The next morning after breakfast, I told the woman my story.
She intoduced herself as Lina, she was touched by my story.
She offered me a job as her househelp which I readily accepted.
Lina was a wonderful woman in her early thirties. She lived alone in her mansion, though I wondered why.
She treated us as a family, enrolled Eniola into school and all.
******
Life went on sweetly for us, we’ve spent almost 8 months with Lina.
I was in my room one day counting my savings, Lina paid me really well and I also make some money out of the money for house upkeeps.
“One..two..three…”I counted the naira notes loudly.
I summed it up.
“One hundred and fifty thousand?”I gasped
I shook my head disbelievingly and recounted the money again.
“Wonderful!”I exclaimed.
“So Tejumola Benson can have this huge money?”I asked myself again.
I did some dance steps happily.
I heard someone giggling, I turned to see Eniola, she must have been watching for long now.
“You, why are you laughing like that.?”I feigned a frown.
“Nothing.”she laughed some more.
“come here”I beckoned to her, and walked towards me.
I held her gently, looking at her all over, my baby was growing fast.
“Mummy, why are you looking at me like that?”she was smiling, her dimples showing.
I shook my head gently, she looked just like David, her eyes, the lashes, the thick hair, those lips…
“Mummy!”she pouted.
“Sorry”I said absent mindedly, tucking my savings under my pillow, I’d take it to the bank tomorrow.
She reminded me of my past trouble making.
“hey! Don’t be like mummy!”I chided her.
She laughed again.
“here lil’ princess”I placed her on my laps.
She froze momentarily.
“Mummy? Am I a princess?”she asked looking confused.
“Yea baby.”
“My daddy is a King?”she asked innocently.
“Yes.”I laughed.
“Wow!”she jumped off my laps.
“mummy why don’t I see him? He doesn’t like me?”she asked again.
“Your daddy loves you”I wasn’t sure I said that.
“I’ve never seen him before, has he seen me before?”her voice was low.
“Now, baby, that’s enough.”I tried to hold her.
“Mummy, I wish I can see my daddy, my friends in school have a daddy, he buys her icecream…and…”her voice trailed off in despair.
I was shocked, Eniola has never spoken that way before. I was short of words..
“Eniola, go and play!”I told her, atleast to end this discussion.
“No mummy, I can’t play.”her eyes glinted, I saw the pains in there.
“Baby..whats going on..?”I whispered,
“Mummy, I want to tell you something…”she searched my eyes.
“Talk, mummy is listening.”
she hesitated.
“C’mon sweerie..”I urged her.
“Mummy…Its Akpan..”she started.
Akpan? Akpan was Lina’s gateman. I sensed trouble.
“Mummy?”
“I’m listening, baby talk to mummy.”I assured her.
“he use to catch me if I’m playing.”she flipped.
“Catch you? As how?”i was confused.
“He use to hold me and tell me to come and play with him, he use to rub my head and….”she hesitated.
“Baby, go on,”I was losing my patience.
She didn’t speak again, she had fear written all over her face.
“baby mi, tell mummy”I said soothingly.
“I…I…today in the morning..he catch me again…he now put his hand inside my pants…it pain me very well…I now started crying…he now say I should not tell my mother”she concluded.
I could’nt believe what I heard…the whole world came to a stand still… I looked at Eniola, her face full of sorrow and pain, that look was to much for a five year old.
“Mummy sorry..”she sniffed
I never noticed she was crying.
Akpan dared took advantage of my daughter’s innocence.
Na curse?!!
“Akpan!”I yelled as I stamped out of my room.
“Akpan o…where are you Murderer!”
“Mummy!”Eniola tugged at my skirt.
I didn’t look at her, I would show Akpan he tampered with my Jewel….I’ll castrate him –
