The three days that's followed were a blur with my mother
not leaving my side and my father not even going to work once, as much as I
loved it sometimes we could still feel the tension in the air. My father insisted upon having the family doctor come home to check me out and make sure
that nothing had been broken and I had no internal bleeding, he had made sure
to get the doctors report to add to the files that he was sending to the lawyer
for the court case.
Three days of endless ringing of my phone, time and
time again making even my calm younger sister Halimat became irate at the ringing
of the phone and seeing the same name calling me over and over even sending
endless WhatsApp messages, iMessages and even mails trying to contact me and
get me to talk to him. I didn't want to talk to him and didn't wish to ever see
his face again, for as long as was humanly possible.
"You shouldn't be handling a flower that way my love"
my mother said before stepping closer to my father trying to get him to do it
right, my father had been gardening along side my mother for almost three
decades and he couldn't still garden right.
"Dad, you've been doing this for how many years"
Halimat asked him, shaking her head while laughing at the concentration my father had
as my mother pointed out what to do to him for what must've being the
thousandth time.
"Better mind your own, iwo Omoyi, see your own sand
pouring out of the sack" he said laughing at Halimat as she had abandoned her
little sack while laughing at him causing the sand to start pouring out of it.
"Mommy… see what daddy did to my sac!"
"Daddy didn't do anything o…" I said after her and she
gave me a sharp stern but playful look as if asking me why I'd turn on her that way and I laughed at them.
"Oya… everybody… out… You people have started
turning it to play. Even you my love" mother said playfully hitting my dad over
the head with her gloved hand and he laughed grabbing her hand into his before drawing her closer for a small kiss on the lips.
"Me? Isn't it your kids that are playing not me. I am attentive to what my love is saying" daddy said and I watch his free hand reach for the
hose as he sprayed my mom with the water coming from the hose causing her to
shriek loudly as she ran away from him.
"Honey!!!" She shouted making myself and Halimat
laugh just as he turned the hose on us and sprayed us too with the water from
the house making us all laugh and run out of the green house shouting loudly
for him to stop but he wasn't having it.
He laughed loudly as he ran after us just as the
length of the hose came to hand end and the water couldn't reach us anymore
where we stood.
"Haaa! Damn!" He exclaimed loudly when he noticed it
had come to an end and we laughed harder as he dropped the hose and turned off
the tap before walking to where we stood. He held my mother's waist and my hand
while I held Halimat's hand and we began to walk towards the side of the house
when an engine roaring brought us to look at the front of the house.
"Who's that?" Daddy asked releasing my hand and we all
walked to the front of the house and that's when I saw the car before he even
stepped out I knew it was him and that had come to my house. I thought he'd have come sooner seeing as he was always attention hungry and couldn't stand me not fawning over him for long.
When he stepped out, he looked miserable almost a
shell of the self he had being three days ago. The light stubble on his check
and face was an indication that he hadn't shaved at least for three days, he
looked shabby and tired.
"Sir… please I am sorry I didn't mean any of it" he
said immediately he came down from the car and sighted my father standing at
the front of the house with wet clothes but the anger in his stance was clear.
"Who opened the gate for you? What are you looking for
in my house?" Dad's voice was quiet but his body recked with anger as he looked
at him, Dad is usually able to stay clam in most situations but I guess seeing Ola on his land wasn't one to be calm about.
"Sir please, I came to beg you… I am very sorry for
putting my hands on your daughter please sir… Fatima my love help me beg your
father" he said looking away from my father to me, his eyes pleading and the fact that he considered me the weak
link to appease my father pissed me off so much.
"Don't talk to my daughter. That I haven't killed you
yet is so I don't soil the ground of my house with your filthy blood" Dad said taking a few steps forward leaving us behind him.
"You guys should go inside… I'd handle this"he said to
us but I shook my head not wanting to go inside and leave my dad outside with
him.
Looking at Ola where he stood looking all pathetic and
like a lost puppy, if it wasn't for the love of my parents I'd have being
swayed seeing as after the first time he prostrated in front of me and cried for me to
forgive him that he won't do it again. But he didn't stop and I knew he won't
ever stop hitting me for any reason.
"Ola… you've heard my father… leave… we don't want you
here… I… don't want you here you woman beater! Leave this compound now"
I said raising my voice not knowing where the strength came from for me to talk
to him this way, I wanted to clap for myself after I heard what came out from my mouth.
