“Dad! Come and see oo… These are Mummy’s Jewelries, are they not?” Adaeze asked
“Yes, they are o. Bring the bag let me check very well.” Ohadike demanded
“Just take a look Dad, just look at all mummy’s jewelries” Adaeze said, pouring the jewelries on the floor.: “Can you imagine? Brother just see the handwork of your wife. What would she gain by punishing my mother like this? Why would she hide her jewelries here? What crime has mummy committed?” Adaeze was busy wagging her mouth, while Stanley stood observing her and his father.
“Brother, you see what I have been telling you. I don’t know why mother decided to allow that girl to return to this house. This is too much.” She said and started heading towards the side Lizzy and her mother inlaw were.
Stanley still maintained silence. He wanted to see the reaction on Lizzy’s face when Adaeze will be asking her about the expensive gold jewelries.
“Elizabeth or whatever they call you, are these not my mummy’s jewelries which you stole? I just found them in the store, but I want to know your reason. Why this wickedness, eeh Elizabeth, why? What crime has my mother committed that made you remove her golds and kept them at the place where no eyes could see them again?”
But Lizzy kept quiet and continued with the orange she was peeling.
“Elizabeth, are you not the one I’m asking?” She went closer and touched Lizzy by the shoulder and that incited Lizzy’s anger, and she stood up.
“Adaeze, I have warned you to learn how to respect me. I won’t take any of your insults again in this house. My reason for returning here is because of Mother and I won’t have you disrespect me.”
“Did you say disrespect you? Just look at you, do you still have any respect left? You have no reputation any longer. You have ruined your integrity and prestige, I wonder what my brother is still doing with empty carton like you”
These last words permeated Lizzy’s soul that she let loose of her temper and descended on Adaeze’s cheeks with a heavy slap.
Adaeze never saw that coming, she never knew that Lizzy could raise her hands on her.
The slap was so hot, that Adaeze kept shut, massaging it and muttered: Lizzy, you slapped me?”
“Yes, and I will slap you again if you don’t keep your mouth shut” Lizzy replied
Ohadike was so mad, he couldn’t control his anger that he approached Lizzy to slap her for hitting his daughter.
The moment he raised his hand to hit Lizzy, Stanley seized his hand on the air: “No father, you don’t beat a woman. What are you trying to do? To hit her? Listen, I am under obligation to protect Lizzy. She is here to take care of mother and I don’t want anybody to trouble her. And as for the jewelries, good thing is that, they have been found, so let’s leave everything in the past now where they belong and move on, I don’t want such topic to be raised again.” Stanley warned
“Adaeze, why are you accusing me again? You said that I stole the jewelries, that I have sold them, but what are they still doing here? And upon that, you are still accusing me again? Adaeze, sometimes, you make use of your brain.” Lizzy said and then wheeled her mother In-law back inside the house.
“Lizzy, you had the guts to slap me? I swear you will regret this, I promise you. Brother Stanley, thank you, atleast I have seen where your interest lies. You support that thing over your own sister? Anyway, I don’t blame you” Adaeze furiously went inside her room and slammed the door loudly
“Stanley, tell me the truth, why did you stopped me from hitting her?” Ohadike asked
“Father, can you listen to yourself? So if I had allowed you, you would have slapped her? Its very wrong, father.” Stanley replied
“Are you sure? Nothing else attached?” Ohadike asked
“No, but why did you ask?”
Stanley asked
“Because you should be thinking of getting married to another responsible woman, and forger about Lizzy”
“But Dad, since when did you start getting so worried about my love life? Or is there something else you are not telling me?” Stan asked
“Like what?” Ohadike asked
“I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking” Stanley replied
“I am only looking out for you my son, and I don’t want you to make any mistake in life”
“Alright father, thank you” Stanley said and Ohadike then went inside.
“Stanley then sat on the plastic chair Lizzy was sitting on before and then started thinking deep into what just played out: “Father, you and Adaeze have given me the clue to what I have been looking for.
Its now clear that Lizzy was not the one who stole the jewelries. If she was the one, the jewelries wouldn’t have been here, she would have sold them by now or could it be she had a reason returning them? And father tried his possible best to prevent Adaeze from entering the store, but he was lucky that Adaeze carried the case and saved him from explanation. And Lizzy, she was so calm and even Adaeze’s accusations infuriated her, or could it be she is a very good actress? But still, my mind is telling me that Lizzy is innocent. Anyway, there is still time to dig out the truth”
Elizabeth was teaching Gloria how to use a pen. She tried hard in forcing her, but she couldn’t hold the pen and let alone drawing a sketch.
“Don’t worry mother, I have hope that you will get well soon. I don’t believe what the doctors said, I believe in the Lord that he will restore your health, just trust me” Lizzy wished.
“I know my daughter, I will try my best, because my son needs to hear the truth. And I must fight this sickness before my husband try something stupid again” She said in her heart
When Lizzy was trying to place her on the bed, she started blinking. But Lizzy never understood why she was blinking like that. Gloria kept blinking uncontrollably, and this got Lizzy worried, she rushed out and called Stanley.
“Please, I don’t know what is wrong with mother’s eyes, she has been blinking uncontrollably.” Lizzy explained
“Oh that! She is trying to tell you something” Stanley replied
“Tell me something? How?” Lizzy asked
“OK, let’s go to her room” Stan requested
When they reached, they were unable to understand what she was trying to say. It was later that Lizzy remembered the book and pen she kept on the table, when she showed her, she then blinked twice, like Stanley requested her to.
“Oh mother, so sorry that it took me time to understand you. OK here, let me keep you in a good position so that you will balance well and write whatever you want to write”
And they handed her the paper. Stanley later left, and Lizzy went to wash Gloria’s cloth. Gloria forced herself, she tried her best, and fortunately, she succeeded, but what she wrote looked like a drawing. She hoped that Stanley or Lizzy could enter the room first to see what she wrote.
She only managed to write: “She inocen”
It was not that clear, but an average reader can read and comprehend what she was trying to say.
To be continued…
Can you guess who entered the room first?
