Chapter 2

When dad and I moved from Mama Rosie's place it was just him and I. I went to school while he got a job. I returned from school to cook for him, I washed, cleaned and did everything else.

It was just him and I and I loved it but then people started talking. You see in Ghana people are narrow minded and they don't mind their business. They like to talk and gossip about everything else that wasn't their problem. They leave their issues at home to talk about someone else's.

I'm quite tall for my age and the things that I went through made me grow up too quickly for my age. And people seeing the closeness I had with my dad and the fact that there was no woman around had them spreading rumors that dad and I did things I didn't even know about. They said dad and I were sleeping together because it was just us and we slept in one room because we couldn't afford a bigger apartment.

Dad paid no attention to them and continued with his thing and neither did I. One of the most things I admire about my dad is that he is a very hard working man, never lazy but things didn't go smoothly from the beginning but later he got a better job ant earned bigger paying check. We moved from that apartment and got a bigger one and soon dad was buying cars and other good things for us to live happily and comfortably.

But the fact still remained that people were talking about him having something to do with me so to prove them wrong he had to remarry.

The wife that he brought was my worst nightmare, she was worst than the first ones. She came with baggages, three kids to be precise. The first was older than me and the second was my age and the last was younger than me.

The woman's name was Ama, she wasn't pretty like my mum but she had a great body with huge backside. Immediately she stepped foot in our home my whole world turned upside down. I thought I had my fair share of step mothers and maltreatment but noo she made my life worst. At least the others didn't turn my dad against me but she did. Oh yeah she was karishika herself in human form.

She was the devils incarnate who carried herself in human form.

She was eager to have a kid for my dad so she could claim his properties for herself and her kids. She wanted a son to be precise cause in Ghana sons inherits their fathers properties. But she knew that dad had a son with Rosie but she didn't care, she didn't even make her intentions subtle, oh she made it clear alright. She told lies about me to dad that made him start to hate me.

She soon fell pregnant and she was happy and so was my dad, I was happy too that I'd get to see a new sibling even though I had other two but they were with their mothers and the women wanted to keep the kids in other to earn money from dad.

I was happy that I could have a real blood related sibling closer to me.

One day a woman came to our house to deliver something I don't know about, there was no adults at home at that time, it was only me and the other kids. When she came she said my step mum bought something from her that she needed the money and was there to deliver the item.

"How are you my dear is your mother home?" The lady asked and I shook my head no.

"Oh did she leave you money to give to me? I have something she bought and she said to come today"

"No o, she didn't ma, but you can give it to me when she comes back I'll let her know" I replied respectfully.

"No o, I can't leave it here, I want the money. So if she comes let her know that I came here"

"Yes ma"

She left with whatever it was she was bringing to her. When my stepmom came back I told her about it and she got pissed. The reason? I don't know.

That was until my dad came in the evening. I was in the kitchen cleaning when I heard him call me with such a voice that made me so scared but I went in front of him anyway. With every step I took I shivered in fear and anxiety. Because the voice he used in calling only meant trouble. He totally changed towards me and I had no idea why.

He would hit me and reign insults on me but I still loved him anyway.

"Adede, did a woman come here to see your mum today?" He asked coldly and I nodded yes.

"So why did your mum give you money to give to the lady who came here today and you spent it?" My eyes widened. Say what?

"No daddy that's not true-" slap! It sounded so loud making my ear ring.

He slapped me hard on the face that I saw white spots cloud my vision. I let out a loud cry and fell to the ground holding onto my cheek.

"You dare lie to me? Now your lying too Pamela?" Slap! Another one on the other cheek. "Where is the money?"

"I don't have it please, I never did, please dad you know I don't lie-" another slap! And I grew weak and weaker choking on cries.

"Honey it's okay let the poor child rest, she's only a child! Maybe she spent the money on something" my stepmom spoke with a sickly sweet voice.

"No she has to provide that money o, there's no way that behavior is acceptable in this house!" He spoke with menace.

"So you'd rather you kill her? Will that provide the money?"

"No but until she produces that money! No food for her in this house for 3 days. And she's to do all the chores!"

She nodded with a satisfied smile as they left me there on the cold floor to cry.

I wasn't surprised. It wasn't the first time anyway. He always hit me ever since that woman came so I got used to the treatments. The woman never touched me, she let my own dad do the touching.

What she did was fuel his anger. She made me do all the chores anyways so that was not my problem. Something that I learnt from Mama Rosie was how to sustain hunger. I barely ate when I was with her so I was good with not eating.

But what I wasn't good with was the fact that daddy hated me now. I loved that man too much to hate him back. He was the only person I knew and truly loved so the fact that he was easily turned against me made me wonder if he ever loved me at all.

Soon after that incident she had a miscarriage and dad to took her to the hospital to have the dead child removed. She blamed me for killing her child. She said that I was a witch and that I ate her baby in her womb.