When are you coming to visit, Daddy? You promised you were going to come," Angel's voice came through the phone, sweet and innocent. I was taken aback by the question. How had she remembered that detail of our last conversation, which felt like so long ago? Two weeks. It had only been two weeks, but to her, it seemed like an eternity.
I hesitated, unsure of how to answer her. My mind was preoccupied with a project that was consuming all my attention - a critical one that could make or break the next phase of my progress. I was in the middle of overseeing the final touches on my first estate development in Abuja -fifty houses that needed to be completed, furnished, and ready for a high-profile launch. The pressure to finish was intense.
"I will definitely come, my princess, but I'm not sure when yet… I'll let you know when I have a definite time, alright?" I said, trying to sound reassuring despite my own uncertainty.
"Alright, Daddy!" Angel's excited voice warmed my heart. "I can't wait to see you! It's been so long."
"I know, my darling. I can't wait to see you too. I miss you so much," I responded softly, my voice thick with emotion. Angel - my five-year-old, beautiful daughter - was the one thing I had left from my failed marriage. Tessy and I had separated three years ago after a long period of turmoil. The divorce had been inevitable, but I vowed that no matter what, I would never let Angel feel abandoned. I would make sure she had everything she needed, and most importantly, that she knew she was loved.
I took a deep breath, pulling myself back into the conversation. "Have you had dinner, my love?" I asked, hoping to shift the focus from my absence to something lighthearted.
"Yes, Dad, I ate yam porridge. Grandma made it for me!" Angel replied with a smile that I could almost hear over the phone.
"Really? Your Grandma came to visit?" I asked, slightly perplexed. Eva, my ex-mother-in-law, wasn't someone who frequently visited, even when Tessy and I were married. She preferred to stay in her own world, and her appearances at our home had always been rare.
"Yes, Dad! Grandma has been living with us for a while now," Angel said, her voice filled with excitement. "I love having her here. She's so kind and has been helping me with my hair and my homework. She comes to tuck me into bed every night and reads me a story. I really love having her around."
I was distracted for a moment, trying to picture Eva - my ex-mother-in-law - living with them. Eva had always been distant, cold even, and I never imagined her taking on a more involved role in my daughter's life. It felt strange, and something inside me stirred uneasily. My mind began to wander as I wondered what had prompted this change.
"Why has Grandma been staying with you? Is everything alright with her?" I asked, trying to sound casual, but my tone betrayed the concern brewing inside me. I realized I was bombarding a five-year-old with questions she shouldn't have to answer, but I couldn't help it. Something wasn't sitting right.
Angel paused before speaking again, and when she did, her voice dropped to a whisper. "I think… She's left home, Daddy."
I froze.
"What do you mean, Angel?" I asked, my voice faltering.
"I overheard her talking to Mummy when she came," Angel continued in a low voice, as if she were sharing a secret. "Grandma has left Grandpa."
My heart skipped a beat. Eva had left her husband? My ex-father-in-law? That was something I never imagined happening. I had known Eva and her husband, Charles, to have a stable but distant marriage. They didn't have the fiery passion some couples had, but they seemed to have a quiet, unspoken understanding. The thought of Eva leaving Charles was shocking, and the fact that Angel had overheard it made me realize just how serious the situation might be.
"Are you sure, sweetheart?" I asked, still struggling to process what I was hearing. My mind raced as I tried to piece together the fragments of Angel's words.
Angel replied softly. "Yes, Daddy. Grandma said she couldn't take it anymore. She didn't want to live like that anymore. She said she was tired."
The weight of her words settled heavily on me. I hadn't expected this. Eva had always seemed like the stoic, unflappable type, someone who dealt with her problems quietly, almost too quietly. To hear that she was going through something so devastating, something that had caused her to leave her husband, hit me harder than I expected.
"I'm sure Grandma will be okay, though, Daddy," Angel added, sensing the shift in my mood. "She's strong, just like you."
I smiled faintly, grateful for Angel's innocence and her attempt to reassure me. "Yes, sweetheart. Grandma is strong."
But at that moment, I couldn't shake the growing unease that settled in my chest. I promised myself I would check on Eva, find out what was really going on. Something about the way Angel spoke about her grandma - Eva - left me with a sense of worry, a feeling I couldn't quite place. Why did I care so much? It's been three years since I walked away from Tessy and her family. After everything that had happened, why did I feel a sudden need to be involved in their troubles now?
I tried to reason with myself. My focus should be on Angel, my daughter -the one person who truly mattered in this situation. She was still a part of that family, yes, but not in the way Tessy or Eva were. Angel didn't share their surname, and she certainly didn't share the emotional baggage that came with it. Tessy, Eva - those were people from a chapter of my life I'd closed long ago.
But the words Angel had said about her grandma being with them, about Eva leaving Grandpa... It was unsettling. My mind raced with questions I didn't have answers to. Why would Eva leave her husband after all these years? Was she okay? And why was Angel the one to break the news to me, as if she knew something was wrong?
