To Love And Leave Episode 14

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I’ve been here for three days which felt like a week, it has been a daily routine of doctors and nurses checking up on me to monitor my condition. “We want to make sure there are no internal damages” . the doctor kept saying. I have been instructed not to make sharp movements as that might open up my wounds and this makes the hospital gets more boring at each passing.
Mrs. Martin: How are you doing today, my son
Me: I’m fine mom
Mrs. Martins: You look weak and sad Dolapo
Me: If i look sad, it has Nothing to do with my health . Do you love me mom?
Mrs. Martins: Yes i do Son! I love you very much.
Me: then tell me the truth, Who is my father??
Mrs. Martins: (sighs) i believe the time of truth is finally here. Dolapo, Mr. Olatunji Adeleke is your father.
I couldn’t stop the tears as it streams down my cheek. Mom saw me crying and tried to place a hand on my shoulder.
Me: Don’t touch me Mom!………. Please don’t touch me!
Mrs. Martins: I’m sorry Son.
Me: How could you do this to me? I’ve lived all my life believing someone else is my biological father, turned out he was merely my guardian!
Mrs. Martins: No son! My late husband will always be your father.
Me: You named me after him for Christ  sake! Did you lie to him too? All his life?
Mrs. Martins: No Son!
Me: What do you mean No??
Mrs. Martins: Your father knew about it. It’s time i tell you the whole story. Adedolapo was rich and from the royal family and my papa who wanted to become a village chief by all means insisted i marry him. I tried to make it work with him, i swear i did tried but i never loved him enough. I met Olatunji a short while after i was betrothed to Adedolapo……
Me: (cuts in) Olatunji….. that’s Femi’s dad right??
Mrs. Martins: Yes! Femi’s father. He was everything Adedolapo wasn’t, he was good looking but wasn’t from a popular family because they weren’t rich. He was wayward, doesn’t stay in school and was the village tout but he was loving and caring towards me. I tried staying away from him but i just could not stop thinking about him. We started meeting in hidden places and our love grew even stronger .
Papa died not long after that, so the rush for a wedding was ended. Your grandma decided i should further my education. I went to a polytechnic and both Olatunji and Adedolapo were in different Universities. I lost contact with Olatunji but Adedolapo and I kept in touch, sending letters to each other. He kept professing his love to me and I to him.
Few years later, the king died and it was customary for everyone from the village to go home and pay their last respects. I went back to the village, everyone i grew up with was there, friends and schoolmates so it wasn’t much of a surprise that Olatunji came too. We got talking again, he was better looking, wore expensive clothes and even brought a vehicle, he told me he found a job driving a man who was a Custom officer and his boss liked him, he told me he loved me and missed me….
Me: Mom… i just took a painkiller, it’s making me feel really sleepy. Could you skip the story to the end and tell me how the man i thought was my father wasn’t really my father ??
Mrs. Martins: Oh okay… (Sigh) . I stayed back in the village longer than i expected and i was with Olatunji all the while. It all went good until i discovered i was pregnant with you, i told Olatunji about it and that was when he told me he was married.
Me: (confused ) Emmmm… He was married?
Mrs. Martins: Yes son! Apparently, he met a rich girl in school who fell in love with him and he got her pregnant 2 years before . Her father promised Olatunji a place in the customs service and all his fortune if he would marry his daughter. He has been married for 2 years then.
Me: I’m guessing he asked you to abort me.
Mrs. Martins: No Dolapo, he wanted you! But i couldn’t say yes to his conditions, he wanted me to wait for him to divorce his wife and then we’d start a family together but the problem was, he didn’t know when and how he’d get the divorce and i just couldn’t wait forever. He left the village in anger and i was devasted.
My Mama scolded me for being pregnant, i was about to be sent packing from the house when Adedolapo stepped up and told everyone the pregnancy was his. (Crying) He saved me, he took responsibility for a pregnancy that wasn’t his, he knew right along but he didn’t want me to be ridiculed and stigmatized. He married me and took care of you and I, there was never a day that he treated you like you weren’t his, he loved you and when i gave birth to Wale his love for you never changed or got reduced. He loved you both the same, treated you like he would if he were your biological father. I’m sorry Son but it was his idea that we never told you anything.
Me: (Tears running down my face) So how did Femi’s dad know about me?
