‘I accept their decision,’ Mrs. Briggs told her later. ‘The tribunal considered my appeal to have you perform community service at the hospital, favorably. I’m hoping your time here will awaken some compassion in you. It’s either this or they will be forced to take stricter legal actions against you. You could get as much as twenty years in jail.’
Madam Ofilia’s eyes darkened. ‘Do you know who should be incarcerated instead?’ She asked bitterly. ‘Papa and Mama! Are you aware that they tried to buy the area where Adenizen now stands with that money? The land is ours, Akasi. Papa paid for it with our childhood. That’s why I set out to get it all back.’
A pained expression swept across Mrs. Briggs face. Madam Ofilia still didn’t get it. She didn’t understand that the love of money was the root of the evil in which the twin sisters found themselves as pawns. They could never redeem what had been lost by playing the same game.
‘Papa and Mama made their own decisions, and we must make ours,’ Mrs. Briggs said. ‘The verdict will be good for both of us. I’ll be around at the hospital during your community service. We might get to work side by side. It will give us the opportunity to put together the missing pieces of the last four decades of our lives. Maybe we’ll still be able to find some common ground.’ Leaning forward, she smiled faintly. ‘This could be a new beginning for us.’
New beginning? Madam Ofilia snorted. What new beginning in her middle age? The Hack was the only life she had known.
‘I feel weak,’ she announced, clearly traumatized by the news.
Mrs. Briggs looked at her pale face. ‘Fetch the doctor,’ she called out to one of the nurses.
The nurse hurried out. When they were left alone, Madam stared intently at Mrs. Briggs. She always thought she had no family, and in spite of the muddy waters, it gave her a greater sense of worth to find out that she did. With great effort, she lifted her bruised hand and tried to reach out to her sister. Mrs. Briggs saw the wriggle in her fingers and took Madam’s hands in hers. It was their first deliberate physical contact since they were reunited.
‘You’ll be close by, won’t you?’ Madam asked.
Mrs. Briggs nodded. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’ She pronounced, squeezing her hands gently until the doctor arrived to stabilize her.
Upon discharge, an orderly led Madam Ofilia to her assigned facility where she would spend the next couple of years. Like a malignant growth, she had inflicted Adenizen, undermining its values and steering its residents down a destructive path. But now, in an unexpected clash with her twin sister, she found herself uprooted from the terrain where she had held sway for so many years. Now she would be taken to a secure place where she couldn’t hurt the girls anymore.
~~~~
Michael and Bibi paid a visit to the Briggs home. They hadn’t seen Tosan since she left Adenizen and wanted to find out how she was doing. She received them warmly, glad to know she might be out of sight but not out of their minds. She was still lean, but the rosiness was returning to her cheek.
‘You’re looking a bit better,’ Michael said. ‘It must be mum’s home cooking.’
Tosan laughed. ‘I’ve been undergoing drug rehabilitation and responding quite well to treatment,’ she replied. ‘The doctors say the worst is over. I’m glad because I can’t wait to return to school. She clapped her hands together and tried to look cheerful. ‘I understand that congratulations are in order for the two of you, and I don’t mean your graduation.’
The two lovebirds laughed and Bibi showed off her engagement ring. ‘I insisted that Michael went down on one knee before I accepted his proposal,’ she teased, reaching out to squeeze her fiancé’s hand. He smiled tenderly at her. ‘He’ll be away on a course soon and we’ll tie the knot when he returns. If you promise to get better quickly, we’ll love to have you there.’
Tosan nodded, lost in thought. ‘I know I’ve always scorned the message of the Savior. But I think it’s time I made that decision. Do you think He will save a wretch like me?’
Bibi smiled. ‘Of course He will,’ she replied. ‘That’s why He died and rose again.’
As Bibi took her hand and led her in a heartfelt prayer, Tosan knew her past was behind her and she was ready for a new life. A wave of joy welled up inside her as a heavy burden was lifted from her shoulders. Deep down in her heart, she knew she was truly free.
~~~~
Aima had brooded over her mistakes long enough and was tired of wallowing in self pity. Satisfied that justice had been served to Madam Ofilia, she decided it was time to put her own life back together, but wasn’t sure how. Having defied her parents by leaving Adenizen without their consent, she was now afraid to return home. Her brother Michael, now an engineer, was undergoing training on the rig and couldn’t be reached for a few weeks. The only other person she could trust lived in the city of commerce, three hours away, so she boarded a bus and travelled there.
She knocked and inhaled deeply as the sound of a key fiddling through the lock persisted for a few seconds before the door finally swung open.
Aima and Bibi stared at each other for a while until the tears formed in Aima’s eyes. ‘I had to come here,’ she said. ‘I have nowhere else to go.’
Bibi reached out and pulled her close, hugging her warmly. ‘Come right in,’ she said. ‘You’re home now.’
