PAPPY YO

"Pappy yo?" Ella calls in her softest voice.

The old man gently raises his head from the chess game he was playing to look at who called him. He was a bit shocked and confused because only Ella called him that. His eyes widen and his mouth goes agape when he sees who is standing right in front of him. "Is that you?" He asks. "Ella?" He asks again in his lowest voice, whispering.

"Yes." Ella nods and smiles painfully.

"Oh my God!." Pappy yo exclaims and goes over to hug Ella tightly. "You were alive! You were alive!" He exclaims and draws apart from her. "Look at you, now the replica of your mom." Tears suddenly flow down his eyes. "May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace. I thought I had lost you too. How has it been? How did you manage to survive? Were you still in this country or you went to another?"

"Come on paps, you have bombarded me with so many questions." Ella says jokingly and turns to her friends who were standing behind her. "Do you think we can talk here?"

"Sure we can, no one is watching us." Pappy Yo replies hurriedly. "Have a seat." He offers.

Ella's friends and brother occupy the long bench which is facing a table where Pappy yo was playing his games while the old man and Ella occupy the two seats around the table.

"Now, let me answer your questions. It has been very tough for me, I haven't been in Nigeria and I survived by God's grace."

"I am happy you are alive." He whispers and starts sobbing loudly. "It was so lonely to live without you people. After you father had sent my children out of the country, I saw you as my family members close by. But when that terrible incident happened, I spent my days here playing games and listening to music."

"Please stop crying." Asma whispers holding back tears in her eyes too.

"Yes, thank you." Pappy Yo wipes off his tears with the back of his palm. "By the way, do you happen to know about the sudden disappearance of all your family's properties?"

"Yes." Ella nods with smiles. "It was all my doing."

"Really?! I am happy about that, but you should have at least tries to reach out to me."

"I am so sorry about that." She sighs. "I have a few questions for you and I will appreciate it if you tell me nothing but the truth."

"What is that all about?"

"By any chance, does my father has any sort of personal connections to a lady named Jessie Richard?"

Pappy yo body and face shows a lot of resistance. "No." He shakes his head. "I don't know who she is."

"It is very obvious you know something, your actions show it clearly." Shamim says.

"Please just tell us what you know." Abdullah pleads.

"Are you by any means in connection to the death of her family?" Darifa asks making obvious accusations.

"No!" He retorts."

"Then you should have no issues pouring out all you know, if you did consider the Smiths as your family members."

"I know this might end up breaking you Ella." He whispers.

"What can break me more than I am now?"

Pappy Yo sighs deeply and asks. "What did you come back to do in Nigeria?"

"Revenge." Replies Ella.

"Your father was once in a romantic relationship with that woman you just mentioned."

"What are you saying?" Asks Darifa having the most confused look ever.

"That is nothing but the honest truth."

Ella clinched her fist tightly in extreme pain but still hardens her heart and whispers to him. "Continue."

"How can you tell him to continue?" Abdullah asks and faces the man. "We will come back later to he-"

"I said continue!" Miss Smith yells.

"But they had to depart when your grandfather insisted that your dad married no one but your mother."

"Please stop." Shamim tries to stop the man but all to no avail.

"Continue." Ella whispers with her hands already trembling.

"By that time, Jessie was already pregnant with a child for your father."

"Stop that nonsense right now!" Darifa yells.

Ella gently places her head on the table for a moment.

"Are you okay?" Asma asks touching her.

Miss Smith raises her head again and after ten years of not being able to shed tears, she finally finds tears flowing down her cheeks.

"She is crying!" Abdullah exclaims calmly.

"I have never seen her cry before." Shamim whispers sadly.

"No one has." Asma adds.

"So, she had a child for my father?"

"I am sure she did, because she sent a message to him after giving birth. But no one knows about the child's whereabouts."

"Is that all?" Ella asks again.

"Yes." Pappy Yo says with a nod. "I remember your father bestowing the child with the name Cecilia."

"So, my father knew he had a child other than me?"

"Yea, he did."

Miss Smith laughs hysterically with tears still flowing freely from her eyes. "I will put an end to Jessie myself."

"What do you mean by that? Why do you want to put an end to someone?"

"Because she is the one who killed her parents and grandparents." Darifa replies.