"Fatima…"
"Don't Fatima me… you've only ever hurt me in every way you could find, emotional… physically and even financially but I've had enough of this from you! I am not going to seat around for the rest of life and watch us fall into a cycle of abuse! No I am not going to allow any of that to happen to me! So leave now!" The strength in my own words stunned me and I couldn't imagine that it was coming from me, that I had the strength to stand up to him and let him know that I wasn't the weak lady he thought he knew.
The weak lady he thought he had found to prey on and make feel useless and less of herself. I used to be her but I wasn't any of that anymore.
"Fatima…" he called for me taking a step as if to walk closer to where I was standing next to my father.
"Don't freaking Fatima me! Leave now!!! Get the hell
out of here right this instant…" I couldn't believe that shout had come from me
but after that I felt so light and happy after letting my heart out to him.
"You've heard my daughter leave!" My father said to
him and Ola gauged us all and he turned to walk back to his car not saying another word and he almost looked like a puppy walking back home with its tail tucked behind its legs but he wasn't a puppy, only the devil's own spawn.
"And don't come back…" Dad added as he opened the car
door and looked around again "you'd be hearing from my lawyer"
Dad added as he turned the drive and drove away from
us towards the gate. I released a breath I didn't know I was holding as I
watched his car drive away and my family brought me into a big hug. Seeing him
again didn't ignite any form of feelings within me and I was happy to see that
the love had reduced drastically.
"I am sorry, I forgot to instruct the gate to not
allow him in" my father said the sadness in his voice obvious and I just shook
my head.
"It's fine Dad… we'd correct that and I am sure he's
gotten the memo now" I said with a smile on my face but they all liked solemn
and I shook my head.
"Let's not allow that brute spoil the fun we were
having… don't take him to account" I said to them and they all nodded as we
walked back to the side of the house and in through the side door.
Even in the solemn air around we all knew better than
to go in with our gardening clothes through the front door and soiling the
whole house. Mother would throw a fit at us if that ever happened with mud
shoes and all. We stepped into the mud room and removed our footwear before
wearing the slippers we had removed earlier and going into the house.
"You've all got thirty minutes to tidy up and be back
for an outing" our dad called out as I and Halimat went up to our wing of the
house and laughed knowing dad probably had a fun rest of the day planned for
us.
***
Everything happened in a flash almost, filling the
suit and going through the motions with our lawyer and hearing back from their
lawyer also each way. After the encounter at our house, we never spoke again
and he never for once called me again or sent another message to me. His lawyer
made us settle for an out of court agreement seeing as Ola didn't want to go to
court because he knew that would affect their company's name.
The settlement we agreed upon was for him to never
under any circumstance contact myself or any member of my family and to pay the
bargained up on price of thirty million naira for damages. At first when my dad
and the lawyer said a hundred million I was alarmed wondering why anyone would
even pay such a price in the situation.
"Considering their family name, they'd pay to have
this not get out to the press and soil that name"
The lawyer had said mater of factly and I allowed them
to handle the rest of the suit until they told me the settlement would be paid
to me and not my father.
I asked them why that had to be and he said
"Well… it's you who had to go through all of that and
not me"
I agreed with him but I didn't have any need for the
money but I collected it none the less. After the suit had been settled, I
picked a day where I went to his apartment and packed everything that I had out
of the house and brought it back to my father's house while I decided on what
to do next in my life.
"I have a few meetings lined up this week and I would
need to you to step out there with me. I'd like you to also meet the new
investor we have and get your opinion on everything" my father said one evening
at dinner, two months after the whole ordeal and I had finally gotten myself
back in order.
"Okay Dad… I have no problem with that but can I get
the necessary informations earlier so I can be up to par before the meeting" I
said to him wanting to prove to my dad that I was back to my old self that
loved to work and didn't have the stamp of domestic violence on her.
"You don't have to rush yourself or prove anything to
your father and myself" my mother said after looking at me for a few minutes
and I looked down at my plate.
"It's nothing like that Mom…"
"I know but I just wanted you to know that" she said
to me as she continued eating her food and I just sat down there and reminded
myself that they didn't think of me as a burden like he used to remind me that
I was.
"Thanks Mom…"
The meal was a slow one and we chatted and talked all
through the meal and even after when we sat down in the palour just to enjoy each
others company while dad watched the news and commented ever now and then at
the information.