While Aima showered, Bibi prepared a meal of rice and chicken stew. As they sat at dinner, Bibi stared at her pensively. ‘I’ve been to see your parents several times since the engagement. They’re worried sick about you. Have you spoken with them since you got back?’
A lump formed in Aima’s throat and she swallowed hard. ‘I didn’t think they would want to see me.’
Bibi picked her phone and dialed a number. ‘How could they not?’ she asked, as she handed over the phone to her.
‘Mum?’ Aima whispered softly.
The voice on the other end was shaky and full of emotion. ‘Is that my baby?’
‘Yes, it’s me.’ The tears fell from Aima’s eyes. She would always be the baby of the family, no matter how old she was or how far she wandered. In spite of her wasted years in a strange land, her mother was only glad that she was alive and well. She assured Aima that there was hope for the future and it was never too late for her to return home.
‘We’ve been thinking that this would be a perfect time for you to start afresh with your degree,’ Bibi said, when they finally hung up.
‘That’s at least another four years!’ Aima exclaimed. ‘I’ll be thirty by the time I’m through!’
‘You’ll be thirty in four years, whether you go back to school or not,’ Bibi put in. ‘So you might as well get on with it. Tosan is going back, if that’s any consolation.’
Her friend looked thoughtful. ‘You know Bibi, Madam Ofilia was right about you.’
Bibi cocked her head at the unexpected reference. Aima smiled at the bemused look on her face. ‘She always said you were unique, even though she couldn’t put her hand on what exactly it was about you that was so special. Thanks for being there for me.’
‘Well, you’re special too Aima, regardless of what has happened. Remember how you used to take on Professor Adele in class?’
Aima let out a sudden laugh. ‘They called me the mini-contender, back then.’
‘Ah yes, because of your brainpower and huge appetite for knowledge. Any school worth its salt will be happy to admit you into one of their programs.’
They talked late into the night. In a few months time, they would be sisters-in-law, but there was no time like the present for Bibi to share Aima’s despondence and offer her a ray of hope. She wanted to make the most of the here and now, because she wasn’t sure when such an opportunity would arise again.
EPILOGUE
It was nothing like its former extravagance, but the banquet hall still carried a magnificence that had everyone enthralled. The obnoxious paintings that formerly lined the walls had been replaced by smaller landscape drawings. F
loral arrangements beautified the corners and entrance of the room. The guests gathered round in little circles talking excitedly and helping themselves to light snacks before the voice over the microphone announced that the tea break was over.
With everyone back in their seats, Aima mounted the podium. She sucked in a deep breath as her audience fell silent. Even though she had always been an eloquent speaker, she felt nervous. This wasn’t Professor Adele’s classroom and today, she had the floor.
‘It’s good to be back in Adenizen after so long,’ she began. ‘This school; particularly this building, holds so many memories. You’ve been hearing from the horse’s mouth about the wanton activities that went on here. Until a certain woman, Mrs. Akasi Briggs set up a hotline that put a stop to it all.
‘When Mrs. Briggs passed away two years later, her daughter Tosan launched The Akasi Briggs foundation; an offshoot of the hotline which her mother started in Adenizen. Together, she and my sister in-law, Mrs. Bibi Aghale dedicated themselves to fighting against children and women trafficking and rehabilitating those who had already become victims. I was the very first beneficiary of the foundation. Through their work, I found the courage and financial support to return to my alma mater and begin again. Last month, I graduated from Adenizen Law School with honors.’
Aima smiled and continued. ‘This year, as we celebrate its fifth anniversary, we are proud that The Akasi Briggs foundation has spread to six other schools, with its headquarters situated right here in this same building that used to be known as ‘The Hack.’
As the audience broke out into a thunderous applause, Aima’s eyes scanned the room, until her gaze rested on the two women sitting in the front row. She flashed a knowing smile. Bibi and Tosan smiled back. It was ten years since they first set foot on the soils of this school and since then, they had remained a closely knit trio. But the quest to bring the light of Adenizen out from under the bushel had just begun.
###
'The Stolen Years' is the first of a two part series. In 'Whispers of a Lifetime', (Coming out soon) find out what happened to Madam Ofilia after her release and also revisit Adenizen ten years after The Hack.
LifeChoice novels: An intriguing world of Christian fiction
Women worth their weight in gold,
From deep within, their true essence unfolds.
Coming out of the rough, in bounds and leaps,
With beauty that fades not and by no means skin deep.
- I. Izegbuwa
In a compelling mix of romance, suspense and timeless values, LifeChoice offers an exciting ride with fictional heroines whose substance does not lie in their perfection, but in the triumph of their recreated human spirits. Our heroines have their fair share of fears, challenges and mistakes. Yet ultimately, it is that display of inner beauty that sets them apart as the finest among women.
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