Jessica’s point of View.
I took the water on our night stand and drank a little to soothe my throat, Xavier kissed my head gently,
“Her husband apologised and we went back to the peaceful family we were, she worked harder and was able to lift mum’s business back up again and she became fine, she and her husband became closer than ever and I took became their daughter, but as time goes on my aunt became easily irritated and angry, sometimes she will snap at me without me doing anything, she would apologise after she gets herself or when her husband gives her water and takes her inside to rest, she went to the hospital and they diagnosed her pregnant, we were joyful and she apologised to me, I was in college then so I understand how pregnant women and mood swings are”
I stopped as if trying to relieve the memory again,
“You can stop if it’s too much for you”
“Am okay”
I said to him smiling, he smiled back,
“My aunt developed a liking to porridge and baby powder, she will inhale it whenever she got irritated, it started with her husband giving it to her whenever she got really angry and unbearable, I was praying for the child to be born fast so that she can return back but she became destructive always demanding for the powder, I asked her husband if we should take her to the hospital and he said it’s not necessary that’s it’s the hormones causing it, I accepted his explanation,”
“There must be something wrong with the powder ”
“Yes, now she mentioned drugs I think her husband was feeding her drugs without her knowing ”
“And it made her irritable when she doesn’t have it, he is heartless, she is pregnant with his child”
“Yes he is, she lost the child after slipping from when she was having one of her episodes, she acted like everything was fine, I never see her cry or mourn her child, I didn’t suspect anything because people grieve differently, she still took care of me, her husband travelled out one day and she turned back to her irritable self, she just shouts at me but never hite but one faithful day she hit with her heels on my head, I started bleeding immediately, as if she got herself, she came to me apologising and crying she drove me to the hospital and when her husband came back she returned back to normal but hitting me became a norm for her, at first it was only her but her husband soon joined and she will never stop him, they starved, beat and abused me all the time till I finished high school, one day, things had gotten out of head and I almost lost my life, I was rushed to the hospital by a neighbour and the neighbour told the police but before they came, my aunt and husband ran away, that’s when i found out that they sold my mothers company, thank God that they didn’t sell the house too if not i would be locked again, they had beaten me up one day and threw me out into the rain, i nearly died from anemia if i wasn’t taken to the hospital on time”
“Were they caught?”
“Yes but only the husband was imprisoned ”
“That was really terrible, I think your aunt was right about being drugged, that husband of hers is pure evil, he killed his own child and nearly drove his wife mad, he deserves to spend the rest of his life in jail”
“Yes, thinking back on everything now, I should have seen the signs, but why didn’t she look for me all this years, why now, it’s not her fault but that doesn’t excuse what she did to me at all, she and her husband nearly done me mad and battered ”
“Baby, no one is forcing you to forgive them, you will do that when you want without anyone’s two cents.”
“What about grandfather? You said he values family bond”
“Grandfather wouldn’t force you to forgive her if you don’t want to okay”
“Okay, then, let me take my bath and make lunch, I feel sticky ”
“No don’t, just rest, let the cook do it”
“Okay, Xavier?”
“Yes”
“Thank you, I mean it”
“I know and you are welcome, now go bath”
I nodded and I went to fresh up, I looked at myself in the mirror and I look like a ghost in a horror movie, my eyes were puffy, my face too, I have dark circles under my eyes, after taking my bath with hot water to soothe my heart and relax my muscles I felt refreshed, I looked at the mirror again and I looked so nice,
“What hot baths does is something else ”
I smiled to myself, my head is clearer and not blinded by anger and grief, I decided to give my aunt a chance to explain everything, I needed that closure, I wonder where she was because the bank card hasn’t been used, i hope it’s not what I was thinking, I dressed up and went downstairs, seems like Xander went to his study, I went straight to my car and I saw my aunt sleeping there with a blanket covering her body, she will definitely have a body ache lying down like that, I tapped her to wake up,
“Wake up, aunt, wake up”
“Hummm, (yawns)”
“Wake up and…. come inside”
“Huh, are you sure? I don’t mind sleeping her at all”
“Just come inside before I change my mind”
“No, am coming ”
She scrambled on her feet and packed her blanket, I led her inside and showed her room where she will be staying at the moment, she thanked me
I just hope am doing the right thing, I heard the sound of the shower, well she needs it because it helps a lot.