It was Christmas season and popsy insisted that we spend the holiday in the village because the mood was usually different over there. Momsy didn’t buy the idea at all but you see, in our house, it was either dad’s way or the highway so in the end, she was forced to pack our bags in preparation for the trip.
As a young boy, I knew how evil popsy’s kinsmen were, the stories I heard about them gave me the chills. It was as if everyone had an evil intention towards the next person. My parents knew this very well so they hardly visited the village but this particular time, popsy was stubborn and hell-bent on going. It was the case of the dog that wanted to get lost and wasn’t listening to the hunter’s whistle.
It was the most uneventful Christmas holiday of my life. Everyone was a suspect so momsy did her best to lock us in as much as possible. Playing outside with other kids was also forbidden. We were not allowed to look out the window because ‘flying witches’ could spot us. Boy was my mom paranoid!. The only fun we had were the times when Uncle Bob visited. He was popsy’s older brother and also my favorite Uncle. He never hid the fact that he preferred me to my siblings, he loved me specially because I look like him.
The holiday came to an end and we returned to the city then the trouble started. We began to fall sick one after the other. This strange ailment defied medical treatment and it wiped my entire family until I was the only one left. Uncle Bob was my strength at this time. He vowed not to sit back and watch me die so he took me to see a Dibia who extracted evil pins from my eyes, neck, thighs and feet. I escaped death by a hair’s breadth and I was indebted to Uncle Bob.
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We returned to our lives after the dusts of the funerals settled. I didn’t know the first thing about running a business but Uncle Bob was there hands-on to oversee things at my late father’s company and he did a fantastic job. There were side talks about how he wiped out my family so he could have everything and cheat me out of my inheritance but he proved them wrong by running the company as if it was his own and he made sure I never lacked anything. He refuted the lies by swearing that he could never do anything to cause his brother pain and I believed him. Uncle Bob is the kind that would fight for his brother not against him.
After obtaining my Masters degree, Uncle Bob handed my fathers company over to me. If everybody was like my Uncle Bob, this world will be a better place. Even this still didn’t dispel the rumors about him.
Here’s where my story actually starts. One cool Monday morning, Aunty Susu (Uncle Bob’s wife) paid me a surprise visit at the office and I knew that whatever brought her out of the house must be very important. She had Venous Thromboembolism, a blood condition that was wearing her out daily. She was the sweetest and kindest person I know and I was worried that she had to go through so much. Then I was curious about her visit and I hoped she didn’t come to talk about Uncle Bob’s recent affair with some girl. This was none of my business and I wanted to stay out of it.
Well, my guess was wrong because Aunty Susu actually came for something else. Her health scare made her think a lot about death so she wanted to right her ways with God before death came calling. She had a confession. According to her, she was always jealous of my parents and what they had so she wanted them dead. She didn’t have the guts to share her thoughts with her husband so she took care of the situation by herself. I listened in shock as she spilled the gabbage from her mouth. I could not believe my ears. I still can’t explain how I didn’t wring her neck after her confession but I’m sure I left a few bruises on her body before my staff rescued her from my grip. I told Uncle Bob everything and he was enraged, we agreed to meet up to discuss the next line of action because something had to be done.
To be continued…
