The Lost Children Part Two.

GRACE TO GRASS.

Rose felt sad about the whole thing but what Michael did made her brave, strong and determined. She decided to work with Dan and raise as much money as possible to start a business that would grow into billions someday.

"I will be keeping all the money." Dan told her. "All you have to do is sing and dance very well and we will make enough money"

"Alright" Rose agreed.

The following day, they went out together to a public park and later in the evening, they made three thousand nine hundred and eighty naira.

"Not bad, though it could have been better if you have danced very well." Dan said. Rose knew that he was right; she did not dance very well because she was thinking about Michael. Although it's been almost seven days, yet she didn't do anything with happiness as she used to do without Michael by herself. Despite what he had done to her she still considered Michael her brother and it was somehow strange not to have him around.

"I am sorry" she apologized to Dan. "Next time, I will do better. I mean tomorrow. "

"No Rose, we are not going out tomorrow" Dan said

"Why not, Dan? I thought we both agreed that we need money?"

"Yes but we have some amount of money that will last for a while from now so relax, we still have many days ahead." Dan said "The world is going nowhere. Let's relax tomorrow and next tomorrow, we will continue with the plan".

They slept in front of a house with other homeless people. Somewhere in the middle of the night, one of the boys wanted to rape her but she screamed and the rapist ran off into the dark night. The next day, Dan and his friends rode the bicycles on the streets throughout the whole day and even deep into the night. Rose was unhappy about this. She thought that Dan would be more serious and focused because he was older but he seemed not to be serious after all. She suspected that the person who tried to rape her in the middle of the night must have been one of his friends. She didn't trust them because they behaved irrationally.

That night, when Dan wanted to sleep, Rose told him that they would make enough money the next day but he told her that there was no outing the next day.

"Dan!" she shouted angrily "Why are you doing this to us?"

"Because I'm tired to the bones. I rode like hell today so I won't be myself for the next three days..."

"Dan stop" she begged.

"Stop what? We still have eight hundred naira left out of the three thousand eight hundred and ninety naira that we made yesterday…."

"Dan you mean that all those money remain just eight hundred naira?"

"Hey baby, cool it. It doesn't matter okay? We'll get enough soon…."

For the next three days, Michael skipped lunches and saved enough money from the little he had been given. When he got all the money required by the school, he went to the school and paid. He told the HM that he would resume the following week. While he was still saving money, he decided to forget Rose and Dan. He loved music and nothing could make him stop singing, not even Rose though he cared so much about her. She was like a sister he never had and it still hurts to know that the only one friend and 'family' he had made on the streets had abandoned him and failed to trust him. He felt so lonely but he decided to face it all alone.

When he had made sure that he had forgotten all about Rose, he started practicing and rehearsing and at the same time he paid a hundred percent attention to all he had been taught in school because the teacher said that he would let him start from pry 3or 4 if his academic performance deserves it instead of starting from the beginning (pry 1). So she had said that at the end of the term, he would be evaluated if he can do pry 3 or 4 works. This challenge made him devout his free times to reading and practicing.

He performed very well the next day. He sang and danced and played the piano at the same time. Many people came to watch him but they were not as many as it would have been IF three or two of them were together. At the end of that day, he made about a thousand naira. He bought food, ate, he read for two hours and did his assignments then he rehearsed later. He composed a song for Rose before he slept off that night.

LONELY ROSE.

Rose felt very tired but she kept on singing and dancing anyway. Nobody waited to see her except about three kids who looked at her as if she has run mad. Her legs ached and throbbed from pains yet she kept singing at the top of her voice and she knew she sounded bad but she just couldn't stop singing. Suddenly, she broke down weeping. The kids hissed at her and left her to cry her eyes out.

When she was satisfied, she left the place where she's been standing since morning and even through the sun and heat of the afternoon and headed back to the house where she and Dan were sleeping. When she got there, she asked if he had come back but she was told that he had not.

Dan had left the house four days back with the bicycles and the little money that they have left. It was hunger that drove her out to the streets to go and be singing and dancing alone. Dan rode a bicycle and one of his friends rode the other. He told her that they were just riding down the streets but since that day he had not come back. Rose had been worried, not for Dan's safety because she thought that he had left her and ran away with the bicycles and the little money they both had left. She thought if he sold the bicycles, they would fetch him quite an handsome price.

They've lived together for three weeks and she knew that Dan was a bad boy who could do anything for money. He was a bad influence on her. He had lied and cheated her several times but she kept forgiving him and enduring it all, telling herself that he would change but instead of changing, he became worse.

The worst thing that Rose suffered with Dan was that since last week, he had been telling her to go out alone and sing and when she gets back home at night, tired and hungry he would collect everything and spend it lavishly without giving her a dime out of it and whenever she ask for the money, he would lie that he had saved it and she knew that he was lying to her all along and he knew that she knew that he was lying, yet he didn't care.

Later it became clear to her that Michael had been right, honest and very good to her. She knew that their money had been truly stolen from Michael and she had not believed him, yet she let him pass through all those pains alone. She was thinking of all these while she was singing and that was why she cried in the middle of a song she was singing.

TOGETHER AGAIN.

Mallam had long since slept inside his office. Fact is, almost all the people on the street had slept by then because it was 12:15AM but Michael was still up, rehearsing for the next day. He had devised a brilliant means to go to school and work at the same time. He divided his time in each day into three sections- morning, afternoon and night. In the morning, he goes to school. In the afternoon to evening, he goes out to public places to play and sing and beg for money while at nights, he studies his books and rehearses for the next day.

So far the plan has been working well and he had saved enough money to buy another bicycle and start the bicycle business again so that he could be able to be generating money through that. He sat outside Milam's office and started playing his piano and sang "Heal the world" by Michael Jackson.

"There's a place in your heart

And I know that it's for love….

Let's live together if we care enough for

The living, make it a better place for you and for me…."

He sang the chorus with his sweet tenor and passion that almost brought tears to his eyes, his voice breaking melodiously through the silent night.

"Heal the world; make it a better place,

For you and for me and the entire human race,

There are people dying,

And if you care enough for the living...…"

Someone came up behind him and sang the chorus with him.

"Make it a better place for you and for me"

He turned around and he saw Rose standing behind him.

"Rose what are you doing here? It's late…."

"I've been standing behind you for the past one hour" she said "I heard the song you composed for me, it's very good"

"Sit down" Michael sifted so that she could sit down on the mat beside him "What happened?" he asked eagerly. Rose told him everything. She was crying by the time she finished.

"It's okay. It's over now" Michael consoled.

"Are you still mad at me Michael?" she asked, afraid to be rejected by him too.

"I was when you and him left me and treated me badly but I'm not anymore. I'm happy to see you again." He smiled.

"Are you really sure Michael? I was very mean to you and I will understand if you are really mad at me so don't hide your hatred for me. The truth is I am very sorry. I should have listened to you but I was brainwashed into hating and disbelieving you….."

Michael took her palm in his "Rose, I will NEVER be mad at you for anything and I'm not lying, I've forgiven you from the depth of my heart. I'm so happy to see you again."

They both rehearsed for the next day's outing before they decided to sleep but before then, Michael told her that he had started schooling.

LIGHT AT THE END OF A TUNNEL.

Rose and Michael had just finished their performance and were packing up when a lady approached them. She waited for a very long time without saying anything until the crowd dispersed and it remained only the three of them. Both Michael and Rose paused from their packing and stared at her. She offered them a sad smile but they remained impassive.

"That was an awesome performance" She said with the same sad smile.

"Thank you" Rose and Michael replied.

"Can I talk to you guys?"

"Yes but hope there is no problem?" Michael asked suspiciously. Since Dan came and almost put them asunder, he had been weary and suspicious of strangers.

"No problem." She assured them "I just want to tell you something that may help you two" she said.

"Michael let's wait and hear her" They waited and listened.

"My name is Charity. I am a graduate from OAU- it's a university. I studied music and I majored in music. My real passion is writing songs. In short, I'm a song writer. I love your lyrics though but I believe that you guys need help and it would be very good if you can allow me to help you."

