Broken | ✓

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: CROSSED

Jide

I came downstairs to get a cup of water but I was greeted by the sight of my father with a pack of cigarette and a lighter standing before the huge painting of my mother in the living room.

"don't smoke here, take your shit outside" I commanded.

That was the first time I was addressing him since he arrived. I wanted to chase him out of my house the night he came but I remembered I was doing this for Ay.

I hadn't been sleeping well since he came, nightmares from the night he pushed my mother off the stairs kept haunting me. My brain still remembered clearly everything that went down that night.

Fifteen years ago

My father came back home late as usual, only that this time he wasn't really reeking of alcohol. He had been drinking but not too much. He was sober. My mother who had been waiting for his arrival got angry when he walked past her without uttering a word. My mother was fed up with my father's deeds, it was obvious that her patience was running out.

"Tayo where are you coming from?" she confronted.

He ignored her and ascended the stairs.

"Tayo I am talking to you" she followed.

"Tayo!" she called.

"Tayo" She dragged his phone out of his hand to get his attention. This action was met by a slap. My mother was prepared for him that night. There was a limit to what one woman can take and my mother had reached her limit. I wished she got there earlier.

"Tayo if you like beat me that's the worse you can do. If you like sef kill me but I am not leaving you till you answer my question. Where are you coming from?" she yelled.

He ignored her again and continued walking till he got to the top of the stairs where my mother stopped him.

I stood at the foot of the stairs watching the whole scenario play out.

"Tayo! I can't keep living like this. You have taken everything from me. My money, my happiness everything and I cannot allow you keep doing this so I am filing for a divorce" she announced.

"What did you just say?" my father finally replied.

"you heard me right Tayo. I am filing for a divorce and I am taking back every single penny you have taken from me and I am going to resume work at that company we co own" she emphasized.

"Kehinde you will do no such thing" he roared.

"watch me" she hissed and was walking when my father grabbed her by the neck choking her.

"let her go" I ran upstairs to save my mother but he was stronger than both of us. He pushed me away and I hit my head which earned me a small cut on my forehead. My mother seeing this got agitated and bit his hands running to my side. My father caught her by the hair.

"Tayo let me go" she punched his stomach, my father staggered back.
She was going in for another punch but my father recovered too quickly. He pushed her off the stairs. She rolled off and hit her head hard and instantly blood started gushing out. I ran down.

"mummy" I cried, clutching her head to my chest.

"she is bleeding, we need to take her to the hospital" I said to my father who was still at the top of the stairs.

"can't you hear me? She is dying we need to take her to the hospital" I shouted.

He stood there in silence watching me and time was running out. Ay was far away in London for college, I couldn't call him but I could call Aunty Taiye. So I reached for my mother's phone with my blood stained trembling hands to dial Aunty Taiye's number but the phone was yanked out of my hand by my father.