Rita's slender figure wreathed out of the house as a forced smile etched on her dull looking face. She made no attempt to quicken her steps. Rather it seemed as though she was counting it.

I wondered if she had another fight with mom.

"I asked you a question, mom." I sighed as I turned back to look at her.

Probably, I would have ignored her actions. But I couldn't. The way she had earlier reacted to my previous questions was unsettling. The rubbing of her temples and deep sighs wasn't a pleasant reaction.

"Hey baby girl!" My door opened and Rita engulfed me in a bear hug. She nearly squeezed life out of me. "How are you?"

I tried but in vain to push her away but she had a single bone. "St..top!"

Realizing that she nearly choking me, she gently unwrapped her arms from the bear hug. "Sorry dear."

I coughed severally. "Thanks for almost choking me. Excuse!" She moved and allowed me to come down from where I was seated.

"That wasn't deliberate." She muttered as she sauntered to the boot to know what she could help me with.

After some minutes of carrying and dropping of my box and bag inside the house, we all settled down in the private lounge where Mom stretched on the three sitter couch and Rita sat on the tiled floor.

"Rita go and bring food for your sister." I smiled at that. My stomach couldn't help but rumble at the mention of the word, food.

"She should go get it herself. Her legs aren't amputated...or are they?" Rita turned and stared at me.

"But I'm tired." I pouted, hoping to get sympathy. Unfortunately, Ruth shrugged and told me that I wasn't yet hungry.

I sent her a spine chilling hiss as I turned to mom, wishing that she would insist that Ruth gets me the food. Lo and Behold, the woman was busy typing away on her phone.

Angrily, I stomped my feet on the tiled floor and barged out of the lounge. On getting to the kitchen, I found it upside down. The sink was half filled with plates, wine glasses and trays. The cabinet wasn't a good sight. I could see the back of Irish potatoes heaped on a side. And the worst of all was the white kitchen floor tiles. It was stained.

Rita was a lazy ass who was definitely the worst person that would be entrusted to take care of a household.

I spotted a large shiny flask and immediately guessed it to be the one with food in it. And just as I guessed, smoke was coming out of the flask as I opened it and then filled my red ceramic plate with native rice and dried fish.

"Remain for Halsey, she's coming over with her fiance." Rita's voice announced her presence and I muttered to myself.

"So how is your new school?" She sat down on a kitchen stool, hoping to engage me in a discussion.

"I'm tired right now, please let me be." I told her as I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Where is Dad?"

Her face morphed into a deep frown. " I thought you were tired." She eyed me and then continued. "He's resting."

I quickly ate up the rice inside my mouth. "Where? How? Mom said he isn't around."

"That's true."

I stared at her, not knowing what more to say. I quickly ate up my food and washed it before heading back to the private lounge where I caught a messed up image of mom sobbing like a kid.

I was scared. It was rare to see her like this. She was such a strong hearted woman. At times, I think that she was just meant to be a man.

The last time I saw her this miserable was some weeks before I left for the Stardom Academy. Dad had refused her changing me from my previous school but she insisted that her will would be done.

They exchanged words badly. At a point, I felt guilty for reporting her to dad. I thought they would amicably talk whatever stuff out. But I didn't know better.

"Mom?!"

She tilted her head to have a look at me. And all I saw a broken woman.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who are you God?

Why are you even called GOD? What makes you the supreme being? Whatever the answers of these questions may be, Why do YOU let bad things happen to good people?

Why?!

I was once told that whatever will stay will stay. And that whatever will fade will fade. But why does this have to be the case with our loved ones. Why do the wicked prosper while the good deteriorate?

I swallowed the painful lump in my throat as I listened to mom's ordeal. My heart was swelling with anger that I felt like bursting anytime soon.

Rita held my hands in hers but that didn't and wouldn't soothe me. "You mean to tell me that they still went ahead to kill him after demanding for thirty million?"

How could people be so heartless?! At times, I wonder what human heart is being made of. How so much amount of cruelty and lethality could emanate from one, perplexed me.

How people would vent their frustrations and misfortune on others, just because they wanted others to feel as dejected and terrible as them, is uncalled for.

That showed extreme sadism.

"What to do now?" I tried speaking and I ended coughing afterwards. Tears rolled down my cheeks and I used the back of my palm to wipe them off.

The door bell rang and I stood up to answer it. Rita gently pushed me back to the couch and decided to go for it.

Mom had her hand under her jaw as she sighed continually and stared into space. She seemed out this entire world. And I wondered if she was hurt as I was.

Muffled voices could be heard from the passage that led to the private lounge. I guessed it to be Rita, Halsey and her fiance.

"Mum, good evening." Halsey went towards our lost looking mother. While her fiance stood beside her. He didn't have any idea of what to say or do. His to be mother in-law was yet to reply or notice her daughter, talk less of him.

"Mum!" Halsey dropped her bag and rushed to mom who was now beginning to creep all of us out. She tapped her severally before she got a reaction.

Mom removed her hand from supporting her jaw as she stared surprisingly at Halsey and then her fiance. She forced a smile that didn't suit her face.

"Don't tell me you are still mourning him. I've told you to be strong for others. What are we meant to do if you keep staring into oblivion or acting this way." Halsey scolded mom.

Mom nodded like a kid, cleaning her tears with the back of her palm.

"Are you even mad?!" Rita screamed as a deep frown etched her face. "Why will you be shouting at mom in that manner?"

"Rita..."

"Don't put your mouth in this family issue, Mister! No one is seeking for your opinion so just shut it."

Was this really happening now? I tried calming Rita down but she nearly hit me while she was being all melodramatic.

"You must be insane, Rita." Christopher muttered and almost got launched at by my immediate elder sister.

He dodged the attack. "Will you stop this Rita?! Do you want to send me to my ancestors?" Mom asked as she frowned deeply.

"Its always 'Stop this Rita!'. You always take me as the wicked bad child. No! I can never be the good child. How can I? When you have your lovely first daughter and Maria. Its always Rita being the black sheep of the family. But now, isn't it Maria being pregnant out of wedlock?"

"Maria?" I asked as my eyes enlarged.

This was impossible. Maria couldn't be pregnant. That wasn't what she could do. Everyone knows how smashing innocent she was. How she would talk about how much she hated so so and so movies. How even her husband will have first kiss.

And now, she was pregnant? Impossible!

"Shit! That wasn't meant to come out." Rita covered her mouth. But then, she couldn't unsay what she already voiced out loud.

Mom and Halsey were glaring furiously at her. They seemed to be angered at Rita's exposure. Now, it was me wondering what else they were hiding from me.