All Grown Up

Chapter One

                                                                         Fifteen years later
Stephen put his phone on his ear and sighed. "Yes, I'll see to it but please visit the hospital... That's the same thing you said last week" He said irritated. "I'll call you tomorrow" He said and hung up.
"Your mum?" Kofi asked concerned.
"Who else wants to make me jump from a roof at times?"
"Everyone knows you're her handbag" Kofi said giving him a knowing look.
"She's all I have in this world"
"I hope she's fine"
"That's the problem. She refuses to go to the hospital, she said she's been feeling tired lately"
"Maybe you should visit her"
"Visit who? You know what happened the last time... I'll be watching her from here"
"Just send someone to check on her"
"I will"
"Why are you in my office?"
"Prayer time"
"I forgot" Looking around, "Let's go"

Two weeks later, Stephen drove the rental car from the airport to where his mother lived. He pressed the horn as the gate was opened to her beautiful bungalow. Driving in he smiled when he saw her standing outside with her friend.
"Mummy!" He said and hugged her.
"My love" She kissed his cheeks.
"Aunty Tope, good afternoon ma"
"Welcome Stephen" She greeted with a smile.
"You've lost weight" He's mother said turning him around.
"I can say the same of you"
"Since you ganged against me with this witch. I've being eaten more than enough" She smiled.
"Thank you aunty Tope"
"You know I and your mother belong to the same coven so we know how to deal with ourselves"
"You and who is a witch?" His mother asked.
"She has forgotten. The ones who don't remember that they are witches are very terrible, they will doing you and they won't even know. Nonsense" She said with a smile entering inside. He just laughed at their banter. He entered and was surprised when he saw someone he hasn't seen for fifteen years.
"Hi Stephen" She said and left.
"Is my room intact?" He asked breaking the women banter behind him, oblivious to the little scene that played out.
"Yes" He left for his room.
"I have to go" Aunty Tope said with a smile.
"I thought you stayed here?" He asked her as he came down.
"No, I come and go but I live not too far from here"
"I've told her to move in but she refused"
"It will lessen the house rent weight" He reasoned.
"It's my own house. Marvelous built the house for me"
"Oh. Thank you very much ma" Marvelous, built a house for her mother? He asked himself then remembered that she had gotten so many job offers after graduating and she was working in one of the best and most expensive hospital in the state. She had chose that hospital to be near her mum even when she got so many offers abroad. According to his mum, she was the best among the best.

"So he thought we are still gold diggers" Marvelous asked when her mum came back and told her that Stephen thought they lived there to reduce the house rent tension.
"Don't be like that. He didn't know"
"I thought years would have made him reasonable"
"He didn't know"
"He expects us to live at the mercies of his mother for the rest of our lives"
"Stop it! He was been a child fifteen years ago. I heard but didn't take it personal. I don't want you to assume what he said or didn't. Check his mum's vitals before going to work"

