Traffic flow on the third mainland bridge heading from the Lagos mainland to Victoria Island on this particular hot afternoon was free. The sedan made its way smoothly forward, amongst other vehicles. It's speed was moderate within the middle lane. Inside the car, the air conditioner was chilling despite the hot atmosphere outside. The driver was handling the steering well but Chisom wasn't relaxed at the back seat. She kept shifting her sitting position, crossing and uncrossing her elegant legs. She stared out of the car window pensively with mini beads of sweat on her face and neck, for a while. She brought back her gaze to the complimentary card in her hands and stared hard at it thoughtfully,
'I can't believe I'm actually on my way to see him, after all these years and all that happened. How do I face him? How do I look into his stone cold eyes?' She sighed. 'I hate him…I hate him with every fibre of my being!' She Rolled her eyes. 'Mother, what have you done?'
Chisom frowned and looked out of the window again, staring blankly at the street of Victoria Island as the driver navigated the car around the neighbourhood. Her mind and sight went two months backwards; when she hurried inside the hospital room with her uncle Chike, who had come to pick her up from the airport, after giving her that horrible news of her mother's health condition a day before. She had booked the next available flight from London to Lagos right away. Her mother's frail state horrified her at first sight and she could only hold on to fate.
"Mother! Mother!!" Chisom cried out as she rushed to the hospital bed, where her mother, Chinyere lay lifelesly. She sat and peered into her mother's face.
Chike went to the doctor and queried. "Doctor, how is she doing now?"
The doctor was instructing and handing a file to a nurse when the two rushed in. He replied, "She's a bit stable for now." He went to Chisom.
"young lady, I understand you are her daughter in the UK. She's been demanding to see you since she was brought in. Welcome home!"
Chisom nodded.
He continued, "I suggest you let her rest now! We've just managed to bring down her blood pressure, and a good sleep will stabilise her. You can always come back to see her after she's had some good sleep!"
Chinyere muttered, "No doctor, let her stay! I need to talk to my child now!"
Chisom clutched Chinyere's palm gently, "Mother, I'm here! I'm not going anywhere, okay?" She looked up pleading to the doctor,
"Give us a few minutes, it's fine!"
Doctor stared hesitantly from daughter to mother and then resigned, "Okay! But please, don't get her agitated!"
Chisom smiled at the doctor, "I won't. Thank you!"
The doctor turned around, signalled to the nurse and both of them left the room. Chike followed behind.
Chisom still smiling, "Mother, it's fine! I'm here now, everything is going to be okay. I will take very good care of you!"
Chinyere smiling weakly said, "Chim, it's good to see you finally…I've been waiting for you to come.'' She gasped.
Chisom caressed Chinyere's hand which she's been holding tightly to since she sat close to her. She studied her mother's face with a bit of worry. "I will take you to London with me! I will take you to the best doctors in the world, you will be fine!" She reached out and kissed her cheek. "You need to take some sleep now ma! When you wake up we will talk more and make travelling plans! You are coming with me back to London!"
Chinyere smiled again at Chisom while summoning strength to speak, "I'm happy with all your progress…you are grown up and now equipped to live a good life and have it better than I did…Now my job is done here on earth, I will die happily.."
Chisom placed a finger on her lips, "hush! Don't say that mother! Don't ever say that again! You have to live and you have to be strong. There's so much for you to live for. I've completed my studies and have just been offered a very good job. This is what you've always been praying for, isn't it? This is time for you to live and enjoy the fruit of your hard labour!"
Chinyere cut in, "My reward is in heaven nwam!" She gasped again, "I have fought the good fight and I....."
Chisom interrupted her, "What are you saying mother? Don't do this please!" She starts to sob. "Don't die on me now…you know I can't live without you…what is the essence of all your fights …all your sacrifices if you can't at least survive this and have a better life with me here on this earth?" Chisom sobbed and shook her head, "No mother, you can't possibly leave me alone now.. how do you expect me to carry on?"
