Scandal of Grace

35

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

A great storm is like a sunny day to a person of great faith. A gentle wind is like a great storm to a person of great fear.
- Matshona Dhliwayo

*Listen to Hero by Mariah Carey and/or Never alone by BalowGirl for this chapter!*

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I took my time dipping the sponge into the soapy water and scrubbing the plates, ensuring to get off all the food stuck on each of them.

"You don't know what I and Joy have been through. Honestly." Gladness perked up beside me. He was rinsing the plates and arranging them into the dish dryer hung above the sink. He got here few minutes ago and had offered to help with the dishes.

Claudia was surely not forgiving me anytime soon. And I was headstrong about going to her place to apologise again. She did not know that my issues were too important to be spilled without caution.

Church was the only place we met and only shared Hi's whenever our paths crossed. I did not think much about it.

Stephen and Jeremiah even tried to ask us individually what happened between us, I personally told them not to bother about it. Stephen said Claudia just glared at them and they knew to back out.

With the way Jeremy pulled me in for a tight compassionate hug the day after Claudia angrily left, I knew instantly that Claudia told him what she found out already. "Don't worry. Claudia would come around." He had assured me. That was almost a month now. School would resume in a week time.

I glanced at Gladness briefly before returning to the plates and exhaling. "Tell me about it." I said.

"Grace, I and Joy were diagnosed with Ulcer at the ages of eight. Aunty's family did not have enough to cater for us." He blurted and peered at me with his dark brown eyes.

I did not want to believe that  the last part. Our birth parents surely left some reasonable number of properties.

"Uncle Salami took all of it, the two houses, the shops, and the cars. He sold them all. Aunty called him but he would not pick her calls." He explained, answering my thoughts.

I did not know how to reply. But then, he continued speaking. "So, when I was ten, I started going with Aunty's husband to some bricklaying jobs so as to bring in more money, as little as it could be. We needed it all. His salary in the force and Aunty's gain from her provision trade were barely enough to cater for a couple with their three kids and two orphans.

"We moved to Lagos two years ago when Aunty's husband got a promotional transfer. Uncle Salami made a fuss about letting Joy stay with him so Aunty left her with him.

“Then, I started having sleepless nights and nightmares that left me awake till daybreak. The next day would end up being a disaster because of headaches and terrible mood swings.

"The doctor at the hospital we visited prescribed me sleeping pills. They were quite expensive but thankfully they could afford it by then. Aunty's business got better because of the demand level here in Lagos and her husband's pay increased. I have been on the drugs for a year now.”

"You are strong, buddy. And I'm so proud of you."

"You were lucky." He said instead. I shook my head.

You think that...

"I know you went through your fair amount of bad days too." He quipped, not rinsing the plates anymore, I noticed. His hands gripped the edge of the sink so tight.

"Did he..." Gladness started but could not get the words out. I stared at him and read his eyes. His eyes held some dark shadows behind them as if he was running from something.

Did he rape you? His eyes questioned.

I looked down.

Yes, he did.

I was going to cry again if I said that out loud. I did not but he got the message. He punched the wall and I jumped. His knuckles would bruise but he could not bother about the hurt it might cause later. He was too overwhelmed to care about that sort of physical pain.

I held his shoulder and forced him to look at me. " I'm here okay?" His features were hard. "Okay?" I pushed again, when he was not answering. Slowly but eventually, he nodded and softened under my touch.

"Good." I dropped my hands and returned to the plates. "Now, let's finish what we started."

That was how we dropped the topic and without words, agreed to face the present and future. It was going to be better than mopping around and crying over spilled milk.

I have God now. I reminded myself. Though he was invisible, I trusted the unseen.

"What about the report from Mr. Collins?" Gladness asked as he sat down on the sofa in our sitting room and I roamed through the CDs in the wall cabinet to find us something to watch.

The inspector had found Joy about two weeks ago and that she looked okay. Since then, he just observed her from a distance and gave us reports of any weird behavior. She had none, other than that she was a hesitant girl and seemed to have no friends.

"I've not heard anything today. Maybe when Mummy and Daddy gets back, they'd have something."

He nodded.

"I have not told anyone."

"What?"

"That we are siblings."

And that you were adopted.

I could hear that in his brief silence but he did not say it out loud. We sort of had a connection and spoke with our hearts, especially when it might hurt the other person. No doubt, he was my brother.

“Even my aunt, she believed you were dead and I won't tell her anything unless you are ready." He promised.

I put a stop to my movements and smiled up at him. "Thank you."

I could feel God's breathe fanning my ear, patting my back and telling me I was never alone in this.

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Stay Blessed,
Dassah.
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