SAKADINIA - Episode 4

” I hope you are happy now, I’m sorry for neglecting you,
I’ve been very busy” he kissed her forehead after they’d
made love. She was his sweet little pea and he relished
her love for him. She reminded him of her mother, when
she was younger.
“I’m fine dad, but promise not to keep me this long” Rose
pouted her lips. She had been drawn to her father since
childhood, and they’d lived that way for many years, till
that fateful day when the stupid girl had walked in on
them.
“We should get going before your mother gets worried,
there’s something I failed to handle” Pastor Ita rose to
his feet.
“What could that be?” She raised her brows.
“Joy your cousin has arranged for us a new maid, she is
to arrive today, I forgot to tell your mother about her” he
replied.
Grace had discovered his affair with his own daughter,
god knows how she did but she confronted Rose about it
on the day she was about leaving, a fight ensued and she
ended up dead. Helen had helped them put things in the
rightful place, but she never knew the secret behind the
fight that led to Grace’s death and it had to remain that
way.
“A maid?” Rose swallowed hard as she recalled her last
moment with Grace, she hated maids, either they were
dirty or plain stupid.
“Yes, your mother needs help, you are not at home most
of the time” the man said and felt slightly jealous, what if
his daughter had another lover?
“I guess she does, we have to be more careful” Rose
replied.
“Yes we have to, now let’s get going” he forced the
disturbing thoughts out of his mind and forced himself
into the clothes.
She observed her father quietly as he dressed, she felt
guilty sometimes about what they did, but she couldn’t
help her unnatural attraction to him, they weren’t the only
guilty ones, her mother had a lover, she was sure of it,
but she didn’t have prove.
Countless times, she’d listened to her phone calls and
read her messages, but she couldn’t pin point this person,
what if her mother knew about her affair with her dad?
She shuddered at the thought of them being discovered.
“Time to go” he patted her shoulder and they both
stepped out of the hotel room.
“Something is bothering you” she observed her father.
“Not really” he ignited the engine.
“Talk to me dad, what’s it? I could help” she offered.
“It’s you I’m thinking of, do you have a boyfriend”? He
asked.
” No dad” she licked her lips nervously, how could he ask
her that? She had no lover except him and she didn’t
plan on having anyone else.
“Good, I love you so much, always remember that” he
pecked her and drove off.
****
“Grace”? My mouth felt dry, I was confused.
” Mum? Are you okay”? I heard a deep baritone voice
from inside, I didn’t know why, but I felt a tingle in my
chest at the sound of the voice, who was he?
” I’m coming soon Mark” she replied and stepped
outside, shutting the door firmly behind her, I felt like an
intruder.
“I rebuke you, blood of God” the woman pushed me
roughly and I panicked, I watched in shock as she bent
down and scooped sand into her hands.
“Go back to where you belong” Helen inhaled sharply and
stepped closer to the ghost, talk of the devil, why had
Grace come back to haunt her family?
“I don’t understand Ma” I shifted from her. Was I a
ghost? I knew the significance of what she was doing, it
scared me too.
“Shut up, you demon from the pit of hell, I cast and bind
you out of my house” she threw the sand at me and I
sneezed. This woman was juts, I concluded, I should’ve
listened to my mum.
“Mom? What’s going on here”? a tall lanky guy stepped
outside.
” Thank Jesus you’re here with me, see her, she’s here to
haunt us” the woman pointed fearfully at me.
“Mum? What are you talking about”? Mark eyed be
steadily. He was tall and brown, with broody eyes and a
sharp nose, he was cute and seemed kind.
” Uhmmmm” Helen coughed and gained composure of
herself, suddenly realising she’d allowed fear take control
of her. She had almost spilled the truth to Mark.
“This girl here is Grace, our maid that ran away, why has
she come back”? the woman eyed me with annoyance.
Mark’s eyes ran over my features briefly and his eyes
softened as our eyes met, he seemed to remember me
from somewhere, but I couldn’t recall. Did I know him?
” Grace?” He seemed excited to see me. This situation I
found myself was no longer funny, why were they calling
me “Grace”? When I was. ” Ajunwa”?
“I’ve found you, I knew you’d come back, I knew you’d
return to me” he embraced me without warning while his
mother stared daggers at me. I could feel hatred in her
glare, and whoever this Grace was, must have done
something real bad.
“Enough Mark, she has to leave” Helen was still in shock,
she was sure of it, Grace was buried in the garden, so
why and how had she come back to life?
“So where have you been”? He finally released me.
” I am sorry, my name isn’t Grace” I replied coolly and he
laughed for some minutes.
“Are you kidding me? Do you have amnesia now”? He
gazed at me mockingly.
” I am Ajunwa, I came here from my village, on
reccomendation by Joy Ita to serve as a maid here, she
gave me this address ” I handed him the slip of paper
which Joy had written the address.
“This is a big joke mum” he showed his mother the paper,
she had relaxed a bit.
“Ajunwa”? Helen breathed deeply, this was all a lie, this
was a ghost speaking to her and she had to get rid of it.
” Yes Madam” I replied.
“We don’t need your services, so I’ll fetch you some
money and you return to your village. Thank you” the
woman hissed and retreated into the house.
I was stunned by her coldness, what had I done to
receive such treatment?
“Ajunwa?” Mark’s eyes romaed me over another time,
they seemed so sure about me.
She was plump, average and lightskinned just like Grace,
she looked every inch like his Grace but she wasn’t Grace
of a truth. This was a stranger who looked so much like
her, he’d spent so much time with her and he knew the
brightness of her eyes and most importantly the birthmark
that sat proudly on her forehead.
“Please I really want to stay here, I really need this job,
please talk to your mother about it” I pleaded, tears had
already welled up in my eyes.
“It’s okay. You’ll be here, I promise” Mark assured her, he
was equally surprised by his mother’s behavior.
“Have this, just take it and leave, Thanks” Helen returned
with a wrap of naira notes.
I couldn’t take the money, I needed this job badly, I
needed to save up for so many things.
“Mum, you don’t have to do this, you don’t even know
her, I took a closer look at her and I realised, she isn’t
Grace” Mark said.
“What do you mean? Do you think me blind”? She
sounded angry.
I watched as mother and son engaged in a silent battle
over me, I wondered where Joy’s uncle, the Pastor was,
maybe he’d have had pity on me.
” Madam” a handsome young man ran towards us, from
the way he called her, something bad had happened.
“Yes, Nelson what is it”? She quickly faced him.
” It’s about your husband Ma, the pastor, they’ve gotten
to him” he panted.
“Gotten to him”? Mark raised his brows.
” Have this” he gave the woman the phone he held.
PASTOR KISSING GIRLFRIEND IN A HOTEL.
“No, this isn’t possible, this isn’t my husband, remember
he left with a driver” Helen pressed her hand on her
chest.
“Besides the girl’s face isn’t clear, it could be Photoshop”
Mark suggested, he knew his father well, he was a godly
man and could never cheat on his mother. Their marriage
was a match made by heaven.
“Yes it’s photoshop” Helen replied with a shaky voice,
what if it wasn’t Photoshop? She wondered.
Tbc