"How much?" Michael asked. "We don't have money anyway…"

"It's free."

"Really?" Rose asked incredulously.

"Yeah" Charity said with a wide smile.

"Thanks" Both Michael and Rose said.

"You are welcome" She replied "One more thing. There is a singing competition organized by many entertainment and telecommunications companies. The show is meant to promote the talented singers and to help the winners through recording and selling of their album free of charge and give them cash gifts. I don't have all the details here but I will find out more about it tonight and give you guys the feedback. Where are you guys living and how can I locate you?" Michael gave her the parking space address and their phone number and told her that they would only be there at nights then she left.

She came the following night when they were reading and preparing for school the following day. After greeting them, she told them what she had found about the show.

"The name of the show like I told you is Nigeria Got Talent. It will start by August 15th- that's two months away and everybody above the age of ten is eligible to contest BUT you must belong to a group and the group must have a name. Also, a member of each group must be able to play an instrument. Now, how old are you guys?" She asked seriously.

"I am Ten and half years old and he is almost eleven years old" Rose said.

"Okay, which instrument can you guys play?" Charity asked again.

"I can play the keyboard but Rose cannot play any instrument but does that mean that we are disqualified?" Michael asked.

"No. As long as one of you can play an instrument, you are qualified." She assured them. "What's the name of your group?"

"We don't have a name" Rose said sadly. "We tried before but…"

"Can't we just skip the name things?" Michael asked impatiently

"No you can't because it says right here in the terms and conditions that each group must have a name" She showed them where it was written. "So think of a name now"

Michael and Rose began to think.

"Can we ourselves Awesome Kids?" Rose asked.

"No" Michael said. "It doesn't sound cool. Let's coin a name from our names. Like ROSEM….""Sounds stupid" Rose said. Charity laughed.

"Okay, what about MORE?!" He said excitedly. "Look, the M there stands for Michael and the rest of the alphabets can be found from your name. It's awesome!"

"Yeah" Charity said. I think that's a nice one Rose. It's Ok"

"Yeah, I think so too. MORE- it sounds unique, special and musical!"

"Congrats guys. Now that you've fulfilled all the terms and conditions, the next thing is obtaining the form and going for screening…"

"Screening?!" Both Michael and Rose chorused simultaneously.

"Yes the screening is very important. Over 500 groups will apply and all of them cannot go to auditions. Only about thirty groups would be selected and go to the auditions so others will be screened out" Charity explained calmly.

"But what if we fail at the screening and we are screened out? Would it mean that the money we pay for the form would be wasted?" Michael asked with sadness and dejection.

"Five thousand naira" Rose said.

"Yes, you won't get the money back if you are screened out. It is non-refundable and that should be part of the reasons why you should go to the screening center with all your might else, you may lose the race even before it began. Life is a risk, successful people don't run away from it, instead they take it and prepare very hard for it." Charity said.

Michael and Rose thought long about this, at last they decided to give it a trial.

"Okay, we are in!"

The following day after school, they met Charity at Oshodi and together they all went to a bank to obtain the form. They paid cash from the money they'd saved and were given the screening date. After that day, MORE began marathon rehearsals and with the help of Charity, they were able to secure a church to be used for their rehearsals while Charity grilled them about their voices and all the musical notes.

"Mike, sing amazing grace" Charity said in the middle of their rehearsal.

"Ah amazing gr-"

"No! Not that way. I told you to sing with the key that is played on the keyboard. I played F and you are expected to sing with that key. Now let's take it up again. Go now" Charity began playing and Michael sang along. Rose joined him at the second verse. After the song, Charity expressed her satisfaction. "That's a nice combo. Rose your soprano still needs some work. You should be able to pitch without faltering but you faltered in the middle of the chorus the other time and it can spoil a lot of things. Listen to Frank Edward's songs and imitate him. It will help you in that aspect. For you Michael, you are changing keys and that's a crime in singing. You have to be stable and consistent. We are through with the rehearsal for today but for the last time let's take the screening song together. Rose you take it from the top and let him follow you. 1..2..3!"

Both Rose and Michael sang:

I am a mountain,

I am a tall tree oh

I am a swift wind,

Sweeping the country.

I am a river,

Down in the valley oh,

I am a vision

And I can see clearly

If anybody ask you who I am, just stand up tall,

Look them in the face and say

I'm that up in the sky,

I'm the mountain peak up high,

Het I made it, hmm

I'm the world's greatest

I'm that little bit of hope

When my back's against the ropes

I can feel it, I'm the world's greatest!

I am a giant

I am an eagle oh,

I am a lion,

Down in the jungle

I am a marching band

I am the people oh

I am the helping hand,

I am the hero oh,

[Repeat chorus].

In the ring of life, I'll reign in love (I will reign)

And the world will notice a king (oh yeah)

When is darkness,

I'll shine a light (shine a light)

And the mirrors of success reflect in me (in me)

I'm the star up in the sky,

I'm that mountain peak up high,

Eh I made it, I'm the world's greatest,

I'm the little bit of hope,

When my back's against the ropes,

I can feel it,

I'm the world's greatest!!!"

"Wow!" Charity shouted. It's nice. I think you guys are good to go.

"Thanks" Rose and Michael replied together.

MORE passed the screening exercise and were among the thirty-three groups that were allowed to contest for the show. They were still basking in their success when Charity came to them a week later and told them that she wanted to withdraw.

"Why?!" Michael and Rose asked angrily. They were so disappointed. They thought she had come to be part of them.

"I told you that I am a graduate and I just got a job today. I've written many applications over the past three years and God has finally answered my prayer. MTN just employed me as one of the sales reps for West Africa which means that I would be travelling a lot from one country to another in West Africa here. I thought I would have time before but…."

"Wow! That's good. Thank God. I am so happy for you though I will miss you. I don't know what we would have done without you. You are a very vital part of us." Michael said.

"Aunt Charity, promise that you won't forget us and that you will get in touch with us anytime you are in Nigeria?" Rose asked sadly

"I promise

MORE.

The crowd clapped and cheered. There was a loud ovation as Rose and Michael sang Céline Dion's "Let's Talk About Love" track in a duet. At the end of the song, they both sang the chorus and this brought tears to the eyes of the crowd and they clapped and cheered for a very long time. The MC, Dare Art Alade came back on the stage and took the microphones from them.

"Ladies and gentlemen these young stars are stealing the show tonight. Give it up to them again!" he said and another round of loud and hearty ovation was given to them.

"Now let me give the microphones to the judges, all contestants please file out according to your group's number." The MC said. All the contesting groups filed out. There were thirty three groups altogether. Of course MORE was the youngest and took the last number. Other groups had members who were more than eighteen years old. The chief judge spoke;

"The first group to go to the next stage is...."

The audience shouted "MORE!" before he could finish.

The judge spoke again.

"Audience, is that your choice?" He asked loudly.

There was a loud and united "Yes!" from the audience.

"Okay, MORE, congrats you are qualified for the next round kids"

Both Michael and Rose jumped up excitedly and bowed for the crowd before they left the stage.

Backstage, Mallam was waiting for them and a very beautiful lady stood beside him, people were looking excitedly at the lady, others were taking her pictures and selfies with her and many more were craving for her autographs.

"Please give us your autograph!" begged two young men and a lady. The beautiful lady signed the autographs and allowed the people to take pictures with her then she excused herself from the increasing crowd and turned to both Michael and Rose. She extended her hand for both of them to shake. "Can we go somewhere private place please?" she asked.

"Yes follow me aboki" Mallam said happily as he led them away from the noisy area at the backstage.

"I am Tiwa Savage" said the beautiful lady.

Michael and Rose looked unbelievably at her.

"Wow, the same popular Tiwa?!" Michael shouted.

"Am I dreaming, Tiwa the superstar?" Rose mused.

Tiwa Savage laughed.

"I'm the one" she said "Now the reason why I'm here, your manager told me....." she said, referring to Mallam.

Rose and Michael laughed.

"Why are you laughing?" Tiwa asked them.

"Because we don't have a manager yet though mallam has been performing that role but we never called him that" Rose explained.

