CHAPTER ONE – "MEMORIES FROM THE PAST
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Both of them inside the room, they met Shade and Gbade as the kids were playing inside, they both welcomed their father immediately with happiness. Yinka dropped the polythene bag on the table and ready to check it but Kayode shouted at her “Stop it, why?..,I brought it in, I should open it by myself”, Yinka shifted back and Kayode took out two packed cakes from the polythene bag and handed them over to Shade and Gbade. The two were so happy to get it and Yinka asked immediately “What of mine sir?”, Adeshina replied “Nothing for you, I am sorry. I do not have enough cash, moreover they are kids, and you are no longer a kid... Besides,you are a nineteen year old girl,not a baby anymore, or you still consider yourself an infant?”, “Not at all sir”, “Good, so don’t expect anything from me again, at this age you should be bringing something home for us, you understand?”, Yinka looked so sick “Alright sir”.
Kayode smiled and asked Shade “Hey!!! Shade, hope your homework has been done? And your brother as well?”, Shade replied “Yes, everything is done”, “Okay”. Yinka wasn’t happy still and Kayode noticed, he told her “You shouldn’t be doing this way, you are the first child of this family, actually the mother to these kids. Shade is just a penultimate and about to finish her primary classes, and Gbade the last child of this family is still there at his nursery classes, just five years. They are just too young, that’s why I am used to buying stuffs for them, I don’t like your way of behaving”.
Yinka told him gently “No problem sir”, Kayode sighs “What’s the mumble talk all about? Well it’s all gone, try and get something cooked or there’s food already?”, “Yes, I’ve cooked rice sir”, “Ooh, rice all days, no problem…We have to eat, get us served”.
On a old wooden chair, Adeshina was there thinking about the past, presently he’s filled with white beard and his hair has turned grey already. He stood up and kept thinking “What a life, things has changed a lot but not for good at all. What have I done wrong to Yinka to deserve all these?” With the way I am suffering here, she’s not ready to help me, it doesn’t matter because I still have my life to live. But, I can’t just locate my kids again, Shade Asake my beautiful daughter and also my brave Gbade Akanbi, where are you two? Oh my God”. He then picked a jacket and wear it, he continued “I need a way to unravel this knotty issue and I pray to God to help me out because I know nothing so special to do. Where is my cap? It’s solat time, maybe if I keep praying to God, he would help my situation”, he picked his cap from the old bed and moved out of the room gently.
There was a tipper vehicle going around a site, it was loaded with sand and as it was going, Adeshina was the driver and he drove carefully but suddenly, the tipper’s break failed. The tipper’s movement speed increased, Adeshina got shocked of it. He tried saving himself, he opened the door, he jumped out immediately and he watched the tipper going as it hit a tree and it fell. Suddenly the tipper stopped and Adeshina moved ahead to check it. He found out that the tipper’s burnet has been destroyed, he screamed out loud “Why me oh Lord?!!! An installment vehicle, what is this calamity all about, how can I escape this type of a thing?”
Presently, inside the garage of the tipper drivers, Mr. Aderoju that owned the tipper was busy bragging as Adeshina was begging him alongside some elders in the garage “Seriously, this is nonsense and everybody knows, you just need to fixate the tipper man, I can not tolerate it, I will not take it easy with you and you should know as well”, Adeshina replied “Yes, I understand the condition but please I did not mean to get the tipper scathed, you should know, let’s find out a way to settle it my boss”.
Mr. Aderoju screamed out again “No!!!!!…no!!!!.no!!!!!!!What are you telling me now? You know the tipper was neat and strong when I gave it to you, I must collect everything completely right away”. An old man talked at the moment “Aderoju you know we need to take things easy, he didn’t do it intentionally, but when it happened, it has happened. Right now, we just need to get everything fixed , give him specific moment to get you paid or you let him get the tipper fixed all by himself, please”. Mr. Aderoju sighed “Yes, I understand you so well, nice idea but it’s this week”, another man suggested to the matter “For me, I’m not sure a week can solve the issue. You know Adeshina already, he has nothing and always get all from the tipper. Now, there’s nothing to bring him money, he just need to struggle all around, add more time please”.
Adeshina also speak “Yes, please my boss, let’s make it a month and I’ll never disappoint you. Please help me with that, I am so flat for now”, Mr. Aderoju screamed out at him “What? Don’t you have a back up?”, “Nothing like that, God is my back up”, “See the idiot old man, well… No problem, by this time next month, get me paid”, Adeshina was happy and there was smile on his face for the moment, all the elders appreciated Mr. Aderoju as well.
Right at the front of a big mansion, Adeshina was busy starring at the building and he walked straight to the gate and knocked gently. The gateman moved out to him with question “What do you want sir?”, Adeshina replied “It’s Yinka…oh sorry, I mean lady Anna, I want to see her”, the gateman chuckles “You mean lady Anna? Who are you to see her?”, “I am Adeshina, her father”, that name got the gateman freaked out “What!!!? Her father? No way for you to come inside, I am so sorry sir, go away”, he locked the gate immediately and Adeshina felt embarrassed.