Mrs. Martins: (clears throat, wipes her face with the back of her palm) Before Adedolapo died, he told his brother the truth because he thought he could trust him but when he died, your uncle went to the family and told them i cheated on his brother and both of my sons weren’t Adedolapo’s. They kicked us out of the house with nothing, i had no one else to go to except Olatunji. He set us up here and found me a job.
Me: So for 20 years he didn’t know i existed?
Mrs. Martins: No! Five years before your father…. huh… Adedolapo died, we both met Olatunji at an event and he saw you…. Right there, that moment, he knew you were his son. But he had 3 kids already and there were no plans to take you from us.
Me: HE didn’t want me?
Mrs. Martins: Yes he did! But he knew he wasn’t worthy of you so he had to let go, since we were all happy with what we all have. That’s everything Son. I can only hope you find it in your heart to forgive me
Me: Mom! I was just angry and confused but i could never hate you . You are mother and I’ll always love you no matter what.
Mrs. Martins: Thank you so much Dolapo. I love you too Son!
Me: By the way, I’m the least person you should be asking forgiveness from. Wale seems pretty angry at you.
Mrs. Martins: (sighs) he has a right to be
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Me: no worries Ma, I’ll talk to him. Now will you please let me sleep now??
Mrs. Martins: Hahahaha. Thank you. Ok Ok. Please sleep now !
Mum kissed me on the forehead and left the room as i layed back on the bed, this week as been too much to handle for me. From getting stabbed and almost dying to learning my father wasn’t really my father and the guy who has been dragging a girl with me happens to be my brother….. too much, just too much for me. And then my phone rang, it was Ada, i took a deep breath as i picked the call.
Me: Hello dear
Ada: Who is your dear? Am i the one you’re calling dear? Did you just call me that because you want to sound nice or what? Because most people just use the word for fun and not because the person is actually is a dear to them…. so how are you??
Me: kaiii…. Ada must you always talk ni?? Anyways I’m fine, thank you for asking. You’re just calling me since all these days, Oga oo.
Ada: I’m sorry! My cousin has been being sending me on errands ni, she and her husband has been quarrelling in the house because my cousin spent the money her husband gave her for light bill, shopping for her friend’s wedding, so he has been ignoring her in the house, since she doesn’t have anyone else to talk to in the house,
She’s always talking to me and sending me out to buy something for her o
Me: (smiling ) is there any chance in this world that you can keep a secret?
Ada: Ha-ha now! My friend, Chioma, that aborted a pregnancy last week, told me to keep it a secret and i haven’t told anybody. Even that time that my brother stole our mom’s jewelries and told me not to tell anybody…..i swear i haven’t told anyone.
Me: (laughs) Really? But you’re telling me now..
Ada: It’s you now… my Dolapo, you’re not anybody biko!
Me: (laugh ) kai kai… Thank you Ada for making me laugh, i have missed you.
Ada: you know I’ll always be here for you. Forget the person that stabbed you, even two times for that matter.. I’m here for you.
It hit me, i felt i didn’t hear her correctly so i asked her again…
Me: Ada… you said the person stabbed me how many times??
Ada: Two times now.
Me: (My heart beating real fast) Ada i have to sleep now… Thank you for calling . I didn’t wait for her reply before ending the call, i didn’t know what else to think as i quickly dialled Wale’s number.
Wale: Hello Dolly-p ! What’s up? I’m just on my way to come and see you
Me: Wale! How many times was i stabbed??
Wale: emmm…. brother, is everything ok? What kinda question is that??
Me: Just answer the damn question Wale! How many times was i stabbed??
Wale: I don’t know Dolapo! How am i supposed to know how many times you were stabbed if you don’t tell me….when I’m not the one that stabbed you.
Me: Yea true…. meaning Only I and the person that stabbed me would know how many times i was stabbed.
Wale: Yes now.. And maybe the person who hired him to stab you too.
Me: okay okay…. come here quick Wale, There’s something i have to tell you.
Wale: Okay brother… I’m on my way.
I dropped the call, held my head tight as it seems it was about to explode. Ada knew exactly how many times i was stabbed and she said it with all confidence… It’s absolutely hard to believe but could Ada have had me stabbed, The effects of the pain killer kicked in and i rest my head on the pillow and sleep off
~To Be Continued ~