TAKEN

[31]

"Yes, that is very correct!" Mama breathed, eyes widening in defiance even though a gun was directly pointed at her.

Before now, she was a chicken, whimpering at every noise but as soon as my father made a debut, suddenly, she was a lion, already finding her voice.

"Do you not want to know the truth?" She asked, writhing in pain as her eyes stole glances at my father's image. "Please, even if you have to kill me, won't you let me speak?" She was back to pleading.

I wavered in my resolute to listen to her but something kept pushing me in my head to listen.

As for my father, I was enraged, bitter and lost. For denying and disparaging my very existence broke me. That little hope I had for a father fizzled out like a dying flame.

And the animosity I had for her, for him increased a hundred percent. The pain, and hate continued to cloud my emotions, plus Mama's uncanny ability to switch from hot to cold like a chameleon was enough reason to ignore her.

Yet, even as Dima and I exchanged worried glances, Ifediora's arm squeezed tighter around her neck, and a forced choke sound followed her next words. I glanced over at my father who stood nervously and frustrated at the unbelievable turn of events.

"I Gladys NneEze will always choose him. I will always choose that man standing over there." Her gaze fell on him again. "Because he chose me first!"

My father's face fell and his shoulders slumped for a moment. And even at that point, he was still attentive and sensitive, glancing over his shoulders and peeking at his watch.

Wiping off the blood splatters on his shirt, his eyes lazily fell on the bodies he'd already sent to the great beyond, yet his countenance showed no remorse.

The culprits of all these live-altering events suddenly wanted to make it all about themselves and I wasn't up for it.

I eyed them both suspiciously and spoke, pointing at them. "So all of this is because of a family feud of ancient origin?"

The old woman's head was moving from left to right, disagreeing with me. But their nonsense was too glaring, irritating, and foolish.

"Not after you hear what I have to say!" Mama wasn't giving up. And I wasn't ready to hear her guilt bait.

I folded my arms around my body. "Well, even at that, how does that concern me and my siblings and by extension, all the children and young people whom you've sold into captivity, murdered and destroyed their lives and destiny!" A horde of angry demons was vibrating inside of me and spilling out of my mouth.

"Will you let her speak?" My father thundered. "Let her say her piece!"

"Easier for you to say when you do not know nor understand what she is," my whole right fingers pointed at his lover.

"Shut up!" Came his growled response, cutting me off. "Keep your little self-serving mouth shut!"

"Your sanctimonious mother, Ezigbo," Mama's disdained gaze fell on my mom. Pointing at her lazily, "She started this business!"

Every living thing went still. Even the birds, the trees, the sun, and the moon barely moved. A pin-drop silence would have been too loud for this moment.

An unexpected furrowed crease baptized my face and sent my mind into total confusion.

"Say what?" I gasped, A perplexed gaze from my eyes ran from my mom to my sister to father and Dima. Bells were going off in my head, it filled my mind with thick fog.

Nobody spoke.

No chatter came.

Did I hear correctly or was this woman using my brain to eat fufu?