Chapter one

Lilian.

Tuesday, September 27.

4:58am.

I could not move, I could not walk, it felt as if my whole world was coming to an end.

Everything was going down the drain... I've lost track of the date.

I sat on the floor, too weak to climb up on my bed, hours ago some relatives I did not really recognise were busy consoling me.

Where were they when we needed help?

And now that things have gone bad they are here to sympathize, they only came here to get their fair share of the property my father owned.

Jealous and wicked beings.

It's been three days now and I'm still sitting here crying my eyes out, I glanced at the wall clock and it was already 5am.

Just like yesterday I won't go to school today again.

I was well aware that my mom was not around, she was always busy with work as always, she never cares, and she only comes home whenever she feels like.

Now there are no tears to even cry again, my eyes were red and pale.

Now that he has gone I would be left in loneliness and solitude.

I was starving, I can't remember the last time I ate something.

My head was pounding and my whole body was not itself, I felt very weak.

I remembered breaking down when I heard the news of my father's death.

Nothing will ever be the same without him.

I though to myself, and another hot tear rolled down my cheek.

Since three days ago, the only thing I did was cry and sleep off, wake up again and cry.

Yesterday I even saw my dad in my dream, he smiled at me and he mumbled something I couldn't hear properly.

I sat down in the same position before my mom's sister Aunty Betty walked into my room.

Damn it!, what does she want!?

"Lilian please come downstairs, your fathers relatives want to talk to you, and you can't keep ignoring them, they have been here since Sunday." Aunty Betty said looking worried as she walked into the room.

She bent down to clean the tear on my cheek before rubbing my shoulders.

"Lillian,  no amount of tears would bring back the dead, trust me your mom is in a worst situation now." Aunty Betty said looking very serious.

I'm  sure my mom doesn't care, all she cares about is her stupid hospital, work is more important than everything to her.

She was busy treating one of her patients when my dad was here dying helplessly.

"What do they want?, they should go back to the village." I said looking very angry.

Right now I felt like throwing every single person into the dustbin, they all mean nothing to me.

"Please come downstairs my dear, if you don't these people will take all what belongs to you." My Aunty begged.

She walked out after cleaning my cheek again, she closed the door behind her.

She is right if I don't go they would take what is rightfully mine, that is why they are here in the first place.

I mustered some energy and finally I could stand up, standing on my two feets felt strange and I could suddenly feel pain in my legs, I have been seated in that position since yesterday or the day before.

I walked slowly and sluggishly to the door, I walked out and into the lonely corridor.

Memories of my dad and mom playing Romeo and Juliet in the corridors, Memories of me bumping into my dad while running upstairs just to get my charger.

Those memories came rushing back.

I walked into the Living room, and my eyes caught the family picture on the wall.

My dad with his genuine smile, his chocolate and honey like skin,  his long hairs that I would often tangle while I was still a baby.

Those oceanic eyes and those nose I would pull, that too when I was a baby.

I got those perfect baby pink lips from him.

I would miss him so much.

"Can't you greet." A woman with scary tribal marks across each cheek yelled.

She brought me back to reality, and even after that I just ignored what she said.

They all are acting as if they are some good relatives, but deep down they are full of evil deeds.

They only came here to get a share of my father's property since he was the only son in the family of eight females, also the last born, and now that he is dead they think they deserve all of his properties.

About ten of them in the living room and I only recognise one out of all,  and that's the youngest daughter, she is the only one that lives in Lagos.

The others reside in Ogun State.

My eyes met that of Aunty Betty, she kept gesturing before whispering.

"C'mon show some respect."

They were all older than my mom and aunt, some might even have grand children already.

I don't like them because they all despise of my mom, and that is one of the reason my mom has decided to stay at work, or else she will be forced to go through with the Widows rites and all those harmful traditional practices.

"E kaa ro ma." I greeted, they shouldn't expect me to kneel down, you can say I'm a spoilt child but my parents haven't taught me to do that.

My mom is not Nigerian, and my Dad does not believe in all those form of greetings.

(Good morning ma)

Only to greet and be very polite.

One of them clapped her hands before uttering something I did not really understand, since I do not understand Yoruba well.

"Egbami, shey ko le kunle ni?"

But after breaking it down word by word I think I understood what she meant by that, but I still ignored her.

(Can't she kneel down?)

They all thought I did not understand Yoruba, because my accent was not right at all, but they were wrong... I understand it once I'm able to break it down.

