It was about 6:30 pm when Remaliah returned to the flat in a taxi, feeling very satisfied with himself over a mission well accomplished. Of course, as a soldier, he had engaged in many missions, but not many were as sweet as this one, especially considering its surprise element.
The Acolatses deserved every drop of embarrassment and shame they would have felt before the people. They really had the nerve to act like they were picture perfect parents when they were in fact just the total opposite. It felt good to have exposed them as frauds.
His contentment dimmed, however, when he noticed an ambulance at the car park. He sat up in concern. “Ei, what’s happened?” he wondered to himself. “I hope it has nothing to do with anyone in the flat ooo.”
As he stepped out and paid the driver, he walked over to the ambulance before seeing Drusilla a distance away, looking slightly pensive.
“Dru!” he called as he quickly walked over to her, concern etched on his face. “Is everything okay?”
She nodded as he hugged her. “Yeah, yeah. It’s that old man. The one who ignores everybody. Richard went to ask him for something this afternoon, and he didn’t get a response, so he had to break in. He found the old man dead in his chair.”
“Hmm,” Remaliah hummed, feeling relieved that nobody in the Flat Fam was hurt. Jonny’s stabbing was bad enough. “I guess the good Lord called him home.”
“Yeah, looks like it. Anyways, Jonny is home now. Ray went to pick him up.”
“Thank God, thank God, I’m just glad about that. Well, may the old man’s soul rest in peace. Lemme go get some rest.”
“Alright, alright, sure… oh wait, Remmy!” Drusilla called as he walked away. “What happened at the seminar?”
He turned to face her, then smiled.
“Well, I’ll give you the full tale before we sleep, but for now, all I’ll say is… I told you they’d regret that evil letter.”
***
Stepping onto the corridor leading to their apartment, Remaliah found Raymond and Jonny in a sling, watching the ambulance as it drove away, carrying the remains of the old man.
“Sir Remmy!” they called out as they saw him.
He smiled as he approached and hugged them. “Boys! You good? Jonny, you’re alright now?”
They nodded, and Jonny added, “A bit of pain, but I’m good. Like I mentioned last night, the doctors said no major nerve damage, so I’ll be fine.”
Remaliah nodded. “Great, great. As for that buffoon, I don’t think he’ll ever attempt that stupidity in his life again.”
Raymond nodded. “Chale. Never again. After that double cheeseburger, he won’t remember Shika sef. So, did you take him to the police station?”
Remaliah’s face twitched, then he smirked and nodded as he continued toward the apartment. “Yeah, yeah, I did.”
Raymond and Jonny looked at each other, then grinned, seeing through their old man’s fib.
“Sir Remmy, you dealt with him old soldier style, didn’t you?”
“See you later, boys!”
***
Remaliah walked into Akushika’s room, his face lighting up as he saw her cradling Ellen in her arms. The little one had just been breastfed and was gurgling contentedly. Across the room, Bukky was folding a small blanket.
“Ladies, I’m back!” he called out, smiling hugely.
“Ahh, welcome back ooo, Sir Remmy!” Bukky responded, placing the folded blanket on the bed. “Please, were you able to get your something done?”
“Yep,” he nodded. “Really short notice, but it was a piece of cake.”
“Heyy! Old soldier no dey waste mission!”
Remaliah laughed. “Old soldier never dey waste mission!”
Akushika, quiet throughout this long-standing gag between the two, tilted her head slightly. “Ummm, Bukky,” she asked, her tone kind but firm, “I beg you, can I please have a moment with Sir Remmy?”
Bukky looked in their direction, then nodded immediately, stepping forward to scoop up the baby. “Of course, of course. I’ll take her for a small stroll around the house,” she offered, and with a soft coo to Ellen, she left the room.
As the door closed, Akushika fixed her eyes on Remaliah. “Ummm, Sir Remmy, I wanted to ask a question. Just between you and me.”
Remaliah nodded. “Sure, no problem. But before that, lemme assure you that that foolish boy will never come near you and Ellen again. I’ve made doubly sure of that. Don’t you worry about that.”
“Okay. Thank you. I know you have. Now for the question…” She hesitated for a moment, then asked bluntly. “What happened in Accra?”
Remaliah’s expression faltered for a split second before he smiled faintly. “Oh, uhh… nothing you need to worry about,” he replied, taking a seat beside her.
Akushika’s brow furrowed. “Umm, Sir Remmy, please. I know it has to do with them—my parents. Just tell me.”
He hesitated, then shook his head. “Akushika, it’s not worth upsetting you. You’ve been through enough already. Forget about it.”
Her tone was firm but gentle as she laid a hand on his arm. “Sir Remmy, I know you want to protect me from them, and I understand. I love you for that; I really do. But trust me, I’ve been through enough at their hands. There’s not a thing they’ve said to me that I wouldn’t be familiar with. Don’t shield me from this. I can handle it.”
Remaliah studied her, seeing her resolve in her eyes.
Finally, he sighed deeply. “Alright. If you say so. Yes, it was about them. So, two nights ago, after that useless buffoon came around…”
He gently recounted the accounts leading up to the seminar, sparing no detail but speaking with care. When he reached the part where her parents claimed she was studying in the USA, he stopped briefly to watch her reaction.
