BUT Episode 23

 Episode 23

"As for my dad, I don't know if to say aunty Leah who happened to be our mother was the one that killed him or how best do I make it seem simpler and not confusing" Beatrice started. 

"You can say it anyhow, we will use the idea to pick it up" Deborah suggested.

"So aunty Leah finally gave birth to a boy and everyone was so excited, people from church and street too rallied round, people ate to the fullest and some still took a part of the food home" 

"As the day goes by, there is this young man that has been sending a threat message to my dad but we weren't taking it seriously because we felt maybe there is a mix somewhere. Dad spoke to another close friend of his and they suggested to take it seriously and not assume the person is making mouth"

"What's the threat about?" Selina asked.

"That my father may not live long if he continues to play daddy role to someone else's child. It sounds impossible because I can't at that point assume that any of my siblings are not really my sibling. So it started flying around that my father is raising a bastard."

"Until one Saturday afternoon, we all are at home doing one house chores or the other. Aunty Leah can kill a child with errands. She can almost ask us to come and put food in her mouth, she will be ordering everyone around as she's placing her legs on the table. This afternoon wasn't an exception as she was sending us here and there. My father walked into the house from the street meeting, there is this street meeting they normally have every Saturday morning. Dad came in, looking angry and sad but we didn't know what may have caused it."

"Dad went to this store and pick a cutlass, I was drying the cloth in the backyard and I wanted to step into the store to pick detergent when I saw dad going towards the sitting room with a cutlass in his hand. The next we started hearing was who is the father of this child, tell me before I lose my temper, and cut off your head. The talk became so loud and we started asking dad to please drop the cutlass at least so that things won't get bloody. In the struggles between dad and aunty Leah was when aunty Leah jump on daddy and he mistakenly stabbed himself on the left side of the tummy with the cutlass in his hand"

"We started shouting for help, trying to tie the cut with a wrapper from her room. What we were initially avoiding was what ended up happening. We rushed dad to the hospital, I can still remember how my younger ones were crying and saying dad should please stay with us, we need him alive. I was too weak to talk or even shout, the first hospital we entered rejected him and said there is no bed space even if they have to admit him, we moved again to the next hospital but because they don't want to record any death, they referred us to the 3rd hospital but before we could get there, he died."

"Oh God, this is really sad" Deborah said.

"I think I now get why you don't always want to go home during break and holidays, wow. Just wow" Selina exclaimed.

"Aunty Leah was arrested and was charged to court for murder while we had our father's burial a week later after he passed on. Reality dawn on us and every man to his struggles but we stood by each other and make sure that we move on with life. It was hard but God came through as 2 of my immediate younger ones got a church scholarship to school in the church university and while the twins got merit from the state because of their good grades to school from first degree to any degree they want to get and all expenses will be on the state."

"It has not been a smooth ride but through it all, God is ever faithful." Beatrice concluded. 

"Faithful father, no one will ever think that we all have one thing or the other we have gone through but thank God for his mercies" Deborah said.

"I know I am the youngest here but both of you ehn, you have seen a lot and I thank God for your lives. I know your testimonies will someday inspire the world" Selina added.

"Abeg. What's the time?" Beatrice asked as she turned her phone on.

"After 3" both Deborah and Selina shouted. 

"Oya oya o, we have to start going. We have used almost all day here" Deborah said

"How about that guy that paid for the meal?" Selina playfully asked

"Better let's go and confirm our pay so we can keep going" Beatrice suggested...

They were told at the canter that the Bill's has been settled by this anonymous guy. They were surprised and grateful at the same time, they all made their way to the entrance of the eatery and they sighted an ID card on the floor.

Selina picked it up and check through the details.

"Come come come, come and see this" Salina said.

What did they see?

Find out in the next episode.