ENDLESS TEARS
Endless Tears – Episode 14 & 15
Subtle: I just wanna make you Smile again
Genres: Billionaire, Deceit
Tags: Deceit,love, jealousy,hatred, marriage
Written by Adeola Nissi
(THE TROUBLE)
.
Mr Peters glared furiously at his wife. She was seriously a pain
in the neck. Many times, he had wondered why he had married such
a dumb woman, because time and again, she never failed to prove to
him that she was a first degree fool. He wondered if their perpetual
state of poverty had destroyed her ability to think well. The
difference between he and his wife was that his wife was not only
poor but she was also thinking poor. What is wrong in gearing your
brain into moneymaking thoughts? The woman was just being a total
stumbling block on his road to success.
“Listen to me woman, I have come this far and would never at his wife. “Look at this house” he waved his hands at the tastefully
furnished house that the Senator had rented for them after a few
persuasions. “Don‟t you like to live a good and normal life? Don‟t
you think we have suffered enough? This house is the product of my
smart thinking. You should also do something useful with your
brain. My request is simple. Talk to Amara. Encourage her to take
advantage of Alex‟s wealth. If she does, we can set up a business.
You can start selling something and our family would be ok”
Amara‟s mum glared back at her husband. “How can you say
that, Papa Amara? It is our daughter‟s life and happiness that we are
talking about here. She is not happy in that house and you know it.
That Alex is a bastard and I am sure he is maltreating my Amara. Let
me go and see my daughter”
Mr. Peters decided to go soft. “Who told you she is not happy?
Money brings happiness. Now, she can buy everything she needs, do
everything she wants, go anywhere she wants. What else can she ask
for?” He asked, waving his hands.
“Money cannot buy happiness” Amara‟s mother almost yelled.
“But it can rent it” Mr. Peter countered. “Whatever you can‟t
buy, you can borrow” he said. “Listen to me woman, I am ordering
you to do this. Talk some sense into Amara, she listens to you. Do
your part in this family, or else, I would get angry, and what you
have been trying to hide for years would be out in the open for
Amara to see.”
As usual, this got her attention. “Do you always have to
blackmail me with this?” She asked in pain.
“What I am doing is for our good Mama Amara, stop being
stubborn. Do what I say and we would both be happy.”
I stayed in my room throughout that day. The following morning, Tina brought breakfast to my room. I decided then that I would reduce Tina‟s work by getting my breakfast myself. I also
needed to start doing some chores. It would help get over my
constant depression. With strong determination to get over my
depression, I decided to go for a stroll during the late hours of the
morning. The stroll proved helpful because the street was so
beautiful. My mind constantly went to my problems but I changed
those thoughts as soon as they came.
I sighted a beautiful flower by the sidewalk and stopped. The
flower was so captivating, with a hint of pink, yellow and white. My
fingers traced the beautiful flower in amazement and I soon got lost
in thoughts. Alex came to my mind and this time, I was not able to
shut out the thought. He had given me a flower that looked similar to
this in the village. I had been on my way to the stream when he
suddenly popped out of the bush. It had been frightening but once I
saw that it was him, my fear disappeared. I knew he could never hurt
me. How wrong! If only I knew the level of hurt he had in store for
me… he had walked with me to the stream and had surprised me by
picking out a stunning flower from the bush. It was the most
romantic gesture any man had ever shown me.
“A penny for your thoughts”
I jumped in fright, taking my hands away from the flower.
Before me stood a man, who was smiling softly. I blinked rapidly,
coming back to my senses.
“I am sorry to have startled you, it was not my intention” he
said apologetically.
I swallowed. To say this guy was handsome would definitely
be a huge understatement. He looked just as breathtaking as his deep
baritone voice. He was not as tall as Alex but he was definitely tall
with broad shoulders and masculine muscles which were clearly
visible through the clingy top he had on. No one should have the
right to look this good. As I assessed him, his face broke into a
blinding grin which brought one dimple to view. I swallowed hard when I realized what was happening. The guy was obviously aware
of his breathtaking outlook. Can I ever stop being an idiot? Did I
learn nothing from the father of my unborn child? My face came up
with a scowl.
“I hope you like what you see” the guy said, grinning. Jeez, did
he know just how handsome he looked when his sparkling white
teeth were in full display?
I glared at him. “People should learn to run far away from
good-looking things”. Where had that come from? This guy hadn‟t
done anything wrong.
