CHAPTER 14 – THIS FAMILY CALLED MINE: COLOUR US UP

© Opeyemi Akintunde
As Inspired by the LIVING WORD.

The unexpected sound that broke the silence was Tobe’s voice. It sliced through the air like a blade.

“I told you she was lying! It was all a plan! They’ve taken the paintings!” Tobe’s voice thundered from the other side of the compound. His steps were heavy, angry, fast approaching.

We could hear the others shouting our names, their voices mixed with frustration and suspicion.

“They’re out here! They’ve hidden the paintings somewhere!” Adeori’s voice bellowed.

“Come out, you schemers!” Tobiloba screamed, his words slurred, but his anger clear.

Panic seized my chest. The paintings were still lying in the open. If Tobe and his gang found them, all hope was lost. I glanced at my sisters, their eyes reflecting the same fear.

“What do we do?” Pamilerin whispered, her voice trembling.

Morayo’s eyes darted around like a trapped animal. “We need to hide them. Fast.”

Setemi’s eyes narrowed, her gaze darting towards the nearby bushes. “We cover them with leaves. Then we…we act like nothing happened.”

“Nothing happened? We all look like we just fought a battle,” Morayo retorted.

“They’re getting closer. We don’t have time!” I said, my voice cracking under the pressure.

Without another word, we sprang into action. We hurriedly dragged the paintings towards a thick clump of bushes. Our hands moved frantically, scooping leaves and twigs to cover them.

“It’s not enough,” Pamilerin cried. “They’ll find them.”

I glanced around, my mind racing. Then it hit me.

“I’ll sit on them,” Morayo said suddenly, her voice steady.

“No… it should be me.” I said.

“What? Why you?” Morayo asked, her brow furrowing.

“Because if they find you sitting out here, they’ll know something’s wrong. They’re afraid of you, Morayo. They’ll question why you’re just sitting. But me? I’m the weakest link. They’ll believe I ran into the bush to kill myself out of frustration. That way, we can turn this around and make it look like they’re the ones at fault.”

They stared at me like I had gone mad. But I saw it in their eyes. They knew it was the only way.

“What if they try to hurt you?” Pamilerin whispered, her eyes wide with fear.

“They won’t. Tobe won’t even look at me. He’s too afraid of what I might say. If I play the victim well enough, they’ll be forced to leave us alone.”

Setemi nodded slowly, her eyes gleaming with determination. “Fine. We’ll paint the picture that they tried to drive you to suicide. It’ll buy us time.”

“But what if they figure it out?” Morayo asked.

“Then we fight,” I replied, my voice firmer than I expected.

We finished covering the paintings, then I sat down on top of them, arranging leaves around me to make it look natural. I bent over, arms wrapped around my knees, my face buried in my lap.

“They’re almost here,” Sister Bolade whispered, her voice trembling. “What should I do?”

“You’ll lie,” Morayo said coldly. “You’re the last person who was with our father. If anyone asks, you’ll say the paintings were sold last year. If you sell the lie convincingly enough, they’ll have no choice but to believe it.”

Sister Bolade’s eyes widened. “I…I can do that.”

“Good. Now, go!” Setemi snapped, shoving her in the direction of the approaching voices.

Bolade stumbled forward just as Tobe and his crew stormed into the clearing.

“There you are,” Tobe sneered. “Trying to hide?”

“Trying to calm down,” Morayo answered, her voice low and dangerous. “i was brought up to speed on what you did to my sister and remembering it almost drove her to end her life. I came in time”

They all turned their attention to me. I made sure to tremble slightly, keeping my face hidden in my arms.

“What do you mean?” Uche asked, his voice wary.

“What do I mean?” Morayo laughed bitterly. “Look at her! You traumatized her into her vaginismus, you should be grateful I was not around for the revealing, I would have removed your uncontrolled organ. Look at her… she’s out here, sitting on the ground, ready to give up. Congratulations, Tobe. You nearly killed her.”

“You all are just trying to cover up what you did. Where are the paintings you took from the studio?”

“What paintings?” Sister Bolade’s voice cut through the argument. “ If it’s the paintings from the studio you’re all talking about, they were sold last year. Your Father made a deal with a collector from Europe. The paintings were shipped out months ago. You’re all fighting over nothing.”

Tobe’s head snapped towards her, suspicion clouding his features. “You’re lying.”

“Believe what you want.” Bolade shrugged, her hands folded calmly before her. “But I was there. I helped your Dad package them. They’re gone.”

Uche frowned, uncertainty etched into his features. “If the paintings are gone, then what are we doing here?”

Tobe’s face contorted with rage. “I don’t believe this. They’re here somewhere. You’re hiding them.”

“Maybe your desperation is making you hear things.” Morayo said icily. “Or maybe your greed is making you imagine paintings that aren’t there.”

Silence settled over us like a thick fog. The doubt was clearly written on their faces.

Tobe’s lips twitched with fury. But then his shoulders sagged. “You… you all think you’ve won, don’t you? Fine. Play your stupid games. When the Will is read, I’ll make sure you all get nothing.”

“Speaking of the Will,” Setemi said with mock sweetness. “Where’s your precious lawyer? Or was that all just a bluff?”

Tobe’s eyes darted away, avoiding her gaze. He knew he had lost ground, and he was too proud to admit it.

“Forget it. I’m done with this nonsense.” Uche said, throwing his hands up in defeat. “Call me when the Will is read. I’m leaving.”

Uche and Chizzy left, their anger and frustration evident.

Only Tobe, Adeori, and Tobi remained, their eyes gleaming with suspicion. Tobe refused to look at me, as if my presence alone was poison to him.

“Leave, Tobe.” Morayo spat. “There’s nothing for you here.”

“Believe what you want.” Tobe replied, his voice low and dangerous. “But I will find what you’re hiding. And when I do…you’ll all regret this.”

As they finally turned and left, a cold shiver ran down my spine. I knew Tobe would not give up so easily. But for now, we had bought ourselves a little time.

And time was what we desperately needed.

To be continued…
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