chapter Three:Tears and Tales II

Auntie kemi was right,but not for a long time.My father was a successful business man....not all that rich but he's comfortable.He has a house of his own in the city of onitsha and a very flashy car.

I still remember the day,I arrived at onitsha with auntie kemi to be returned to my father.i was given a very warm welcome.

oh!,what a joke lol....

"kemi abi"my father's wife had asked my auntie

"yes ma'am"Auntie kemi nodded

"so why did you suddenly want to return her to her father?....it has been two years as you said her mother died.And she has been with you.why do you suddenly want to return her?....and I know you are married.let her stay with you ni.by the way she's your niece"my father's wife was reluctant to have me in her home.

"ah ah....mama Ekene,don't talk like that.This is my daughter you're talking about.we should be glad kemi finally decided to return her to me.dont be like this"my father objected

"Don't be like what?"...."ehhe Pete don't be like what?,how sure are you that she's your daughter?have you done parental DNA test with her?.....look at how black she is,and why is her lips so small and her eyes are too large .....does she look like you?.....you are very fair,how come this your acclaim daughter didn't take after you at all?"she was finding it hard to believe that I was her husband's child with another woman

"kiki took after her mom,she's a replica of her.am sure she's my daughter.but if you insist we will get a DNA test to assure you that.Eniola wasn't a promiscuous woman"father tried to placitate his wife.

"I don't like this girl oh....I don't want her in my house.she will scare my children at night with her blackness.why can't we just keep her in an orphanage,you can be visiting her month.... besides she's your illegitimate daughter"my step mom had suggested

"no....Nneoma,kiki is not my illegitimate child.I was married to her mom before things didn't work out.And remember you had two sons but I still accepted them and recognized them as my first heir in my will,it's only fair you accept my daughter too"Pete reminded

"which will?....ehhe Pete?.....when I met you your business had crumbled,was I not the one that set it up for you with my savings and the loan I got for you from our bank on my own name.so Pete don't talk to me about will.That our agreement before I gave you all that money"my step mom asked angrily

"it's okay....you don't need to go down the memory lane.we can afford one more person ,and she can even help you with house chores since you're complaining the boys ain't helping out much again,That way we won't need a house maid again"my father tried to convince her

"yes ma'am....kiki is very good with house chores"auntie kemi was desperate to get me off her hands.

"fine....I don't really like this girl oh.how do I even. know she won't influence my children negatively?....I hope she's not possessed.... because if I find out from our pastor,I will send her out of my house oh.i don't care if her mother is dead or if you are too busy to come and take her from Abuja"my father's wife warned Auntie kemi

"yes ma'am,kiki is a very good girl.mami be good to your parent.okay"Auntie kemi adviced me and I nodded.

"what is the meaning of this her name self?....which one is kiki?"she asked my auntie

"God's mercy....grace"she replied

"my husband is igbo and I am igbo. ....she has to drop this her kiki name if she must stay in this house.we will call her Amarachi"

"no, Nneoma let her name be....her mother gave her kiki....let her bear it in the memory of her dead mother"my father had objected.

"Then let her go to her mother's grave and answer that.Not in my house"

she insisted.but papa had continued to call me kiki ignoring his wife's warning

"Ekene!.... Chinedu!.... Onyinyechi!.... Chukwuemeka!"my step mom called out to my step siblings.who all came running into the room to answer their mom

"This is Amarachi,your father's daughter.Ekene show her to the girls room.onyinyechi,she will be sharing your room with you"my step mom instructed her oldest son Ekene who was four years older than me.

"no mommy no ....I don't like her.i don't want to share my room with her.she's too black.she will scare me at night"Onyinyechi who was a few months younger than me had complained of my complexion

yea,that was how black I am.my father was fair,and my step mom was almost white.she could pass for a white woman with her spotless white complexion.no wonder her friends call her *White lady.All their kids were fair,including Ekene and Chinedu who she had with another man.

"have you seen it?"....."Onyinyechi is afraid of her already and it not yet dark"my step mom turned on her husband

"Onyinyechi,kiki is your sister and you will share your room with her.i don't want anymore complaints."my father instructed with finality

"Amarachi....kiki....which one is her name?" Chinedu asked confused

"blacky"Ekene jokenly replied.