I pushed those thoughts aside for the moment, focusing back on my daughter's voice, the pure innocence in her excitement to see me again. I rounded off the call with a soft, "Goodnight, my princess. Sweet dreams," my voice laced with the tenderness only a father could show his daughter.
When I hung up, I lingered for a moment in the silence that followed, a strange feeling still hanging over me. I wasn't sure what I would do, but I knew one thing for certain: I couldn't let this go. I had to find out what was happening with Eva.
******
The launch of my first estate was a resounding success, and as the day drew to a close, I couldn't help but beam with pride. Months of pushing myself beyond my limits - endless late nights, grueling negotiations, overseeing construction details, and ensuring every house was finished and furnished to perfection - had finally paid off. It was a massive project, and as I stood among the fifty houses that made up the estate in Abuja's prime location, I knew every dime, every drop of sweat, and every ounce of effort had been worth it.
By evening, when I returned to my apartment, the exhaustion of the day weighed heavily on me, but it was overshadowed by an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I popped open a bottle of champagne, my own special celebration, and collapsed onto the sofa with a triumphant grin.
"Take a look at you now, Raymond," I said aloud, my voice tinged with satisfaction as I raised the glass to myself. "Who would've thought, a few years ago, that you'd come this far? Back then, you could barely pay rent, let alone dream of something like this. But now...not one, not two, but fifty houses in a prime location!" I took a slow sip, letting the taste of success settle on my tongue. "Big cheers to you, man!" I added, clinking my glass against the invisible applause of my own achievement.
As I leaned back on the sofa, my gaze fixed on the ceiling, memories began to drift in uninvited. First, the struggling years - days when failure had seemed like my shadow. Then came the turbulent memories of my marriage with Tessy, the endless fights, the cold silences, and eventually the divorce. But as much as I tried to forget those years, one bright light always stood out - Angel, my five-year-old daughter. Thinking of her brought warmth to my heart, her smile and laughter an anchor in the darkest of storms. But what startled me was the next name that came to mind -Eva, Tessy's mother.
Eva had been one of the few people who had stood by me during my worst days, someone who quietly but firmly tried to hold my failing marriage together. I thought back to Angel's innocent revelation on the phone - about Eva leaving her husband and having a hard time. The words had stayed with me, nagging at the back of my mind. That growing unease now took root. I need to see her. The thought came suddenly, but it felt right. I had to check on Eva.
The next morning, with a resolve I couldn't fully explain, I booked myself a flight to Lagos. Before I left, I called Tessy, as per our agreement. After the divorce, we had set boundaries -clear rules about my visitation rights with Angel. I was allowed to see my daughter whenever I wanted, but only after properly notifying Tessy in advance. I respected that, and for three years, I had kept to my word.
The flight was uneventful, but my mind buzzed with thoughts the entire journey. When I finally arrived at the house, it was clear that Tessy, as usual, was at work. Angel was at home, back from school and with the nanny. The moment she saw me, my daughter's face lit up, her squeal of excitement making the long trip more than worth it.
"Daddy!" she cried, throwing her little arms around me in a hug that made everything else in the world fade into insignificance.
"My princess!" I whispered back, holding her tightly. I kissed her forehead, the sweet scent of her hair filling me with a sense of calm I hadn't felt in a while. Moments like these made every sacrifice worth it.
We settled in the living room, and I brought out the gifts I'd picked up for her - her favorite snacks, a set of storybooks, and a dollhouse she'd been asking for. Angel's face beamed with joy as she rummaged through the bags, thanking me repeatedly in her small, excitable voice.
"You're the best, Daddy!" she declared, hugging me again.
"For you, my princess, always." I smiled, taking in her happiness.
After an hour of talking to her about school, her friends, her health, and everything else that mattered, I turned to the nanny to discuss her welfare in detail. It was then that I realized something was amiss. I couldn't sense Eva's presence in the house. I had been expecting to hear her voice, to catch a glimpse of her in the kitchen or fussing around Angel or something. But there was nothing. It felt off. When the maid left us, I couldn't hold still.
"Angel," I asked, leaning forward a bit, curiosity getting the better of me, "where's your grandma? I'd like to say hi to her."
Angel's smile faltered slightly, and to my surprise, she lowered her voice to a whisper, as if sharing a secret.
"Grandma isn't here anymore," she said softly, glancing around the room as though someone might overhear her.
"What?" I frowned, taken aback. "She's not here? Did she go back to her house? To Grandpa?"
Angel shook her head, still whispering. "No. I don't think so. I heard Mommy telling her to leave this morning. She said Grandma shouldn't stay here anymore."
"What?" I repeated, my voice sharper this time. I leaned back in disbelief, the words striking me like a blow. Tessy - her own daughter - had driven Eva out of the house?
My thoughts raced as I tried to process what I'd just heard. Eva, thrown out? The woman who had done so much for her daughter, who had quietly tried to hold their family together, was now unwelcome? How heartless could Tessy be? What had happened
between them?
I sank back into the sofa, stunned, the champagne-fueled pride I'd felt the night before evaporating in an instant. I knew one thing for sure - I couldn't let this go. I needed answers, and more importantly, I needed to find Eva.