His grin seemed to increase. “Well then, I am glad that I am not
a „thing‟” he murmured. “My name is Kelvin” he stretched his hand
for a handshake.
Oh men! Their effrontery and arrogance knows no bounds. I
stared at his outstretched hand for a long time before I turned,
heading back home and leaving him standing with his hand still
stretched out. I did not give a damn if he was hurt by my rude
actions. One man was more than enough to tell me that all men had
evil agendas, I would be damned if I allowed myself to fall into the
same pit twice.
“It is nice to meet you” he yelled after me. “Just so you know,
you are more beautiful than that flower”
I swallowed and walked home without a backward glance.
Men! I thought again, bitterly. All they ever think about is getting
between your legs. Even though this Kelvin of a guy never said a
thing to suggest sex, I knew that was what he was after, because that
is what all men are after.
I stepped into our compound, still trying to keep my anger
towards men at bay but immediately I opened the door to the sitting
room, my thoughts and anger evaporated.
I stared in surprise. “Mum?”
Mum and I sat facing each other in silence. I had gone through
the hasty motions of ensuring that she had been well entertained, but
it was unnecessary because Tina had taken care of that for me before
I arrived. Mum had practically jumped on my shocked form when I
entered the sitting room, then she had righted herself, considering
my condition, I suppose. But after getting over the sudden rush of
excitement I felt at seeing my mother, different emotions set in.
curiosity was the first, followed speedily by hurt and anger. I had
stayed in the house for several weeks and she had not thought it
necessary to visit till now. My pregnancy definitely had some good
impacts on my parents‟ appearance; I noted when I saw her clothes. I
could believe it if it were my father, but my mother? I thought she
really loved me.
My mother was silent and I noticed that she fidgeted slightly
with the costly Igbo rapper she had on. “This house is massive
Amarachi. One can get lost in it”
Oh! Now it is Amarachi! I thought vaguely. I could count on
my head, the times that my mother called my full name, and those
times were really awkward. “Yes, it is really big” I replied stonily.
She swallowed. “I can imagine. Knowing your husband‟s
family influence, the size of this house is expected” she said, looking
around as though fascinated, without meeting my gaze.
I nodded wordlessly. Unable to hold it any longer, I voiced my
thoughts. “What are you doing here mum?”
She shifted uneasily. “So it is „mum‟ now, no longer „mama‟?”
she asked.
I breathed impatiently. “Tina told me that „Mum‟ is a more
civilized way of calling your mother” I answered. “That is not the
point. What are you doing here?”
She looked me straight in the eye. “Don‟t I have the right to
come and visit my own daughter?” she asked, as though offended.
I forcefully put my anger under control. It seemed that my life
has become full of anger ever since I met Alex. Or rather, ever since I
got pregnant for him. “You have the right mama; I just wonder why
you took so long to recognize your rights. I am pregnant mum. Did
you not think that I would need you? I have never been pregnant
before, but you have. Many times, I needed motherly advices but you
were not there to help me.” I ranted and my hurt became obvious.
She shifted again and her eyes clouded. I averted my gaze
instantly, not wanting her emotions to get me off track. “I am sorry
my daughter. God knows I wanted to visit you. I never wanted to
leave you alone”
“But what mama? Let me guess, papa did not allow you.” I
voiced the obvious.
She looked at me quietly for some seconds. “Don‟t think I am a
fool Amara. I know what you mean, and I feel insulted. I never
taught you to be disrespectful, especially to your own mother” she
said sternly and instantly, I knew I had gone overboard. I was hurt
by my mother‟s neglect but I knew without a doubt that she loved
me a lot. She always stood up for me but everything changed
immediately I got pregnant. She turned to something akin to a jelly
fish. I had never seen this side of my mother, and I wondered what
happened to her. She had never been much of a talkative and it was
obvious that my dad lords it over her but it seemed to have gone
terribly worse ever since I got pregnant. A single glance from my
father was enough to turn her into an overcooked vegetable. I
wondered what caused this but that did not take away the hurt I was
feeling. I felt alone.
“I am sorry mum”. Silence reigned again. This was definitely
awkward. We seemed more like strangers, instead of the mother and
daughter that we were and did not like the feeling at all. She looked
at me for some seconds and seemed to grow much more fragile than
she already looked.