And that became my nickname in Pete okoye's family

so you see mom,I went through so much rejection in my life that I found it hard accepting my self as I am either..

my step mom wasn't harsh on me neither was she kind.i mean she gave me food,shelter, education even in the same school her kids went to and allowed me bare the okoye's surname as my last name....I should be grateful

Tho she gave me chores kids of my age normal won't do,like washing my step siblings clothes, sweeping the whole compound and house ,washing the pots and plates.. mopping the floors.... etc.

but she never deprived me of good food or sleep,but she made it clear she didn't want me in her home and had never ever smiled at me since I started living with them.

I remember father's 55th birthday,he said he wanted us to take a family picture....Nne as she asked me to call her by,had bluntly refused I would join in the picture.

"Papa Ekene,she will spoil the picture.we are all fair...she's black... remember this is the picture we will hang on our sitting room and send to the church for the harvest year book.i have had enough hard time answer our neighbors questions to why my step daughter is black like this."she has reasoned"do you know how I will be regarded in women's meeting next year when they see her in our family picture in the year book?....and all our visitors will see her on our family picture in the sitting room"

"Nneoma,kiki is a part of this family.its high time you stop this your complaints about her complexion.besides the photographer will edit it and she won't be so black as you fear in the picture"papa had insisted

well Nne was right,my complexion made me stood out in the family picture.Even the editing did not good,.....lol....she was so angry when the picture was delivered.

after a few years, when Nne had chinaza our last baby,papa's business had a problem.it was a good thing he had a bungalow in the city of onitsha if not,we would have parked to the village.yeah,it was that bad....

Mama's banking salary couldn't shoulder the family anymore,we were withdrawn from our prestigious university and stated attending one government public school around the neighborhood.

mama had started a savings business to support her banking job so as to cater for the family as papa was now a bus driver after his business crumbled again for the second time.she would collect money from people and keep it for it for them for an agreed period of time,after which she would give it back to them after collecting her own percentage depending on how long she kept it for.

she would deploy me and her older sons to go and collect money from her clients every week.we were her unpaid employers.lol....life sure was fun,full of adventures.

"Ask Onyinyechi to go and run Kiki's turn of the weekly collection ni"papa had told my step mom the day I was sick and couldn't go to clients house to collect their weekly collection.

"ehhe...which onyinye?"....Nne had asked"you want me those weedsmokers to take advantage of my daughter?"

"so you know your clients smoke weed and are high and you send kiki to go and collect money from them?"Papa asked getting angry

"calm down, nothing will happen to kiki... she's too dark and lekpa....her chest is as flat as a boys....what will attract someone to abuse her"Nne asked...."can't you see our daughter has started developing breasts,and she's fair and shapely....biko I don't want anyone to damage Adam For me"

"But kiki is same age as onyi....how come she has not start developing breasts?... are you sure all these work you are giving this girl is not making her growth stunted?"papa asked

"which growth is stunted?....can't you see her long legs?...that girl is almost as tall as our Ekene,shebi you said she took after her mom?....maybe her mom is wasn't natural endowed"Nne pointed out

"Amara!...oya get that your lazy body from my couch and run to nwaanyi onye army's house and get her weekly contribution"My step mom scolded me to get up from the couch where I was lying on in the sitting room,covering my self with my momma's worn out wrapper.

"Be fast oh.... because if her husband leaves before you get there, there will be no money with give us.....and collect hundred naira note from the money,ask nurse ihuoma to mix hundred worth of malaria medicine for you"she instructed

"if you like don't take it,but don't come back her sick.see this farm we need to weed it today so the crops can do well"she call. out to me on my way out.

we had converted half of our compound into a farm ..... anything that brings food to the table Nne was in.i admired that of her,she was a very hard working woman.

I was very sick,but am glad she sent me out if not I wouldn't have met who I met.... though he did more harm than good to me,he taught me alot of things and brought a little tiny happiness to my poor soul...lol

momma I met steve