The presidential convoy drove deeper in rural areas hundreds of miles a way from the capital city. It had been over three hours of driving but the distance hadn't been covered yet.
After playing and laughing together happily, Anna had served them tea regardless of their hesitation saying that they had taken breakfast already. Debby had sent for Fiona and had asked her to call her husband to inform him about the program at hand. Debby had talked to him herself asking him to let her borrow his wife for a moment and the guy had agreed with no hesitation.
Liam and Anna had walked the two couples to the convoy. Fiona and Paul sat separately from Debby and Lewis. Anna wished them luck as they set off.
Paul held Fiona's hand in his, "When were you planning on going back home?"
"I had no idea but I was hoping to ask mom to bring Paulina with her next week." Fiona answered rubbing her thumb on his fingers, looking outside the window.
"She was planning to come?"
"Yeah, but now I have nothing to do with her."
Paul said nothing else, he snaked his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer, he didn't want her to overthink so he started telling her random funny stories and showing her funny videos on his phone as she also showed him the videos she had downloaded for the past few days she had gotten the smartphone. The rest of the journey was less tiresome and boring.
They finally reached their destination at noon. One of the military vehicles had went ahead to secure the premises and to make sure that the two families were gathered together.
Fiona and Paul got out first to see almost the whole village gathering at Fiona's parent's home. Everybody seemed to be extremely shocked to see the couple together and the highly honourable person they had come with.
But, all that didn't matter to Fiona at the moment. She would've boasted about looking extremely good and befriending elites but seeing her parents looking happy to see them ignited fury of the highest degree. She saw her mom come with open arms towards her and she halted in her steps.
"You did it my girl" Fiona's mom said, "See all this glory you brought to us. I'm so proud of you my lovely daughter"
Fiona's mom said all that doing little dances and screaming in joy. She made to hug Fiona but Fiona shoved her harshly that she fought hard not to fall on her butt. All villagers gasped in shock to Fiona's rudeness and disrespect towards her mother. In there community, nobody dared glare to a parent regardless of their mistakes much less, shove them?
"Where is my daughter?" Fiona asked furiously, her eyes turning red and her nostrils flaring up in anger.
Her mom froze in place, all the happiness she had been with vanished in the air at the mention of Paulina.
"Where is Blessing? Is that hard to answer? I can see all your lovely children here but where is mine? Where is my child?" Fiona asked raising her voice higher. Debby who had neared closer to her started patting her back to calm her down.
"Where is the girl?" Debby asked the middle aged man who seemed to be Fiona's dad judging by the looks. Her voice was calm but full of authority and power.
"She took her to her sister" The guy said pointing at his wife accusingly.
"What sister? She's got many" Fiona yelled at her dad.
"Florence" Her dad said.
As a person who knew where the lady resided, Fiona started walking wordlessly towards the place but it was in the next village after this one so it would take several minutes to reach.
Paul excused himself to Debby and Lewis to follow her but Debby ordered one of the military vehicles to take them both to save time. Paul helped Fiona get in the car when they reached her and drove for like three minutes to get to the place.
Fiona hopped off the car immediately and started walking towards the small old house's entrance when she saw her baby washing dishes near a thatched roof worn out kitchen standing in a midday scorching
sunshine alone while others were eating inside the house with there mother___before they saw the car.
Her knees weakened that she had to first remove the heels to stand still. Her heart ached painfully seeing her pitiful daughter. She was only wearing brownish dirtiest skirt that seemed to be white originally, with no blouse and no shoes. Her protruding stomach full of dirt that looked like another layer of skin. Her sad eyes stared back at Fiona.
Fiona burst out crying and wailing loudly as a person whose loved one just died. She walked near her and knelt before her but the little girl seemed like she hadn't recognised her mother as she remained unmoving. Fiona wrapped her hands around her and wept. Paul who had picked up Fiona's heels, standing near the vehicle to let mom and daughter reunite blinked back his tears trying hard to act like a man. Even the soldiers witnessing everything kept shaking their heads sadly with soft facial expressions.
"She was actually going to shower and go for a..." Fiona's aunty said awkwardly trying to defend herself but was cut short by Fiona's hot slaps all-over her face.
"Your stupid older children are merrily dining with their impudent and foolish mother while my younger daughter is out here doing all your chores. Only four years old?" Fiona roared, "Naked and famished. Honestly why do you and your Godfosaken sister act like barren? As if you're wombs have never conceived?"
