WHITE SECRET
“Femi, so I am back.”
“Should it be good news to me or bad news.”
“from the start, I knew you were not happy to see me either but that doesn’t change the fact that I came here with some informations and contracts you must be aware of!”
There did it appear to Femi that this man indeed may hot have some good intentions, but he will not let go of him either.
“Mr. Deji! If I am right”
“indeed Mr. Femi, you are right!”
“how may I help you? You seem to bother me too much, and of a truth I do not find this funny”
“jokes are hard to make men laugh”
Mr. Deji said with his both hands in his pocket and his face lifted up.
“so, I do not find it new, if it doesn’t appeal to you”
“you just have 30 seconds with me”
Femi said as he finally decides to give Mr. Deji a listening ear.
“as I said earlier, your father, uncle and step father made a contract with me and I wish to continue that with you.”
“do hold your peace please, let me finish what I sincerely have to say concerning this.”
He said to Femi who was becoming impatient. Femi looks at him and decided to let him finish what he had to say.
“go on”
Femi said resting his back on the chair to listen patiently to what he had to say.
“Femi if you are going to agree with me, there is a par in this gallery that your father gave strict warnings not to be used by anyone, well did you et a vivid reason to why you shouldn’t? and I’m sure you never found that suspicious, anyways how would you. Well this is it, inside that gallery lies a spot for an exchange of position, that serves as a sacrifice to every new person of this Gallery, and this was done in the presence of your mother so feel free to ask her, if only she will still not tell you the truth.”
“and I’m so happy to meet you at this point where you are married to a woman, well the deal is set then. This ritual happens to first sons, second sons has a different task entirely to carry. This has gone on for generations. And you know much better that generational patterns are not easily done away with.”
Mr. Deji said looking at the uncomfortable face of Femi.
“indeed, your father did no wrong in telling you that this space should be kept as a secret. The line goes, for this place, the first son has to give out his heart for an exchange of his wealth, is not allowed to have more than two children, who ever comes first goes through the same procedures again. Death will be the final call at the second child’s age of eight, the first son goes as the second son is then given the liberty to take from the end point of the first child. The second son signs the same contract, but the second son’s kind of ritual is quite different.”
Femi shoots himself forward as he made sure he paid keen attention to what he was saying.
“are you with me Mr. Femi”
Femi looks at him and said not a word either.
“I’ll go ahead then”
“the second son’s case is to make sure that the second child of the first son who had gotten an intimate relationship with his father should be his target and the more he is able to threaten and make less of worth the life of that child, then his fame and wealth, strength and power increases as well”
“does my mother know all this?”
Femi asked in whispers as he couldn’t tell himself if he was angry at his mother for hiding such a thing to him, he would have dedicated less  to the gallery, of he should be angry with his father for accepting such a stupid thing, if he should even believe a word the man is saying, but everything he had said is just as true as what happened. Looking at Rotimi and how she ended up.
“is my mother aware of this!”
He said this time more annoyed.
“yes, she is”
“your wife too will be present during yours”
Mr. Deji said optimistically.
“and who lied to you that I was going to be interested in any of these things you have said?”
“I’m sure you are aware of the penalties that comes with neglecting generational patterns”
Femi gets up. Sighs.
“you 30 minutes is up, you may take your leave now”
Mr. Deji gets up and looks at Femi.
“if it is death you want to tell me about, I’m ready to die and end it with me than to allow a whole cycle of selfishness, I have already failed to Rotimi, and if this is my only way to get her forgiveness than ill do it. I and my wife. I refuse to suffer an innocent generation”
Femi said as he turns his back on them.
“don’t bother reminding me of the penalty, I am not interested and I’m not planning to change my mind any time soon!’
Femi affirmed again.
“your time is up, you may leave now!”
“I already know about this part of you. Dayo your father had indeed passed a legacy to you. You’re lucky you don’t have a greedy second as a son”
Mr. Deji said as he smiles and taps Femi shoulder and leaves. Femi battled the tears of disappointment that surrounded his eyes.
“father! How could you?”
He walks out of the room he stayed to talk with Mr. Deji and told his P.A that he was off and he should as usual take the care of the things that ought to be taken care of.
Femi was offended no doubt and without second thoughts he rages to his mother house and Abeni was home.
“what in the world is all this nonsense I hear eh… Ayo!”
“ah! Se o n pe re ni oruko re? ko si bayi, ti o ni alaibowo (you’re calling your mother by her name? no now, that’s disrespectful)”
“Abeni stay out of this please, let this woman give me a clear explanation of what I need to hear  
  “Bi o tile je pe, ko je ki o pe oruko re emi ki yoo si jadekuro ninu re (even though, it doesn’t qualify you to call her by her name, and I will not stay out of it)”
Abeni said defending.
“Abeni! Don’t prove stubborn here I am very upset right now, very upset”
Abeni looks at Femi as Femi went ahead to his mother.
