Months passed and dad never came back, mum was so devastated that she became dangerously ill, though I didn't know the kind of sickness she had, I knew she was dying slowly. She lost lots of weight till the day she slumped, the day of my sixteenth birthday two years after my dad left. And that was the beginning of suffering in my life.
I had to start running my mum's boutique myself just to get enough money for my schooling and to also pay for her hospital bills, making sure no one knows my mum was not living with me so I don't get taken by child support.
Knowing I was too little to run a business all by myself, I had to close the store and use the little savings mum left for me before she became sick.
"Honey I'd like you to stay with your aunt for now until I recover". Mum spoke so softly as she stretched her hands to hug me. We both knew that she was not getting better any time soon and all the money we had, had been used for her hospital bills.
"Will you be alright?" I hugged her back placing my head on her chest. "Of course, I'll be fine here just make sure to come to see me from time to time". Tears fell from the corners of my eyes and they moistened her garment.
"Hey, baby don't cry." she raised me from her body placing one hand on my shoulder as she used her thumb to wipe the teardrop from my cheeks.
I looked into her doll blue eyes, her skin looked so pale like a living corpse, she looked back at me with a painful smile on her lips.
"You look just like your father." Her hands were still on my face as tears rolled down her eyes. I used my hands to clean the teardrops from her cheeks "Don't cry mum" she smiled sniffling gently.
"I won't cry." She tapped the bed with her hands indicating where I should sit and I climbed the bed and sat close to her, she placed her hands in mine and held me tight
"I've been waiting for the right time to tell you but I think now is the right time to tell you since no one can predict the future," Mum said.
"What is it, mum?" I gave a listening ear to what she had to say.
"You were still little to know what transpired between me and your father but I'll tell you everything" she took a deep breath and exhaled before she continued.
"I gave your dad my parents' last savings they left for me before they died to start up his business because we were so in love and I wanted the best for us." She breathes.
"But he stabbed me in the back by having a child with another woman. And when I found out about his little malicious act he beat me up to pulp and in the process, I lost my sense of smell and taste." No wonder mum gets sick from eating spoiled food, and all these years I thought she did it on purpose.
I thought she was just being malicious.