"O, now he becomes your manager" Tiwa said, laughing. "I've been following your performances in this talent show – Nigeria Got Talent. You've aroused my interest right from the time of audition till now and I'm mostly impressed tonight. I've read your biographies and I learnt that you both are sponsoring yourselves through school and that touched me very much. Also, I've listened more than twice to your single track – the one you dedicated to what's her name?"

"Pelumi" both Rose and Michael chorused. The song has been written by Charity before she left them. Rose had told her about Pelumi and they'd composed a song for her. Charity wrote all the lyrics and the three of them had sung the song together in a studio. Though the song had been recorded long before NGT started yet it didn't not gain recognition but immediately the show began, the song had gone viral all over the internet and it was the most downloaded Nigerian song. Rose and Michael missed her immensely again like they always do at every auditions and rehearsals.

"Yeah and I think that the title of the song?"

"Yes" they both replied.

"Okay. After your common entrance examination which would come up a couple of weeks from now, I want to do the remix of that song with you because I love the rhythm, lyrics and arrangement of the verses; in fact I love that song very much. It is one of my favourite songs of all time. Please do you agree?"

Both Rose and Michael were silent.

"Any problem, guys?"

"No" Michael said "Thanks for taking interest in us. Who are we to decline this famous publicity?" Tiwa Savage relaxed and laughed. She had been worried that the kids would say no or tell her that another artist has already booked them for the remix of the song.

"Actually all thanks must be to God alone. Meanwhile, you write your lyrics and I will write mine and we will work on the instrumental together and I promise you guys, the way I'm planning it, that song will hit international music list and stay on top forever."

Both Michael and Rose were extremely happy.

"Thank you!" they said excitedly.

"Now for the two of you, I've made arrangements to withdraw you from the current primary school to a very good private school in Victoria Island. I'm sure that you will love it"

During their free periods, they travelled round the country to sing at events especially ones involving youths and children, inspiring them never to give up but to work harder instead. They visited orphanages and motherless babies' homes and hospitals to make donations as much as they could afford and give hope to the hopeless.

ROSE' DAD.

On her fourteenth birthday, Rose told Michael after all the guests had left the house that Tiwa Savage gave them about three months back that she wanted to find her dad and know if he was still alive.

"That's a very good idea Rose but the problem is we have a lot of things on our hands now. Let's wait till we have more time. We have the remix project with Tiwa going on and the final for the show is coming up very fast and above all that we have outings in many places that we cannot turn down. And to do all these, we need to focus hard therefore, let's wait till we have more time. We have the remix project with Tiwa sewage going on, the final for Nigeria Got Talent will be held next week and lots of other things to do in between. Please Rose I don't want half – Rose, I want complete Rose in all these if we want to succeed".

"I know but we are talking about my father here. The only family I have left. We have enough money now than we've ever imagined. If I don't find him I won't be happy. He may need my help so let me do it, please and I need you to help me."

Michael Surrendered.

"Okay, where do we go?" he asked "What's his name?"

"Oromidayo. That's the name that Pelumi's mom told me"

Michael tapped few buttons on his laptop. Rose snuggled close to him.

"There are hundred and ninety-six men on face-book bearing that name."

"Okay" Rose said "let's screen down the list Michael. My father should be dark in complexion, probably forty, must have travelled out of the country..."

Michael screened down the list.

"We have 17 names left" he said and he zoomed their pictures for Rose to see. "The thing is, the current Lagos State governor's middle name too is Oromidayo" He said.

"Yeah that's true but he can't be- I hate the man .I don't like his personality. My dad will be between that man in black suit and that one in a white shirt and brown trousers"

Michael got the seventeen people's addresses.

"We will start looking for these people one after the other. Meanwhile, I want to go back to the motherless home where I was brought up and make a donation to help other kids there too."

"That's good" Rose said "When do you want to go?" "Next tomorrow" he said

The following week they were in the studio with Tiwa Savage to remix their track "Pelumi" which had become house-old song throughout the country and beyond. Tiwa Savage and Rose sang the second part which was composed by Tiwa herself;

"Children are the treasures of the earth,

We are the future, we are the world

Cherish us, love us and let's all live together

As one big-happy family.

Refrain: Though we are many,

And we are different races

With diverse languages

Yet we are one.

Yeah, yeah, we are – one!"

Then the trio sang the chorus:

"Pelumi, stay with me,

You are the hope and the

Light of the world

Yes the world needs you

Cos you are the future

The hope for us all!!"

The production crew cheered and shouted as Tiwa Savage and Michael sang the last part solemnly.

"Whoa!" Exclaimed Tiwa Savage's manager. "This is one of the best songs I've ever heard, honestly" he said.

"This song will rock the whole world" The studio engineer said. "The beat is wow and the lyrics and…. It's a great job" he said as a matter of fact. "The best I've ever seen"

Tiwa Savage smiled appreciatively at the compliments "thank you guys" she said "It wouldn't have been possible without you. Special thanks to the owners of the song who created this marvelous piece."

There was a round of applause and a big ovation in the large Tiwa Savage studio. Tiwa Savage hugged Michael and Rose in turns.

"When is this song going public?" an entertainment journalist asked eagerly.

"We are not telling you!" Michael, Rose and Tiwa Savage said laughing.

The single track was released two weeks later, a day before Nigeria Got Talent finals. MORE was one of the last three groups in the show and so far. Their performances had been excellent and they were on top of the list. Nobody had a doubt that they would win but their winning largely depended on the song that they sing for their final performance. According to the rules of the show, the organizers will give each group songs to perfume at auditions but for the final they are free to choose any song.

Their fans page on Facebook was increasing every day and people- especially young people were motivated by their determination and desire to win. Their fans were encouraging them not to give up or be intimidated because of the stiff opposition.

Sharon the state Governor's only daughter was the lead singer in one of the remaining groups left. Michael and Rose knew that she was very good. In fact, Rose had truthfully told Michael that Sharon was better than she was though she never said anything to the reporters and fans when they ask her how she felt about Sharon. Sharon was also a good instrumentalist apart from being an amazing singer and she performed most of the things done by her group.

SHARON.

Governor Ayomide was in his office alone with his daughter. He was sitting on his big executive chair but his daughter refused to sit. "Sharon, I said you should sit down" he said for the third time since his daughter came into the office.

"No dad I won't until you assure me that you won't interfere with this competition?" she said stubbornly.

"Rose, that's not possible. You are nineteen years old and will graduate from one of the best universities in the world by next summer and you are my only daughter. I cannot watch and let some twelve year old kids disgrace you in that competition…..

"Dad, they are thirteen and fourteen…."

"Twelve or thirteen, what is the difference and what does it matter? It will be a shame to me and embarrassment at my administration...." Someone knocked at the door and his secretary came in to inform him that the people he had been expecting had come and she left "Oh, here they come" He said as two women and three men came into the office. Sharon recognized all of them; they were the NGT show's judges.

"Good morning your excellency, Sharon how are you?" they all said as they took their seats in front of the Governor's big table.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen" the Governor said "I called you here please. I need your help and I want you to help me though Sharon insisted that she doesn't need the help.

As you all know that Sharon is an exceptionally good singer and instrumentalist, her group supposed to be the winner of this show if the judgment is to be appropriately given but audience may not do what is right if they are left to make the decision. Here is what I'm saying, don't let the audience determine the winner for that final. Let the judgment come from you the judges because you are professionals and you know talent when you see one.

I'm not saying that you should declare Sharon the winner, no. I don't support that. Don't declare her as the winner if she doesn't deserve it. My point is, don't let the audience decide the winner because some people may vote her down because of me. Not that I've done anything wrong to them personally but that is politics- opposition don't want you to prosper so that they can have something to criticize you about"

"Thank you very much your excellency" Said one of women. "We really appreciate your honesty and to be sincere, we don't have many leaders in this part of the world who are as honest as you are now. You could have used your power and make Sharon the winner but you let her compete with the others and without interference you let her perform and display her talents. Well, we will let the final judgment come from the judges instead of the audience. The reason why we've been using the audience is that we want to teach the contestants how to pull and move the audience. It's not about knowing how to sing or how to pay instruments alone, it's about their ability to get the audience on their side and that's part of the things we are teaching them too. Sharon is an exceptionally talented singer and instrumentalist but she is shy and that is the only problem she is having right now. We've told her this times without number or haven't we?" She asked

"Yes ma" Sharon replied.