“I am going to only ask you this once, did my father involve himself in any form of ritual?”
“Femi!”
“Abeni stay out of this!”
Femi raised his voice.
That was the first time Femi ever raised his voice at her and did not apologize immediately, then she knew that Femi was indeed very upset, but Mrs. Ayo slaps him instead. Femi held his cheeks as his mother spits on him in addition and walked herself upstairs. Abeni rushed to him and cleaned up his face and hugged him.
“Babe calm down, please, calm down”
Abeni hugs him as his anger level subsides a bit, only did he feel deceived and sad, frustrated and un happy.
Abeni takes him to the couch and takes off his shoes for him and his shirt, them she sits down beside him.
“first of all, I’m still going to repeat the fact that what you did here was very disrespecting, I understand that you were upset but still I don’t give you a credit for that.”
Looks at her in the eyes as Abeni looks back at him and wipes his forehead with her hand.
“secondly you shouted at me, that was not cool”
Femi smirks and pecks her.
“I am Sorry!”
Then he smiled.
“thirdly, explain to me everything that happened.”
Femi sighs and stares at her.
“I really don’t want you involved in this”
“as some stranger?”
Sighs.
“but you always be like this?”
“go ahead I’m all ears”
 “okay!”
He told her of everything that Mr. Deji had told him, and he broke down in tears without him even knowing.
“right now, I don’t know what to feel, I am upset, frustrated, sad, confused. I mean why would my father take such a risk? More so, why did my mum hide this from me?”
No! what in the world was Femi talking about? A ritual?
Abeni looks at Femi and said not a word either. Femi looks at her and could imagine what ran through her mind.
Sighs.
“I’m not ready to continue it either, you don’t have to worry about it”
“this is a generational practice, Babe! Its not as easy as you make it sound!”
“I’m not making it sound easy either, and I mean it, I’m not going to continue in any of these practices, of what sense does that make? spend my time to make a bond to an innocent soul and then just depart for that child to be badly tormented? do you like the way Rotimi ended? More so… there are other ways the second child could always end up, and no! I will not continue this.”
“The penalty is death”
“Why?”
Femi turns around and held his wife by her shoulder.
“Why? Are you scared? Abeni you have faith more than I do, why should what man made make you this scared? Look at fear written in your eyes, I barely believe in God, all those church things, but babe, we pray every morning for protection, and for some useless rituals that sounds like a generational lie you become scared? How sad you made God feel.”
“sad that he trusts you and for this once, you don’t even trust him. I’m hurt babe”
Femi stands up and leaves her presence takes his coat and his car keys.
“Where are you going to?”
“I want to clear my head”.
Femi said without looking at Abeni! Indeed, it as too much for him to bear, knowing that if he was told from start, how he would have avoided so many certain things. He got into his car and drove out to a quiet place and the only place he had in mind was the empty church along the quietest street.
His eyes were heavy and anyone could say that he must have drank a lot to make himself this wasted. He sat on one of the benches, behind and decided to give Oluwaseyi a call.
“Hello!”
“Gee! What’s up!”
“Can you come to the old church on the old road?”
“For wetin? (For what?)”
“Just come please!”
“okay! its sounding like an emergency, I am on my way then”
“Thank you”
Femi said as he switched off his phone. He rested his head on the bench looking at the crafted image of Jesus.
Letting out a sigh of grief.
Not too long from hen he had called Oluwaseyi, he parked his car outside with Femi’s own, he rushes in to actually find out what the matter was, that requested for such an urgent call.
“What’s up bro?”
“Is your faith in God still there, or have you given up childish ways”
Femi said with his eyes still fixed on the Jesus portrait, while his ears tuned to listen to Oluwaseyi’s response. But Oluwaseyi on his part knows he hasn’t kept to scriptures and the principles, he knew his faith was shaken and he let it get the best part of him.
He sighs and sits beside Femi.
“a little shaken off the track. I haven’t given up yet, why?”
“a generational movement can be ended right!”
Tilts his head slowly to look at the direction of Oluwaseyi.
“Yes, but why?”
“Rotimi, everything was a ritual!”
Oluwaseyi looks at Femi, though he understood the fact that a generational ritual is a practice that must be carried out from one generation to the other, in the rank of the ordained system, but the fact that a person was the ritual is the fact that he did not want to believe.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t even want to think of the fact that I’m the next to continue this, but no!”
Sniffs.
“No! I will not suffer the innocent, and I here I was thinking that my dad was a legend”
Femi broke into tears. Oluwaseyi now had to believe the fact that Femi was serious about it.
“make me understand this”
“my dad’s death, Rotimi’s PSTD, chief Oluwaseun torment scheme on Rotimi, all that were agreed terms, signed and to be continued”
“You mean….?”