Akushika’s face remained calm, though she pursed her lips in a subtle expression of surprise. “They said that?” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
Remaliah nodded. “Yes. I challenged them to call you to prove it, and they froze. The moderator pushed them for an answer, and they caved in, saying they had to protect their reputation.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as if to steady herself. When she opened them, they gleamed with determination. “That’s it,” she said, her voice stronger now. “That’s the final straw.”
Remaliah tilted his head, concern etched on his features. “Akushika…”
She shook her head, cutting him off gently while rubbing his hand. “No, Sir Remmy. I’m not about to cry. I’m just… done. I needed this, you know. They’ve made it clear what they care about most, and that’s what people think of them, not me. I was nothing but a trophy for them, and as I messed up, they had to discard me like some broken toy. Their ‘punishment’ was supposed to break me, but it didn’t. I gained more from them disowning me than I ever could have in staying with them. If they want to pretend I don’t exist, then so be it. I’m done. I’m doing the same.”
Remaliah was about to respond when his phone began buzzing from his pocket. He picked it up and saw an unfamiliar number.
He hesitated for a moment, then answered the call. “Hello?”
“Remaliah Mills-Odoi, you absolute bastard! You had no right to humiliate us like that in front of an audience! Absolutely no right!”
The voice on the other end dripped with anger and barely restrained indignation.
Talk of the devil. The Acolatses had somehow found his number and were calling. They must have found it in the attendee list he signed before entering the hall.
He leaned back in his chair, a cocky snicker escaping his throat. “Well, well, well. What do I have here? A bunch of self-righteous Pharisees still stinging from the pain of humiliation, eh?”
“Shut up! You had no right to do that! How dare you! Walk up to our seminar and embarrass us in front of all those people? Do you have any idea how much damage you’ve done to us? Huh? See, we’re telling you right now, you will regret this! You will regret it! If you think we’re letting this go, you’re joking!”
Martina’s voice chimed in, shrill and sharp. “We won’t let you tarnish our good name! Never! We’re taking legal action against you. We will sue for defamation and slander. Whatever it takes to make you pay for this. See, you will regret this action…”
Before Remaliah could send another sarcastic shot, a hand gently touched his shoulder. He turned to see Akushika’s calm face but her eyes blazing with determination. Without waiting for his permission, she took the phone from his hand and placed it to her ear.
“This is Akushika,” she said, her voice steady.
There was a long pause on the other end.
“A-A-Akushika?” Brogan finally managed, his voice faltering.
“Yes,” she replied. “Akushika. Remember me? Your former daughter. The one you disowned for getting pregnant. The one you wished the worst for in that horrible letter to Drill. And now the one you’re lying about to save your precious reputation.”
“Now, you just wait—” Martina started, but Akushika cut her off.
“No! You wait! I’ve kept quiet long enough,” she stated firmly. “Under you, that was all I was supposed to do, anyways. But I know the truth now. All along, you never cared about me. I used to think it was only because I was a bad girl that you did what you did. Now I know what it really is. You’d rather choose to save your reputation over me. You threw me away because I didn’t fit the image you wanted to show the world. No wonder you demanded I abort Ellen, then disowned me and threw me out when I questioned if it was right. But guess what? That was the best thing you ever did for me.”
Her voice grew stronger with every word. “Thanks to your choice to cut me off, I found people who actually love me for who I am—flaws and all. People who stood by me when you wouldn’t. People who’ve taught me what real parenting looks like: showing your children love and support even when they make the biggest mistakes of their lives. Do you want the honest truth? Mr. Remaliah and his wife have been more of a father and mother to me than you ever were. And now, more than ever, I thank God that you gave up on me, because I would have been miserable under your roof if you never let me go. Now what I have is true happiness. And I wouldn’t exchange it for anything.”
There was silence on the other end, heavy and suffocating. Just then, Drusilla entered the room, overhearing Akushika’s voice.
“So, yeah, thank you for releasing me to real parents. I appreciate that. But now, I need you to leave my father alone. Yes, my father. I don’t care about what he did, or how you feel. Don’t you dare call again to harass the man who stepped up when you stepped out, okay? Leave my father alone! Let us live our lives, and you can live whatever lie you’ve cooked up to make yourself feel good about yourself. Goodbye, and have a nice life!”
Her voice broke slightly at the end, but her resolve was unshaken. Without waiting for a response, she ended the call and set the phone down with a trembling hand.
Remaliah reached out, his hand resting gently on hers as Drusilla moved closer. “Shika…”
She looked at him, her eyes glistening with tears but filled with conviction. “I meant every word,” she whispered. “You and Maa Dru are my parents now. They’re nothing to me anymore. It’s you two, and Ray, Jonny and Bukky. You’re all Ellen and I need.”
Drusilla approached and held Akushika close. “You’ve always been our daughter, Shika. From the moment you entered this home. And you’ll always be, alright? We love you. We love you so much.”
“And I love you too,” Akushika whispered, holding onto Drusilla with one arm while holding Remaliah’s hand with the other.
Now she was done. Well and truly done with her original parents. Knowing that they only cared about reputation had snapped the final straw that had been holding on to any chance of redemption and reconciliation. If looking good was all they cared about, that was fine. They could chase their clout since that mattered so much to them.
At the end of the day, they could never love her the way the Mills-Odoi couple and the Flat Fam did. And she preferred that.
Damn straight, Akushika! No mercy for them. Now she can truly focus on the people who really love and care about her…