"Thank you all very much. That would be all. Do have a pleasant day ladies and gentlemen". The Gov. said and the judges thanked him and exited the office.

"Thank you dad" Sharon said "I thought that you want them to declare me the winner before but I didn't know that you....."

"It's okay dear. I love you but that doesn't mean that I have to cheat other kids. Tell me, why are you participating in all these? Just Three hundred thousand naira is the price for the winner and it got me thinking because of the amount of money you receive as your pocket money."

"Dad, the overall winner would be UNICEF ambassador, that's a chance to represent UNO and that's an opportunity that rarely happens, it is international and it is what money cannot buy and that's why I want to do my best in this competition"

CHASE.

Rose and Michael sighed briefly before they knocked on the door. They waited for some seconds before the man open the door and let them in the room. "Have your seats please" the man said. They sat down and the man too sat down opposite them. "Now you didn't tell me why you would be here today on facebook except that you want to see me on an important issue." The man said. All the while, Rose was busy looking around the well-furnished living room and the handsome fiftyish man.

"We are looking for Mr. Oromidayo Stevens" Michael said.

"I'm bearing that name" The man replied, looking worried.

"No problem sir. We just want to ask you a few questions" Michael assured.

"Are you journalists, police, CID or something?" the man asked suspiciously.

"We are none sir. You've travelled out of Nigeria before?" Michael asked and the man nodded. "To USA?" He asked.

"Yeah, to Chicago" The man replied.

"Okay, when you left, did you have a fiancée named Elizabeth?"

"Though I once dated a girl by that name in high school but we've broken up and lost contact many years before I travelled" The man said.

"Thank you, sir. That would be all." Michael and Rose rose up to go.

"My children" the man said with fatherly concern. "So you came all the way from Lagos to Abuja just to ask these questions? I bet it must be very important to you but you should have asked me on the facebook and it would have saved you a lot of stress instead of travelling around."

"Thanks for the advice sir. We are looking for our dad and that's not what you can be saying on the facebook. Even if you are my dad, you will deny it on facebook thinking that I'm a fraudster" Michael pointed out.

"Yeah, that's true and I believe that you find him" The man said good-naturedly.

"Amen, thanks" Rose and Michael said and left the house for airport to catch their flight back to Lagos. While they were still in the car, Michael quickly briefed Rose on their progress.

"We've seen fifteen out of the seventeen people that could be my father. I'm afraid cos there are only two people left and we may never find him. That old governor is one of the remaining two people and you know that's not possible so he is out of the options. The next person is a man we've not been able to trace."

"Rose, all I want you to know now is that we are not yet sure of anything. What I'm thinking now is that I want to get the last man's address and talk to him before we can be sure of anything"

"Michael, my dad must be that other man that we've not been able to locate and not the governor. Can't you see that I have no feeling whatsoever for the governor? In fact I feel happy in the presence of the man we just left now to the Gov. did you know that that old- wicked governor invited the Nigerians Got Talent judges into his office at Alahusa to make Sharon's group the winner in the competition?" Rose asked angrily. "Can you see that he is not fair and that is the exact opposite of whom Pelumi's mum described to be my father."

"Rose, that's still a rumor. We haven't confirmed it yet" Michael cautioned.

"Oh so you expect Sharon to come out loud and clear and confess that her dad bribed the judges, no way sir! Wake up Michael! This is Nigeria and corruption thrives here like the oxygen that we breathe in!"

"Rose, calm down, you are shouting." Michael said.

NGT FINALS.

Sharon belonged to group One at the Nigeria Got Talent show. There were four people in the group and all of them were well above 20 except herself who was still a teenager and the youngest. Only three groups were left in the competition and apart from Rose and Michael's group, there was another group. These three groups made it to the final and on the night of the grand finale, they were to perform three different songs each.

Other groups had performed and it was Rose and Michael's group turn to. Michael took the microphone and spoke to the thousands of audience in the theatre. Rose was backstage, supervising those that were organizing the kids that they wanted to use for their song's choreography.

"Keep the audience busy Michael, we are having some problems down here." Rose spoke into the mouthpiece that was attached to her ear.

"Ok" he replied and walked to the stage. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen....."

There was a loud ovation and applause from the audience. Michael continued when it had subsided.

"Tonight, permit us to sing a song we love so much. A song that expresses how we feel, a song that we composed, a song that most of us in this theatre tonight knows...." The audience erupted in excitement. They clapped and cheered and gave a standing ovation. Michael continued. "Thank you. About five years ago, we lost our dear sister to the men of the underworld. At first, we thought she missed her way back home and that she would eventually come back home but we never knew that that was the last time we'll ever see her...."

The whole auditorium was silent as a graveyard; a solemn sorrowful note was softly playing in the background. Michael's mellifluous tenor voice carries loud and clear to all the nooks and the crannies of the large theater. Michael continued. "Men forgot that there is a God above who watches everything we do here on earth so they do all the evil things just to be rich and famous here on earth, not remembering that nothing on this planet earth lasts forever….. one day, the glowing sun will burn out and the twinkling stars will sparkle no more and the whole universe would be thrown into a pitch eternal darkness...…."

Kids dressed in white flowing cloths filed out on the stage quietly without making a sound and all the while, Michael spoke on to the audience. "Pelumi, though you don't exist mortally but forever we will remember you. If you are still alive tonight, we might be singing here together tonight..."

The keyboard started playing softly. The kids started moving in slow- perfect acrobatic motion to the sweet note of the keyboard. Rose glided in on the stage with a white golden- flowing gown and started the first verse:

"We ate, slept, walked and talked,

But I never thought that someday,

We'll be forced forever apart,

Never will I forget the moments we shared;

You said someday you'll be a lawyer;

To put the evil doers on trial;

I told you I'd rather be a doctor to heal you;

When you are sick and feeble

But that dream didn't last for long,

Cuz when I opened my eyes you were gone"

Both of them sang the chorus together.

"Pelumi, stay with me;

You are the hope and light we seek,

It's you the world is in need,

Yes the world needs you

The hope for all!"

At the end of the song, there was a total and perfect silence in the auditorium. Nobody moved or said anything. At last, someone from the extreme end of the auditorium clapped without restriction and all the audience, teary eyed rose on its feet with a buzzing hum and joined the applause which turned to loud and gut- wrenching ovation. Even the judges left their seats and ran to the stage and wrapped both Michael and Rose in crushing hugs.

It took a very long time to calm the happy audience down. The MCs were speechless themselves so they let the audience express their happiness, their renewed hope and joy. After almost five minutes, the noise subsided and the judges passed their comments on the three groups.

"MORE, Wow!" said one of the judges and this started another round of loud ovation which took a very long time to be quieted. "I'm short of words. Saying that you guys are awesome is an understatement. Your combination is so perfect that it has no fault. Once again, wow!" the judge and others said likewise before they passed the judgment.

Though Rose and Michael's group's performance overshadowed and dominated over the events of the night, yet kudos and compliments were made about Sharon whom Rose greatly detested. "She is an exceptional singer. Assuming all the group's members are as active as she is, without doubt or hesitation, her group would have competed with Rose and Michael's group but she was the one doing most of these things and we've corrected you guys in that group times without number not to let the burden fall on only one member of the group. It'll make the whole group look disorganized and untalented. Because of these reasons..." the speaker let the rest of the statement hang in the air.

"Right here, I will start announcing the positions from the bottom. Group 15, came 4th in this year's show and they will walk away with a cash price of fifty thousand naira. Group 8 came third and they will walk away with the cash price of one hundred thousand naira! And an opportunity to produce five tracks free of charge"

The audience cheered.

