To an average individual, living right begins in a good home.
But, to those whose eyes has seen the depth of oceans and whose head have journeyed in the wildest forests, living right is just living right. Man grows and adjusts to life as it comes, they say. It is the sole truth. It is truth in circles. It is life as it is."I love you, Grace." He stated confidently."Stop it, please. I can't do this.""Look at me, Grace""I'm sorry this is coming late. You've changed my life completely within the space of one year. It's you I want, I need you in my life. I acknowledge the fact that I made a mistake, but give me a chance to make it right, please." Ernest said as they held hands. "I understand you totally. But, this can't work okay. We can't change anything now, she loves you, she's given her heart to you and she's willing to give up everything for you. You can't afford to break her heart""What makes you think she loves me?""I'm sure about it. She wouldn't have accepted you if she doesn't like you and the way you speak of her is enough to tell me that""Maybe she loves me but I don't love her. She's not as homely as you are. I'm constantly free around you, confident, the chemistry as well is tight. You possess everything I need in a woman"" You can't want me, Ernest. You're indirectly wanting to cheat on her, which is absolutely wrong. We can't be together, I have a conscience. If she finds out, tell me, how would she feel? You need to think about her well being, her emotions, she needs you more now. My apologies, this, I mean we, it can't work""I love you" he tried coming closer to kiss her."Stop it. And don't think about it. I have a boyfriend now. I can't cheat on him""What? A boyfriend? Are you being serious?""Yes I am" she said looking aside " I have a boyfriend""But you never had any. Is this the price am going to pay for not approaching you first?""If you feel so. I have to leave now" Grace stated downrightly as she picked up her bag "Grace.." He called out, firming his grip on her hand. "Please, don't force me to change my mind" she left without another word.She could feel his heart come crumbling like sand castles, he was ideally heartbroken. However, she made the best decision ever. She can't take what belongs to another, the right person will find her. Her confidence was second to none. Visiting Laura appeared as the only way to keep a level head under stress.She picked her phone and dialed her number "Hello, girl""Hey. How are you doing?""Great. Are you home?""Yes. Wanna come over?""On my way. Please make dinner""I've got you covered. Just be careful""Sure. See you in a bit"
Minutes later, she arrived Laura's place. Her friends will
definitely understand why she did it, she meant what she said.
She had plans of keeping her heart very safe. She kept her bag
and headed towards the living room. She sat down on the couch,
it was an extremely lovely room. Laura's parents had left most
of their furniture when they relocated, since the other house was
well furnished. Grace has always felt comfortable whenever she
was at Laura's. Part of her always wanted the dream of a loving
husband, kids and a roomy house for everyone, but now she's
snug. Maybe it was time to decide what she wanted besides this
dream. Maintaining her relationship with Laura and Becky as
well as achieving her life goals had to be few of those things.
"When did you get in?"
"A while ago. How was work today?"
"Took the day off" she smiled "So, I'm here for you"
"Oh yeah! What have you been doing all day then?"
"The question here is, why are you home so early?"
"I resigned" she said and walked towards the dinning table
"You must be joking. Did you get another job?"
"Not yet. But, I will. It's nothing to worry about"
"Why Grace? How could you just throw away your source of
income like that because of a guy?"
"Ernest has to stop seeing me. That was the only available option."
"You amaze me, babe. Just like that. Why must you be the one
to make the sacrifice? This guy loves you can't you see"
"No I can't see. Let me ask you Laura. Imagine Chris saying he
doesn't love you anymore, he loves me instead. How would you
feel?"
"Terrible. But I'm certain you won't accept him"
"Exactly the point. I can't do it still even if it isn't you. I still
can't. Do you know he almost kissed me?"
" Oh my gosh! He's obsessed"
"I had to stop him. And, I told him I have a boyfriend"
" You lied to him?"
"If that's the only way to get out of the lion’s den"
"Oh sweetheart. You're one of a kind, that's why I can't stop
talking about you" she hugged Grace tightly and cuddled her
"It hurts right" she wiped away a tear from eyes "But, I can't do
it. I can't stand it, making another sad just for me to be happy.
The lady in question loves him, she literally worships the
ground he steps on. I can't spoil her joy, she's beautiful with a
sincere heart, I don't want to break the bond. Ernest can
definitely live without me, on the other hand, I can survive
without a relationship"
"I do understand, Grace. I'm here with you through it all"
"Thank you dear"
She didn't want to accept Ernest not only because he had
another woman but she hoped that Richard would come back
one day. She sounded so foolish right? He hasn't told her it was
over yet. She constantly wished for a reunion. It's crazy of her to hope so but she needed an official break up, then his place in
her heart will be scraped out forever. She can't wait for him for
long, from all indications he has moved on without a word. She
had to accept the truth and live with it.