“I am sorry I have not been here for you” she said with watery
eyes. “I never meant to hurt you my dear, but I wanted to give you
time to balance things with your husband. You would agree that
your marriage was pretty unusual, I thought it would be best if both
of you stayed together without any disturbances”
I swallowed. It was a very sensible explanation, I thought. One
would expect that living with Alex would at least lessen the
pregnancy tension; if only they knew the true situation of things. I
stared at my mother and put a small smile on my face. Although it
irritated me that she hadn‟t visited, I couldn‟t express how happy I
was that her appearance was splendid. The clothes she had on were
nothing compared to the rags she used to wear in the village. “You
are looking good mum” I said truthfully.
She did not smile, she even seemed pained. “But you are not,
my dear”
I swallowed.
“Amara; is your husband not giving you enough money to take
care of yourself?” she asked. I noticed the tiny trace of anger and
hatred that crept into her voice.
“I do not need his money” I said smoothly.
“But you should. Look at yourself Amara” she traced my body
with her eyes. “You do not befit this house in these clothes. I can see
that that husband of yours does not have feelings for you my
daughter. You should take advantage of this situation, take as much
as you want from him, so that you can leave his house as fast as you
can”
Oh no! “Mama” I called, “did papa ask you to come here to
deliver this lecture?” I asked in shock. This was the last thing I
expected from my mother. “Were you not the one that taught me that
money and wealth should not be allowed to cloud our senses? Have this?” My voice rose. I stood and paced and sat back down in total
confusion.
She stood up and came to sit beside me, holding my gaze.
“Amarachi, you are my daughter, and I know what is best for you.
Yes, your father suggested this and I argued against it” considering
her recent attitudes, I highly doubted that last statement but I kept
mute, staring at my mother 6like she was some sort of stranger. “I
argued it but immediately I got here and saw you looking tired and
lean, I knew it was not a totally bad idea. True, I taught you the
values of integrity and self-respect, but you have to admit that I
never envisaged you getting pregnant out of wedlock for a man like
Alex.” She swallowed slightly. “He is maltreating you Ama. You
have to think of money now because you are not the only one
involved. You have your baby to think about. If you leave empty
handed, what would you use to raise a child? Tell me” she demanded
fiercely.
“I never said I was leaving this place mama” I said dryly.
She started. “But… But you cannot be satisfied with the way he
is treating you. You are in the same old clothes you took from the
village Amara, and he does not care”
“I am in my old clothes because I wanted it that way.” I
countered.
“I would not let you stay here Amara; I would not allow you
hurt yourself and my grandchild with this foolishness. The man
clearly does not care about you, why stay with him?” she asked in
bewilderment.
I smiled in sudden irritation. “It is rather late for all these
mama; I would not be married to him in the first place if you had
been this aggressive with papa. I am a married woman now and I am
not ready to get a divorce. Don‟t worry about my marriage, I can
handle it myself. Something tells me that you have your own issues
to fix mama” My voice softened. My mum had really changed; even
you forgotten those lectures mother? How can you ask me to do the blind would see it. “What is going on mama? Is there something
that I need to know?” I asked worriedly.
She shifted nervously again and I felt the great urge to hug her.
Before I could control myself, I hugged my mum tight. She seemed
stunned at first, later, she melted into me. She held me so tight like
she thought I might vanish. “You can tell me anything mum” I
whispered. “I know that I am still a small girl and may not have any
word of advice to give but maybe if I listen to you, it would make
you feel better”
She withdrew suddenly. Her eyes seemed unusually bright as
she pasted a fake smile on her pale face. “I can handle my problems
dear, my focus is on you. I want to help you my girl. I want to put a
smile on your sweet face again” she said desperately, holding my
face, and I could see that she really meant it. I looked at my mum in
concern. I did not like the pain and struggle that was obvious in the
haunted look in her eyes. I felt the deep desire to get rid of her
problems. If I could only do that, I would get my old „mama‟ back
and she might be able to help me through my own problems.
“Let‟s make a deal. Tell me what is troubling you and I would
do whatever you want” I said with determination. She froze slightly,
blinked and stood up instantly. She looked around, searching for
something.
“Oh, it is getting late. I need to head back. I need to make your
dad‟s meal. If not, he would be hungry, and you know your father,
he would be furious”
“Mum?”
