Before Titi and her family traveled, her paternal grandmother was living with them in their wretched apartment.
Back to the day she came to school looking sad, it happened that her father won a visa lottery but he had run pillar to post to no avail for ticket fee. The ultimatum of three weeks given to him to get ticket fee remained just a week when he stormed to his mother to call her names. He called her useless mother that felt so relaxed about her child's misfortune. He threatened to commit suicide if the mother couldn't take a drastic step to ensure he was able to get the ticket fee.
Back to where we stopped in Part 2. I was told that Titi and her parents arrived in the mansion her grandma built for them prior their arrival. They lived peacefully for just a week before one of Titi's siblings mysteriously screamed from his sleep and died immediately. This happened immediately after Titi's parents dreamt of grandma chasing them in their sleep simultaneously.
After the incident ,Titi's father urged his wife not to see his mother as a witch. He said the dream was just a coincidence and prayed to God to bless the remaining children.
Alas! Things went from bad to worse as the couple lost Titi's other two siblings in successive weeks after having the same dream of mama chasing them. This triggered Titi's father to send mama packing back to the village. All plead by grandma to prove her innocence proved abortive.
Two weeks after mama left, Titi and her parents were watching TV when she screamed like someone that saw a ghost. The parents did not even think of taking her to hospital but headed straight to the village to meet mama. They met mama where she was crying alone inside but they were unmoved. The father threatened to kill himself and his mother if anything happened to Titi, the only surviving child. Mama was perplexed. She didn't even bother to claim her innocence again but ordered them to go back into the car as she had a place to take them.
They drove along the bushy path to a priest at the extreme of the village. They rushed Titi in as the grandma was calling on the priest to save them.
After consulting the oracle, the priest faced grandma and accused her of being the culprit behind her child's problem. Mama was dumbfounded as she vehemently proved her innocence. When the priest realized mama was not ready to confess, he ordered everyone of them to watch their faces in the calabash placed at the corner of the room and stare at the cloth displayed in the room.... And this is time to reveal why Titi and family traveled without bidding me farewell...
It appeared in the cloth, mama as she was soliloquizing after her son stormed out of their wretched house during the visa issue. Few minutes later, I arrived to ask for Titi. Grandma told me Titi was not around but persuaded me to wait for her as she went out to buy me soft drink.
Unknown to me, as she went out, she went to the phone call center at the other street to inform her son to come back home as God has miraculously provided money for his traveling. Mama arrived back home without any drink and told me to go home. She promised to tell Titi of my visit and advised me to drop my drawing materials as that would motivate Titi to visit me at home. I smiled and innocently dropped them without suspecting any conspiracy.
Just like an hour after I arrived home, we heard heavy knock on our main gate. When the gateman would open the gate, it appeared Titi's father and grandma looking furious. The gateman's polite greeting was met with a disdainful look as they asked for my parents. My parents were heading out when they heard noise at the gate. Titi's father and grandma headed straight to them where they were standing beside their car. It was Titi's father that talked. "My mother called me to come home to collect 500 thousand she borrowed from her friend for my traveling. On getting home, I saw her crying with your child's painting material making mess of everywhere. She said she went out to buy drink for Ayinde but before she came back, Ayinde has left with the money placed on the table". Before my parents could react, grandma said angrily, "So your child is not only an imbecile but also a thief? Who knows if you are using him as a bait to amass all these wealth. We are not even here for that, if you don't want trouble here, tell the imbecile you call child to return our money".
By then, my mother was already crying. My father as a man that he is calmly told them to lower their voice. He requested for account number to send the money to and transferred it immediately. I was looking at them as they stormed out but I couldn't talk. I couldn't claim innocent as world people lied against me in my presence. I looked up to the sky like I wanted to ask God some questions.
My parents couldn't go out again because their mood had spoilt already. They didn't bother to ask me anything because they were very sure I wouldn't take what is not mine.
I locked myself up in the room. Although I couldn't talk, I started communicating with my Creator. I challenged Him to fight for me. I told Him to implicate the people that took advantage of my predicament with the offense they didn't commit.
Back to the priest ,everyone exclaimed as they watched the revelation. Titi's father cursed his mother for making up such lies but the mother countered him. She claimed he left her with no choice when he called her names and threatened to kill himself.
The priest cut them short and warned they must find me in the next two hours to apologize if they didn't want to lose Titi as well. It was 1pm!
They all stood up and rushed to the car. Alas! The car was not starting and there is no where to see vehicle unless they walk to the major road. Titi's father carried her on his shoulder as his wife and grandma were running after them. At last, they reached the major road and boarded a cab. It was 1:30pm !
They headed straight to my parents' house since they didn't know I am no more living there. They arrived at out gate by 1:55pm but the gateman wouldn't allow them in. They have pleaded for like 10 minutes before my father heard their noice. Sighting Titi lying lifelessly, he didn't ask any question before allowing them in. They confessed everything that happened and seek forgiveness. My father told them I am with the first lady and he must call her first in order to be permitted in.
The First Lady was in a meeting as my father was calling. Before she picked the call, it was already 2:30pm!
The First Lady rushed to my room to tell me everything and seek my permission if I wanted them to come. Oh my darling innocent Titi! My only friend ! I nodded in affirmation. She quickly called them to be coming. I was feeling uneasy already. Nothing must happen to my friend. I couldn't stay in the room. I ran to the main gate waiting for them.
The First Lady was there with me. She called them back only to be told my father hit a lady with the car conveying them to me. My father gave the car key to Titi's father to drive them down while he took the accident victim to the hospital. It was 2:55pm !
I couldn't breath clearly again. We have already ordered the guards to open the gate. By 3pm on dot, they drove in like a scene in Fast and Furious. They quickly alighted Titi from the car. I rushed to them and put her head on my laps. Alas! She looked at me, gave a faint smile and had her last breath.
My lovely Titi gave up the ghost right in my arm. I held her tight in my hand and cried profusely. Her mother and grandma were wailing on the floor while her father was just staring at the thin air. First Lady was sobbing silently where she stood. I didn't know when I passed out only to wake up in the hospital the third day to the news that grandma committed suicide.
THE BAD WE DO COMES BACK TO US SOONER OR LATER.
To those of us that derive pleasure in taking advantage of less privileged creatures just because we think they are too weak to stand against us. The Almighty Creator, The Defendant of the cheated will surely fight their course when we least expected.
#GBEMI
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