"You've got an unknown number calling"
"Oh. Thanks. Let me have it" Grace uttered as she received the
phone.
"This is Grace speaking"
"Finally, I found you. How are you doing" the caller asked
"I'm fine. May I know you please"
"My name is Peter Winston. I've searched for you everywhere
including the social media but couldn't get you. I never knew
you changed your name"
"I'm sorry, I didn't change my name at any point in time. I'm
sure you got the wrong person"
"No. You're the right person. I'm surprised you aren't bearing
your father's name"
"Please sir, my name is Grace Anslem. I'm not in for this joke.
So I'll simply hang up"
"Hang on! Listen to me carefully. Your real name is Grace
Winston. The man you're living with is your foster father. Your
biological father is late"
"Wait. Who are you? And why all this story? My parents are
still alive. I told you already, this is a wrong number"
"You don't know about this? Your mum hasn't told you
anything about your real dad?"
"I'm living with my dad here Mister" come to think of it, Becky
asked her if she was sure about Mr. Williams been her biological father, where could she have gotten such information from? And could this man be serious at all? No... No.... It can't be. This is way too much for me to handle."I'll tell you the story. Your mum was married before. She was legally married to my uncle. Your father later died as a result of food poisoning. You were only two or three years old then. Your mom took you and travelled to Lagos State after the incident""I can't believe this. I'm yet to understand everything""It's difficult for you, I know. But, it's the truth"This can't be happening. She thought. She hung up on the caller. This cannot be true. How can she be another man's child? "Who called?... Grace""My heart is almost ripping apart. His name was Peter. He came up with some story about my biological father""How do you mean? Is this some sort of joke or what?""He said, Mr Williams is my foster father. He sounded rather serious""Forget about him. How are we sure he isn't one of those fraudsters? Don't just worry your head. You really need to cool off""There's more than that which meets the eye, Laura. Something is wrong. There's this guy my mom introduced me to as herrelative. He calls me constantly, but then I took note of
something. The name or rather the last name is totally different""C'mon. He's just a relative. Moreover, you don't expect him to answer your last name""You don't get it. The name spoke loudly. I just didn't notice it. I've never met him before not until my mom introduced him to me. He doesn't even speak same language with us yet he is my relative. Laura, what if this man is saying the truth?" She stood up and began pacing around."I really don't believe this. I must confess, this guy your mom introduced to you, why don't you call him to verify all this"."You're correct. Right away. I'll do just that."She picked her cell phone, dialed Sam's number in split seconds."Hi Sam, how's everyone?""Good. Are you okay? You sound pretty nervous""The truth is, I'm not fine. You shouldn't lie to me because what I'm about to ask you is very important""Go ahead and ask me anything""You constantly say that you knew me from when I was a kid, right?""Yes. I always carried you around""Who am I then? I mean, who is my biological father?""Why such question? Did you find out something you want us to talk about""The earlier you start talking, the better for both of us. Tell me everything I need to know. And, don't leave any stone unturned""I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about. If something
is wrong, you tell me because, I seriously do not understand
what you mean"
"Fine. Since you don't understand, I'll source my answers from
another person who's willing to answer"
"Calm down, Grace. I want to know why you asked this
question that's all. Why are you being furious?"
"Are you telling me or not. Wait a minute, what state are you
from?"
"You don't know where I'm from all this while"
"That doesn't answer my question"
"I'm from Edo state. So what next?"
"Tell me what I need to know or leave my phone"
"It's obvious someone has told you about it. Your mom is in the
right position to answer that question not me. I made a promise
to her that I'll never discuss this with you." Was her fears
becoming reality? Could it be true that she's another man's child?
This is too much for her to bear alone.
"Just speak on, I am listening" she hoped he'd say everything
was a lie but behold her fears stared at her right in the face.
"Your mom was married to my uncle. You are my uncle's only
child. He died of food poisoning. The whole is that the man
you're living with isn't your dad" she hanged up the phone.
How can this be? She wept bitterly. Who'd wake her from this
nightmare? How did her life suddenly turned into a movie?
"Be calm Grace. Take it slowly" Laura advised.
"How can I be calm?" She cried out "did you hear what he
said?"
"I heard everything, still you have to be calm. Be strong for
yourself"
"I can't take it. I'm not as strong as I thought or you think. I'm
dying inside of me, can't you see?"
"Listen to me. You are a strong woman. Don't forget you
haven't confirm this from your mom. Until then, this
information isn't valid. So let it go"
"What if it's true, Laura, what do I do?"