"And now!" the judge said to the anticipating audience. "The second position goes

To...hmmm!" he sighed loudly and a loud hush fell over the audience. "Alright, let me use this moment to give individual award to exceptional singers and instrumentalists. Sharon Ayomide won the award of the best singer, the most experienced singer and of course the instrumentalist award in this year's competition. Among all the singers that has come on this stage since the inception of this program till now, we've never given this award to anybody though it existed but this year, we have an exceptional singer and instrumentalist who got these prestigious awards and God knows that she deserves it. So the most proficient and talented award goes to Ayomide Sharon!!!"

There was a loud and standing ovation as Sharon made her way to the stage to receive the awards.

"Sharon! Sharon!! Sharon!!!" the audience cheered. After a long time, the noise died down and the judge continued." According to the rules of this show, the winner of the best talented singer award (if there's any) will collaborate with the winning group if his/her group doesn't win and compose a song worth 2miollion US dollars music deal for United Nations Organization. Now the winning group is.... MORE!!!"

BACK TO THE BEGINNING.

"Good afternoon ma" Michael said as they were led into the chief nun's office at the motherless babies' home where he ran away five years back. Rose and Sharon sat on the worn chairs beside him, facing the chief nun's table.

"O my O my, it's Michael!" the old nun cried joyously as she stood up from her chair and took him in a warm embrace. "Holy Mary mother of God! You are now big, so rich and famous! Thank you blessed Mary! Michael, all of us here we watched all the auditions from the beginning to the end and your songs are our favourites. You are a legend to the other children that are here. You've made us all proud" She said, wiping her tears with a handkerchief "Michael, thank you so much for your previous donations. We received everything and we are very happy to know that you don't forget us. We still have most of the money in our bank account. Thank you for not forgetting your brothers and sisters. Now we all can eat three square meals in a day. All thanks to the mother of our Lord who helped you through it all." She said excitedly.

Another nun brought a tray to the office with five mugs filled with a brownish steaming tea. She passed the mugs to each of the visitors and gave the chief nun too one. The chief nun started sipping her own immediately. Michael would have begged to have the tea five years ago, but now, it looked so watery like ordinary water, sprinkled with small amount of tea powder but it was hot to the boiling level.

"All thanks to God ma and I am very grateful to this place. When I was rejected by my own parents and had no one to call family, this house was there for me. So no matter how much I give to this house, I owe you more because you didn't let me die when my mother....."

"O that reminds me!" the chief screamed excitedly suddenly. Her guests looked puzzled and perplexed.

"A woman came here about three months ago and told us a very strange story. She said on the 31st of October 1990, she came to this place to dump a baby boy. She said the time was 7:28PM when she dropped the baby at the gate. And that date and time exactly matched our file here- on a boy's file – your file"

For very long moments, Sharon Rose and Michael were silent, not knowing what to say and wondering if it would ever be so. "Jesus!" Rose cried. Michael stood up from his chair and started pacing the office with a wildly thumping heart. The nun continued.

"Of course she wouldn't have known anything about all those classified information about you because here we don't share information on our kids with anybody, not even the police" So she sure is your mother, I have no doubt about that because there is an undeniable resemblance between you and her but when she gets here and you have doubts, you can go to a hospital for DNA test. She said your father too wants you very badly."

Silence fell.

"Where is she?" Michael asked, sweat broke out on his forehead. "Where is my mum!" he shouted, standing few inches away from the nun's table. Rose and Sharon held him back and tried to calm him.

"Easy Michael, easy" Rose said.

"C'mon Michael sit down" Sharon said. The nun continued.

"Your mother said then she was devastated and deserted by her boyfriend whom she loved so much and who was responsible for the pregnancy. She said that she decided to give you up due to the fact that even her family deserted her during the pregnancy…..she even dropped her address and phone number. Here let me find it….." the nun rummaged through the drawers in her table for sometimes and finally came up with a business card. She handed it to Michael but he was too emotionally imbalanced to take it so Sharon collected the card. Both Rose and Sharon looked at the card for a long time then they returned it back to the nun.

"Please ma, help us to call her" Sharon said as she handed the card back to the matron. The nun dialed the number and waited for few seconds before the call was connected. The call was picked on the first ring and she spoke for some time before she ended the call. All the while, tears were streaming down Michael's face and Rose held his hand tightly.

"She is on her way. Dear God, if you hear the way she screamed when she heard that her son is here. Maybe I shouldn't have told her on the phone because she might injure herself and other people."

Thirty minutes later, the door opened and a woman in white, well-laundered shirt with dark pant trousers and ash coloured blazers came in. Her hair was pulled back with a golden ribbon. She looked so naturally beautiful and endearing that even Sharon (who was extremely beautiful), couldn't stop looking at her. The woman's eyes moved from the nun's face to Rose, and Sharon then rested on Michael.

Both of them stared at each other for a very long time and without altering a statement.

"Michael, your mum" Rose said breathlessly.

"Mmum?" Michael asked the woman.

"Yes it's I. I'm your mum..." She burst into tears and Michael too burst into tears. The two of them clung to each other and cried unreservedly. None of them held back their feelings, they cried and clung to each other in a fierce embrace. The nun too shed few tears and later excused herself. Both Rose and Sharon dabbed at tears as they watched the reunion with sorrowful happiness. They excused themselves too and left mother and son to themselves.

Rose and Sharon walked through the beautiful garden inside the home's compound. "I'm very happy for Michael" Sharon said as they passed the manual water fountain in the middle of the garden. "It must have been very tough for him to live without both parents."

"Yes" Rose replied. She hated Sharon before until the day of the finals at the competition, that was three months ago. Few hours before the show began, while they were in their dressing room, Sharon had come to the room to wish them best of luck and had hugged them both, one after the other. She had told them that she was a big fan of them and that she would be happy for them if they won the competition. It was the genuiness and honesty behind the words and actions that totally made Rose to like her. She had never met anyone who is more open-minded. Since then, Rose had come to love her and took her as a big sister she never had because Sharon was kind, compassionate and humble despite the fact that she was a governor's daughter and she was beautiful, intelligent and the most talented person that Rose had ever known. Rose took her as a role model.

"Sharon, can I ask you a question?" Rose asked.

"Yeah Rose, go on" Sharon said, looking at her inquisitively.

"Why didn't you use your dad's influence to win that competition? I was afraid that you would do that but you didn't and it surprised me, you must be a superhuman."

Sharon laughed hilariously at this.

"Were you in my shoes, would you have done that?" She asked and Rose felt ashamed.

"I'm sorry, I might have done it. The truth is, I would have done it." She confessed with embarrassment.

"That's very bad. No matter who you are, never use that position to cheat others. If you don't make it once, you will make it some other times if you don't stop trying."

"Thank you Sharon. Now I know better" She said.

"You are welcome Rose. Where are your parents?"

"My mum is late and I don't know my dad" she said.

"O my, that's so bad." Sharon consoled. "When did she die, your mum?"

"When I was a one year old" Rose said and smiled sadly" I don't even know what she looked like because there was not even a picture of her left behind."

"That's very bad" Sharon said. "So how did you grow up?"

Rose told her about Pelumi's mum.

"Hmmm, so is that the end? I mean don't you want to know who your dad is?'

"I desperately want to" she replied "Especially now that Michael has found his family. He is like the only family that I have now but soon, he too will be taken away and I am afraid of being alone again. I want to belong to a family where I would be loved. But things are not working out well at all in locating dad. It won't be as easy as Michael found his mum. I may never meet my dad till I die…"She sobbed.

She told her all that they've done to locate her dad "Now we are left with only 2 people. The two people are a man we are yet to locate and your dad because his middle name is Oromidayo. We've even gone to Atlanta to meet another man but he was not my dad." Rose said dejectedly.

"But my dad?" Sharon asked "Have you talked to him? Do you think it can be him Rose? It can't be him. I'm sure that it's the other man you are yet to see."

"Yeah, I know Sharon. I've told Michael too but we are just trying to talk to those we can get before giving up finally" Rose said.

"Maybe we should go back to the office now?" Sharon asked.