Chinyere struggled to speak clearer, "You have your father..go to him now! It's time to go to him!"
Chisom is shocked. She got off the bed while her eyes bulged out, "Why are you saying all these now? How can you be telling me to go to him? No!" She shook her head frantically. "I will not go to him! I swore never to set my eyes on him…I swore never to have anything to do with him.. " Chisom sobbed and knelt beside the bed clutching Chinyere's hand again. "Please mother, don't do this! Don't destroy everything you laboured for! Don't leave me now ... .don't push me to him…don't abandon me! …" She cried bitterly.
"Chisom!" Chinyere called out faintly, "My child, there's a time to hate and a time to love! A time to live and a time to die! My dear, I'm your mother and I cant mislead you! I'm not leaving you, I will never leave you, I'll be with you always, you don't need to be afraid! I promise to always watch over you but you have to promise me one thing! Go to your father and reconcile with him!" She watched Chisom while she shed tears. She muttered, "Promise me my child so that I can move on in peace!" Chinyere's breathing suddenly became laboured.
Chisom glared at her as she panicked. "Mother it's hard… I can't go to him…. I have to go get the doctor in here!" She stood up and headed for the door.
Chinyere demanded breathlessly, "Give me your words now! I don't have much time again." She gasped. "I'v only been hanging on waiting for you to come!" She starts to cough. She reached her frail hand under her pillow and brought out a complimentary card, "Take this…it will lead you to your father! She coughed breathlessly.
Chisom started to cry helplessly. She took the card from her and knelt down again, "I will go to him…I promise you mother, I will go to my father!"
Chinyere smiled and then coughed hard and harder until she breathed her last breath. Chisom got up and hugged her tight. She wailed and mourned.
Tears rolled down her eyes as she pulled herself back to the present. Just then, the driver pulled over before a tall building and announced, "We have arrived, Miss!" Chisom took out a handkerchief from her purse and dabbed her face. She adjusted her hair and clothes before opening the cab door to alight. She headed to the entrance of the building while the sedan cab drove off.
The skyscraper, owned by Chief Amadi and used as his head office, sat majestically on a six thousand square metres size of land at the busiest street of Victoria Island. The edifice basked in a magnificent design that defiled the test of time. Chisom wasn't intimidated by the stylish and lavished display of luxury when she walked into the large waiting area tagged 'RECEPTION'. With her head held high, she walked up to the girl behind a big marble desk. She sounded polished and polite while addressing the girl. "Hello! I'm here to see Chief Amadi. Could you please let him know Chisom is here to see him?"
The receptionist glanced at her through rimmed glasses. "Do you have an appointment?"
Chisom said, "No!"
The girl took a second glance at her. She was about to say something but closed her mouth. She tried again. "What is your full name please?"
Chisom answered patiently, "Chisom! Just Chisom! I'm sure if you tell him that, he will know who I am."
The receptionist studied Chisom critically this time, and when finally satisfied with her physical assessment, she uttered, "Okay!" and picked up the intercom on her desk. She spoke, "Please sir, there's a lady here who wants to see you. Her name is Chisom." She listened briefly, "Okay sir!" She got off her seat and addressed Chisom, "Come with me, I will take you to his office!" She stepped out behind the desk and walked towards an elevator. Chisom followed her without a visible expression.
Chief Amadi paced around his big luxurious office thoughtfully. At sixty-nine, he looked unquestionably wealthy but on a closer look, one could notice some 'wear and tear' of life on him. He appeared a bit jittery as he pulled out a drawer at his desk, took out a bottle of pills, opened it and put a tab in his mouth. He picked up a glass of water and gulped down. He tried to calm down his rioting nerves and in split seconds, the office door opened and Chisom walked inside. Chief Amadi froze at his feet and stared at her with a gaped mouth. Chisom stood before him, calm and calculated.
Chief Amadi recovered his manners and starmared, "Chisom, it's good to see you! My God! You are fully grown now and as pretty as your…. you are a carbon copy of your mother..... Please, come, come take a seat!"
