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Diamondwriter: HBG!

Oga Diamond

I am so sorry guys, please bear with me.

Church sermon was very uplifting, for the good three hours Nneka had forgotten about her problems. Who would have thought she would go to church? The woman who had always blamed God for her misfortunes. Indeed prayer did change her, and if it changed her, then there was still hope for her daughter Barbie. She hurried home to share the good news with Sebabatso, maybe she might join them the following Sunday.

Nneka smiled when the thought of her daughter sitting next to her at church crossed her mind, that would be a blessing indeed.

She knocked at the door, there was no music like other Sundays. Barbie liked playing gospel music on Sundays and Nneka knew the songs by heart already but the silence made her uneasy. Where could her daughter go? She didn't remember her asking for money to go somewhere. The door was not locked, that was unlike Barbie, she wouldn't go somewhere without locking the door. She wasn't so fond of sleeping either, where could she be?

“Sebabatso?”

Silence.

Her phone was on the table, would she sleep without her phone next to her?

“Barbie, we are back, what have you been doing all this time? You didn't even cook?” Nneka checked pots, and then the fridge. The mixed veggies they peeled yesternight were still there.

She checked the girls room, the door couldn't move and she had to use all her might to get in. What greeted her left her frozen and numb, her lips dropped wide open. Barbie's body lay facedown, the butcher knife she had always used to cut meat had its blade peeping from Barbie's left rib, and the black handle stuck on her left bre.ast. The blood looked dry. Nneka's eyes moved with painful effort around the room, for something that would tell her Barbie did not kill herself, but everything was in order, just as she had left them in the morning.

Every nerve of her body helped her to stare at her dead daughter's body without seeing it. A pain came to the front of her head, right above the eyes. As the slow minutes dragged, her body was drenched in cold sweat. Her blood throbbed into her ears, her lips perched and dry; she wanted to wet them with her tongue, but could not. The tense effort to keep out of her consciousness the terrible sight of Barbie and the drone of her other children voices would not allow her to move a muscle.

Their giggles, then them calling their sister still giggling. What was she going to tell them? That their sister was a coward who killed herself? Would they forgive their mother for dragging their sister out of their room that morning?

She had to protect them, they wouldn't live with that horrific image. She would tell them the truth one day, but not now.

“Amara, take your sisters and go to aunt Selina, tell her I need to see her urgently.” She ordered with a trembling voice.

“But Ma, we are hungry. Aowa!” Amara groaned as the other joined her.

“Take R20 in my purse on the couch and buy something to eat.” There was movement in the house. “And Amara?”

“Ma?”

“Do not come back with Selina, I will send someone to fetch you girls, ra utlwana ankere?”

“Ma, are those people coming again?” Anele queried. Leaning on their bedroom door, with her sisters, ears pressed on the door.

“Amara!” Nneka hissed and the girls ran out of the house shutting the kitchen door behind them.

*************

The morning dew was just clearing, the birds singing their wakeup songs cheerfully, an alarm clock work up Nneka Montsho with a start. It was Sunday morning, she had waited patiently for the day to come, had her clothes ironed, shoes polished and ready for the day. A smile lightened her face when she reached on the bedside for her bible, the verse she had marked with a pencil was still vivid in her mind.

She held her bible next to her chest and murmured “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

The verse brought a new found fulfilment, something she had never felt in her entire life. Yes her father loved her, her husband too but their love never had the impact that the verse had on her.

Waking up had always been a chore to her but that Sunday she was enjoying it. Her daughters needed to be up and ready for church too, she walked to their room cheerfully. The room was getting too small for them, she would have to extend the house with the education trust fund for Barbie since she was out of the way.

She tiptoed to the first bed where Barbie shared with Anele, to her shock Barbie was busy with her phone. How many times had she told this girl to switch that her phone when she goes to bed?

“What are you doing on the phone this time Sebabatso?”

“Chatting duh!?”

“This early? I hope you were not on it all night.” Silence.

“Amara, was she on the phone all night?”

Amara pretended not to have heard her mother, Nneka yanked off the blankets. Amara nodded avoiding her older sister's evil stare.

“Girl start praying o...” Nneka pulled Barbie by her leg to her bedroom, she wouldn't live with a sixteen year old sleeping around. Barbie's screaming broke her heart, but she had to do what she had to do.

