FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

I rummaged through my mom's room and found the key to her safe, I slowly opened it and I car face to face with a dark brown envelope, I presumed it was the one containing the letter my mom told me about.

It was sealed so I took a pair of scissors from her night stand and cut the top part of it.

There was a letter nicely folded into another envelope. My hands were already shaking and I was super tensed, I mean, I was not sure what was in the letter and I was only hoping it wasn't something bad.

As I opened the letter, my hands were literally shaking and sweating, it was a long well written letter from my mom.

I chose to sit on the couch where I'd comfortably read it from, I made sure the door was locked from the inside.

DEAR SON,

Hello my dear son? I know by the time you'll be reading this will be long gone, long gone to the land of the dead, but before anything else I want to you know that I love you from the bottom of my heart, you and your little sisters, whatever I did was to save you and to keep you safe.

You might be wondering why your dad mistreated me and I still stayed back, it was for your own good Dylan, and your sisters too, you're the only people that gave me hope In life, you're the only people that gave me a reason to fight for and to stay sane

I know what I'm about to tell you will come as a shock to you but it's the only way I would have told you the truth, I've been hiding you from the truth all your life but it's better if I told you everything now that you're all grown and  responsible young man

I kept staying because that was the only place I would survive with you guys. Vincent is not your real dad.

Your dad and I had stayed for almost two years without getting any child, his mother was on my neck calling me names and hurling all kind of abuses at me calling me a barren woman, I asked your dad to accompany me to the hospital but he refused, I literally begged him but he totally refused saying I was the problem and he wasn't.

I personally went to the hospital for a checkup and was found okay I never told your father about it because I knew he would deny, he was in denial that he was the problem.

We stayed for almost six months trying out things but our efforts bored no fruit I then decided to talk to the doctor, his name was Dr walker Peterson, by then he hadn't married yet, so we agreed on a deal which was only set between us. 

Dr Walker Peterson was from Birmingham in England but he was staying here in Chicago because he was employed here. We agreed he decided to help me that's how I got you as our first born, I never mentioned anything to your step dad Vincent, we went on and got your two sisters, Melissa and Alicia, the only good thing was that you guys took after me.

So in short, I wanted to divorce your step dad and finally move in with your real dad Mr. Walker but things happened.

One day as Dr walker was coming from his homeland in England, he got an accident on a plane crush and he died before he even reached Chicago, it hurt me that you weren't ever going to meet your real dad but things happened. He was the only son to his mom, Mrs. Walker who by then had died; he had gone for her burial when he also succumbed and met his untimely death on a plane crush.

Don’t take me as a bad mom but I did what I did to protect you, I was waiting for you to come of age so that I'd explain everything to you but before that I was diagnosed with a brain tumor which was as a result of brain cancer I was also suffering from diabetes, I knew my days on earth were numbered but I had to stay strong for you Dylan, and your younger sisters.

I attended your dad's burial back in Birmingham, I guess you remember the time I said I was going to visit your Aunt, Sue; she's the only person that knows everything about this. Your dad had left a will and he Included both of you in the will, he has several companies back in Birmingham and also here in Chicago, they were all left in care until you come of age to manage them.

I'm deeply sorry for keeping this from you and I hope you guys find it in your hearts to forgive me, I wrote you this because I knew you're old enough to break this news to your younger sisters.

It has been four years since he died, on 20th of August is the day he died I hope y'all celebrate it as his anniversary as I always did. I left every other detail in the safe, including of how you're going to access the wealth and his house directions. There is his picture taken a while ago which I left you for you guys.

I know it sounds weird and kind of unacceptable but I was desperate for kids and I got you, you came as a blessing to my life, I love you all, and apologize to your sisters on my behalf. Bye Dylan I love you

YOUR LOVING MOM, KAYLA

By the time I was done reading the letter, my mind was far away I didn't even realize that I was crying until I saw a droplet of it on the letter.

I sniffled and blew my nose, I had to get used to things, my mother did what she did and she got us were  it not for him I wouldn't be here and we both we wouldn't be here talking. I forgave her more than a thousand times; she was my loving mom and not just any other person.

I took a pen from the nightstand and scribbled down what I was meaning to write to her, I had to let her rest in eternal peace knowing well we all forgave her for keeping the truth from us and to thank her for taking care of us through both good and bad times

"I forgive you Mama and may your soul rest in eternal peace"

With that I put back the letter in the dark brown envelope; it was the only precious gift my mom had left for me.

I perused through the safe again and found the detailed information about everything concerning the wealth and my dad. I found his picture and looked exactly like me I was his own replica; in short I was his younger version.

I scribbled down a rest in peace behind the picture and placed it back in the safe. I was feeling a little bit better after the letter, although it contained the hardest information but I had to get used to the flow of events. As I drifted off to sleep that night I had already made up my mind, to take care of my younger sisters and compensate for the lost happy times, I didn’t know how I was going to break the news to my younger sisters, I knew they weren’t going to take easily but they had no choice, what had happened had happened and we just to start learning to live with it