Richard's car pulled over at his garage. Junior and I came out but Richard came to Junior's side and carried him. Richard was just too caring. I must have been a grate father to his late son. I thought to myself. As soon as the door of the house opened I got the shock of my life and I couldn't help but cry. Everywhere was decorated with balloons of different sizes and shapes. And different write ups were pasted on the wall.
Junior's room was superb. And he seem to love it at first sight. He was still very weak and vulnerable.
But there was something I wasn't comfortable with. It was the part that Richard forbade me from telling his mother about Junior's stay at his chambers. I asked why but he told me to just obey.
Shortly after, the Queen mother travelled outside the country for a that was to last for a period of six months. Within this period, with Richard's help, I got admission into an open university that required that the fees that covers my study till I graduate be paid at once.
Surprisingly, Richard paid in no time.
Everything seemed to be going fine. Although I felt Richard was being over possessive of Junior. He even called Junior 'Raymond' for reasons best known to him. My attempt to correct him always lead to furious reaction from him. At a point I felt he was misrepresenting me to my son. He made it looked as though I was a bad mother.
I was happy junior had a father figure in his life but it was as if he was losing a mother to gain a father. I knew I needed to do something fast else my son would grow to hate me as his mother.
***** ****** *****
'Amanda, I'll be travelling for two days. Make sure you take care of Raymond. I'll take him on vacation when I come back.
'Richard, you have done so much for us already, and may God bless you but...
'Amanda!! How many times have I told you that I work so hard for Raymond. He's all I have got. I'm not complaining, he's my responsibility.
With that he stormed out of the house.
I just stood there with my mouth a gap. What's going on. He treated me differently since junior whom he calls Raymond came back from hospital. He refers to junior as his responsibility as though he was his biological father. The whole thing was so confusing. Everyone seems to be comfortable with this turn of event. Even the Queen mother I felt would react and speak some sense into him said nothing. But there was this unspoken fear in the air among the royal family.
I decided to use this two days to unravel this mystery. First I visited the hospital and tried to get some information from the friendly nurse. But she was not ready to open up further. I went home more confused.
The following day, as I walked to Junior's room, my mind was clouded with so many thoughts. Richard would be back today and I was yet to find a clue as to why he was behaving so strangely towards Junior and more hatefully towards me.
Oh! The door was slightly opened. Yes, the door to the forbidden room. Ha! I call it forbidden room because that was what Richard called it. I remember how sternly he warned me the day I tried opening it to clean it. He was so furious that day. He warned me never to go near the room.
I decided to walk pass the door but something inside me propelled me to close the door else Richard might just kill me today when he finds it opened thinking that I disobeyed his orders. So I moved towards the door to close it. From the side that the door was slightly opened from, I could see through into the room. It was a beautifully decorated room just like Junior's present room. I became curious by the sight that I decided to go in.
The walls were the same color as in Junior's. The fine posters of footballers. The musical instruments of piano, guitar and trumpet. Were also the same. I remembered vividly how I told Richard that junior wouldn't be needing any of these musical instruments yet as he does not know how to play any of those. But he replied with so much disgust 'Ana, you should be ashamed of yourself that you don't even know your son. Raymond has been taking classes on music!' With that he left me startled again.
It was beginning to make sense now. Richard was mistaking junior with someone else. But who was this person?
I decided to search the room for some clues. I opened the glass wardrobe and saw an album. When I opened it I saw photos of Richard, a little boy that looked so much like him and a very beautiful fair complexioned lady with the most charming gap teeth I have ever seen. They all looked happy in the photo. I flipped further until I came to a photo of the same happy and handsome boy with the inscription ''RIP Raymond''. The album immediately fell of my hand. My legs were shaking and I lost balance and fell to the ground. My left hand touched a switch and immediately something like a radio started playing. ''Hi daddy, it's me Raymond, please Come get me. I love you daddy.''
I jumped up like one who has just seen a ghost and ran out of the room. And yes. I think I just saw one.
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