Chapter Four

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 her 

relative. 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 pepper

soup 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.