She hurriedly took out all the vegetable soup ingredients she had bought from the local market nearby. She washed the green vegetables quickly and cut them into smaller pieces.

Likewise, she unhooked the dried stockfish from the rubber band and soaked it in a bowl of water.

She quickly cut the meat into smaller pieces and washed it neatly while switching on the gas cooker and placing her empty pot on it. She started cooking the meat first.

With every second that ticked on the clock, Olima was sweaty all over as she hurriedly prepared the vegetable soup.

She jumped in fright when she heard the kitchen door slide open.

Mia walked into the kitchen and asked, "What took you so long to get home? I'm hungry."

Olima sighed in relief while Mia approached her and watched as Olima stirred the large pot of soup with a big spoon, tasting it to see whether she should add more salt or a little pepper.

Olima directed her big stirring spoon towards Mia's right hand and said, "Please taste the soup first to see if it's okay, or if I should add a little salt."

Mia opened her right palm, and Olima dropped a few drops of soup from the big spoon onto Mia's right hand.

Mia tasted it and found the vegetable soup delicious. She licked her right palm but frowned, wanting her mother to discipline Olima for making her hungry.

She told Olima, "Add more salt. It lacks salt."

Olima frowned as her brows furrowed at Mia.

She stirred the soup and tasted it again on her right palm. "But the soup is fine as it is," she said.

Mia frowned, took the salt container, opened it, and poured more salt into the soup.

Olima screamed, "Mia!"

Just then, the kitchen door pushed open, and Mrs. Gina walked into the kitchen in her long white nightgown.

Olima quickly covered the pot of soup and removed it from the gas cooker, as she hadn't prepared the semolina they would use to swallow the vegetable soup.

Mrs. Gina asked, "What's going on here? It's already after 9 p.m., yet you're still cooking the soup. Why?"

Olima quickly replied, "Nothing, ma. I'm almost done with the semolina."

Olima poured water into a new pot to prepare the semolina, and Mrs. Gina shifted her gaze toward Mia and asked, "And what are you doing here?"

Mia muttered, "Mom, I'm hungry."

Mia frowned and stomped her feet on the ground as she walked up to her mother.

Mrs. Gina said, "Go and sit at the dining table first, Mia. The soup will be ready soon."

Mia frowned and walked toward the kitchen door, shouting, "Olima, be fast, please."

Olima nervously replied, "Okay." She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw her stepmother and stepsister leave the kitchen.

Olima sighed once more as she finished preparing the semolina. She switched off the gas and wiped her sweaty forehead with her light blue gown, immediately serving the semolina into smaller flat plates.

Not wanting to anger her stepmother and stepsister, Olima quickly dished out their soup into smaller plates, placed everything on a big tray, and carried it to the dining room to serve her family.

Mia sat in her usual chair across from her mother as Olima walked up to the dining table and dished out their meals.

Mrs. Gina adjusted her seat closer to the dining table to start eating, and Olima served them bowls of water to wash their hands.

Mia washed her hands first, followed by her mother.

Olima asked Mrs. Gina, "Ma, do you need anything else?"

Mrs. Gina frowned and replied, "No, go and eat your food first."

Olima replied, "Okay, Ma." She walked away, but just then, Mia screamed, "Mom!.."

Mrs. Gina glared at Mia and asked, "What is it?"

Olima paused beside the kitchen door and stared back at Mia.

Mia said, "Mom, the soup is bitter."

Mrs. Gina's eyes narrowed at Mia suspiciously, and she stared at the soup since she had already washed her hands.

She dipped her right index finger into the small plate of soup and tasted it herself, her face twisting in irritation as she immediately stood up from her dining chair and questioned Olima, "What's the meaning of this nonsense that you just cooked, Olima?"

Olima took a step back and replied, "Ma, I..."

Mrs. Gina moved away from her dining chair and rushed toward Olima. She asked, "What? Didn't you taste this soup at all?"

Olima stammered, "I did, ma... Mia added more salt into the soup and..."

Mrs. Gina gave Olima a hot, resounding slap on her left cheek.

She approached Olima, dragged her roughly toward the dining table, and bending her head into her small soup plate saying, "Here is the soup; taste it yourself and eat the nonsense you have cooked!

See how bitter the soup is and eat it yourself! Did Mia follow you and prepare the soup? Aren't you the only one who cooked the soup and was in the kitchen when I entered?"

Olima cried and tried to explain, "Ma, please."

Mrs. Gina landed Olima another hot slap on her right cheek and yelled, "Shut up!"

Mrs. Gina started beating Olima while Mia smiled viciously.

Mrs. Gina yelled, "You witch! You killed your parents, and now you want to kill me and my daughter too?"

Olima begged, "Please, ma. I'm innocent; I didn't spoil the soup. Please, ma." Olima cried.

"Shut up! Get out of this house! I never want to see your ugly face here again! Nathan!" Mrs. Gina called out to the gate man, and he ran into the living room and responded, "Yes, madam. You sent for me."

Mrs. Gina said, "Yes. Throw this witch out of this house; I never want to see her here again."

Olima begged, "No, mother, please. I didn't touch Mia; I didn't spoil the soup."

Mrs. Gina slapped Olima on her left cheek once more and said, "One more word from you, and I will have you arrested tonight, you witch. Nathan, throw her outside now and never let her into this mansion again, ever!"

Nathan grabbed Olima by her left arm and dragged her outside the mansion, now working solely for Mrs. Gina.

Nathan dragged Olima outside the house that belonged to her late parents, taking her toward the exit gate at around 10 p.m.

Mia smiled victoriously, and Mrs. Gina was happy that she had rid herself of Olima and that the mansion was now her property.

She went outside the house to find out if Nathan had thrown Olima out or not.