She ignored me and went to pick her small purse. I reluctantly
sighed and dropped the subject and stood up. “Take care of yourself
my daughter, my visits would be frequent now; I need to monitor
you now that your tummy is beginning to rise.” She placed her hand
tenderly on the rise of my belly. “Take care of my grandchild, ok?” I nodded. She swallowed slightly. “Think about what I said Amara,
you deserve all the good things you can get” she said.
I warded off the last sentence and hugged her tight. “I am here
if you need me mama” I said affectionately. She nodded without
looking at me and made for the door.
I entered the house after seeing her off and made for my room.
It had been a long day and a cool bed seemed like a really pleasant
idea. As I entered the room, I instead made for the window which
overlooked the beautiful garden. I felt confused to say the least. Dad
had talked about this, having my mother buttress that point again
was unsettling. The sight of the garden calmed me down but could
not erase my confusion and helplessness. I heard a knock and
instantly told Tina to enter.
She entered and I turned to face her. “Your mother is a lovely
woman” she said with a smile.
I smiled back. “Yes. She is definitely lovely”
“She is right, you know?”
“Excuse me?”
She swallowed and shifted from one leg to the other. “I… I am
sorry, I”
“You were eavesdropping on our conversation” I cut in.
“I am really sorry, I did not mean to. I was in the laundry and…
well… your voice was loud enough. I could not stop myself from
listening even if I wanted to” she explained.
Currently, all I wanted to do was put her in her place, but that
would not be fair. She had been there when I had nobody and it
would be bad if I made her feel like a maid now, despite the fact that
I made her compulsorily see me as a friend. Besides, I knew for a fact
that my voice tends to increase in pitch whenever I am angry.
Hearing the conversation would have been very easy.
I reigned in my anger. “And what is she right about?” The last
thing I needed was for someone else to agree with my parents. With the way things were going, I had a feeling that I was about to get just
that.
“You need to buy new clothes. Mr. Alex is rich; you should take
advantage of it. Miss Lisa would be visiting constantly now that she
is pregnant, you don‟t stand a chance in these clothes. I am sure you
would be prettier than her if you are properly dressed” she ranted.
“What you are saying is that I don‟t look pretty because I am
not in fancy clothes, right?” I asked angrily.
“No. No. you look beautiful in anything but you would look
better in fancy clothes” she tried to explain.
“Oh, so you want me to extort money from my husband, just
like my mother said?” I asked again. My anger seemed
uncontrollable now.
She swallowed. “Look at it objectively ma‟am. You are married
to Mr. Alex, so whatever he has is yours. You are not extorting
money from him; you are taking what rightfully belongs to you. I am
sure he is aware of that, which is the reason why he gave you a credit
card. Secondly, you have a competition, in person of Miss Lisa. You
need to be able to fight for your man and… I am sorry ma; I don‟t
think you can effectively do that in these clothes”
“Now listen to me” I retorted sharply. “I am not taking a single
penny from Alex for myself because I am not a selfish luxury-seeking
girl. Neither am I ready to get into a beauty contest with that good for
nothing prostitute because of Alex. He saw me in these rags when he
approached me in the village, if he can‟t love me like this, fine. I don‟t
care. I care only for my child.” I took a deep relaxing breathe. “I
won‟t want to get angry with you Tina over Alex, please don‟t ever
talk to me about this again”
She swallowed. “Yes ma” she murmured.
Tola paced her room. “I can‟t continue to take this” she
murmured. She had suddenly become a shadow in the house and
Tina was blooming by the minute. She had become good friends with
the madam, thanks to her brain. Tola could not comprehend the
shock she had experienced when she realized that the maid she had
been victimizing was her own madam. She had wished the ground
would swallow her alive at the revelation, but that alone could not be
compared at all to the humiliation that followed. Tola was sure that
nothing in life could be that humiliating. But after going through
weeks of being totally ignored by everyone in the house, she started
feeling hatred towards everyone. Hatred for Amara who had made
herself a thorn in her flesh, by asking her to do most of the chores.
Hatred and jealousy towards Tina who was in the madam‟s favor.
She knew without a doubt that Amara would give Tina anything she
asked for.
Tola felt her blood boil. She wondered how she could take
revenge. She wanted to make the two of them pay for making her life
miserable. Making the two of them turn against each other would be
a good start, she thought. After thinking about it for some time, she
nodded. It would be a good start.
T.b.c
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