Chapter 34

Samuel went to James and Pearl's residence, where he was currently staying. He was carrying Hilda with him and when he got home, he went to Auntie Susan's house. He had left Sonia and Priscilla in her care before leaving for the hospital with Hilda. Hilda was still breastfeeding and Pearl always wanted her to come over to the hospital. Therefore he made sure to take the baby to see Pearl when he could. On days when he wasn't available, Auntie Susan would take Hilda there and leave the children in her husband's care.

"Welcome back, Samuel. Come on in." Auntie Susan said after seeing Samuel at the door with Hilda.

"Hilda Baby, come to Grandma, come and play with Granny." Auntie Susan said playfully as she took Hilda from Samuel. She could see that Samuel seemed to be very devastated and she couldn't place why.

"Is everything okay Samuel? How is Pearl doing?" Did she take her drugs?"

The questions hit Samuel like he was in the middle of an interview, and he didn't know which of Auntie Susan's questions to answer first. He suddenly seemed confused and forgot about the questions she had asked him. He wished he could remember just one of her questions however he couldn't seem to remember any. His mind became blank.

"Well, hello Auntie Susan." He managed to say and Auntie Susan gave him a puzzled look. She was certain something was wrong somewhere.

"Kindly take your seat." She told him and he sat down in one of the sofas in the living room. Just then, Priscilla saw him and ran towards him.

"Daddy, Daddy!" She called out to him excitedly. She always saw him as her father, especially now that Samuel had come to stay with the family. They were eating at the dining table and Priscilla was halfway through with her meal. Sonia was also eating, and she just continued eating as though Samuel never existed. After Priscilla gave Samuel a big hug, he just burst out in tears. He couldn't help it.

Auntie Susan and Sonia looked at him with surprised looks. Samuel was a strong-willed person and therefore it was surprising to see him cry. Auntie Susan became alarmed all at once.

"Girls, please go into your room. I'll be there soon." She told Sonia and Priscilla. Sonia stood and took Priscilla's hand in hers, and led her to one of the bedrooms where they usually played.

"Well, Samuel, you are free to talk to me about anything and everything." Auntie Susan stated. Hilda was already sleeping in her arms and she wanted to put her to sleep in the bed. However she was of the view that Hilda's sisters were going to wake her up, so she continued to carry her in her arms as she looked closely into Samuel's eyes.

"Come on Samuel. Tell me what's wrong. A problem shared is half solved. Don't carry the load alone." She encouraged him.

"She's gone for good." He whispered; however Auntie Susan had heard him clearly.

"I, I don't understand what you just said. Who is the she? Who is gone for good? Could you please come clear so I can understand?" She asked him with fear in her eyes.

"Hmm, Auntie Susan. It's... it's..." He paused, not knowing how to put his message across.

"It's who? It's who Samuel?" She asked,as though she were going to beat him up if he didn't say anything.

"Pearl... she is gone to heaven. She is gone." He whispered silently and Auntie Susan broke down in uncontrollable tears. Samuel was scared she could hurt his daughter mistakenly; therefore he went to take Hilda from Auntie Susan's arms. He watched the older woman closely, so she wouldn't hurt herself. Although African, she was very fair in complexion and looked almost like a white lady. Her father was a black, while her mother was a white woman.

"We spoke only yesterday, and I told her I couldn't wait to see her." Auntie Susan spoke up. "I was very happy that she was gradually responding to treatment, and that gave me so much hope."

"Hmmm, I'm very surprised about this. I'm really surprised. How could this have happened to Pearl? How?" She said amidst sobbing. Her words pierced through Samuel's heart and he felt heartbroken. He had hoped to spend the rest of his life with Pearl. He quickly put Hilda in one of the sofas so she could sleep.

Two weeks passed by, and Samuel had to prepare for the burial of his close friends who had become like relatives to him. He had tried to get in touch with James and Pearl's family however he couldn't get any info regarding them. Pearl and James hadn't said much about their families and he didn't know how best to get in touch with them. Besides, he had an examination to write online and he had to travel outside the country too. He didn't have much time and he had to get things done quickly. Auntie Susan and her husband were also traveling soon. One of her daughters had to be put to bed, and she needed to be there in order to help cater for her grandchild.

"I would have loved to let you have the kids stay with you, so I could travel outside and further my studies." He told Auntie Susan after she broke the news of her traveling to see her daughter to him.

"I'm so sorry Samuel. I greatly wish I could be of help." Auntie Susan replied to his statement.

"Even if I decided to take the children, I wouldn't have been able to take in all of them because that would be too much for an old woman like me." She added.

"Then I'd have to find another family." He said to her.

"What about James or Pearl's family? Have you tried to contact them?" She asked and he nodded his head in response.