He pulled out a chair before his desk, Chisom walked to it and sat down.
Chief Amadi took his own seat and sighed. "I heard of your mother's death. I'm so sorry! How are you coping without her?"
Chisom answered, "I'm coping quite well!"
Chief Amadi looking uncomfortably around his office, "what..what do I offer you? Tea, coffee or juice?"
Chisom replied curtly. "Nothing, thank you sir!"
Chief Amadi looked around again nervously, "I would have come to your mother's burial....I should have but..... I've been wanting to see you and planning to find you but fatefully, here you are!"
Chisom, still without a reaction, said, "I'm only here because it was my mother's dying wish that I should come!" She frowns, "Truthfully, it's no interest of mine to come!"
Chief Amadi smiled, "That was a good wish and your mother was always good at doing the right things at the right time."
Chisom losing her cool said, "If you think this highly of her, may I ask you sir, why were you so cruel to her? What did she do to you?"
"My dear, I've asked myself this very question several times and I couldn't come up with an answer. Honestly, she didn't wrong me."
Chief Amadi answered and stood up. He walked around his office like he was really searching for something, "I don't know what came over me, I jilted her and treated her so inhumanly."
Chisom snapped, completely loosing it, "Unacceptable! That's not good enough! Try again! I need some explanations! You can't tell me she did nothing to you!" She howled at him.
"A man doesn't just wake up one day, rejects his new born innocent child, jilts its mother and wishes it away! I've come here today, to look into your cold eyes and ask you; what was my mother's crime? You must tell me what went wrong and why you were so callous to us! You owe it to me!"
Chief Amadi, slightly shaking, mumbled, "I know what you feel. I know you detest me. I feel the same, I detest myself but I've told you the truth here, she did nothing to me." He paused and stuttered, "I …I did very terrible things to you and your mother in the past. I….I regret everything now and I…I don't even know how to begin to ask you for a little compassion."
Chisom spat out fiercely, "Then don't, because you don't deserve any! All you deserve now is to die! She glared at him with fire in her eyes. "You have to pay for your sins; for breaking my mother's heart and for sending her to an early grave!"
Chief Amadi went to her and knelt down. "Please my daughter, don't be…"
Chisom howled again, "Daughter? Did you say daughter? Oh! Am I suddenly your daughter after twenty nine years?" She moved away from him while he covered his face in shame still on his knees, "I will never be your daughter! You're not my father!! I have no father!!!" She started to cry. Chief Amadi cried too.
Chief Amadi got up and went back to her. She turned her back to him. He pleaded, "Please my dear, don't be so hard on me! Life has been full of regrets, pain, and anguish. I...
Chisom interrupted him, "Please don't talk about pain because you absolutely don't know what pain is all about!" She laughed hysterically and asked, "What could you possibly know about pain? You in your mansion with all the comforts of this world?" She turned to face him, "Have you ever gone to bed with an empty stomach? Have you ever slept in a house with the roof leaking water all over you while you slept? Have you ever been sick, so delirious with fever and couldn't afford an aspirin?" She turned wild with anger. "Did you have to hawk at early morning hours and late evenings just to be in a classroom? Have you stood and watched the only thing you have, the only one you have being snatched away by death?" She smiled strangely, "No, you definitely do not know about pain and how tormenting and excruciating it can be!" She started to sob again.
Chief Amadi knelt down again, devastated. "Please my dear, I know you're hurting! What I did to you and your mother was cruel and heartless and I've been full of regre! Shame didn't allow me to find her and ask for her forgiveness! The guilt is killing me and your mother's death is haunting me! Please, don't let the hate you have for me ruin you and destroy all you have achieved in life. Please, find a little place in your heart to forgive me! Please, for your mother's sake, so that her spirit would rest in peace! Please!!!"
Chisom tried to walk away but he held on to her legs and continued to plead for forgiveness. She cried and he cried too.