The Turbulence✔️ (#1 in the Our Side of The Dice series)

39: The Meeting

Yemisi
Lagos, Nigeria

It was difficult for me to sleep since the previous week when Karen told me everything. It has even been harder to close an eyelid seeing Gifty every single day and knowing that she tried to cover up a crime. It's just been so hard for me to believe that my daughter can do that to me and Ebunoluwa.

Certainly, I could understand why Zion was having so many issues with her. Just what on earth had we done to her as a family to have her turn her back against us all?

I knew for a fact that I wasn't a terrible mum. It's of no doubt that I can be strict and quite the disciplinarian sometimes but I always have my children's backs. My family at large. I was always there to fight for everyone so how could she?

Fighting back tears that have been wanting to fall for the past week, I pick my bag from the sofa and slip into my orange suit. I'm heading to my law office like I've been doing for the past week but when I hear the opening of a door, I turn to look and it's Gifty in her pajamas with swollen eyes and dried tears on her cheeks.

A huge part of my heart hated to see her like that. Heck! I couldn't even believe the first thing that came to my mind was to hug her but I figured it would be best for her to cry as she should. She did something wrong and deserves to feel the guilt for a good while.

"Can I meet with Gaius today? Has his father lifted the ban on his movements?" I ask the same question that I've been asking all week because the fact that I've not been able to meet with Gaius since I arrived from Germany has also been driving me crazy.

"Today is the only day he's allowed to move out of the house. He'll be playing basketball today so you can meet him at the court. I came out to tell you that," she fiddles with the rope of her bathroom robe.

"Ah! That's amazing. That means I have to arrest him today, " I think out loud but don't fail to observe the way Gifty shivers slightly at the sound of that.

Bowing my head in frustration, I close my eyes for a second, and when I open them again, the tears have gathered up in my eyes, almost blurring my vision.

"Gifty..." I sniff in. "Do you think your father would be happy with what you did if he was alive to see it? Was this who he raised you to be?" I ask the question but didn't wait for her response before I continue to talk. "You are surrounded by great men. Your late father, Your stepfather, even if he used to be a bit of a coward. Your Uncles... Even your younger brother. These people would do anything to protect their women and stand against every form of harm done to them without giving it a thought. I can't believe you didn't learn anything from these people."

When the tears start to fall down my cheeks, I decide to stop talking. What matters most is that she has received a piece of my mind so quickly, I wipe the tears away and try to retouch my makeup. "Karen is outside waiting for us. You're going to follow us to the basketball court right now."

"I don't think I will wait though, " Karen butts in loudly from outside. "Remember Christopher is arriving from Germany today. So I'll just drop you off at the basketball court and take Gifty with me to the airport so she can meet with her stepfather. He wants to see her."

"Oh..." I expressed. "Okay then. That's nice. We should start going."

***

The ride to the basketball court didn't take a while. It wasn't far from Gifty's music school. Leisurely as I sat in the back seat, I tried to imagine what Gifty and Gaius must have been doing together after school hours.

Did they have sex? Did he try to abuse her? Did he?

Wait a damn minute.

Could it be that? Was that why...she was trying to cover up for him? Because he's brainwashed and manipulated her?