“I mean that everything was planned, and my mum knows about it, about the fact that my father is going to create a bond with Rotimi and later leave her to be tortured by chief Oluwaseun…. but
“why did she act so dumb?”
They questioned at once and looked at each other. Femi was badly wounded.
Oluwaseyi Sighs.
“it hurts me Seyi! It hurts me that Rotimi fought a battle that was not meant to be, she, She…. she suffered all this, because she was the ritual to this wealth that I would have used my hands to sweat out a responsible guiltless source? She was the fame making machine to Oluwaseun and my mother, that woman knows this?”
Oluwaseyi tried to put himself together, though deep down he really wants to do something bad at the moment.
Sniffs.
“put yourself together bro!”
Tapping his chest.
“these guys are coming back for you, You’re the only one left, what’s the plan?”
“I don’t know either, but over my dead body will I let this madness go on, never, “
“And you know the penalty is death”
“are you scared of that too? Because Abeni is, she spoke like she wasn’t a believer anymore and it hurts me”
“no, No, that’s humane, she can’t be a widow at a young age even though you’re stiff on death, and you can not tell her to die with you”
“why not?”
Femi said looking at Oluwaseyi who tried to make him see the fact that yes, though there are believers, we can’t totally cut of humane feelings such as fear, worry, anxiety, pressure, doubt. Abeni’s feeling is like every normal human feeling, but she has to be careful of is that it she doesn’t let it take dominion of her, that is the thing that becomes the sin.
“Femi! I know she’s married to you, but she’s a different person. Abeni is a sweet soul, permit me to praise. Tis news too also hits her twice harder than it hits you, do you even consider her emotions in this? Her feelings? She’s female, and you know how complex these beings are, she will definitely need time to process all this. Fin e take your decision and let her decide hers”
Oluwaseyi said looking at Femi who was shattered and broken.
Pats Femi’s back, but hiding pain, that he wasn’t good at, then he broke down too and cried, Femi was surprised to see him cry that bad, the last time he cried like that was when he saw Rotimi on the edge of giving up and he ran back inside the hospital to meet her.
“why can’t I blame anyone? because I really want to pass this blame to someone, and a lot of “WHY’S” to be answered, because Why? Why would you do this?”
Oluwaseyi said, stammering.
“they said the events that happens are not the same, But the result a will definitely be the same”
“if this madness happens to all the second children, imagine what would have been the case of Chief Oluwaseun? not only did he get back on Rotimi like an event but a revengeful heart, who can we truly blame? all of them are in pains”
Oluwaseyi said sliding down his seat and looks at the portrait of Jesus that was hanging up above.
“The day that she died, my faith was badly ruined, I blamed Sam so dearly for her death, and he still has a share to it till now”
Femi looks at him.
“it was like though another thing got hold of me, I bet it is tamed now, I bet… I can feel its urges hovering round me. I started drinking, my life was a waste. Rotimi was the world to me, why didn’t god reveal this to me? Maybe, I got carried away that I didn’t pay much attention, I still have the part of blame to take, I wonder her soul is right now, my obsession about her has made me want to wait for her return.”
Femi found out that Oluwaseyi has been suffering big time too, he looks at him and sighs.
“Let’s go to the alter”
“For what reason?”
“That we have sinned and gone short of his grace, he should have mercy on us. I want to make heaven when I die too”
Oluwaseyi sees how made up Femi’s mind is concerning the fact that he wants to die, he agrees to the idea of going to the alter, he too had some confessions to make and mercy to ask for.
“then let’s head to the alter then….”
Oluwaseyi and Femi walked themselves to the alter and knelt before the alter. Femi laid down and all he did was cry. Oluwaseyi knelt and saw Femi cry that much, it only reminded him of the first time he had an encounter with Jesus and how he would just cry anytime he wants to pray!
With sighs too deep for words.
#
If she could cry, she would have let them all out.
The hate she had for her Brother was based on the fact that he didn’t care enough to actually be that companion she wanted him to be, but after seeing how much he regrets so much is what touched her heart dearly.
Mitchell had been with her all these while and could only feel disappointed and sad for Rotimi.
“so, it was true, something really happened the night of my birth.”
Smirks.
“And here I was thinking so highly of the person of my Father, well I’m sure he was as helpless as Femi now, and Oluwaseun must have been so good at what he did, death is worth it Afterall. I wouldn’t have even wished to live this long. So, Mrs. Ayo knew”
“Rotimi, are you upset?”
Mitchell asked rhetorically.
“I wish there was another word except that, so she was aware”
“poor Abeni!”
Rotimi continued.
“no one deserves this, no one, I hope you make the right choice, I hope you do”
She said watching the both men cry themselves at the altar.
“I pray God really do hear from heaven”
Mitchell added.  
   Rotimi was upset with her mother, indeed to her, she never thinks about others before making a choice, just her. The fact that she kept this even from Femi was the most annoying thing she could ever do.
But come to think of it. Was she really at fault?