“So who is he?” Nneka queried after locking her bedroom door. Barbie had developed a habit of talking to her as she pleased, her little girl was gone.

“Who is who Ma? Your embarrassing me infront of my kid sisters.” Barbie retorted.

“Oh, I am embrrassing you? Letha la.” Nneka was busy searching for her belt, the Lord would have to forgive her if it was a sin beating her own child. Barbie made for the door but her mother was right behind her.

“Your phone Sebabatso!” She hissed. Barbie held back, Nneka slashed her with the belt. The girl covered her face pleading with her mother, guilt written all over her face.

“But ma..., please now...” When she realised that her mother meant business she gave her the phone. Satisfied Nneka went through the BBM messages and frowned when she saw a message from an older boy, very dark in complexion but very good-looking.

The messages were sickening, her daughter was sleeping with him, it was obvious. With a heavy heart she sat down on the bed, patted the empty space for Barbie to sit.

“What happened to my daughter?”

She asked nobody in particular, Sebabatso was indeed walking on her mother's footsteps.

“I thought I could trust you but this is the second time your letting me down nana, where did I go wrong?”

“I am sorry Ma.”

“My child, sorry does will not bring your virginity back will it? Sorry will not make me trust you again will it? You have to earn my trust again and by that you will have to let go of somethings ok?” She knelt down infront of her daughter. “When last did you see your period?”

Barbie looked down, Nneka's hands began to sweat, she prayed silently, “God, please not with this one, please Lord.” Her daughter said nothing. They stood there in silent, Nneka felt weak, her daughter had everything going for her, why run around with big boys?

The knock on her door brought them back to their senses. She rose to her feet to get the door, it was Anele dressed up for church. “Ma, we are going to be late.”

“I am sorry baby, just a few minutes.” She closed the door behind her before Anele could respond, she got ready for church, no word to Barbie, she managed to say; “We will finish this when I come back.” Before she left.

*****************

“I cannot believe this.” Kenny said shaking her head, Mike's daughter Nia's DNA matched hers and Ife's, and hers and Ife's DNA matched. Theirs was no news, the one that hocked them was Nia's because Nneka's denail seemed so real, and her sympathy, why did she lie to them?

“What are you going to do?” Malaika asked, they were enjoying the late April sun, which was already setting, it was starting to get cold, an indication that winter was on its way.

Ife sniffed, what was she going to do? Knock at Nneka's door and play happy family? “I don't know.” She shrugged. “I walked into Barbie and Maru kissing today at the parking lot at school.”

“What?” Kenny shrieked, Malaika too was shocked.

“Your not serious!” Ife nodded. “Maru aka Peejay? Why would he go for a 15year old?”

Malaika frowned, Ife had sworn that she was done with Maru, that he wasn't worth it.

“I thought you were over the guy Ife, why the long face?”

She had to roll her eyes, ofcourse she was over Maru. “You should have seen Barbie! The girl don fall my hand bigtime. I pray she mantain her position sha, or else they would drop her.”

“Why do you care? Isn't that like mother like daughter?” Kenny eyed her sister questionely.

The tears had stopped falling, her face was a mess, makeup at its best, she didn't care, the other girls have smudged their makeup more than once through tears and she had been the one comforting her.

“What do you mean?”

“How did Nneka have us? She is too young jare, I am sure she hasn't clocked forty.”

“Hmmm, I doubt, maybe he raped her.” Malaika added thoughtfully.

“No, Daddy wouldn't, I know my father.” She jumped off the bed, how could they say that about her father?

“Then why does she hate us?” Kenny queried like she was expecting some sort of an answer from Ife.

“You can ask her you know?”

“Who? Me? Ohhh shame, never. I have my parents, second mother would spoil things, abeg.” Kenny got up, the two twins were a funny pair. Had no resemblance physically, and nobody could tell they were twins unless they spend time with them.

It was getting really cold, they had to leave Bots and T'soarelo's room to go back to their own, Malaika had left before them and when they arrived she had already turned on the heater. As soon as they were settled Malaika gave them some privacy with an excuse that she had an assignment to finish.

“I hope madam will forgive me for cancelling on her like that shey?” Ife said sympathetically.