"Yeah, let's go"

Michael didn't know how to stop himself from crying even though what he felt was happiness. He and his mother embraced each other and cried. She was patting his back all the while. After almost twenty five minutes of holding each other, they reluctantly pulled apart as if afraid of letting go. They sat down closely together on the seat in the nun's office. She told him the reasons why she abandoned him and apologized with tears in her eyes. Michael accepted her apology and told her everything he had been through especially, during the five years that he ran away from the home.

"Do you know where my dad is?" Michael asked.

"Yes I saw him again after five years. I was mad at him for abandoning me and you – your pregnancy but he apologized and begged me and promised that he'd stay with me forever if I would marry him.. I refused at first but he begged and chased me for months then I decided to marry him.

Michael, I was married to your father for five years after that but I didn't get pregnant again. I am a banker so I decided to bury myself in my works rather than the marriage because I wasn't happy. We divorced each other 3 years ago because we couldn't stay together any longer. The love was no longer strong as it was in the beginning. I was heartbroken when we divorced but there was nothing I could do. After the divorce, I decided to come back here and look for you and confess my sins of dumping you in the first place but

I was told that you've ran away. I almost committed suicide when I got back home that day but I didn't. I believed that someday, I will see you again and that thought of seeing you and holding you in my arms again has been keeping me alive till today. Every time I pray, I tell God about you and tell Him to protect you wherever you may be. He has obviously answered my prayer.

When the chief nun called me the other time that you are here, I almost ran mad in the bank. I was attending to a customer when the call came in and I remember now how I grabbed my keys and ignored the customer in front of me. How I got here, I don't know.

Michael smiled.

"Hey are you laughing at me?" she asked smiling. "Well laugh all you want but it's true"

Rose and Sharon came in.

"Mum" Michael said "This is Rose, the one I told you about and this is Sharon" he said.

The two girls curtsied as they both said hello.

"Rose, mum said she watched all our auditions and was even there in the auditorium for the finals without knowing that I am her son." Michael said.

"That's true" his mom said "I voted every time for you two online without knowing that I am following my own children. Irony of life" she said and they all laughed.

"Michael, guess what? Sharon promised to take us to the governor's lodge to see her dad!" Rose said excitedly.

"Wow! That's cool. It's a good news" Michael said "I've been worrying that how are we going to have access to him". His mum rose up as the chief nun came in. She thanked the nun with tears for taking care of Michael. "I promise that as from today, my monthly salary shall be divided into two, a half of it will be given to this house"

"O dear, that's very generous of you!" the chief nun said and embraced Michael's mum happily.

THE GOVERNOR.

The unsmiling security men passed their car as they saw Sharon on the backseat of the tinted glass brand new Bentley that her dad just bought for her and the driver drove straight down the tarred lane till they reached the beautiful mansion of the Governor's lodge. The driver parked under the park and two unsmiling security men came to open the doors for them. Sharon jumped out and embraced one of them. "O Major Tom! You look great!" she said. "Is daddy in?" the sergeant smiled. He loved it when she calls him major though he may never make it to the rank before he retired or dies because he was an old man but it fills her heart with so much happiness when she calls him major.

"You are always beautiful Sharon. Yeah your dad is in. are these your friends?"

"Yes. Rose and Michael" She replied. The sergeant saluted them both and they laughed and saluted him back. Sharon laughed hilariously.

A short pretty woman with eye contacts came out of the Governor's lodge and came striding straight towards where they were standing. She was followed by about a dozen people, some of them were security men and others were secretaries and journalists with handheld cameras.

"Stop laughing like a baboon Sharon. Laugh like a lady because cameramen are everywhere and they are watching you so be modest for crying out loud" she snapped. Sharon whispered in Michael and Rose ears so that the woman couldn't hear what she told them.

"That's my mum but she is a serious case!" Michael and Rose suppressed their laughter. "Michael, Rose meet my mum" Sharon said and they both bowed and said "Hello ma"

"How are you?" Sharon's mum asked "Who is this young girl?" She asked "She looks so familiar. Have we met before….. Rose?"

Rose shook her head.

"Okay. You just look so familiar and like someone that I've seen and known before and that's all." She said and faced Sharon "Give me the keys- your car keys"

"But mum…."

"I'm waiting my friend. I feel like riding in your car. If you want to go out, take one of my cars" she stretched her hand and reluctantly, Sharon dropped the keys on her palm then she left and all the people ran after her.

"Wow!" Michael exclaimed. "Your mum's terrific"

"Yeah. I almost dug a hole and bury myself when she stared at me and asked me if we've ever met before" Rose said "I was so scared!"

They all laughed.

"That's my mum for you. Even dad fears her!" Sharon said and they all laughed and went inside the mansion.

They first toured the big house before they left for the governor's wing. They met her father in the large and well-furnished governor's lodge. When they got there, her father was in a meeting with three men so they went to all the rooms in the lodge – including his bedroom. Expensive artistic frames and pictures were hung on the cream-colored walls and inside his bedroom; there was a picture of him when he was very young and a very young lady beside him. He must not be more than twenty- three years old in the picture and the lady twenty one years old. They were both laughing happily at a beach in the picture. Rose continued to stare at the picture "Sharon, who is this?"

Sharon and Michael walked over to where she was standing by the bedside.

"What's that?" Michael asked. Sharon shook her head "That's dad when he was young but I don't know the lady beside him but why does she look so much like you?" She said "Let's go, he should be through with the meeting now"

They left the bedroom and when they got back to the lounge; her dad was through with the three men.

"Hey sweetheart!" her father said excitedly "Where have you been all these past weeks? I hardly see you once in a week. Come and hug me darling!" he spread his arms wide and Sharon hugged him.

"I missed you too dad but I understand because you have to attend to so many things."

"Hmm…thanks Ruby for understanding. Who are your friends?" he said, referring to both Rose and Michael. Sharon did the introductions.

"This is Michael and she is Rose. Their group won at the show, remember dad? You told me you watched the finals?"

"Of course I did." He stretched his hands for them to shake. Both of them shook the hand in turn.

"Good morning your excellency" they both said

"You look somehow familiar" he told Rose as she shook his hand "Have I seen her before?" he asked Sharon She shook her head.

"No dad, except on the TV. Mum said the same thing but due to all I know about Rose, none of you have ever seen her before until today, at least, not in person but maybe on TV."

"Alright, I'm going out. Make your friends feel at home. If you need anything you know who to call?" he made to go but Sharon called him back.

"Dad, Rose needs your help. That's why she is here, it won't be long"

He paused and looked at Rose long and penetrating.

"Yes, what's that?" he asked.

Rose spoke.

"My mum died when I was just a year old" she said , looking at his face, eyeball to eyeball "I was living with one of her friends then. We packed out of the house because my mother's friend was unable to foot the bills. When we left the house, she didn't go with my mum's books and photos album. During all that time, my dad travelled overseas.

A couple of years back, the landlord told us that a young man came to take those things away. His name according to the landlord was Oromidayo. We went on the internet and searched for the name. There are three hundred and ninety seven entries. We screened the list down to seventeen, considering the age, their history, complexion and other things and you are among those seventeen people. We've interviewed fifteen out of them and the only two people left are you and a man we are yet to locate….."

"And he is dead" Michael said "One of the investigators we hired just called me a minute ago to tell me that the man is dead." Michael said as a matter of fact. "Which means your Excellency, you are the last person"

"That leaves only you dad" Sharon said.

Her dad almost fell down as he wavered on his feet. The three of them quickly rushed him and sat him down on a chair nearby "Dad, dad what's wrong!" Sharon shouted.

"Was your mother called Elizabeth?" he asked faintly, his breathing coming in quick bursts.

"Yes!" Rose replied quickly.

"O my God!" he exclaimed "you are my daughter!"

Silence fell.

Rose cried. Sharon cried, her father cried as he clung tightly to Rose. Even Michael couldn't hold back his tears so he cried too.

"I just won scholarship to study abroad for my MSC program. I've known your mother for a very long time; many years before she accepted to be mine. I was not the only one that won the scholarship; we were ten from our university. On the night of our sent forth, your mother was there as one of the ushers. She told me that she had accepted that she would wait for me till get back to Nigeria and we could get married then because I just divorced my first wife and I desperately needed someone to comfort me.