"I tried to, but I don't have their details. Neither James nor Pearl told me much about them. I also don't know them personally. Ever since I have been with them, I haven't seen any of them calling their family." He added.

"Hmmm, what a pity." Auntie Susan lamented. "With so many expenses these days, I wonder which household would be willing to take in all the three girls."

Two weeks later, Pearl and James were buried in the City Hall Church. Sonia cried her heart out and demanded to go with her parents.

"I want to go with them! Take me to be with them!"

She yelled as the caskets were being taken away. The onlookers were filled with so much pity. Priscilla also cried, and as though she knew what was happening, even Hilda cried out very loudly, Auntie Susan had to take her to the back of the Church.

"Where are they taking Mummy and Daddy to?" Priscilla asked, crying. Samuel had to comfort her.

"They are going somewhere and we would also visit them one day." He told the little girl.

"Really?" She asked him excitedly and he nodded his head in affirmation.

"Then why is Sonia crying bitterly if we'll visit them?" The poor girl asked innocently.

"Well, it's because they would not be back today. It would take a long time before we visit them and Sonia can't wait for that time." He added and quickly wiped the tears that had filled his eyes.

"Ooh, Sonia should just be patient. We would see Mummy and Daddy again right?" She asked him again and he carried her.

"Yes, farling, we would definitely see them again." He said playfully and she laughed. She calmed down and seemed to be at peace after Samuel's statement. Sonia however just kept crying and refused to be comforted.

After the burial, Samuel had to find a way to keep the three girls in one place. He spoke with some friends and family members. However, the number scared them. Others were willing to take just one, and some agreed to take two. He couldn't seem to find any family that was willing to take in all three. He was very much worried.

"Okay, if you say you would be back to take them after school, then I wouldn't have a problem with it. Once you are able to pay for their upkeep, I would be okay."

He had spoken with one woman in the Church. Her name was Paulina. She was quite close to Pearl and she had decided to pay the children a visit one day to enquire about their health. Samuel decided to use the opportunity to tell her about his plight and the old woman pitied him. She decided to take on the responsibility of taking care of them until Samuel came back from school in the United Kingdom as he had said.

Sonia glared at the woman and didn't seem to like her. She hated Samuel for putting her family in disarray.

"Sonia, listen to me, I would be going to school and I would have to put you and your sisters in the care of someone capable of taking care of you all. Therefore we thank God that Auntie Paulina has offered to help." He told the little girls one morning; a week to his departure.

Sonia looked away as he spoke. He was carrying Hilda in his arms, and Priscilla was the only one who seemed to pay attention to what he was saying.

"Uncle Samuel, are you also going away just like Mummy and Daddy?" Priscilla asked and he just sighed. He was reminded that his friends were no more and it pained him very much.

"Priscilla, you are very intelligent. I'll tell you more about my traveling. Mine is different from Mum and Dad's own okay? Don't worry, I'll come and visit you very soon." He said.

"Yipeeeee, Uncle Samuel will soon be back to visit!" She screamed in excitement and Sonia was still looking away, trying to hide her tears. She had thought Uncle Samuel was going to do everything possible to bring her parents together. But he had rather made it worse with his actions, which had led to their deaths. She had decided in her heart never to forgive him for separating their family.

"See Sonia, Uncle Samuel would be back!"

Priscilla squealed in excitement.

The day finally came for them to get ready to move into Auntie Paulina's house. Sonia dreaded that moment very much. She hated the fact that she was leaving her parents' house. A house that held so many memories. She had no other choice than to follow through with Samuel's plan. If she had her own way, she would have stayed back in the house, and taken care of her siblings herself. Her mother had trained her well, and she could care for herself and her siblings. However Uncle Samuel wouldn't allow that and it would be too dangerous for them.

They arrived at Auntie Paulina's house, in Samuel's car.

It was a little apartment, which looked a bit old. Samuel was sure Auntie Paulina had been staying in there for a long time.

"Come on in." She said after seeing them. She took Hilda from Samuel and entered the apartment. It was a one-bedroom house, with a living room and a porch.

Samuel brought the bags inside as the girls entered the house.

He later joined them inside. Priscilla kept clutching to him, afraid that he would leave them.

"Uncle Samuel, please don't go. Please stay here with us." She pleaded and he just looked on helplessly.

"My Dear Priscilla, I promised you I'll be back right? I wouldn't keep too long. I'll be back in no time. Very soon, you'll see me again." He said to encourage her.

"That's the same thing you said about Mum and Dad, but they are not yet in." She replied to him and he sighed.

"Remember, I said we would visit Mum and Dad one day right? So when the time comes we'll visit them okay?"

