STIGMA

CHAPTER 58

Friday 11:00 am

"Raliat, what is the matter with you? You've been acting cold to everyone since you came back home. You don't even speak to your grandmother." Mr. Usman half-yelled at his daughter, who was still on the bed in her nightwear, pretending to be asleep.

It was exactly a week since Raliat was caught by the police In Kaduna and she was in her bed, with her eyes closed, reminiscing about all that had happened.

Both the good and bad memories brought tears to her eyes.

The good memories were too good and sweet to let go of. The bad ones made her heart itk.

But what hurts the most was her heart.

Her heart was yet to be healed. Maybe it was too soon, she thought. She wondered how she was going to cope with academics and life in general. The zeal for everyone was gone, especially the zeal for education.

She was in pain and her family wasn't helping matters. Her first love was dead and gone, and her mother was nowhere to be found.

This was the time she needed her parent's emotional support but her father was proving to be a hard nut to crack. The stubborn side of him was out, even though Raliat knew he missed his wife already. But his pride was stopping him from going after her.

"Grandmother was here when mum left", Raliat finally replied her father, with her eyes still closed. "Why didn't she do anything about it?"

"Is that the problem?"

"Yes, dad. The woman you have been married to for 25 years and you still don't trust her? I am highly disappointed in you." She opened her eyes and sat upright, staring at her father in the eyes.

"Your mother left at her free will. I didn't send her away." He defended himself.

"Of course you did. You pushed her away." Raliat implied.

"Raliat, we are humans. Anybody can change. She was so desperate to get you married to Adam." he announced.

"Not your wife, dad. Has she given you any benefit of doubts before?" She questioned her father with wide eyes. Her father shook his head in response.

"And who is Adam?" She demanded.

"My friend's son."

Raliat hissed and stood up to go out.

Her father was tempted to shout at her and scold her for hissing at him but he refrained himself from doing that.

Her mood swings ever since the death of Ayoade were terrible and he was trying as much as possible not to add to her heartaches.

"When are you going back to school?" He asked as he followed her out of the room.

"The day mummy comes back home." She answered, still walking.

"What?!" Her father exclaimed, stopping in his track and staring at her as she walked, till she was out of sight.

*****
Friday 8:00 pm

Princess", Mr. Ademola pecked his daughter on the forehead.

"Daddy", she pouted, closing her diary.

"Yes, darling. How are you today? I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Your mum said you went to school today." He said and moved to sit on her bed.

"Yes, daddy. I went to check out how things are. I found out that two practical tests were conducted in my absence and I explained what happened to the lecturer who directed me to the Head of Department." She explained.