Adeshina did not leave the surroundings, he found a short wooden old stool beside the road side, he carried it and sat on it tight. He kept thinking and then a mad man passed the scene, the mad man passed and noticed Adeshina. He moved back, he starred at Adeshina in a funny way. Adeshina was afraid but he remained sited, the lunatic man was making fun of him but he did not give a reply until the mad man passed away. Then Adeshina bragged after the mad man is gone “What’s mine with this mad man? Talking nonsense, he had no point. Seriously, I feel like destroying him but I have no interest in fighting a man, old brain”. He remained there on his sit.
Few minutes to the time, a jeep arrived gently to the mansion and Adeshina got it, he stood up immediately and ran to the jeep and started shouting. The jeep glass was wind down gently and lady Anna spoke from the jeep “Hey man, what else do you want from me? What’s happening again?”. Adeshina replied “Adeyinka, don’t do this to me, please listen to me my daughter”, lady Anna shouted at him “Stop man, I’m not your Adeyinka daughter or whatever you just called. Lady Anna is my name and that’s what everybody knows. It’s been long I’ve disown you as my father and you’ve changed your name from the original one to Adeshina as well, just because you had a bad identity, nothing hearable about your story, we need not to meet, please leave”.
Lady Anna was about to drive the jeep and Adeshina asked “No, daughter even if you cannot help me at all, help me now for the last time. I need to pay up a debt, it’s really strong so please help me. Don’t let your father suffer”, Lady Anna replied “Sorry, I’m not in charge to do that because I am not your daughter”, “Wait, since then I was not able to locate your brother and sister, please give me their mobile numbers or home addresses, I must see them, help me just one time”. Lady Anna smiled “I am not in position to help you, so stop delaying me”, Lady Anna drove the jeep in gently after the gate had been opened and a little girl inside the jeep starred at Adeshina but Adeshina couldn’t say a statement at all.
Now lady Anna was inside the house, holding Patient along inside, until they both reached the sitting room and Patient ran straight Yemi, she shouted “Daddy!!!”, she hugged Yemi straight and Yemi spoke up “Come on baby, welcome and how are you?”, “I’m good sir, but what did you leave for me?”, “Oh, a lot baby”. Lady Anna just looked at them in a pitiful way and then moved straight inside a room, Yemi called her “Sweetheart, what happened dear?”, but lady Anna didn’t reply still.
After lady Anna was gone, Yemi was surprised and Patient told him gently “Mom is not happy”, Yemi asked “What happened?”, Patient acted in a spy way and dragged Yemi to the dining room and then told him gently “We were both coming from the hospital”, “What? What did you go to do in the hospital? Tell me”, “I don’t know, I just know that the doctor tested only me and they discussed at my absent, I don’t know”, “Shit, something must be going wrong? You know what? Go and play, I’ll get back to you”. Yemi moved directly into the room to check lady Anna.
There was a day, Adeshina arrived home with a young lady, they both entered after alighting from the motorcycle, they met Shade and Gbade sleeping on different sofas in the sitting room. Adeshina told the lady “Nice, nothing to disturb us, let’s go into my room now”, the lady asked “Are you sure? What of their sister? She could find out in any possible way that’s why I don’t want is to use your house, an hotel could be better, you know?”, Adeshina sighed “Nothing about her, she can’t do anything. I am her father so I can ride on as I like, its my house. I’m not a vagabond, I just need to play all my footballs at home…what’s the away all about? Don’t you get?”, “Hmn, it’s good anyway”. Both of them moved inside the room and Yinka sneaked inside, she stayed with her siblings, then she was eavesdropping the discussion of Adeshina and the strange lady inside the room, she listened to all the moans and understood everything going on with them.
Early in the morning, when Yinka woke up, she met Kayode outside, he was brushing his teeth and she moved to him gently. Kayode used the water to clean his mouth and listened to Yinka’s voice “Morning sir…I actually need to inform you, it’s highly inaudible with the way you behaved the last night and there were some other days you’ve behaved that way. Please sir, I really need you to stop, it’s not good enough and you know it too”, Kayode asked immediately in a strange way “Tell me, what was the behavior all about?”, “Bringing a lady home and all that you did isn’t okay enough. What if my younger ones find out? Please sir, you need to stop”, Kayode laughed out loud and told her “Hey girl, grow up… You have nothing to do with this, it’s beyond your ken, so please don’t mention it again. Whenever it happens, just don’t interfere and I guess you’re having interest, get yourself a boy friend. At this your age, I think you deserve one, so go”, Yinka stared at Kayode in a confusing way and then left quietly.
There was lady Anna in her room, thinking of the past days and she cried in silent way, she wept and that same time Yemi kept knocking on the door but he was unable to enter into the room.
Watch out for the Chapter 2.....
Story Written by Abiodun Jubril
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