He tried to encourage the little girl however she didn't seem convinced. She continued to hold onto him. Auntie Paulina's residence seemed to be a little comfortable. She had prepared rice for them and invited them to the table. However Samuel said he had to quickly run back since he had to prepare for his flight.

He spoke with the girls for the last time and carried Hilda in his arms. He knew she was his daughter and he loved her very much.

"I'll certainly be back for you my child."

He whispered in her ears and she smiled as though she understood what he had just said.

She clasped her hands playfully and looked at him tearily after he handed her over to Auntie Paulina. It seemed she understood what was happening around her and she began to cry. Auntie Paulina took her to the table, while patting her at the back. She asked the girls to come to the table for lunch, and Priscilla didn't want to. She had gotten used to Uncle Samuel and he had to carry her himself.

He even had to feed her because she wouldn't eat.

Sonia just munched at her food, not caring as to whether Samuel was going to come back or not. To her, he was a betrayer and a liar.

Finally, they were done eating and Hilda was already sleeping. Samuel had to bid them farewell and Priscilla pleaded with him not to go.

"Uncle Samuel, please don't go. Please stay here with us. Please, Uncle Samuel. Please don't go." She pleaded in tears.

"I have to go Priscilla. I'll be back for you okay? Don't worry." He encouraged her however she wouldn't listen. Auntie Paulina had to hold her hands firmly to enable Samuel to finally drive off. She asked Sonia to also hold Priscilla's hand and they both held the little girl until Samuel drove off. She knelt down crying helplessly and Sonia had to drag her inside.

"Don't worry Priscilla, I'll tell you lots of stories. You would play with a lot of toys here." Sonia comforted her sister and gradually convinced her to get inside. Auntie Paulina later asked them to bathe, and Sonia bathed her sisters. Auntie Paulina was very surprised that the little girl could handle such responsibilities.

"It's a really good idea I decided to take you in. You would help me with the household chores." She stated to Sonia who just glared at her questioningly. She wondered if she had come there to be taken care of or to help with household chores.

The following day, Auntie Paulina woke Sonia up very early. She made her sweep the house and take care of the unwashed utensils in the kitchen. She showed the little girl how to prepare breakfast.

"From today, you will be preparing breakfast in the morning." She told the little girl who wondered whether Auntie Paulina was as kind as Uncle Samuel had described her to be. She wondered if Samuel really knew Auntie Paulina.

A month later, Sonia continued to take care of the house, and Auntie Paulina seemed to enjoy herself. Samuel kept sending money,yet she didn't enroll Sonia or Priscilla in a school.

"Auntie Paulina, would we not go to school?" Sonia asked her one morning and she was shocked at Auntie Paulina's response.

"You? Go to school? What are you going to school for? You are going to help me with the household chores and everything. You can see that I'm old and I don't have anyone to take care of me. So you are going to take care of me now." She said to Sonia who just looked at the older woman helplessly.

"Uncle Samuel said you would take us to school." Sonia said and Auntie Paulina laughed uncontrollably. Sonia had to take a good look at herself to see whether there was anything funny about herself that made Auntie Paulina laugh so hysterically.

"Baby girl, you prepare the meals and you do them so well. You also clean the house very well, and you think you can waste your skills in school? With this wonderful skill you have, you can apply for a housekeeping job and you will be gainfully employed. Therefore do not worry about going to school. You would do very well Sweet girl. By the way, you're very beautiful and you would marry early. You would get a good man to take care of you." She added amidst laughter. Sonia knew she had to do something with her life. She was not going to allow Auntie Paulina to determine how her life should go. She was a very determined girl and she was going to make sure she went to school. She promised herself that.

The months flew by and Hilda was a year old now. She had started walking around the house, scattering things all over.

"This girl, I'll spank you." Auntie Paulina threatened her anytime she saw the little girl move around the house. Sonia was scared for her sister and used to carry her away from Auntie Paulina's midst.

One day, Auntie Paulina saw an advertisement in a newspaper. A rich couple wanted to adopt a child and they were offering a lot of money. She decided to allow Hilda to be adopted since she felt like the little girl was disturbing and didn't give enough time to Sonia to cater for the household. Priscilla also seemed to disturb Sonia with lots of questions, and Auntie Paulina always complained. She decided to contact the couple who were invited into their home. That morning, she had asked Sonia to make sure to clean up the whole place, since they were expecting some special people. Sonia wondered who those people could be.

"Hurry up and clean the whole place. After that, bathe your siblings and dress them up nicely." She said to Sonia who just wondered if Auntie Paulina was sending her sisters to school. She was happy at the thought that her sisters would be going to school. Even if she didn't go now, she would definitely go one day. She knew that.

The excitement of her siblings going to school made her hurry with the household chores. She also bathed her sisters and wore nice clothes on them, in preparation for their going to school. She wanted them to look presentable.

