Blood is thicker than water, but to Alex, blood had once been thicker. Now the old saying was nothing more than an idiotic tale. There once was a time when he was truly happy, when Zika had been happy, when their family was whole. A time before the darkness- a darkness his father, Gabe Rajis had inconsiderately brought upon them.
The age of thirteen always left a sour taste in his mouth and his heart. The year everything had shattered. He remembered it all too vividly; the rain of insults poured on his precious mother, the drunken state of Gabe each night. He too had a role as his father faced him whenever he had been around his mother on nights when said father returned home reeking of alcohol. Zika had been seven and unaware of the crack that kept increasing in her family's bond.
Not to mention the other woman, Yetunde, with her Yoruba ways and charms. She had been pretty no doubt, but his father had been an utter fool to bring his shame into the family, insulting the mother of his children further by giving the stranger authority over her. And that had only been the beginning of their ill fate. For as good hearted and Christian natured and timid as Elle had been, a threat to termination of the marriage had done all but set Gabe straight. It had done quite the damage as he had packed their bags a day when Elle had been at work and Alex and little Zika had been at school.
Taking his family to a wretched apartment far away from the urban area where they originally resided had been the final blow for Alex. The dreaded night of 2002 failed to leave his memory no matter how deep he buried the past. He remembered Zika repeatedly asking for daddy and asking when they would go home. He also remembered the tears that gathered at the edges of his mother's eyes and the change in her tone each time she lied through her fake smile to little Zika who had no idea of what happened around her.
He still remembered the words of encouragement told by his mother, "this is only temporary. We would be home by the end of the month", not daring to say end of the week because she would not dare to believe her own self. Alas, months turned to years. And within those years, Alex had seen life at it's worst. Within those years, they had been pulled out of private schools due to their unrealistic costs and put in federal schools that seemed cheaper and still offered the same level of teaching as the private ones. His mother's pretty face had started to embrace wrinkles from tears she shed for the better part of the first year of the plague and the stress of catering for the children and herself with the little salary she earned that vanished in a twinkle of an eye when she was done clearing the bills. And on days when they had nothing to eat and she panicked, Alex and Zika had comforted her, telling her everything would be fine. A few days without eating would not kill them. She had been grateful for that little act that seemed like a great deal.
After their father's abandonment, it had been three of them against the world; him, Zika and mummy. There were sleepless nights, bad days when the rent could not be paid on time, there had been insults that marred their image, there had been times when he stayed up late, on the old uncomfortable couch, listening to the quiet sobs coming from the sole bedroom his mother and sister occupied. Not that Zika in her deep sleep could decipher what went on around her. She had been a child after all. But he heard the sobs, felt the pain as well. And said pain lurked in the shadows, taunting his family and turning his heart to stone towards his father.
Pain did not seem to take joy in lessening their yoke. Especially when Zika's sinusitis left it's ugly mark. She had fallen victim due to the clogging of her nasal when she over cried. With her new development, more bills came up. It had been a strong miracle that Elle had not given into high blood pressure. Alex on one had had been her rock, but her son had become withdrawn; not necessarily getting into fights, he had been a loner, but punching walls till his knuckles bled had been some sort of solace to him. She had spent hours cleaning cuts and forcing his sad eyes to meet hers, encouraging herself by encouraging him.
Elle had studied law, but had never considered practicing because she had married a year after obtaining her masters to a dignified home and a dignified man, not thinking that everything would one day head south. Her husband had made promises to take care of his family; no wife of his would undergo stress. He had not been a believer of the old saying that a woman was made only for the kitchen and the home. He had been a fan of her passion for the legal profession. Or so she thought. When at last she begun practicing her profession, working as a legal assistant in the same chambers as her husband, still learning, everything had been bright and colourful, till the other woman surfaced; till she realised how wrong she had been about her husband.
Four years on, Alex had been prepared for his final examination in secondary school. But raising the money to pay for the examinations had been a battle for the family. When he had considered giving up on the exam to learn trade, his mother had scolded him with words he dare not forget, "Tarnish the idea. I would rather starve to death than to let any of my children grow uneducated. If others can afford to write the examination, why can't we?"
