CHAPTER TWO

~Elizabeth~

You're fired.

Those words kept ringing in my ears. I lost my job. I used my own mouth to put myself in trouble. What have I done?

Naturally I expected him to kick me out of his car since I was no longer working for him, but instead, we still drove to Lotion Limited.

And I dared not talk. That would just be my demise. It was probably the last job I was going to be doing and since he didn't have a PA at that moment, he needed me.

................

I stayed quiet for about an hour in the the hall way of the company. My boss along with other company's bosses were in the conference room discussing whatever matter. And I was just seated. Again. For too long. And now my butt was beginning to hurt.

My boss had asked me to stay. Again. And with the seriousness in his voice, I wasn't planning on disobeying.

"Thank you Mr. Badmus. We appreciate your cooperation." A sigh escaped my mouth when I saw them begin to walk out of the room.

I snorted lowly when I saw some of the business men gave a one sided glance at me.

"Hey you brought the beautiful PA here too." I hissed when I heard the familiar voice say out.

I stood up from where I sat and turned to meet with the Badmus brothers.

"I know my brother cannot do anything without you." Kelvin Badmus, younger brother to David Badmus.

He was just a few years younger, but was exactly like his brother. Every characteristic, just one thing differentiating, Kelvin was jovial.

While David, my boss, was this always serious type of person. Kelvin, could play with every single thing.

"Good day sir." I forced a smile on my face.

It was already a bad habit for me.

"Naa. I've asked you to call me Kelvin." He told me, placing his hands around my shoulders.

With that position, I began to feel really uncomfortable. Trying my best not to get upset and over react, I took his hands off me.

I stared at David, my boss, to see he was engrossed in a conversation on his phone to attend to us.

"You know he didn't really need to bring you here." Kelvin told me.

That explained why I was the only one here.

"Well..." I just shrugged

"C'mon talk. You barely say words. You're too formal. Be free around me....okay, you wanted to say something before, say it." He urged to me to continue.

I gave one more glance at my boss. He had just ended the call.

"I'm not...his PA any more." I said truthfully.

"He promoted you?" Kelvin's eyes widened.

"No, I fired her." David cut in.

There was a moment of silence, till Kelvin bursted out laughing. Why was he laughing? What was so funny about being fired?

"I'm not joking." David glared at his brother.

"I know. I'm just laughing at how you'll become useless in work without her." Kelvin said and I found myself smiling. But I let it drop again before anyone noticed.

"She's stubborn. I don't want that kind of person in my work." He defended and I scoffed out.

I'm really passing my boundary today.

"Is something funny?" David glared at me. All I could do was look away.

"My brother, you've been working with her for about five years and you're just realizing she's stubborn. I bet you don't even know her name." Kelvin said and we both stared at him, waiting for my name to come out of his mouth.

"Adeyemi." He said.

"Adeyemi what?" I glared and I could've sworn I saw a flash of guilt in his eyes.

"I've worked for you for years and you don't know my name." I said in disbelief.

"Well I know you're Adeyemi and you're my PA. Isn't that enough?" He rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't matter. Just forget about it." I muttered crossing my arms.

"But on a more serious note. You need her, no, the business needs her. She has proved her loyalty to us and has worked really hard. Are you just gonna let one misunderstanding between the both of you ruin it." Kelvin told his brother.

Obviously the junior was wiser than the older one.

David didn't say anything, he just shoved his brother off and walked away. He really was arrogant. His Ego didn't let him see he was making a bad choice.

"Don't worry Lizzy, if he doesn't need you. I'll hire you and..."

"If I get to that car before you do. Know the chances of having your job back is at stake." David shouted and with that, I sprinted off, not forgetting to mumble a thank you to his brother.

..................

~2 weeks later~

"I'm sorry ma'am, he's busy right now and he says not to be disturbed." I stood as an obstacle in front of my boss's office.

"Ma'am? Don't address me as ma'am I'm not old." The lady in front of me said in her high pitched voice.

"My apologies." I kept it formal with her.

I knew exactly who she was. Sandra Collins. She owned a famous fashion line. She was also the girlfriend of my boss and the same lady I met with him at the boutique.

"Just get out of my way." She tried to push me but to no avail.

"As much as I want to, I can't. I'm just following orders." I kept my fake smile.

"What's going on here?" I turned to the sound of my boss voice.

"Miss Sandra seeks your attention. But you asked me not to let anyone in till you're done." I said nonchalantly.

"Can you just imagine the rubbish this girl is saying? I advice you get rid of her. She lacks respect." Sandra chipped in and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

She didn't see, but David did and he returned it with a warning glare.

"Sandra. Just don't mind her, I asked her not to let anyone disturb me. Let's just go in." He placed a small kiss on her lips and I almost gagged.

"You're free to go to your office." He said to me and I frowned slightly.

"Sir it's closing hour. Every other worker has gone home." I told him.

"Yeah. You can go." He waved me off and I smiled.

Finally.

**********

I drove my car through the busy Lagos road. I thank God the traffic wasn't much. So getting to the hospital didn't take more than twenty minutes.

"Doctor?" I called out immediately I sighted the doctor I knew.

"Miss Adeyemi. Good evening." She greeted with a smile.

"Doctor, good evening. Please how's she doing." I asked nervously.