"Why don't we find out the truth first? Come on, come eat your
food"
"I'm not hungry"
"You know what I'm capable of, don't you? I'll stuck the whole
food into your mouth. You better stand up now"
"Leave me alone Laura. I'm fine, really"
"I insist. Get up quickly" she took her to the dinning table and
they had dinner.
She could barely sleep all through the night. Sleep was far from
her domain. Sorrow beclouded her sense of reasoning. The
question was, what if all these turns out to be true? The night
was so cold. She could feel the hands of loneliness. No one told
her that this phase of life was approaching. But even if they told
her, she would never had believed it. Why must this happen to
her? What else should she expect?
The morning came so fast, faster than expected. She couldn't
say what she was going through, she could only talk to the
creator.
"Dear God, I know you love me so much to let this happen to
me. Please let all these be false because if it is the truth, I don't
think I can bear it alone. It's heavy in my heart. I feel so lost
right now. I need you to save me, save me dear God from
drowning. Please, God".
She had to speak to her mom immediately. She just had to go
over to her family house.
"Hey, what's happening here?"
"Meeting with my mom"
"I'm sure you can handle this alone? Or do you need me?"
"Sure. You've done a lot already. Thank you"
"Anytime'
"Yeah, I'm leaving right away"
"When am I seeing you?"
"Can't say for now, I'll give you a call"
"It's fine. Just make sure you keep in touch"
"Of course I will. Get to go"
"Yeah, bye"
The thought of everything being real couldn't stay off her head
for a second. She had to find out, else she'll live in darkness
forever. What if it isn't true? She'll be the happiest person ever
because she's got enough troubles already. She isn't seeking for more. Earlier than usual she arrived home. The driver must have
understood that she was in a hurry. She rang the doorbell."Coming" Annabelle screamed. "You didn't say you were coming over""Do I need to take permission from you before coming? Excuse me, please. Where’s mum?" She hauled as she walked in."In her room. You came to spend some time or what?""Would you stop this interrogation, please? I'm obviously not in the mood for it""Whatever"She shouldn't just begin to talk about this, she needs to rest because this is not a good time. "My dear, glad to see you""Thanks, Mom. You didn't go to work today?" "I decided to come back early today. Hope you'll spend more time with us this time around?""A few days will do, I guess""Few days? That's way too short. I haven't seen you in a while""Mom, you know I've got work, I've missed you so much. I promise that these few days will be great for us all""You mustn't over work yourself, you need to spend quality time with me now, before you're married""Who's talking about marriage now? Don't worry, I'm here for you""No, you're not here because you'll have to get married very soon""I didn't come here for marriage discussion, mom. Please, can I
at least change my clothes and freshen up?""Sure, but be prepared to tell me who the lucky Prince is""Not just prince, it's a castle" she said laughing"How about dad? Haven't heard anything from him since I last saw him""You know how bad he is at calling. But never mind, he'll be back soon" talking about the angel and he arrives. Dad was back, he was looking very excited when he saw her. They both greeted and she immediately became nervous when she recalled why she was there. Before dinner was over, her parents had told her they wanted to talk to her. She saw it as an avenue to seek clarifications on the issue that brought her home. After dinner, dad called her to their room."There's something we've been keeping away from you, but I think it's time you know" dad started by saying "you are my child, my first offspring. I love you and nothing can change this fact" what is he saying? She knew her parents loved her but these words are becoming scary. She thought. "We would never want to hurt you because everything we've ever done is for the good of both you and your sister." This is becoming even more scarier "I will take it up from here" mom interrupted "I want to tell you a story. Once upon a time, I was married to a man named Winston" oh, life has finally found a means to mock her "I was legally married, my marriage was the talk of the year. My bride price was paid duly. It was celebrated in a grand style. But this marriage never lasted, you were only a year and seven months when your dad came back one evening, and began to complain of stomach upset, after he had a meal with his friend. I tried asking him what he ate, and he said his friend gave him peppersoup to eat. Before we could get him to the hospital, he was
already gone"
Grace eyes widened as they couldn't hold back her tears
anymore
"It happened that he was poisoned. I had to go back to his
people, they wanted me to get married to their son to keep the
marital relationship. I refused without giving it a thought
because I could not bear the thought of being with another man.
They loved me, so his mother asked me to go back to my people
then, but I should promise them that when it is time, I'll bring
you to them," Mama narrated.
Grace sobbed quietly, she never noticed for once that she was
another man's child. She was treated fairly and justly with love
and kindness. She wept not because of the truth but because her
life evidently was a movie and that her parents were unique.
