My Father's wife

Chapter One: Familiar walls

Michael looked intently at the black gates as they fell apart, while the vehicle made its entrance humming consistently as they moved across the scenery where he had grown. His father had always been the austere, mysterious individual in the family. Something he wished he never came to admire, mystery was the mother of deceit.

His eyes roamed around the entirety of the compound, nothing had changed.
He didn't know if he was relieved to find out so or disappointed, a part of him had wished his mother could have been around to wreak havoc on his father's traditions and alter his taste. His face grew grim and his eyes stung as he recalled spraying paint across the lawn, because his mother had told him the grasses reminded her of the Nigerian flag.

How could he not have noticed how so unsuited his parents were. His father was shades darker than his mother, his eyes intimidating yet with the palest of colors, brown. His mother used to tell him, that his father's eyes was stolen from a white man after God molded him and wanted to make him unique. He recalled how dim the light was when she narrated the tale of the stolen eye, her laughter was so joyful it perforated his then frightened heart and quelled his disconcertment. He had always been a terrified child who had to live up to his father's expectations but didn't know how.

His father was sophisticated, yet as conventional as the sands in the desert. Everything down to his spoon had to have its own history, "For what would man be without his past?" was his father's favorite rhetorics whenever he explained the importance of history

The grass on the lawn was mowed to perfection, it made his feet ache for the satisfaction of kicking footballs around. The fountain ever beautiful, the sculpture of a little babe in the hands of its mother always aroused his curiosity, though he never asked his father why he had chosen that.
The flowers were trimmed to perfection, he was amused by how fond he was of the thwack sound of the shears whenever the gardener decided the flowers needed pruning. He almost anticipated overgrowth so that the kiss of the metal would tell the flowers where to stop,his mother had also told him the same.

Thoughts of his mother still lingered in his mind, she was always gracious and kind, beautiful yet so spontaneous in many ways. She was like the breeze, ever wistful, ever changing. Michael laughed at the odd comparison he had come to terms with, his mother wind, his father sand, maybe air and earth was more suitable.

"Oga we Don reach"

Ebere's rough voice dragged him out of his momentary trance. Michael rubbed his palm together, exhaled deeply before opening the door.
The two men stepped into the garage but Michael was hesitant to move into the house.

"Oga no worry I go keep am for your room"

The young man stated as Michael seemed hesitant to move. He rubbed his brows and tapped on the car, earning him a a quizzical look from the then confused Ebere.
Michael suddenly became aware of the strange way with which Ebere stared at him and placed his hands in his pockets

"Ummm, yeah, right! Of course. Just lead the way, I'll be there in a jiffy"
He blurted out hoping to salvage the awkward situation.

"Make I drop this one for your room, I go just come back sharp sharp, carry the other one"

He flashed Ebere a somewhat nervous smile and the young man was out of his sight. Uncle Paul had always been the one he could relate to after his mother's passing.

He paced around in the garage, trying to force hurtful memories out of his head. But how could he? Every part of the house reminded him of the woman whom he loved dearly, a woman who was betrayed by the man who was also at the verge of doing the same to him.

The thought of his own father relinquishing all his wealth to a "little wench" as Uncle Paul had put it, irked him to his toes and gave him the confidence to waltz out of the garage with what remained of his luggage.
He knew no one was expecting him, that was to his own advantage. Surprising the so called tramp would give him an edge on his deviously developed plan of how to rid his father of her.