Though she refused to date me for seven years, that I've been pestering her, yet we were best friends so that when she told me that she had accepted, I felt that I was on top of the world. We slept together that last night and I travelled out the next day. When I came back five years later and went to the house where she was living with the intention of marrying her, then I was told that she was dead.

I mourned her every day since then. I had to get marry again, so my parents told me to remarry my divorced wife who was their friend's daughter and I complied. Meanwhile, she has already given birth to a baby girl for me two years before I travelled. Between us, the love was no longer there as I want it to be. The only woman that can make me feel loved was your mother so I still bear the pain of her death till today." He rose up and left for his rooms.

He came back a minute later with a large golden box. He put it on the table and all of them crowded round the table as he emptied its contents on the table. The contents were books, her mother's diary and photo albums. They all flipped through the album and there were pictures of her mum from childhood to her youth. She looked hundred percent like Rose to the extent that she felt as if she was looking at herself in a mirror.

"Jesus Christ!" Sharon exclaimed. "So Rose you are my sister?" she asked tearfully as she held and embraced Rose warmly. The Governor too stood up and took the two of them into a warm- fatherly embrace.

THE REUNION.

Michael and his mum went together to his father's house the next Sunday afternoon while Rose too took the opportunity to visit her dad at the government house. When they got there, they waited for him in the big and well-furnished living room while his chef went inside the kitchen to call him for his visitors.

Several moments later, he came out with a reading glass firmly placed his nose. He peered at Michael and his mother from the top of the stairs. He cleared his throat noisily and said. "Whoa, see who the mighty northern wind has blown in. the angel from the skies above herself!"

"Don't compose poems about me. Come down here and come and meet someone"

He ascended the stairs down into the lounge and he offered Michael a hand, he shook it then he went to sit beside his mum, drawing her close to him affectionately. "You know baby, ever since you've gone, my days have been bleak as dark nights and there has been no song from the nightingale as enchanting and mind blowing as your glowing presence in my life?"

"Hmmm….all these just to woo me back, no way sire!" his mother said smiling. "Lawrence, I've told you times without number, we can be best friends but nothing beyond that"

"Ok, Ok. The friendship is it conditional?" he asked "We can do anything together?"

"Not anything, Some things." She said blushed deeply.

"Like eat together, sleep on the same bed together?" he asked excitedly "Going to parties together? I can come and sleep over in your flat and you can come to mine anytime you want, I can kiss you..."

"Lawrence stop it" she chided him gently. "You are not even ashamed of saying that in front of your son…"his mother said smiling.

"Did you just say my son?" he asked seriously "how …..I mean is that true? Is this our lost son?"

"Yeah. That's him. He is called Michael but I named him Ayomide before I dropped him off at the motherless home."

"Wow! He's a big boy! He looks so much like his father. How are you son, come on, hug your old man!"

They both hugged each other then they sat down. Mr. Lawrence's expression and behavior changed. He became happy and very friendly "What do you want to eat, what should I offer you?"

"Nothing sir- dad." Michael said. He winced as he added 'dad' because he was not yet used to calling him that yet but he liked him very much and wouldn't mind to call him dad because he is nice and kind.

"Son, this is your house. You are the owner so feel free to ask for anything you want. I hope your mother has explained to you why it happened? It was not intentional, it was hard time and we regretted it even after all these years. We tried to come together but things didn't work out well between us especially when your mother was unable to get pregnant again. She was feeling so bad that she hated me and told me that had I been there in the first place, she wouldn't have given you up but she had no friends, nor families. Then she was just a 200 level student at the university when it happened and then I was a fresh graduate too, not yet working and heavily depended on my parents who didn't tolerate nonsense. The fears of what they would do to me made me turn my back on your mum but later I realized that I was wrong and stupid for that; I should have stayed with her every inch of the way even if the sky falls down.

Son, I promise to make it up to you. I'll be with you all the way and make sure that you get to places that I your father have gotten to and beyond. Just forgive us and let's live together as a family. I know that wherever you live is where your mother too will live because she is crazy about you as I am. Do you get all that?"

Michael nodded.

"Please come and live with me. You can take as many rooms as possible and I will decorate them as much as you want. This is your father's house." His father said.

"Lawrence, don't rush him. Let him decided where he would live." His mother said.

"It's alright mum" Michael said "Will you live here with me mum if I decided to stay?"

"You know I'll stay wherever you live. The reason why I left here before was that I was unhappy because I didn't see or know where you were but now that you are here, I'll be here too" she said laughing as her husband tickled and took her into a crushing embrace.

"Alright dad, I want to go upstairs and look around. I hope my room is upstairs and looks over the whole city?"

"O yeah son. You won't be disappointed. Check it out while I finish an unfinished business with you mum here…."

Rose and Sharon were sitting with their father on the tiled floor inside the governor's lodge, listening to him as he told them stories of his youthful days.

"Your mum Sharon has given birth to you before my first travelling but we've divorced each other then. She is my first wife that I told you about. There was no emotional attachment between us yet I fell instantly in love with you when I first saw you because of your angelic and innocent beautiful face. You are the reason I remarried your mother because we don't really love each other. We love different things and want different things but with you between us, we were forced into the relationship. That's why I can't really remember when I and your mother make love last. Though we pretend and act as if we cant live without each other in public but it's not so in the privacy of our home. The positions we both hold demands that we work together as a loving family as an example to the people we are leading so we merely play along." He confessed sadly.

"But dad, isn't there anything you can do about it? Can't you talk it out with mum or if it comes to worst, divorce each other again? I don't see the reason why you have to stick with what doesn't make you happy. Your happiness is the most important thing here. I want you to be a happy man dad. If you are happy, you will rule this state well."

"No Sharon…..o sorry! Sis, why don't we have family night tonight and iron out all our differences? Why don't we just build a big and happy family instead of separating from each other? Why can't we all let the past go? I know that my step mum hates me because ever since she'd set eyes on me and she knew that we share the same dad, she had been extremely bad to me but I believe that we can still win her over." Rose said eagerly.

"I don't think that's a good idea. You don't know my wife. I've been a victim of her anger many times and I don't pray to experience it again. Besides she may not….you know, take it quietly and this is a public house; people are always eavesdropping so that they can broadcast even the slightest argument to the whole world and that would be a bad reputation for this family. Sharon understands what I mean because she has experienced it before"

"Why don't we try first even if it's certain that we will fail?" Rose asked.

Later in the evening, Sharon's mother was begged to dine with them because she has never stepped into the Governor's lodge since Rose's arrival. While they were eating, Rose spoke to break the uneasy silence.

"Mum could you please pass the milk jug to me?"

Everybody waited with bated breath for the First lady's anger eruption but nothing happened. Instead, she frowned her face harder and passed the jug to Rose. "Thank you mum" she said.

They continued eating in silence.

"Mum, I love your earrings. The colours are good. Did you just buy them?" Sharon asked.

"Eat your food" her mother replied tartly.

The governor cleared his throat.

"Honey, I want us to be one big-happy family. Funny enough, Sharon had known Rose even long before we all knew that Rose is my daughter and part of the family which means that there is no problem with bonding…"

"So am I the black sheep of the family?" she asked.

"No dear. I just want you to accept her as part of this family; as your own. See her as Sharon's younger sister and bring them up together very well. Teach them both things a mother teaches her daughters- things they need to know as young ladies...."

"Ayo stop right there!" The First lady said angrily, almost shouting. She pushed back her plates away from her. "Where was I when you impregnated this girl's mother? Was I not your wife when you impregnated the whore….."

"She was not a whore!" the Governor fired back angrily.

"She was because what decent lady will sleep with a married man if not a whore? Well if you think it would be that easy you are joking. Now you just brought in a bastard after all we've worked very hard together to achieve to come and share from it. Is it that easy, Ehen?!" She shouted "I've been there all along for you but you are never satisfied with anything I do except to complain and criticize me. You always fault whatever I do and make me look stupid even to myself. If her witch mother is still alive, you would have made her your First lady instead of me and yet you expect me to be happy with you?"