"We are sorry that this is coming now. We wanted to tell you
but decided you might get distracted and felt keeping it away
from you was the best. Don't feel bitter, do not see yourself as a
stranger. You are my blood, my child. Don't try to keep away
from us. Everyone out there has a story to tell, you aren't the
only one, and our stories in life makes us special"
"I watch movies and I see things like this happening, but I never
imagined I could be one of such people." She wept
"Don't say that. Listen, have you forgotten you're a signatory to
all my account?, you're my next of kin as well. That shows how
much I value you. I don't care what has happened in the past, allI do know is that you are my child and nothing can change that"
Dad concluded.
"I'm sorry, dear. I know how you feel. You must never let your
sister know about this. We had to change your last name so that
questions won't begin to arise. You are a strong woman. So
wipe your tears". Mom said while she wipe off her tears.
Is she really strong? Grace thought
"Thank you mum and dad. I don't know how to appreciate you,
but I am sincerely grateful. Mum, I can't imagine how hard it
was for you when you lost him. I'm sure you went through a lot.
Dad, in spite of knowing she had a child, you accepted me as
your own. Your love for me increased by the day. Today, I want
to assure you that you are my father, it is you that I know, I do
not have another. Thank you so much and I promise to make
you proud"
"It's fine my child. Act normal, don't feel awkward. Life throws
challenges at us, but it's left for you to make them steppingstone
to your greatness. Never let this weigh you down because it
doesn't stop you from fulfilling destiny" Dad had said.
The science of human existence is noteworthy, it is something
worth an intensive study. It has an asymmetrical approach as in
garbage in, garbage out. The little efforts, the strives, the actions
of good and bad of a man produce results. These results forms
the wealth of human experiences. They keep life moving.
No one ever develops courage by constantly being happy.Surviving difficult times and challenging adversities aidsdevelopment. Every individual has got a story to tell.Sometimes, life can be unfair. It may not give you what youwant but force you to take what it gives."All my years, there was no sign that Mr. Anslem was my fosterfather. He treated me like his daughter. He stood out amongmany men and displayed maturity. He never got tired of me. If Iso desired, he was willing and is still ready to train me further inschool. But, why is all this happening to me and not someoneelse? What else is yet to be revealed still? I can't even imaginewhat my next moment will look like. Will I get into a sorrowfulmarsh and take shelter neath roots or find myself in a pinkycastle where joy abides?I shouldn't be brooding over this because I'
Like a garden of pink asters, her face shone brightly in a softtone of gloss. All smirk and plush, Grace Anslem walked out ofher apartment. Her attractiveness adds colour to the sereneatmosphere in view. The morning sun kissed her skin causing itto glow and radiate in-between of her dress puckers. While sheworked the locks, her face caught the mirror of her door frameand soon became null, as though devoid of emotions. In a flick,a telephone call came in; the loud noise from the device stabbedthe quietude that blew tenderly with the gentle wind. It wasRichard calling. She attended to the call after the door was wellunder lock and keys.“How’re you doing, Richie?”“Great, I must confess. What’s up?”“Nothing serious. I’m just stepping out”“Anything special?”“Not really. Missed you a lot. So, I consi
Time and tide are synonymous. For every minute spent, there isa lesson learnt. And for every turbulence, there is a mix of sandand moist. This gives an indication that relationships amongsthumans are sure to come with several glitches. It takes a goodhead and peace of mind to level up the stress. For Grace, the lastfew days has been a mix of bitterness and super sweet emotions.Like an assemblage of words on a print, she sits comfortably onher cushion holding a tub of buttered popcorn. She was seeingan interesting movie, while she also surfed the net in the passinghour. She was with her mouth full when her phone chimed. Itwas a text from Laura.I'm at your doorstep. Where are you?Coming. She answered and stumbled into the bedroom whereshe left her keys. Her phone beeped againWhew. Still waiting.After a peep through the spyhole, she
As humans, we never should find the faults in our stars. For thisreason, we work, hope and outlive our fate. Fate, they say,comes like eventide. After the unruly blanch of the sun allthrough the day, it is a norm for darkness to take turn. It is acertainty, a philosophy that even the wisest of men cannotinterpret. Therefore, even if we cage our hearts and bury themin the deepest layer of our skin, a single pull of emotion couldpull it afloat. Our fate is at work. Maybe or maybe not."You aren't leaving right?" Ernest's voice thundered.He couldn't be serious. Does she really have to be doing this?And how long will this last."On my way already""Please, I need you around. Today, I won't take much time. Ipromise.""But... There's no need for all this. Since it won't take you longto round up, then, I think it's best if I leave."He came closer to her "can we talk?