"Where are we going, Sonia?" Priscilla seemed to observe the change and asked her sister.

"You are going to school, Priscilla."

"School?" Priscilla asked.

"Yes, school. Make sure to study very seriously when you get there okay? Study and make me proud." Sonia told her sister excitedly and Priscilla smiled. Hilda also smiled after seeing the joyful looks on her sisters' faces.

"Are you done with them now?" Auntie Paulina interrupted their joyful moment.

"Yes Auntie Paulina, we are ready now!" Sonia replied heartily, not knowing what was at stake.

"That's great. You are a good girl." Auntie Paulina stated and Sonia beamed with a smile.

About forty-five minutes later, there was a knock at the door and Auntie Paulina went to open the door.

"Oh, you are welcome. You are welcome. Please come on in." She said after seeing the couple.

They came inside and sat down after being offered a seat.

"Errmm Sonia!" She called out. "Please get our visitors some water."

Sonia hurriedly went to get the man and his wife some water to drink. She wondered if they were teachers from the school.

The man seemed to be very outspoken and friendly, while his wife seemed to be reserved.

Priscilla and Sonia were already seated in one of the sofas and the man and his wife looked at them observantly.

"So, this little one is a year old now." Auntie Paulina said, while pointing at Hilda. "She is called Hilda. The one seated by her is called Priscilla. She is five years old now."

"Okay so we will take just one of them." The man said and Sonia wondered why he had made that statement.

He had a little discussion with his wife in whispers, and they made their decision known to Auntie Paulina.

"So, we'll be giving you five thousand dollars,in order to take the five-year-old girl away with us."

The man stated and Auntie Paulina was speechless. Five thousand dollars was a huge sum of money, and she had never had such an amount of money before.

"Thank you so much, Sir and Madam. Sorry, Mr and Mrs Brown. I'm very much grateful and excited." Auntie Paulina expressed her appreciation.

"Sonia, won't you thank this wonderful couple?" She asked Sonia who just glared at her.

"Who is she?" Mrs Brown asked.

"Well, she, she she's my maid. Yes, my maid." Auntie Paulina lied and Sonia was so much dumbfounded, she couldn't utter a word.

"Okay so we'll wait in the car as you get Priscilla ready to go with us." The man told Auntie Paulina.

"Certainly Mr Brown, I'll be with you shortly."

Mr Brown seemed to be in his early fifties and his wife seemed to be in her late forties. They had lots of money and had been looking for a child. However they didn't have any children. Therefore they wanted to adopt a child who would handle their businesses and take care of their estate. Therefore they had put notices in the newspaper regarding adopting a child. However, their identity had not been revealed in the papers.

"Are you selling my sisters for money?"

Sonia asked Auntie Paulina.

"Shut up young lady. Don't you dare say another word. Just see the amount of money the man is offering us. Just to adopt your sister. This is not selling my Dear. This is adoption. You should be very happy because they are going to take good care of Priscilla."

She told Sonia who couldn't believe her ears. She couldn't imagine being away from her sisters. Even the thought of them going to school made her miss them already, let alone going away to a place where she didn't even know of.

She just went towards Priscilla and hugged her tightly.

"Priscilla, know that I love you very much. I would definitely look for you one day. Don't you worry about anything. Know that I will always love you."

She told Priscilla who was oblivious of what was happening around her.

"I love you too Sonia. I love you very much."

Priscilla responded and Auntie Paulina came to take her away to the car. Sonia ran after them, crying profusely. When the car set off, Priscilla bid her sister farewell. Sonia ran after the car shouting helplessly.

"I love you, Priscilla!"

After she got back to the entrance of the house, Auntie Paulina gave her a good spanking on her backside.

"Carry Hilda inside and think of what to prepare for dinner tonight. Maybe we'll go out to eat at a restaurant. However that's if you behave yourself well."

She told Sonia who just kept sobbing. She carried her sister inside and kept wiping the tears that filled her eyes.

She went inside the room with Hilda and hugged her very tightly.

"I'll not allow them to take you away. I'll not allow them." She said while hugging her and laughter from Auntie Paulina interrupted her.

"Prepare Hilda for tomorrow. Another couple would be here to take her."

She told Sonia and quickly left them, not wanting to see any tears come from the girl's eyes. Somehow, Sonia's tears seemed to have an effect on the older woman and she didn't want to be moved by Sonia's tears.

As promised, another couple was there the following morning. They seemed to be a younger couple, and they also offered the greedy Auntie Paulina money to take Hilda away with them.

There was nothing Sonia could do. After they left, she locked herself up in the room, and Auntie Paulina just went out to eat at a restaurant. Sonia vowed that she would definitely look for her sisters one day, and find them too.