"Yes, that is very correct!" Mama breathed, eyes widening in defiance even though a gun was directly pointed at her.

Before now, she was a chicken, whimpering at every noise but as soon as my father made a debut, suddenly, she was a lion, already finding her voice.

"Do you not want to know the truth?" She asked, writhing in pain as her eyes stole glances at my father's image. "Please, even if you have to kill me, won't you let me speak?" She was back to pleading.

I wavered in my resolute to listen to her but something kept pushing me in my head to listen.

As for my father, I was enraged, bitter and lost. For denying and disparaging my very existence broke me. That little hope I had for a father fizzled out like a dying flame.

And the animosity I had for her, for him increased a hundred percent. The pain, and hate continued to cloud my emotions, plus Mama's uncanny ability to switch from hot to cold like a chameleon was enough reason to ignore her.

Yet, even as Dima and I exchanged worried glances, Ifediora's arm squeezed tighter around her neck, and a forced choke sound followed her next words. I glanced over at my father who stood nervously and frustrated at the unbelievable turn of events.

"I Gladys NneEze will always choose him. I will always choose that man standing over there." Her gaze fell on him again. "Because he chose me first!"

My father's face fell and his shoulders slumped for a moment. And even at that point, he was still attentive and sensitive, glancing over his shoulders and peeking at his watch.

Wiping off the blood splatters on his shirt, his eyes lazily fell on the bodies he'd already sent to the great beyond, yet his countenance showed no remorse.

The culprits of all these live-altering events suddenly wanted to make it all about themselves and I wasn't up for it.

I eyed them both suspiciously and spoke, pointing at them. "So all of this is because of a family feud of ancient origin?"

The old woman's head was moving from left to right, disagreeing with me. But their nonsense was too glaring, irritating, and foolish.

"Not after you hear what I have to say!" Mama wasn't giving up. And I wasn't ready to hear her guilt bait.

I folded my arms around my body. "Well, even at that, how does that concern me and my siblings and by extension, all the children and young people whom you've sold into captivity, murdered and destroyed their lives and destiny!" A horde of angry demons was vibrating inside of me and spilling out of my mouth.

"Will you let her speak?" My father thundered. "Let her say her piece!"

"Easier for you to say when you do not know nor understand what she is," my whole right fingers pointed at his lover.

"Shut up!" Came his growled response, cutting me off. "Keep your little self-serving mouth shut!"

"Your sanctimonious mother, Ezigbo," Mama's disdained gaze fell on my mom. Pointing at her lazily, "She started this business!"

Every living thing went still. Even the birds, the trees, the sun, and the moon barely moved. A pin-drop silence would have been too loud for this moment.

An unexpected furrowed crease baptized my face and sent my mind into total confusion.

"Say what?" I gasped, A perplexed gaze from my eyes ran from my mom to my sister to father and Dima. Bells were going off in my head, it filled my mind with thick fog.

Nobody spoke.

No chatter came.

Did I hear correctly or was this woman using my brain to eat fufu?

It was impossible. No! never! Not my mother.

"Jeremiah was mine from the beginning and everything went smoothly," she began again, ignoring my question. ".....well....until Ezigbo came into the picture."

"Gladys and I were married five years before your mother, through my infidelity became part of our lives." It was my father speaking now.

"Gladys (Mama) and I already had a son. Dozie when Ezigbo came to live with us with two children." His gaze fell on Mama for a moment. "She accepted her even when her children weren't mine, except for the pregnancy that made her become part of our home.

"Wait, we are not yours?" I asked my father, eyes popping out in shock.

His gaze fell on me as he paused as if to give me a minute to process that very mind-boggling information. "It was out of Gladys's kindness that our home became expanded and her forgiveness gave me strength." He ignored my question and continued. "It was her love that made you girls mine!"

"Yes, she was way older than me, but she came into my life and changed it. As an orphan whose parents died early, It was that woman," he glanced meekly at Mama. "It was she that helped me when I almost gave up on life."

Mama breathed, wiping a tear from her eyes. I stole a glance at her and it appeared as though the grip around her neck had loosened.

Ifediora suddenly had lines of tears on her face. I didn't know what she was feeling but just like me, it wasn't good.

I couldn't believe any word that came out of that woman's mouth. I was still doubtful. Because, how does one's lifelong father suddenly become --not her father?