It was a daily job to visit the hospital after work to check on the only person I loved in the world. My mum.

Explaining how she ended up there was a very long story.

"She's fine. Better every day." The doctor smiled at me.

"Can I meet her?" I asked

"She's asleep. Be careful not to wake her." With what the doctor said I rushed to the wardroom.

I had gotten so used to this place. This room in particular. It wasn't big, but still not small. The walls were painted in blue, rhyming with the bed that my mum was laying on.

My mum.

Seeing her in that condition. Tubes connected into her body, needles pierced into her skin and an oxygen mask on her face for breathing. This condition brought enough tears to cloud my eyes. It has been like this for the past six months and every single day of visit brought pain to my heart.

***********

"What are you doing here?" I gasped out at the way my father shouted at my mum.

"I came to see my daughter. It's been long. Been about two years and I haven't set my eyes on my own daughter. I want to see..." Before she could finish, a loud slap landed on her face. It made my heart break to see her in tears and pain.

"I made myself clear before when I asked you not to show your face here." He told her.

I was in the kitchen peeking from the door. The strength and mind to show myself to my mother was not there. What would she think if she saw me like this. Pale, weak and lean. She'll hate herself. So it was better I stayed put. Besides going there is just going to increase my fathers anger.

"Please let me just say hi to her." She insisted and I knew it only made him more mad.

"You don't used to hear word in this life right?!" He began unbuckling his belt.

Oh no.

He took off his belt and lashed it on her skin making her fall to the ground.

"Mummy!" I found myself running towards her.

"My baby." She cried out when she saw me.

"What has he done to you?" She cried more and I cried along.

"Mummy please be going." I pleaded

"No. Not without you...."

"This stupid child." My father dragged me by my hair and threw me to the other end of the room. I hit my head on the wall and it was like I lost my brain for a moment.

I laid there helplessly and watched my mum get beaten by this monster.

"Please." I mumbled but he didn't hear.

He dragged my mum and threw her out of the house. I regained my strength and followed where he had thrown her. My house was a story building. And he had just thrown her down the stairs. I watched how blood began to flow down her body.

"Mummy." I clasped my hands around my mouth. "Please we need to take her to the hospital." I pleaded with my dad but he just went back into the house without care.

I rushed my way down the stairs to meet with her unconscious body. It was so painful. The thought of loosing her crossed my mind and I immediately shook my head.

"Mummy please don't die." I mumbled already feeling my body begin to shake again.

I shouted for help but no one was around. Knowing I wouldn't find help soon. I used all my strength to pull her up. She wasn't a plump woman. She was slim but I was still too weak to carry her well. It took about five minutes to be able to carry her to where people were. And the ones nice enough helped me carry her to the hospital.

When I was asked what happened. I had to lie. I lied. I could've just explained things to them. Everything to them. But I lied. Lied she fell from the stairs. Lied she slipped and fell.

People might not understand, but I knew what my father was capable of doing to me and her and my brother if he found out I told on him.

She spent weeks in the hospital and when she was discharged, she was discharged with a paralyzed leg. She lost one of her legs.

Her loosing her leg made me realize my dad would do anything to get rid of us. So instead of going back home to him. I ran.

I ran away from him. From everyone I knew. Even my mum. It was what was best.

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

"Omo mi." (My child). I slowly opened my eyes at the sound of my mother's voice.

"Mummy." I whispered out.

I then began to recognize my environment. The wardroom. My mum was here with me. I had fallen asleep on the chair beside her bed.

Another dream.

"How are you?" She smiled at me and I smiled back.

"I'm fine as long as you're fine." I told her.

"What about your brother?" The weakness in her voice was audible.

"He's in school. He's fine." I told her.

There was a moment of silence. She was just looking at me with a soft smile on her lips and her hand on my cheek. The smile she once had on her face soon turned into a weak pout. A shaky breath escaped her lips as tears clouded her eyes.

"Mummy, please, I don't want you to cry." I told her as tears also began to cloud my eyes.

"I'm so sorry." She pleaded.

"Don't be. You didn't do anything wrong." I told her.

"I did a lot of things wrong to you....you passed through a lot in this life at a young age all because of me." She cried.

I sighed out again. We're back to this topic. She blames herself for everything that happened to me. But it wasn't her fault. She knew I was passing through Hell with my father. But she didn't really know all about what went on.

In fact, no one but I and the monster knew what happened to me. I never told anyone what I really passed through. And I wasn't planning on talking. My life is already getting fixed up.

I worked my way to freedom and now I'm working and earning a good sum of money monthly. My younger brother is in the university now and my mum is recovering from the hospital. I plan on renting an apartment for her to leave in it she could just leave with me so as not to feel lonely.

"Mum look what I've become now. Everything would be alright. I promise. We're no longer gonna be in pain any longer. That's the past okay? Please just wipe your tears....in fact, I have a surprise for you...." I trailed off and brought out a small package from my bag.

"I realized something. Once in a while this place could get boring. So I bought you a phone." I handed her an android phone and watched how her eyes widened in awe as she saw the phone.

"I already installed a lot of games and my number is there in case you need me." I explained to her with a smile.

"Thank you. You didn't have to." She said and I hugged her.

"I love you Mum." I told her truthfully.

"I love you too. My daughter. I'm proud of you. Thank you." She whispered out.

I guess this is my own happy ever after.