His results had been remarkable. Things had started to look up for them. Elle had scored deals brought in money to take them through school as well as relocate to a conducive environment, Zika on the other hand had passed through secondary school on fully funded scholarship which had eased part of their burden.
When a relative, a cousin of Elle had found out about her predicament, he had gone mad and rained insults on her husband. Custom demanded that the bride prize be returned in order to release Elle from the shackles of a destroyed union. And so it was.
Whatever happened at the meeting, including the settlement of the issue was not discussed with the children. However the light returned to Elle's eyes. There was hope.
The relative had helped in building her career. Her name had travelled far and wide. There had been conferences and assizes she attended and some she headed.
As the closest relative to her dying cousin, the law firm had been passed unto her in his will.
Alex, however, endeared by his mother's story and struggle, had taken a passion for the legal method. His mother's writings on judgement fascinated him at his young age. Thus he settled for law at the university.
Things took a turn in his third year at the university, when he turned twenty. His father returned. It had been no coincidence to Alex. He had believed - still believes, that the conniving man, his father, knew exactly his motives for the family, right when Elle had made a name for herself, dragging her children out of the firm grip of poverty as if in a game of tug of war.
Gabe had appeared on their doorstep on a fateful day, with a bouquet of artificial flowers. Alex had unleashed over due insults and venom and mockery. Gabe had done the least expected; falling at Elle's feet in tears, pleading; a pathetic beggar.
Gabe's sudden repentance had seemed like a great act to Alex, the soap of the year. He hadn't been surprised at his father's turn up, had anticipated it even. But his mother's tender nature towards Gabe had riled him, not that he could do much. It was her decision to make. Left to him, however, slamming the door in his face would have been a rather tender punishment for what he had had in mind for the daring Gabe.
Gabe had been on his best behaviour, ensuring Alex's taunts and disrespect. If it angered him, he hid it well. "Always in character, you deserve a Grammys award" Alex had never failed in dropping the comment. It had been as though both mother and daughter had been blinded by Gabe's charms, unaware of his ulterior motives- if at all he had any. Alex could never let his guard down around the cunt.
Alex had warned a million and one times, Zika, cautious but forgiving and their mother, who claimed to be on her toes had once again, started to fall into Gabe's alluring abyss.
Hell was finally let loose six months on, when the vows of Elle and Gabe had been renewed. Alex had protested till the last day. And as the vows were recited on the lawns of their home, he had drowned himself in his sorrows, far away from the few guests present at the occasion, in a bottle of Mount Gay and whiskey.
His bad habits had come from his frustration, anger and hate. It had been as if he had lost everything all over, knowing his father had his mother wrapped around his ugly fingers.
The drinking and womanizing had been his own way of rebellion. He found some worth of solace in the booze, getting high without a care in the world. It helped him forget his predicament. The women were his trophies. For he could not be rid of the name that plagued him, Rajis, flaunting women has been his way of casting the name down, not minding the questions and gossip and disgrace it brought, for the family, due to the ranks of both parents, was held in high regard. This did little to curb Alex's behaviour. Surprisingly, his grades had never dropped. He retained a remarkable school record irrespective of his horrendous alter ego.
His background, societal as well as academic status had made him the object of infatuation and lust to women of his age, single and married women of the same status. Not that he would complain when he was the one in control. But it was his formidable and unethically handsome nature that crowned it all. Who didn't squeal at the name, Alex Rajis?
When Gabe had felt he had regained control of his family once again, he resumed his duties as a father. In reality he had just found the voice to showcase his new found authority. Alex, however, had given him quite the headache as he received complaints from fathers especially. Shouting had never been enough, not that he could hit the boy anyway. They had never been each other's favourite person.
Graduating from school had done little to help in Alex's behaviour. He was out of character; a wayward prince. Everything had escalated from bad to ultra horrendous.
Shipping an unwilling Alex off to France had been they resolved to, with the excuse of sending him abroad to further his studies and gain his Masters degree. Of course, Alex had casted the idea aside. There was no way he would yield to Rajis, nor his mother. They exchanged words for days. He had been flabbergasted by his mother's approval to the trip. However, it had been the lovely Zika who had pleaded and gotten through to the hot headed Alex.