“She has already, she knows you and Oga do not see eye to eye. I left when Oga came home from work. This is ruining their marriage I tell you.”

Ife nodded, she knew the feeling very well. The woman who raised her had to go through the same curse. “I can relate hey.”

“Yea hey,” Kenny thought for sometime and added. “It wasn't the first time, its like for the fifth time now.”

“Huh?! Fifth? What did the doctors say?”

“My dear there is nothing wrong with her medically sha. My mom reckons its spiritual jare.”

“Hian!? Don't talk like that biko!” Ife clapped her hands stretching her left earlobe with her fingers, lowering her voice; “Do they all know about Malaika? I mean the abortion and all?”

Kenny shook her head, upto this point her brother had made her swore that she would never breath the abortion issue to a soul.

“Chai!”

“And your not to tell anybody about it o, or else Boko Harram will kill me.” Kenny warned with a faint whisper.

Ife knew that whenever Kenny called her brother Boko Harram she feared for her life. She pursed her lips and swore not to tell, after all sisters have each other's backs all the time, nomatter the situation.

⌣»̶·̵̭̌·̵✽̤̈CHAPTER11✽̤̈·̵·̵̭̌«̶⌣

School resumed a week after Easter holidays, and Ife found herself stuck in assignments and projects. She had once again proven herself and was busy recruiting primary school leaving learners for the Jewels of Africa high school scholarships.

Maru had given up on trying to convince her to have dinner with him, after what Malaika had said, Ife had decided to close the dating door.

She had told herself over and over that she didn't really like Maru, it was just her emotions telling her she had been out of the dating scene for too long.

The afternoon lecture had just ended and she had to rush to Femi's flat to see his wife, the poor thing had to go through a miscarriage.

Most students who owned cars were in a rush like her that people kept colliding with each other trying to get to their cars, she collided into a couple that was handling with each other. They paid no attention to her as she angrily forced her way between them.

“Yikes, you two should get a room!” She hissed getting into her car.

“And you should watch where your going!”

Ife turned to look at the speaker, her heart skipped a bit when she saw who it was. Was this some kind of a joke? The speaker was with Maru! Did he forget about her so fast?

“So you got nothing to say after all?” A group of first year girls stood just a step away from her car. Maru had disappeared into thin air. The girls surely knew nothing about her, no girl crossed her path and walks away unmarked.

Pressing the lock button on her key, she leaned against the door and folded her arms. “Whatever you want to say, make it quick, I have to be somewhere o.”

“Come on girls, she is nothing but an empty can of ish.” The girl who was kissing Maru few minutes ago spat infront of Ife, signaling others to follow her.

“Kids!”

“Excuse me, did you just call us kids?” Maru's girlfriend stepped forward, the other girls backing her up.

“Your excused, and yeah, your just kids trying to fit in an adult world. Hurry up now, I am sure your parents are about to lock the gates.”

“What would you know about parents? You were raised by demons anyway.” The girl poked Ife's forehead, they were the same height, she flinched and shot back.

“And you were raised by a slut, that's why you are running around campus kissing seniour boys, incopetent brat!”

“Your an old bitter hag, nobody will ever love you!” The words pierced Ife's heart, she send a slap across the girl's face.

“You must never, ever cross my path!”

With that Ife got into her car, the girl backed away screaming.

“Where are you running off to? Still searching for your mother? If I were you I would stop searching, she does not want you or that your twin sister.”

Ife started her car tears clouding her vision, did she just exchange insults with Barbie and even slapped her? Why did Barbie hate her so much? Was it envy maybe? All those questions had no answers, she had to go home, she needed answers and that being the envelope she had hidden between the mattress of her bed, today she would know everything.

[quote author=Jekyll & Hyde][color=#000033]Hahaha, okay. I thought as much. Lol, I have to. I no go finish am. I can't deal with myself if I don't finish something.

Na one writing ish sha. Lemme read his (her) works first and I'll decide.

You don start?[/color][/quote]hi, here is one of Efe's something, something, hope it helps sha.

https://www.nairaland.com/1189817/nairaland-writers-collaboration

Enjoy.

Popowaa: Just saw this can i join?

yea if you do not have a completed work on nairaland.

Vickii Ro: Goodluck peeps
Mazi pple like us nko?..when r u opening a thread for "Nt-so-new-writers"?

Next season dear