chapter 31

Disowned 

Helen's pov

I feel so lost and broken, I have failed myself, my parents, and my child. Loving someone like Donald has changed everything for me, I used to be ambitious and a goal getter but all I do now is cry and yearn for him.

Donald had deserted me and my daughter, his lawyers sent me an eviction notice last month and I'm supposed to leave in the next few days. He also had my job terminated because he helped me get the job at the beginning of our relationship.

I feel shattered, my savings are minimal and I can't sustain my daughter and me for long.  Sarah had asked me if I was okay the other day, and I had to lie to her, how do I tell her everything is falling apart.

As I looked through my window on a Sunday morning exactly one week till the eviction notice expires. The weather was cloudy and gloomy just like my mood. I thought back to my earlier days living with my parents, ours was a close knit family with just two daughters . I was the youngest and my parents doted on me a lot, probably because they had me eight years after several miscarriages. Whatever I wanted was given to me all I needed to do was ask.

But that was before I met and fell in love with Donald, at first my parents did not object to the relationship not until they discovered that he was already married with children. My father pleaded with me to leave him but I just couldn't, now I'm stranded, my love for Donald had ruined me. 

"I will ask my father for forgiveness and I know he will forgive me." This thought and action was my last hope and that was what I would do.

The next day I put my plans into action before my courage failed me. I dressed my daughter Sarah in her best Sunday cloth and with just  two luggage in tow, one for me and the other for Sarah we went to my parents home in the Eastern part of Nigeria, it took us 8 hours to get there by road. Donald had already repossessed the car he got for me so we used a public bus. 

The house I grew up in was still the same as I left it almost 10 years ago except for the few trees that had grown around the compound. There was no new addition to the house, it was simple yet modern.

"What are you doing here." My aged father asked me, he had more white hairs on his head and more wrinkles covered his brown face.

"I'm sorry father." Was all I could say.

"And who is this child hiding behind you."

I guided my daughter to face my father, her grandfather. "She is my daughter's dad." 

"When did you get married." He said eyeing me.

"I'm not a married father." I was already feeling uncomfortable with my father's interrogations. He had not even looked at Sarah.

"Then who is her father."

"Donald" I replied and I watched my father's face change from shock to anger without another word to me, he walked away.

I stood outside the house like an outcast till my mum came to get us. She welcomed us with open arms and I felt relieved, I was finally home.

********

She must leave this house Helen's father said to his wife after midnight when everyone was asleep. He didn't want to talk to his daughter or have anything to do with her, to him, her sins were unforgivable and he wouldn't help her train her bastard. 

Helens mum had begged on behalf of her daughter but all fell to dead ears.

"You can go with Helen, I won't stop you." He said to his wife.

"What of her daughter, our grandchild. Are we throwing her out too." Helen's mum looked heartbroken, she wanted to get to know Sarah and was happy that her prodigal daughter was back. But her husband had always been strict and unforgiving and was not the type to change his mind.

"I won't accept any child of adultery into my home especially not that of Donalds. I warned and pleaded with Helen to let go of that man she disobeyed me and left home for almost 10 years now she wants to push herself and her child on me, Never would I allow that."

He went to his cupboard and brought out some money he kept there for emergencies and gave it to his wife. "Give this money to her tomorrow morning and tell her to go back to wherever she came from." With that said he went to bed to sleep but all he did was toss and turn as sleep eluded him, he never imagined a day would come when he would disown his own child and especially not Helen.

Helens pov

I left my father's house for good in the early hours of Thursday. My mother had given me a brown envelope which contained some amount of money from my dad, she also gave me her little savings and sent us off. I didn't need any explanations from her because I clearly understood the unspoken words.

With the little money with me, my luggage and my daughter, I boarded a bus back to Lagos. I had lived most of my life there so I felt it was the best place for me to start all over again. It had been raining heavily all day which made the journey tiring and unpleasant, before we got to Lagos after almost spending 10 hours on the road. I was exhausted and famished and Sarah was cranky. I felt so bad and unhappy putting my child in such a difficult situation and life ahead of us would not be rosy at all. 

I had no valuable skill set and my educational background was just up to secondary school level, I had no house and no means to earn a living. We logged into a very cheap hotel for 3 days before I was able to get a one-room apartment in the slums of Lagos. Sarah was just a dutiful little girl as she just sat and watched me not uttering a word of condemnation or being irrational which I was grateful for. 

My next motive was to get a job and make money but that too was disastrous, I was either late in applying for a job opening or not qualified enough. It felt like the whole universe was against me and life itself spelled doom for me