Anty Lulu was angry and she glared at Lanre. The latter looked at her eyes and turned his face away. He had never seen his nanny so angry with him like this.
Infact, she had never been angry with him before. Instead of being angry and upset with him, she would ask him not to talk to her for a certain minute or hour.
In such cases, he would go to her and apologise. They had lived like that for years till now. But the face that stares angrily at him now, is a little scary to him.
“I’m sorry nanny” Lanre said respectfully and bowed slightly. Theresa also apologised on behalf of Lanre and Aunt Lulu became a little calm.
But there was silence. Aunt Lulu seemed not to want to say anything else. Perhaps she has lost the interest of saying anything to the twins.
Lanre’s eyes went red. He had missed the most important people in his life, his parents. He glanced at Theresa Mo and their eyes locked.
Simultaneously, as if their minds were working together they stood up and walked to each other. Theresa was sobbing loudly but Lanre was not but one can tell he was emotional.
They hugged each other like they had never. Lanre was taller hence Theresa barely reached his shoulder. He held her tight and closed his eyes.
Theresa’s hand was around his waist as she sobbed ” dad told me I had a brother but he’s dead, he died when he was born…(sobs) he wished he didn’t die, dad longed to have you…” she couldn’t say anything more as her voice choked.
Theresa’s tears and words sent a cold shiver through everyone’s spine. Junxie, who sat quietly like a rock, felt a little moved.
A father who knew he had a son but he was dead and longed, wished that boy never died. He probably would have thought the son was waiting for him on the other side but alas, he was alive, happy and bearing another’s name.
Aunt Lulu was moved. She stared at Xiaoxi’s children and her tears ran down her cheeks. She never anticipated what a day like this would look like.
“Sister!!”Lanre uttered, he ran his hands over Theresa’s hair and finally placed his lips on her temple, it wasn’t a featherlight kiss but a long time, he wouldn’t remove his lips from her temple.
Junxie became a little uncomfortable and he coughed slightly. Lanre understood and let go. ” I had loved you sister from the day you came for that pregnancy test.
I couldn’t explain but I felt I should go after you and see you fine since you said you don’t know who got you pregnant. That feeling was genuine, it wasn’t anything erotic.
I didn’t know at the time that you were my sister. I wish I had known earlier, perhaps I would have gotten acquainted with you more…” Lanre said, wiping the tears off her face with his index finger.
” You did exactly what you would have done if you had known earlier. I had thought we weren’t destined to Meet in this world” Theresa replied, locking eyes with him.
” You look 60 parts like dad. Why didn’t I ever think of the possibility that you might be my brother?” Theresa stated.
” That’s because you thought your brother was dead. If you had known that I am alive, perhaps that thought would have crossed your mind” Lanre responded.
Theresa nodded. That’s true. If she knew he was still alive, she would have perhaps thought on that line.
Lanre knew Theresa looked like their mother. He felt weak and emotional. She was this close to him and yet he wandered around, looking for the one who was so close to him.
“Tell us everything Aunt Lulu?” Lanre asked. He sniffled and let Theresa Mo sit down next to him.
Aunt Lulu cleared her throat before she began” I am partially responsible for Xiaoxi’s death. I had lived with the guilt all these years and hence I decided to live my life protecting what led to her death: Lanre.
When she kept emphasising that she felt her son was still alive. She told me she seemed to hear another child’s voice besides Theresa’s in her head.
She said he was alive when he was born, and she heard his cry. How can she be told later that the baby was dead. He is still alive.
She concluded that her baby was sold by the hospital and she must find him. If I knew, I wouldn’t have opened up to her.
I was moved by my friend’s plight and told her she would find her son in such an orphanage. But she should go and adopt him rather than going to claim him.
I was afraid, if she went and claimed him, Anita would definitely ensure that this time, the boy dies. When Lanre was little, he didn’t look like Zongtian, he looked like his grandfather Zongtian’ s father.
But emotions overwhelmed her when she arrived there. She started throwing tantrums that Lanre is her son. She felt moved with pity that her son doesn’t enjoy a normal life with his parents but was dumped in the orphanage.
She was asked to get a DNA report and a police permission before being allowed to go with her son. But she chose to carry Zongtian along.
At that time, they were engaged, to be married in a month’s time. She called him but that was all that happened. Few minutes later, she was hit by a car at high speed.
She didn’t die immediately, but she was badly injured. Her entire body was covered in blood and injury. She asked for me and I went to see her.
She made me place my hand on her head and swear that I will find her son and look after him forever. She pleaded and asked me to protect him.
Seeing my friend was dying, I was sobbing profusely and I said yes. I would protect her son with my life.
Xiaoxi smiled through her pain, and held my… ha.. nd as she drifted to…. her.. de.. a. th” Aunt Lulu started sobbing loudly.
She was sweating and shivering as if Xiaoxi’s death just happened. Theresa joined her and there seemed to be sobbing galore in Lanre’s sitting room.
Junxie stood up and went to pull Theresa Mo to his embrace. Rosa went to Lanre and tried calming him down. But rather than calming him, she started sniffling, her tears fell on Lanre’s hand and she cleaned it quickly.
Lanre kept sniffling but had no tears. His eyes were red and he kept digging his hand into his hair, making it rough, he is like someone languishing in pain.
“So I returned to the orphanage and pleaded that the director give Lanre up for adoption to any family who don’t have any kids of their own.
That’s how he came about his foster parents. I got the address of his foster parents and travelled out, went there and applied to be their son’s nanny.
I was lucky to be employed. I had resigned from my job and changed my name, my identity and became Lanre’s nanny till date.
I didn’t marry, I broke up my engagement with my fiance back then and dedicated my life to fulfilling Xiaoxi’s desire and Promise I made.
Every year I take leave and return to be with Theresa. I had alternated my life like that until when Lanre said he was returning to this country to take up a job as a medical doctor.
I decided to stay by him. Theresa was under Zongtian’s protection and that made me a little relieved.
When Xiaoxi died, Anita set her friend Molly and her brother together and they became a couple. Before I knew it, Molly was pregnant with Zongtian’s child.
I later discovered privately that Anita paid a driver to crush Xiaoxi to death and started investigating the child. She never found the boy till I heard she died a few years later…” Aunt Lulu explained.
“It would have been better that I really died and my mother lived. I would never be able to forgive myself that she died because of me..”Lanre stated.
” Don’t say that babe, every mother would always be willing to sacrifice their lives for their children. I’m glad you have Theresa and you both can live happily as siblings.
I expect you to be grateful to your nanny. She had protected you from the hospital and still watches over you to this age. Besides your mother, you owe your life to her..” Rosa coaxed.