The hands written on Benard's face made Ngozi believe that all was not going well. The call he just received was not encouraging at all and he's not ready to share the full story with her. He had only told her about Chioma and Gloria found somewhere but never disclosed their present situation or where exactly they are at the moment. He just dropped the call and brushed passed her to go into his car and hastily drove out of the compound to only God knows where. But whatever the case might be, she solely prayed for God's protection over both of them.
The cry of her baby hasten her footsteps back to her wardroom while Anita followed suit. She sat beside him and lifted him closed to her breast then bury her already soaked breast with baby milk in his small mouth while he sucked it leisurely. Haven looking into the poor baby's face for the umpteenth time, she needed no one to tell her that it was Johnson, her husband that the little boy had come to see. A carbon copy of him. She wondered how she would break the news of his late dad to him as time goes on. She imagine how he would feel like not having a father at a tender age. As a mother, she knows what it means to lose a loved one like her mother at her age. How much more to lose a father, a husband at this period? The whole scenario was still like a dream that she hope she could just wake up from and pray never to manifest. But this is rather a sad reality. The fact that the whole thing is happening just in a year and even almost at the same time, makes her feel so much worse. Her late mother had been put in a morgue. A poor old woman at her prime age who could have been enjoying the fruit of her labor died as a result of sickness which she ought to have been treated and getting better if not for the untimely death of her husband.
To make matter worse, her in-laws are not helping matters at all. If a soothsayer had told her of the sudden change of his mother-in-law, she wouldn't have believed such a person. She wondered how people can suddenly change their attitudes in no time." People are terrible" she thought. You will see them laughing with you now and before you know it, they become devils in an angel attires. If her mother inlaw could act the way she did immediately after her husband died, she wondered who to confide in again. A mother in law who would chase her into the sitting room and order the maids and her other children to cook and make things for the family. A mother who would buy her some fine dresses and bring them to her house
"Mama, these dresses are too expensive. Why do you have to stress yourself? This is rather expensive" Ngozi had said to her mother-in-law during her visit to their house with some hip of fine dresses in a big bag one certain evening
"My wife, nothing is too much for you my dear. I have female grown-up children too who are in their husband's houses. I know how much their in-laws are spending on them. Let me treat you well so that they can treat my children well too" Mama Johnson had said some time ago during her visit.
"Thank you so much, mama. May the Lord continue to bless you abundantly"
"Amen," Mama replied Ngozi.
Her mother-in-law had been a nice woman ever since she had known her but how she turned devilish overnight remains mysterious to her. She had even searched through her mind to know if the fault is truly from her but she found no fault whatsoever. But at the same time, she had pleaded to her and the entire family but none were able to listen to her plea. Her phone rang and disturbed her thoughts. It was one of her late husband's sisters, Helena. Helena has always been a nice fellow. She's more like a sister to Ngozi. She had been in school at, the University of Nsukka studying mass communication. She's around and when she asked about the good fare of Ngozi and her daughter, her family had to give her flimsy excuses that they know her whereabouts of her. That she just left home and never returned.
"My sister, it's a long story. Maybe, when you are less busy, you can come and see me in the hospital"
"No. I need to see you now because I am going back to school. There's a project I need to deliver over the weekend. Please, let me know where you are now" Helena urged. Ngozi sent the hospital address to her and within a short period, she arrived there. Immediately Anita saw her, she stood up abruptly and hug her.
"Oh, my baby. I have missed you so much. She embraced her warmly too. Ngozi welcomed her with a smile too but one could vividly notice how unhappy she looked. She's lost her beauty within a short period and her skin suffered it too.
Oh, what a quiet baby. She looks just exactly like his late dad. Oh, my brother. Some hot tears almost fell off her cheeks but she had to quickly wiped them off with her handkerchief in order not to discourage Ngozi and her daughter. She tried to seat at the edge of the bed to listen to Ngozi.
"You mean Mama could go extremely like this. This is uncalled for. This is disheartening" Helena felt so much pity for Ngozi and her children. She never thought Mama could lie against Ngozi and treat treating her so badly. Helena herself can testify to how nice Ngozi has been to her and her family. She can't count the number of times Ngozi had paid for her school fees and the number of pocket money she had sent to her when she was in school. A lot of time she would take her to a boutique to buy her some nice dresses. Many times, she would visit Ngozi and she would be lazy to do anything and yet, Ngozi never shows any attitude. Instead, she would do everything appropriately
"Why are you doing all this for crying out loud? Where is the maid? Where is Helena? Johnson would query before he died.
"I had sent the maid on an errand while Helena is strong. She can't do anything for now" Ngozi would reply to her late husband.
Helena had loved Ngozi so much that she doesn't joke with her. She had misplaced her phone some time ago and when she bought another one, there was no way she could reach Ngozi and mama that supposed to send Ngozi a phone number never did. She lied that she misplaced her phone too and Ngozi who was supposed to give her her number had left home to only God knows where.
Helena had thought that since Mountain cannot come down to meet Muhammad, then Muhammad would go and meet the mountain. On getting to Johnson's diamond Villa, another gateman opened the gate for him, not Alani that she used to know. She later discovered that the diamond Villa had been sold to another family.
"Are you sure of what you are saying? Ngozi question amidst tears.
"Calm down. As in, I am surprised too. I don't know that Mama and my elder brother have turned into something else. I learned that late brother Johnson has so many properties and they can't open their eyes widely while you inherit everything. That's why they had urged him to marry a second wife so that both of you can share his properties because of a case like this but brother Johnson dissolved the idea"
"Oh my God! These people are heartless. Johnson and I started from scratch. I believe you witness everything yourself. Not that I just built a mansion on the already fine building. How I wish I saw this coming. How I wish..." Tears clouded her eyes. If her mother inlaw could sell the house on her behalf, then she wondered how many properties they might have sold on her behalf. Helena moved closer to her and pet her. Anita's eyes swelled up with tears too. She had to move closer to her mom to pet her too.