My aunty walked back inside then the one with scary tribal marks giggled before saying something.

"Esha fi le, temi ni ki adajo de kin gba owo" She sat down on the couch like the others and I just walked into the kitchen to get milk.

(You people should leave her,  my own is that the lawyer should come and I should Collect my own money)

Fools!, they are not getting a dime.

Milk was the only thing that calmed me down, it also made me sleepy a times, so I sat down on the dinning table and surprisingly drank three tin milk.

Aunty Betty walked back into the living room before removing the phone from her ear, I also joined them in the living room when I was done drinking, but this time I switched on the television.

Right now I'm trying to make my mood change for the better.

They were all surprised when they saw me drinking milk like a spoilt gluten.

I just ignored them all, and switched it to Fox life. That was all I watched with my mom, Fox life or E entertainment, then I watched football with my Dad, but he is no more.

Damn it! 

Then I remembered those days when my dad would get angry because Manchester United lost a match.

I remembered when we would both scream 'Goal!' and my mom would complain because she was trying to rest after the days work.

My Dad is a Police officer and from what I heard about his death, he was assassinated.

"When is mom coming back?" I asked my aunty turning my head backwards.

She was talking to one of the women and I interrupted, not caring of it was rude.

"Well... She will be back this Saturday." My aunty replied.

I frowned immediately, I know she did not care of my dad.

They fought days before he died, and even if it was a small argument my mom turned it to something big and then she paid more attention to work instead of her family.

"The lawyer will be here in thirty minutes Lilian" My aunty said, I was happy that the relatives did not understand English, I don't like their faces and I don't want to have any stupid business with them, I also don't want them to here whatever I'm discussing with my aunt.

I stood up and walked back to the fridge, there was nothing to eat,  we were out of groceries.

I poured my favorite cereal into a bowl, then opened another tin milk.

I'm obsessed with milk, I sat on the dinning table, still watching the television and while eating.

Some of the relatives kept eyeing me but I really don't give a fuck.

And that is how I have been, I have been rude and I don't take shit.

I'm just waiting for the stupid lawyer to come and say the rubbish he has to say so that this idiots can crawl back to were the came out from.

After an hour of waiting the stupid lawyer arrived and he kept apologizing for being late, he was supposed to be here an hour ago, and then he calls himself a professional.

"I'm very sorry for coming late, so we can start immediately." the lawyer said as Aunty Betty welcomed him.

I was still seated at the dinning and I did not move an inch.

"You, wear clothes cover your body now... Man Don waka inside." One of the village women said, she was the only one I knew and she still understood pidgin.

I tried not to laugh before looking at what I was wearing, a ripped shorts and a chocolate brown hoodie.

What is wrong with what I'm wearing?

I asked myself before ignoring the woman.

"Here is my interpreter, he will interpret everything to the villagers." The lawyer said before another young man interpreted in Yoruba,

his apologies for being late and all the other rubbish that came out from the lawyers mouth.

"Okay." they all chorused after understanding what the interpreter said.

After the lawyer listed all the properties owned by my father including his houses and cars, the interpreter also interpreted everything.

Then the part I was waiting for in the will.

"... His houses, cars and all other businesses excluding the reunion home all belong to my loving daughter... Lilian Olatanwa James." I rested my back happily, watching the look on their faces as the interpreter interpreted everything in Yoruba.

My aunty smiled at me and I smiled back, all these idiots think they can take what is not theirs, they don't know that I'm Lilian and I don't let people cheat me.

"... The reunion home belongs to my whole extended family alone...." after that I stood up from the dining, walked to the living room to hear what else he has to say.

The look on the relatives faces was not good, they looked as if they lost a contract.

Idiots!

"I leave my daughter in the hands of her mother...." The lawyer continued to read. Then the interpreter and after that a woman interrupted, saying my mom was not around so they should probably stay with me till my mom comes back.

My plan was to send them or chase them back to the village.

But now that the woman said this trash.

"She is not a baby." My aunty argued before facing the lawyer.

I'm not a baby and I can take care of my self before my mom comes back home.

"Yes she is right." I said defending myself.

The relatives further explained that they are my aunts and so they are going to stay with me till my mom returns.

Aunty Betty also said she can take care of me since she was my mom's step sister.

"Miss Lilian james, choose who you are staying with." the lawyer said then the interpreter interpreted in Yoruba.

I turned to face the villagers, then I smirked.