“Excuse me; is the family who lives here still in?” I said to the man I assumed to be the gate man, pointing to the gate. He got up from where he was sitting and dusted his butt. He removed the chew stick he was chewing dearly on from his mouth and spat out the content.
“Who you say you dey look for?” he asked.
“The madam who lives in this house.” He looked back at his gate and then back at me before he busted out into a loud roar of laughter…
“Person like you no fit know anybody wey dey live inside this house.” My tattered clothes were speaking for itself.
“But… do they still live here?”
“Guy, I dey tell you say you nor know anybody for here you go say okay. See ehn,” he drew me to a corner. “If na work you dey find, I fit help you talk to my madam.”
The guy wasn’t convinced so I went ahead with the last bit of information I had. “Your madam’s name, is it Ester?”
He jumped backwards and gave me that funny look as if I was sent from his village to torment him.
“Shuu, how you take know my madam Ester name?” he was now securing his post as if I came to take it away from him.
“Good. Now go in there and tell her that her brother is here.”
“Brother? Okay… okay… I dey come oh. Just stay here.” He went into the house, but not without making sure that his gate was locked.
I stood outside for more than 10 minutes and I had lost all hopes that the gate man actually went in to inform my sister but when I heard Esters voice again, all hope was gained.
“What! He told you he was my brother and you kept him outside?” I could feel the anger in her voice coming from inside the gates.
“I don’t think you like your job, now open this gate!”
When the gates flung open, I rushed into my sister’s arms.
“Oh my God! Victor is this really you?” her voice shook as she pulled my face up close to her’s. I began to weep for joy. I was finally home to where someone loved me unconditionally. The gate man stood looking at us with he hands wrapped around his shoulders. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. My sister quickly took me away from the eyes of the world and into her home.
She couldn’t stop staring at me once I settled into her living room.
“Go and shower, I will have some clothes ready for you and, Alice!” she called for someone. The young girl rushed in to answer.
“Please make something hot and strong, my brother has come home.” She said happily.
As I stood in the bathroom, I wiped off the mirror with my hands. I stood tall; with my beards neatly shaved; I was ready to start over. I admired my face. I be fine ooh. I thought to myself, chuckling for the first time in months. Next, I moved to the bedroom my sister showed me to earlier. There were clothes neatly folded on the bed. I picked up the first trouser that came to my grab. Then I accompanied it with a T-shirt. I didn’t feel comfortable in these clothes but I knew I was ready to live the life I was meant to live again. Upon opening the bedroom door, I found my sister in front of me.
She patted my shoulders and gave me a welcoming smile. “Food is ready junior.” Only one person called me junior which reminded me of the reason I really wanted to find Ester again; my father.
After the wonderful meal, I knew my sister expected me to start talking and I wasn’t going to give her a hard time either.
“Joseph will be home soon.” She said. Joseph was her husband.
“And your kids?”
“Oh they are in boarding school. You should see them; Tosin is now a big boy oo.” I nodded my head.
“And dad?”
She sighed. “Well, victor it’s been a long time. So many things have happened. Dad does not have a lot of time left.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just last week, he suffered a heart attack and when he woke up, your name was the first thing he called out, that was when I knew something was bound to happen soon. I tried looking for you, but you cut all contacts with us. I know you did it all for love.”
“Oh ester… I have been through hell and back!” I began to sob into my palms. I had finally come home to my father but at the wrong time when he had little air left in his lungs.
“I’ve been in jail for the past 5 years.”
“Jail!” she said in disbelieve. “How come? What about your wife? Is Cynthia okay?”
“It was Cynthia who put me in there.” My sister looked at me as if I was crazy. “She framed me for a murder I knew nothing about.” I explained everything from the day I left home, going against my father’s advice not to marry Cynthia to the day my world came crashing down. In between tears, she said, “May his soul rest in peace.” She pitied James!
“No, his going to rot in hell and I will see that Cynthia joins him some day.”
“My dear, be glad that you got out. Most important thing is that you go see your son. I’m sure dad will be glad to hear that his junior has a child.” I couldn’t wait any longer, I was anxious to go see my father and the time was just 1:00 pm, a hot Tuesday. She grabbed her car key and we set off for a reunion of the century.
“Could we make one more stop?” I asked my sister, after the emotional meeting I had just finished with my father who was happy to see his only son back to his senses. He opened his arms and welcomed me in without me having to explain a thing to him. His prodigal son was finally home.
“Where?… I think it will be better if we just go home and you get some sleep; you’ve suffered enough…”
“To see my wife.” I interrupted.
