Must Read: TEM

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: TEM

Eliza’s journey to her home had resulted to be a severely adverse and crappy one. She had never thought she would get home to meet everything fallen apart.


Though when she arrived at the town. Sge had had this sundry feelings of an unpleasant mystique but just coudnt channel it towards what she later discovered. She tried to imagine what her mum’s reaction would bewray. Is she going to face benignity from her mum just like the biblical prodigal son ? Or otherwise come across her umbrage once again. Anyways, she had prepared for either of the two or probably both of them.



Eliza spent millenary at the gate claxoning irritatingly as she expected Koffi there gateman to answer and ram the gate open for her. Koffi failing to open the gate got her indignant as she yanked the door of car opened and thrust her gravid body outside to do justice by her voice.


She was about to yell out Koffi’s name when the pedestarian side of the huge gate flang open.


“Ohh, Mum probably have a visitor” she muttered before greeting “Good Afternoon ma”
“Yeah, afternoon my dear. What can i do for you”? A fair avoirdupous woman replied Eliza. The woman with an aura of affluence and riches had the look of the same age with her mother, and that confirmed to her that she was just a visitor.


Eliza smiled at the question “What can i do for you ?” Well, she cant really blame her, she just isn’t aware she is the daughter of her friend she came to visit.


“I’m, the daughter of Mrs Badejo the owner of the house.” Eliza declared with plume and amour propre.

“Oh you” The avoirdupous woman said unmoved. And by that time, Eliza was sure that was not what she expected. She had expected to see the woman flinch in surprisal. Nevertheless, the woman was still surprise though, but not the type Eliza anticipated for.


“So you are the one ?, you did this ? the woman spielled with vehemence, luffing towards Eliza with her right index finger.
Now Eliza was scared. The woman’s reponse upon knowing her had already sent waves of shiver running down her spine.


“Whats happening, what did i do ?” Eliza quailled out.
“You killed your mother!” The woman erupted. ” your mother die in the most abject and contemptible manner have ever seen. She died on the street like an homeless begger all because of your unwary and naive mindset that made you abscond with such huge amount of money.” The woman staunched her talk for some milliseconds, respirating heavily to gather enough strenght to continue her profane chastisement.



“I bought this house at auction price from a bank that gave your mom a loan of just 8 million naira while you eloped with 50 million naira. It was when your mother coudn’t refund the money, they had to put this house for sale. Your mum was thrown out of her house like a dog on the street. Few weeks after i bought the house, she walked back here and gave me a letter to give you. She said she believes someday, you will return. Having collected the letter, i thought probably she only gave her new residential address incase you return. But curiosity wouldnt allow me rest, so i tore the letter opened and read. It was then i found out that your mother had poisoned herself before coming to drop the letter with me. I tried to trace her steps and i later found crowd assembled at the next junction there. I was very eager to find your mum, probably to save her, but then i was still curious to see the reason the crowd gathered. I decided to see the reason, so i tore through the multitude of people, and when i saw the reason, i almost fainted. I saw your mum , Mrs Busayo Badejo sprawled on the floor with blood oozing out from her nose and mouth” Eliza ..you killed your mother. Your mother died missing her beloved daughter, also from the pain and debt you incured on her. She made it known in the letter that she couldn’t stand the pain of knowing you are gone. So she had to do what she did. But all the same, she claimed she still loves you and also forgiven you.” the woman finished and waggled her elephantine shape inside the compound.


After listening to all what the woman peached out, Eliza was sure she was going to faint or likely die or even go harebrained. She tried to breath, but it seemed nature had snatched oxygen away from her. Her eyes wanted to cry, but there was no tears in her eyes. The pain, guilt and anguish she felt at that moment had sU-Cked all the h20 in her body system. Her blood too had become hot and blistering pitilessly. She regretted the day she eloped with Dami. “So mum is dead ?, Mrs Badejo is dead!”
“Yes, she is dead and you killed her. Take the letter she asked me to give you” the woman wambled again towards Eliza flinging the partially sealed paper to her before disappearing into her compound.



Eliza squatted to reach at the paper on the floor, and the first thing that greeted her eyes on opening it was “Eliza my daughter, if you are reading then know certainly that is too late”
“So mother did not live to know she actually got pregnant and expecting a baby boy ?” So mother did not live to eat the fruit of her labour all this while ?” It seemed the pain had gave way for the tears in her now, as she poured them uncontrollably. Not only her eyes cried, all her body system spliced together as they also wailed too.


Well, like they say, it wouldn’t get that bad without at least having a companion inform of asylum or refuge. As Eliza drove back to Abeokuta, the reality of whom she had become dawned on her. She is now an orphan, with nobody, No family, no relation.


But all the same, tiny traces of hope and happiness illumined her when she remembered she still has Dami. The love of her life. “Dami will replace everybody she has lost in her life. To her death can have everybody in the world, but not her Damilola. He is the only reason she lives. He is her oxygen…”