Nobody said anything.

"I hate you Ayo. I hate you now as much as I loved you back in the days when there was love between us twenty years ago. You only mock and make me feel inferior whenever I'm around you. You are a worthless piece of shit!" she threw her napkin angrily at him and cried. She was about to go when Rose stood up and pulled her back. She looked spitefully at her.

"Let go of me you this bastard!" She said angrily and tried to free her cloth from Rose's grip but Rose held on.

"You have every reason to be mad at dad, my mum, me or even yourself but what will that bring you except rage, sadness and dark thoughts that won't give you any peace of mind? It won't help you; it will only make you worse. When I started looking for my dad, I had intentions of getting parental love and affection from him and not because of money. Six years ago, I was sleeping on the streets and on benches but today the story is different not because I am a Governor's daughter, but because God has blessed me to the extent that I can even feed our whole family and provide for our needs if I've met you without a dime. But despite all that, I need a daddy to give me the fatherly love and guidance that I need. I need Sharon to be my big sis and teach me what to do but I need you most to give me the love and the blessing that a daughter needs to succeed in life. Will you deny me that by walking away and shut your heart from loving again? Is this unhappy life what you really want?"

She shook her head and sobbed. "No" she said

"Do you want to grow old a solitary woman without a daughter to take care of you?" tears welled up in Rose as eyes too as the First lady cried. "Do you?" She sobbed too. Sharon and her father too cried. Rose hugged the First lady, Sharon stood up sobbing and hugged them both then the governor stood up and hugged them all.

The whole family cried and said sorries.

AN OLD FRIEND.

Their vehicle made its way slowly through the bad gully road that ran into the village. From the last town that they left, the road forward had been very bad and there were no electric poles which would indicate that there was electricity connection in the village. They passed a lot of motorcycles on their way into Suru (Patience) village. Suru was a farming village located at the extreme end of the endless acres of rain forests in the Northern part of Osun state.

"I can't imagine a night here at all" Sharon said "I would die before daybreak!"

Michael and Rose laughed at this.

"Well, if you were born and brought up here, you will not mind spending eternity here big sister." Rose said.

"That's true anyway." Sharon said.

When they reached the village center, about fifteen naked kids and adolescents ran towards their vehicle, they started singing and clapping. They felt as if they'd seen the paradise itself and this made Michael, Rose and Sharon laugh "My God, I don't know that there are still places under the sky where people see vehicles once in thirty years" Michael joked.

People in their dirty work cloths gathered together and started whispering and looking at them. Sharon alighted and walked up to the watching gathering.

"Please we are looking for a woman who was fair in complexion..."

The villagers stared dumbly at her, they didn't understand English so Michael quickly interpreted it in Yoruba language.

"She came from Lagos?" asked the eldest man in the gathering. "One of her legs had been amputated?" the old man asked again.

"Yes! She is the one." Michael and Rose quickly replied.

The old man turned to a young woman among the crowd and the young man nodded.

"Let him follow in your car, he will show you directions to her place." The old man said.

"Thank you sir." Michael and Rose said. Since Sharon didn't understand Yoruba language, Michael told her what the old man had said in English. The young man got into the car and just when they were about to move, he suddenly opened the door and sprinted away from the vehicle. Rose, Michael; and Sharon too ran down, scared.

"What's wrong?!" everybody asked the young man.

"The car, it's... sango oo! It was very cold inside there and everywhere was so dark and I felt strong snakes pinned me down immediately I sat inside!"

"Yyeeeh!" the villagers shouted.

Michael quickly explained to them that it was the AC that made the car cool and not cold and that the glasses were tinted and that's it was dark inside and that it was the automatic seatbelt that locked.

"See, the place is not far, I will run ahead and your car can follow me." The young man said and started running. Sharon engaged the gears and followed him slowly. Little children and some adults ran after the car shouting gleefully as they went.

"When I got back to the village, I was told that my mom had died about ten years ago. My sibs had married and given birth to children and they all own farms. I discovered that had I stayed back in the village, I would have settled down too and have a family to fall back on but I have nobody and no money. My sibs helped me a lot for two years till I was able to get a farmland and cultivated it. Now I'm a happy farmer because very soon, I will harvest my crops" Pelumi's mum said.

"But does that mean that you are regretting going to Lagos in the first place?" Sharon asked.

"Yeah because I have nothing or anybody to show for the twenty five years that I spent in Lagos" She said." Had I known, I'd stay in the village. I would have given birth to my own children …"

"What if you don't marry at all? Or you marry but you are barren?" Sharon asked "See ma, there is a reason for everything and the reason why you were in Lagos is that through you, God has blessed this village because dad said that he will bring electricity to this village, make a double lane road all the way from the next city to this place, build schools and hospitals. He also said that the state government will buy 15 Hectares of land in this village and surrounding areas and farm with machines on the lands and that this village will be the capital of that farming kingdom and that you will be the director General of that farm that will cost over 10 billion naira to cultivate. Did you get all that? This village will become a very big town within the next five years and your name will be written in gold in the history of the town forever because God sent you to Lagos at a certain time in your life and through you, God saved my sis- Rose."

Pelumi's mum cried. When she was done, they told her that the governor wanted to meet her two months from then and they asked her if she would follow them to Lagos.

"No, I can't leave my farm again." She said smiling "Let me be here and take care of things. Not all of us are destined to live in the big cities."

They brought out all the goods they brought for her from the trunk and gave her hundred thousand naira.

"We will come back again very soon" They promised.

NEW MOM.

Since she had be reunited with Rose and her family, the first-lady accepted her as her biological daughter and they all became one big happy family. The first lady had become very fond of Rose exactly the same ways that mothers use to be fond of their last born baby girls; yet her love for Rose was stronger than her biological mum would have done.

They spent most of their times each day together except when the first-lady was in some important meetings and Rose went to school but for the rest of the days, they almost always were together. The governor on the other hand had rescheduled his time in such a way that he only spent time from 8am-5pm daily from Monday to Friday attending to official matters. The rest of his time, he dedicated it to his family because he said to his cabinet that "to rule a state successfully, you must rule your family first successfully" and they all agreed with him.

It was a bright Sunday afternoon, the family had arrived back from church and they had decide to visit Mushin Public Cemetery where Rose' mum was buried. The Local Govt. Chairman was their host and he was there before they arrived to welcome them to the local government. For the first time in her life, Rose saw where her mother was buried. Ordinary bare sand was there to indicate the grave and most of the sands have been washed away so that the mound of sands was almost flat. She knelt beside the grave and scooped up a handful of sands then she broke down weeping. Her dad bent down beside her and wept too. Sharon and her mum too were sobbing as they comforted them.

"Mum, I wish you are alive today to see how good your dream had come. Rest on in eternal peace till we come and join you in the great beyond. I'm now happy because now I have seen my dad and I have a mum who loves me like you would have done. Rest in peace" She put a bouquet of flowers on the grave, the Governor, the First lady and Sharon did the same then their Parish pastor gave a sermon and said a prayer.

THE END.

I was still writing in my room when my mum busted into my room.

"Ayomide, stop writing that thing and get into the kitchen right now!" she said angrily "Your elder brother – MICHAEL has been doing the chores since morning and your sis- ROSE has gone back to school. SHARON is sick and I must take her to the hospital for medical attention. I don't know when Oromidayo- your dad will come back and despite all these, you abstained from all the chores and pretended to be writing a story that won't put food on our table." My mum said

"O mum!" I said "I'm about to finish the story. Guess what mum, Rose and Michael featured Sharon and composed a song for United Nations and the song became the most popular song in the history of the world because it was interpreted into more than 5000 languages! Whoa mum, don't you love that story?' I asked excitedly.

"What story?" my mum asked, looking at me blankly and giving me one of her i-will-smack-your-bum-bum-now-if-you-don't-stop-that-nonsense look.

"Aaarrrrrrghhhhg mum!" I said as I went to the kitchen, hunger things…!"

THE END!

Never undermine someone with little beginning, they may get to the heights you can never imagine…..

READERS PAGE

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Watch out for my next book, I love you!

Oromi(The author).