September 24th 1997

It was a cold night.
Little Olivia could still remember how cold it was that night. She could recall how loud the rain was and how hard it fell on her father's black Peugeot. She could also remember the panic in her mother's eyes as she yanked her up from her bed. She wasn't even fully awake yet.

"Olivia," the warmth of her mother's shaky hands still fresh in her memory as she attempted to straighten her wrinkled nightdress.
"B-baby,I need you to listen to me okay, your Daddy and I,"

She paused.

"We've decided that we can't stay here anymore. So we are going to go somewhere better, somewhere safe okay? Mummy needs you to stay awake till we get into the car, can you do that for me?"

Maybe it would have been possible if her mother let her get all her toys from her room before she hurriedly pulled her to the car.

For a seven year old, Olivia wasn't sure she understood why her parents looked so afraid that night . She wasn't sure why they suddenly had to leave and she sure as hell wasn't sure why her parents were busy arguing so loudly in the car. Right in front of her.

They never did.

If there was one thing she knew about her parents, it was the fact that they never argued in front of her. They barely argued at all but on that day, it was like she didn't even know them at all.

"I don't like this. I don't like this idea at all. " she watched her mother rake her hair with her fingers in frustration. she could see the way her mother stared earnestly at her clearly focused father who didn't look like he was interested in having the conversation she was trying to initiate. He had his eyes glued to his steering, and a huge frown on his face. The hardest frown she had ever seen on him.

"We don't have to leave." Her mother pushed on. "We don't know anyone in Johannesburg. Lagos is our home, Nigeria is our home. How on earth are we supposed to explain this to everyone? Steven, we are leaving everything behind. What about my mother? your brother and my sister? What about Olivia? How do we ever explain any of this to her."

"I already told you Adaora, we can't stay here and you know why. "  her father's voice wasn't as calm and loving as it usually was. He was upset, she could see it "Johannesburg is our only chance of starting over. We don't have a life here anymore, not with everything we know. I can't even pass one normal day at work without everyone looking at me as a sick joke and having something to say about the fact that my wife is in every single copy of the Tribunal walking out of one of the most popular hotels in the city with her boss. I mean, providence hotel, really? Of all places it had to be providence." He chuckles uneasily, almost sarcastically.

"I already told you," her mother started after letting out a frustrated scoff. She couldn't believe the words she had just heard. She couldn't believe that even after telling him her truth, the truth about what really happened days ago, he still didn't believe her. She shut her eyes for a second. "Nothing happened between Randy and I at the hotel. The company chose me to accompany Mr Okonkwo to the Sylvester fundraising meeting and on our way home, you already know about the demonstrations that took place that evening, irate youths and so much smoke . It was raining and there was news about robbery and vandalism ahead. We had to take refuge in the first hotel we saw. We didn't even share a room together talk more of-"

"Why didn't you call me?"

"I tried to, the house phone wasn't reachable."

"Yeah, sure, then what about the most recent? How do you explain how there are photos of you and Randal all over Wednesday papers?"

Olivia could sense the tension in the car. She could sense the hurt in her father's voice.

"I didn't have an affair with Randy and you know it. I'm being framed, I was kidnapped by someone on my way to turn in my resignation letter. It was a set up."

What was this? Why did her mother sound like she was about to cry? She could hear the frustration laced in every word she said. Olivia could feel her eyes roll from side to side as her attention and gaze kept shifting to whoever it was that talked, when they talked. She clinched on harder to her teddy, trying to keep her tired eyes open.

"A set up? Kidnap? Listen to yourself Adaora, how could you have been kidnapped at your office?"
She exhaled.
It was almost as if she had run out of words to say. It made so much sense when she thought about it but why did it sound so ridiculous when she voiced those words out?

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything? Aren't you going to bother explaining the truth about what happened? about how there are naked pictures of you and your boss all over the news?"

Olivia turned to her mother,, clenching on even harder to her doll. She didn't know much about what the adults talked about but she had a whinny knowledge that it wasn't good. Naked pictures? Did her father just say naked pictures of her mother were all over the news? More so with another man? Impossible, her mother could never do that. She really hoped her father was wrong.