As if the anger she was feeling couldn't be expressed by mere words, she grabbed a fire wood besides the kitchen front to hit her aunt in the head but the soldiers grabbed the wood before it would reach the lady. Paul pulled her by the waist to calm her down but she shoved his arm away and carried Paulina up in her arms and went back inside the vehicle.
"I'm so sorry, mummy. I'm really really sorry" Fiona cried showering kisses allover Paulina's face. "Forgive me for delaying, I didn't know that these animals were abusing you."
Paul joined her and the driver started the car to head back but not before the soldiers threw Florence inside the car as well.
They found Debby and Lewis sitting on the chairs the soldiers had come with, asking Fiona's parents and Paul's parents something. Fiona got out like a mad woman holding Paulina and stormed towards her parents barefooted.
"Is this what you did to my child you witches?" Fiona asked looking at her mother, "What did I wrong you to purnish me like this? Did you perhaps pick me on the street? Because you can't be my biological mother to do this to your only grand child, your own flesh and blood. What kind of woman are you to treat my child poorly then later send her in slavery to your sister? Do I share your husband with you to have this much hatred on me, you greedy bitch....?"
"Fiona stop...." Her father tried to warn her for cussing her mother but it was like he had threw a stone in a beehive as she caught him midway.
"Come again, what did you say?" Fiona asked holding the back of her right ear, "Of all people here, I don't expect to hear the sound of your voice because you're the first person behind all my sufferings. You're so wicked and I will never forgive you all my life for ruining my destiny because of a wretched whore. You're voice is like a very sharp boomerang stabbing my fresh wounded heart...."
Debby stood up and took Paulina away from Fiona to let her speak her mind out.
"....you take all the money that is supposed to cater for your family to pay all your whore's family bills." Fiona said, "What kind of a man are you?"
"Even dogs are more responsible than them." Paul added which caused gasps from the crowd. "I wonder what's special about her that your wives aren't."
Paul said rolling his eyes at their male parents and their mistress in disgust. He came closer to Fiona and clasped her fingers with his.
"You thought you'd keep the truth forever? I got to know all your wickedness and I told her everything yesterday and now here we're to take our child who is nothing but a cuss to you that you can't stand." Paul paused, seeing his and Fiona's parents and siblings crying; even most of the elderly village people.
"Hypocrites!" He said looking at his dad, "What's making you sad now that has never made you compassionate about your granddaughter? I understand that everything you did and said five years ago was out of anger but even after seeing her in this lifeless body she's in and ill treatment her maternal grandmother is giving her everyday? What went wrong mom, how could you neglect my blood like your whore husband?"
His mother burst out crying loudly, "I'm so sorry, my son. Your dad blinded me with his lies and I compromised. Please forgive me my son...."
"Rubbish, are you Paulina to be blindfolded that you couldn't have mercy on my daughter even for once?" Paul asked fuming, "That's unnecessary now anyway, because it's too late for you. Just like you disowned my daughter, I stand before the heavens and earth, her highness the first daughter of our country and all the citizens of this village in my presence that I disown you as my parents and I cut all blood ties I share with you. And I swear upon my life and my child; Paulina that from today onwards, never will I ever step my feet in your home. You will never eat the fruits of my hands and never would you share on the abundant blessing the lord has blessed me with because to me, you're as good as dead."
Wails and sobs erupted his entire family including his siblings but Paul did not have compassion on them even for once.
"The same applies to me, wipe me out of your family books because non of you matters to me now, not even you who never tried to call me and tell me about my child's condition when you a hundred percent could." Fiona said looking at her teenage sisters with an evil smirk. "Oh! Perhaps you didn't want to associate with the failure who isn't like you who are moral and literate. But never would you forget that where I am coming from is where you're heading to. I pray that you don't become a disappointment and shame to your parents like I did."
"Go look for any nicer dress for Paulina inside the house as I bath her." Paul said and Fiona yielded immediately, he held his daughter from Debby and started bathing her in a nearby basin.
"Whew!" Debby said, "What should I do with you now because I can't let you go just like that for all this emotional damage you caused to your own children and grandchild. My boyfriend here urged me not to do anything to you yesterday but there's no way I won't purnish you after seeing Paulina's condition.