There was a growing tightness in my chest and a lump in my throat. I wasn't going to cry, not until I had all the information. My eyes went dark for a second as I tried to tune out whatever this revelation might mean.

My mom, on the other hand, was still nonreactive, as though a statue suddenly stood in her place. I studied her intently but her Stone face and gaze stared far away into the dark space.

"Mom?" Ifediora's voice mirrored a call of fear and possibly pain. "Is this true?"

Still, my mother remained stoic.

"My son, Dozie," Mama continued, "Was still a child when Ezigbo joined us. Her daughters were three and one when you all" She ran her pitiful eyes on my me. "became part of our home. You became my stepchildren and Ezigbo, my co-wife."

"Co what?" I interjected, eyes bulging.

She waved me off and continued. "Dozie was five at the time, we all got along. One day, I came back home and my son was missing. Vanished. Gone." Her voice cracked up with emotion.

"I didn't take your child!" My mother's voice startled me with fright, cause it was loud, impassive, and cruel. Like a voice I'd never heard before.

Mama \ and Gladys ignored the distraction again and continued. "Ezigbo feigned ignorance about Dozie's whereabouts and while we," she pointed at my dad. "Frantically tried to find Dozie, my co-wife never lifted a finger, even though she was most times sympathetic to my plight."

"The search for my son lasted seven years."

Gasps followed and I swallowed a lump of pity that danced in my throat. This cooked story better not be true. I earnestly prayed that these events of my family secrets were nothing but propaganda.

"Yes, seven years!" My dad had taken over the narration of the events, snapping me out of the court session going in my head.

"Yet, no one knew where to find him." He rubbed his forehead and heaved a very long sigh. "Years later, you were all grown and had taken my last name. I moved on and forgot about my son."

"But, I couldn't take the hit." Mama's voice returned our attention to her. "I couldn't bear it. I knew it would be difficult for me to have another child because of my age, so there was nothing that cushioned the pain I felt."

Showers of tears poured out of her eyes, followed by the jerking of her shoulders. I stood there absolutely confused. Every one of us was.

Ifediora's hand was completely off Mama's neck now and a sober expression took over the angry expression that was previously there.

Mama rubbed her neck and then covered her face with her free hands. "Ezigbo began to create chaos at home, insulting and mocking me at every turn, so one day, I just got up and left."

She wiped a few more tears. "I Didn't tell my husband, didn't tell anyone. Depression was killing me and at some point, I contemplated suicide."

Ifediora wiped her eyes and flashed a quick gaze around her. "I don't see how this story covers the multitude of sins you've committed against humanity!"

"I haven't finis..."

Her gun was back up, pointing at Mama once again. "Keep your emotional bait to yourself. " She roared. "Where are the other kids you took delivery of yesterday?"

Understanding my sister was something I hadn't been able to figure out. Emotions were things that were alien to her. She'd rather change a topic than get cut up in some self-pitying ritual.

Mama sat up and focused on my father's frame, pointing at him. "Ask your father!"

My dad turned away and stared back into space, refusing to engage in that part of the conversation. Mama wasn't even waiting for him to respond before she shot Ifediora a glance.

"So that you know, every delivery goes through him. He selects and does the transfer of younger children, so ask him where they are!"

"Common Gladys, I wasn't even here yesterday!" He scoffed and turned away.

Our collective gazes went from mama to her lover or should I say her ex-husband.

"Not when you always sneak through the tunnels." She hissed. "Of course, you were here!"

"Woman, finish your story and stop dragging me into irrelevant things!" My dad quickly rebuked her.

Exhausted, Dima puffed a breath, "What a night!"

Ifediora's lifted the gun higher, aiming directly at my father. He smirked and grinned at my sister's posture. "They sure taught you well." His head nodded and his fingers pointed lazily at her. "My friend put that thing out and listen to the rest of the story!"

My sister shuffled uncomfortably and ran her gaze towards mine and I nodded slowly, signaling her to listen. Suddenly I was Interested in this story. No matter how it ends, I wanted to know.

Mama's voice joined in the plea, "You have to let me finish please, because if you don't, then you won't understand the whole story. And your judgment against me may be too hurried"

Her eyes ran through us one by one. Pointing a finger to the ground. "Everything happening here today stems from that origin. The past."

Her fingers went from my mother to my dad and then back to her. "It all Stems from the three of us"