"I don't know." Her mother whispered

He scoffed. He couldn't believe it. He turned back to his steering in disbelief

"I can take it Steve, I can take it if the rest of the world didn't believe me but you, you know me better than to believe this." She leaned closer to him, her teary eyes beseeching his. "Look at me." She told him and he turned to her on reflex briefly. "I would never do something like that to you or our family."

Steven exhaled. He turned back to his steering.
He believed her. He knew in his heart that the woman beside him was incapable of doing the things she was being accused of. He loved her as much as ever , She had always been a backbone to him. She was not the kind of person to hurt him like that.

Olivia could sense the tension in the car. She could sense the hurt in her father's voice.

"I didn't have an affair with Randy and you know it whatever this is, it's just a bad story. It's not me."

What was this? Why did her mother sound like she was about to cry? She could hear the frustration laced in every word she said. Olivia could feel her eyes roll from side to side as her attention and gaze kept shifting to whoever it was that talked, when they talked. She clinched on harder to her teddy, trying to keep her tired eyes open.

Olivia had never seen her father so angry, so emotional. She could watch him look at her mother for a second while her mother thought of what to say, trying to settle her trembling hands around her mouth.

Nothing was coming to her head or from her mouth and it made her father more upset.

Olivia turned to her mother, clenching on even harder to her doll. She didn't know much about what the adults talked about but she had this feeling it wasn't good . Hotel? Did her father just say her mother was seen coming out of a hotel with a man? What did that even mean? What was a hotel? And why did it make her father so angry?

"I should never have encouraged you to take that job." He grabbed on to his steering so tightly, that his veins looked like they were about to pop out. "I should have made you resign when I had the chance, everything is so messed up."

Her mother exhaled with tears lingering in her eyes. She was so lost of words. She was so frustrated. She wasn't sure she knew anything else to say.

"You know too much ,We know too much, what we know is enough to cost us our heads and Olivia's. It's too late to go back now. We have to leave, there's nothing left for us here. We can't let them get to us first-"

"I can fix this. We should turn back while we can. Miss Zainab, remember her? The one from Herald? She has asked me to come over for an interview tomorrow morning . I could tell my story, I could tell the truth, make everyone listen."

"Tell the truth? Can you hear yourself right now? Adaora, the Okonkwos would kill you, would kill us all before they let that happen. They have their eyes and ears everywhere. You think you can just go around spewing their dirty secrets to the press? Secrets that could literally ruin their lives and they'd just sit back and watch?!"

"What am I supposed to do then!" She yelled back "Come on Steven tell me because I'm running out of options." her voice broke. Fear, that was fear, one trait Olivia had never seen on her mother before.

The car was silent for a while

"We'd have time to talk about this as soon as we are on that flight. No matter what happens, I'm not going to let anyone hurt you anymore or hurt our baby girl."

He turned to Olivia.

Olivia gripped her doll even tighter and blinked at him. She could feel her heart lighten as soon as her father smiled at her. Was it over? Were they done fighting?

She hoped that was it. She hoped they weren't fighting anymore.

"Steven?"

Her mother's voice snapped her back to consciousness, it snapped them both out.

She watched her father turn quickly.

"Oh my God, Steven,"

Olivia looked out too, she could see the large blue truck racing towards them. She couldn't see who was in it because of the bright light rays coming from it's headlights.

She was so confused, so scared especially since her mum wouldn't stop calling her father's name, the pitch of her voice rising every time she did.

Olivia turned to her father. He was doing all he could to control the steering. He was trying so hard to stay out of the truck's way but it was like the driver wasn't watching. The bridge was big enough for two cars but it was more like the truck wanted to be in their way. It was getting really close.

It was on full speed now.

Olivia's heart was racing. She turned to her father and then her mother. She had never seen them so scared in her life.

"Steven watch out!"

Her mother's voice was the last she heard before the truck ran into them, and from the moment the truck made contact with their car, everything else became a blur.

She didn't know how many times the car tumbled in the air, or when the windows broke, all she knew was the yells and pain that came with it.

Everything was happening so fast.

"Mummy!" She yelled

Splash!

The car fell into the water.

Silence.
That was it.
That was all she could remember.
That was the night she could never forget.