Stephen heard the knock the next morning as he did his morning devotion. He checked the wall clock on the wall. Wasn't it to early to have a visitor by six in the morning. He stood up and unlocked the door. He wasn't surprised to see Marvelous standing outside.
"Good morning" She greeted pushing him aside as she entered.
"Morning" He greeted as he watched her go.
He heard his mum and her laughter ring from her room. He went back to his bible but the giggling wouldn't stop, he heard his mum say something and Marvelous laugh. He didn't know when he stood up and edged to the room opening the door carefully. He watched as Marvelous ratted out instructions to his mum who nodded at her in agreement.
"I don't know how I lived this long" His mother sighed sadly.
"Don't talk like that aunty. You'll live longer, just make sure you take care of yourself. I love you" She said hugging her.
"I love you too my dear" She answered with a smile.
"I'm going to be late for work, I have a long day at the hospital"
"Don't overwork yourself and you're not getting younger, you need to mingle"
Laughing, "Aunty, it's too early to begin with that. Don't worry about me"
"I'm not worried about you, I'm worried about me not carrying grandchildren before meeting my creator"
Kissing her cheek and smiling. "Soon. Bye!" She called and stopped on her tracks when she saw him at the door.
"Thank you" He said as she passed.
"She's precious to me" she answered not giving him a backward glance. He looked at her as she left before looking at his mother who watched him with her gaze softened.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her coming to seat beside her.
"Sometimes I feel that there is something going on that I missed all this years"
"I don't understand?"
"What happened between you and Marvelous?"
"Why do you ask that?"
"You two are perfect strangers. You were inseparable when you were much younger"
Sighing Stephen scrubbed his face with his hands. "We grew up"
"You grew apart. I noticed how you both were walking on eggshells around each other yesterday. What happened? And I know you know because of that face you're making"
"What face?"
"That face, please talk to me"
"Promise me you won't shout"
"I can't even if I want to"
"I kind of called Marvelous and her mum a gold digger on our last day in school"
"You did what?" Stephen quickly stood up before his mother's hand connected with his face. He could see pure anger which turned to sadness, then understanding before bursting into tears.
"I'm sorry mum, I was stupid. I shouldn't have done that"
After twenty minutes, Stephen was alarmed to see his mother looking weak. "Should I call Marvelous, you don't look good at all"
"Sit, I'm fine... Sit!" He could hear her irritation and quickly did.
"How did you see Marvelous and her mother then?"
"We were always helping them"
"With money, but they helped me that I can never pay them"
"I was foolish and I thought she would have gone over this"
His mother looked at him as if he was nuts. "Imagine they told you I'm a good digger how will you feel? No wonder Tope and I grew apart. She stopped me from helping them, it drew us apart until I fell ill. I think I need to let you know the truth about your father"
"I don't want to talk about him" He said standing.
"How come you claim to love God and you ignore so many things? God is love Stephen"
"I don't hate my father"
"But you're angry with him. He's been dead ten years now. You allow a dead man rob you of so many things"
"How can you sit there and behave as if it was normal what he did to you? What he did to me? I don't understand you sometimes" He spat irritated. "Sometimes you look weak and it annoys me!"
His mother laughed painfully. "It's now I know you're a foolish boy. Very foolish"
"You could have left but you didn't"
"Your father, was as helpless as I was, he was sick, very sick"
"He beats you"
"When he have his spells. Your father was mentally sick" She said and he looked at her shocked.
"It's a lie"
"Your father was mentally ill. He was a good man, too good for me. I couldn't leave him" She said with a sad smile. "He wouldn't hurt a fly. I didn't want you to feel bad even though I tried to shield you from his attacks"
"Why wasn't he taken to a mental institution?"
"He didn't want to and they weren't as good as they are now" Sighing, "It was tough on him and it will kill him quickly. He fought depression also, that's where Tope comes in, she works in the hospital. She helped me and your father so much that I didn't know how I would have coped"
"But he looked so normal" He said in disbelief.
"But he wasn't, he's family hated me. It started when I married him, to them I was like a bad omen. You don't want to know how many times my things have been thrown out when he has those spells"
"You could have walked away"
"From my husband? I was shielding you not knowing I made you ignorant of what was going on. Your father loved you with everything in him. Medications weren't working..." She sighed taking out his picture from her bible. It was of the two of them smiling at the camera. "Why did you think he made sure you or I never lacked anything and his stupid brothers didn't get any share of his property. He made sure that you didn't have to work to your second generation. He loved you so much"
"He didn't show that much when he keeps ignoring me"
"Your father was a man of few words" Stephen sighed as he remembered the man who gave him nods whenever he did well.
Yes, his father had never ignored him but acknowledged him. He sighed and looked at his mother. "I wished you had explained to me years back"
"Your father didn't want me to"
"Does Marvelous know that my father was..." He asked trailing of after a few minutes of silence.
Chuckling, "She wasn't as blind as you. That girl is smarter than we all give her credit and I don't know why your stupidity has not made you see how beautiful she is. Are you sure you're my son?" She asked and he laughed.
"You've always loved Marvelous, so, even if she's ugly you'll still love her like she's the best thing that fell from heaven" He answered.
"I wasn't helping them back then. I might have done financially but they helped me more. As you're seeing her mother like that, she hates been pitied or accepting charity"
"I noticed" He grimaced remembering his mother forcing her to take things from her. "But that didn't stop you from helping though"
"I didn't want to be a charity case either to her or selfish, I wanted us to be even when I knew it wasn't possible because she was like my lungs helping me breathe each day. That family was God sent my dear. I don't regret knowing her or that beautiful Marvelous"
"I'm sorry that I caused a rift in your relationship with them"
"You didn't know better but I think you'll have to apologies to them. You can apologies to Marvelous over dinner, just the two of you" She said batting her lashes at him.
"Mummy you're horrible. Stop setting me and Marvelous up. I'm not sure she would want to have anything with me because she warned me and told me that I took my insult too far"
"I'll pray for her. You just try to make things good by making sure she gives me grandchildren that you fathered"
"Mummy"
"She's my daughter-in-law whether you know it or not"
"Is that why you rejected Danice when I brought her to you"
Sighing, "She talks too much"
"She has a child now"
"The Lord has done her well, now allow the Lord to answer my prayers in your life"
Raising his brows. "So marrying Marvelous is the most important prayer point?" He teased.
"Maybe"
"It is well. I'm going to apologies to her but I'm not going to be asking her out for dinner"
"You're not my child" She shook her head picking her glasses to read her bible.
"Whatever. I love you" He kissed her cheek and she pushed him away. "Seriously, mum. I love you"
"Let me have my peace"
He chuckled and walked away. When he got to the door he held his chest and hissed in pain, bending.
"What is it?" His mother stood up quickly coming to him.
"My chest"
"Chest ke? We were just talking. Where does it hurt" She asked in fear over him. When she was crooning over him to look at his chest, he pecked her lips and laughed.
"Mummy, I love you"
Holding her chest with a smile, she hissed. "Don't try that expensive prank with me again"
"I love you mummy" He said.
"I love you too son" She said helping him up. He wrapped his hands around her in a hug and his mother sighed in happiness.
"You'll prosper"
"Amen" and that was how she kept praying for him that he had to pry himself and escape chuckling.