Stronger Than Pain

Chapter Sixteen

“I didn’t hear from your dad again after that. I was devastated. Mma stood by me and provided support" Mum continued. "Months later my dad passed away, a situation which forced my mum and siblings to relocate to a cheaper part of the town. After a while, I got used to your dad's absence and moved on”  She paused. “Immediately after school, my dad’s younger brother who lived in Abia state took me in and I served them for a year. I wrote my entrance exams to the state university and that was where I met Tekilah. We met on our screening day and luckily we both passed. We reunited again during our clearance and truly hit it off. We liked each other especially as we were offering the same course. Her matriculation number was just after mine so we sat together and everything. We finally decided to share a room, this is simply to explain our level of friendship. We were more like sisters back then in school”

To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I was deeply shocked at this revelation. In no way would I ever believe that mum and aunty Tee were once school mates and friends. Wow!!!

“Mum, you mean you were once very good friends with aunty Tee?” I asked in delusion. She smiled and nodded.

“So strange how sweet a thing can go sour in a twinkle of an eye, right?" She asked still smiling.

“Then why does she resent you this much? What did you do?” I couldn't help but ask.

“Ehm, I was schooling in Abia state while Mma was in Imo state but we still maintained our relationship. In fact, we made it a point of duty to always see each other during holidays. You know during our time, it was rare to visit friends in  different states as our own part of the world wasn’t that civilized yet." She continued. "Mma was my childhood friend but Tee became my best friend in school. I built this lovely relationship with Tee and we were more like sisters. During that time, I noticed she had a brother schooling abroad who she always spoke about. She was very fond of him although she always complained that he never sends her anything. Tee was one of the hotter girls in school then cos her family was living above average" She paused to take a breathe before continuing. “Tee came back to the hostel one day after a brief visit home and announced her brother visited suddenly. She was so excited about it and made me promise to come home with her so she would introduce us." Mum was smiling now, a smile so infectious. "At first I laughed over it and never considered it. After some days, she kept pressurizing me and I knew something was up; that was when I asked her what she actually wanted. Tee went on to explain that her brother had no friends and she would like me to glue to him, and through that means bring some things from him to her. She wanted me to serve as a means through which she could extort cash and gifts from her brother." She laughed. "The idea was fun cos as young girls we loved to experiment, like adventures so I accepted to do it. But another thing was that I was willing to do anything as long as it'll please Tee as she was so dear to me, but as nature would have it, the introduction turned out to be a reunion. Her brother turned out to be your dad, Emy my long lost friend” She said eyes closed.

“I could still recall the expression on his face when he saw me. We screamed and hugged and cried. He said he had lost hope of ever seeing me again. He confessed that the first thing he did when he arrived was going back to where we used to live, but sadly no one seemed to recall who we even were nor where we live" She said her face beaming with smiles. "Your dad was so happy and took us out that day. He bought for Tee whatsoever she pleased which made her very happy. I and Tee became more closer and my relationship with your dad blossomed. It was a match made in heaven" She paused, straightening her gown. "Aunty Nneka, her elder sister loved me at first sight. She even went on to let out a secret to me. She said your dad had spoken to her about me back then and she felt so bad for him. She said he was devastated when he was suddenly sent abroad to study without any time to inform me. With this information, I then understood the sudden relocation. The mum and dad loved me and I was accepted wholeheartedly into the family especially since they've already known me as Tee’s best friend. So accepting me into their home was a very easy one. We had no problems even up to the wedding” She sighed.

“Then where did all these hatred come from?” I asked.

Mum shook her head.
“Tee was my chief bridesmaid. My family was happy, his was even happier because they were scared he was going to marry a white woman, they never wanted this, so they ensured we got married before he travelled back. Thankfully he just had one year to go in school so I was happy about it. Fortunately I was pregnant with you before he left. By the later stage of my pregnancy I moved back to be with my mum. But before then, Tee has begun showing certain attitude I never understood. She accused me of going against our agreement. I never understood what she meant clearly but her attitude was getting on me especially as I was pregnant, that was what prompted me to move in with my mum and that was a huge mistake, I guess. The next thing was this rumor that I'd taken everything their son and brother brought home, that I want to separate him from them. They accused me of taking all the cash and enjoying alone. No one was asking of how I was or my pregnancy. By this time, we were in our final year and the war at home was beginning to have a huge tow on me. Mma was there all through and even helped my mum take me to the hospital while I was in labor. I could still remember reaching out to your dad's family that I was in labor, but none of them even called to ask how I was except Nneka who was still trying to understand the underlying issue. I put to bed and sent a message across but nothing. Finally, my mum and I took you to your dad's place but they treated my mum shabbily which forced her to leave in anger"

"That's so bad mum" I muttered.

Mum nodded. "Anyways I managed to stay for sometime but couldn’t condone all they did, so I left to my mum’s place again. Your dad came back five months after your birth. He learnt I was with my mum so he came over. I was so glad to see him. He wasn’t happy when he saw my condition so he brought me back to his home. The first thing he did was to build a bungalow in my father’s home so as to help my mum and siblings because our roof was practically off, and we would be wet whenever it rained. That was another trouble. I was accused of bewitching their son and taking away their happiness. I pleaded with your dad at a point to stop the building project but he wouldn’t hear of it. He insisted and completed it and that was my doom. My only friend in the family aunty Nneka, now  believed them and hated me too. It was terrible. As for Tee, she said I went against our agreement, that why she brought me to their family was to help her gain access to her brother’s wealth but instead, I stood against the door and have prevented anyone from going inside. That's the story. That's how it all started”.
******

Hi all

Now you can see where the problem started.

So whose side are you on?

Tee?

Nneka?

What would you have done if you were in Nneka's shoes?

Till tomorrow people

Kindly click that star button to vote
Also spam the comment section
And recommend if you really loved this story....