CHAPTER 81

This matter truly devastated and depressed Tere. Yet she felt she had to do something to bring her family back together. 

Months passed and there was still not trace of Ruth's family. Just like the way Faith had disapeared, Ruth's family had also disappeared from the phase of town. 

Tere had tried everything to bring her family back together yet she was not lucky in her plans. Not until one day she made a decision to leave the house with her youngest daughter. 

" Please do not go Tere. We are already used to you as my wife and as Tere's mother. This little time that we have spent together has indeed proved to me that you indeed changed" said Martin. 

What! 

It was luck on Tere's side. It's what she had always expected, to be accepted back into her own home. They became the rulers of the closer gates since Magdalene was no more. Everybody in the closer gates respected Martin and Purist but they found it hard to respect Tere no matter the number of times Martin tried to pursuade them. The rules of the closer gates had also changed as well. Anybody who disrespected Tere was thrown at the cell of hell. 

This made Tere to use the situation to mistreat people. Not until one day Purist decided to confront Tere. 

" Mama! I am now ten years old and I don't like how you treat other people. I am almost becoming a grown up  and I will also rule over the closer gates once you and Papa are old. I hope you won't be angry at me when I do the same to you" said Purist angrily. 

Tere tried to slap Purist who skipped to the other side of the room and missed it. It's true that Purist had indeed grown up. It had been four years since Ruth's Family had left town. 

" Wait till you get married at the age of sixteen like your former dear mama Ruth then you will be able to understand what it means to be a mother. That way , you will never be able to disrespect your mother ever again. Do you understand me? That is my promise and revenge for deciding to side with the closer gates people instead of your own mother" shouted Tere at Purist. 

" Let's see if it will happen once I will call the council of elders to arrest you. I had always thought that you will change and be a good mother but you are nothing than a worthless mother. What! Yes I know my Papa was wrong on  marrying Ruth at the age of sixteen. I now understand that what we did was wrong since Ruth was a minor but I will never allow the same thing to happen to me mama" said Purist a bit tensed .

She knew Tere very well and the fact that she always meant everything that she said. 

" Then I give you a challenge to defend yourself when that day comes. I will make sure that not even your papa will get a chance to have a say in this. You! My only daughter will get married at the age of sixteen" shouted Tere at Purist. 

Purist left to the balcony. She had never felt hurt like that before. While still at the balcony, she saw an image if Ruth who was seated in a black legar car looking at the mansion. She immediately ran downstairs and went straight to the gates of the closer gates. As soon as she opened the door, the car drove off faster and it almost hit her to an extent that she ran back inside and was almost about to fall when lady Nana held her protectively. 

" What is the problem with you? Are you aware that you could have had an accident?" Shouted lady Nana at Purist. 

" Listen to me Lady Nana. You have been like a mother to me and you have always trusted me right?" Asked Purist filled with lots of curiosity. 

" Yes...." Said Lady Nana as she nodded her head in agreement. 

" Then you must believe me when I tell you this. I have seen Ruth from the balcony of the mansion. She was looking at the mansion and I believe that she saw me even when I came downstairs and opened the gates of the closer gates. The only thing that I do not understand is why she almost hit me with her car" said Purist a bit devastated. 

Lady Nana was silent. She did not know what to say because she also did not understand the main reason why Ruth had almost hit her with a car. 

" Look Lady Nana, I want you to keep this a secret till I am able to investigate and find out if it was indeed Ruth" Purist ordered Lady Nana. 

Purist had always trusted Lady Nana more than anything else. They had kept alot of secrets that Purist never wanted to be revealed to the public. They went back to the mansion but before they could enter the mansion the gates of the closer gates opened and a young man came in riding a horse. He had a bag full of money and  beside him were few cows and goats. Tere got out of the mansion to find out what was really happening. 

" What are these things doing here? Who ordered you to bring them here? " Asked Tere astonished .

" I have done my part and I have to go" said the young man .

He dropped down the bag full of money and left on his horse. 

The people of the closer gates began living with fear. They had never seen such a thing happen before. On seeing all these, Tere decided to hold a closer gates meeting.

" I believe you all are fiiled with fear about what happened at the closer .That man .....riding the horse....those things he brought. They are for a bride who had left and does not want to be married anymore. We've been wondering who that bride is and have been scared to live in the closer gates because of that situation. We will appease everyone of you by feasting all those things that were brought including dividing money amongst all of you. So I urge all of you not to be scared anymore" said Tere. 

Everybody in the closer gates nodded their head in agreement. Only few people did not agree to this as they identified it as a witch craft. With this one move, Tere won people's heart and she felt that it was time to revenge to Martin. Tere wanted to ensure that she took Martin and Akeshia to the cell of hell. She would then bring Haggai to the mansion and get married to him. 

Tere decided to plant some evidence in Martin's room to prove that he was the one who tried to murder Naomi by shooting her three times. This made everyone at the closer gates to protest. They all believed Tere and wanted Martin to be taken to the cell of hell. All this that had happened had angered Purist. She decided to sermon Tere to her room and Tere obidiently agreed to her order. 

" Why are you doing this to Papa? Papa is at the cell of hell and I do not know how he is surviving" said Purist crying. 

" Your Papa sent me to the cell of hell and married another lady . I felt it was time for me to do the same and get married to my Haggai. What! You think your mother is the worst" said Tere angrily. 

" I will never accept Haggai as my Dad. My only Dad is at the cell of hell and I will do everything to prove his innocence"

" You accepted Ruth as your mother but you do not want to accept Haggai as your father. Enjoy while you still can baby girl because at the age of sixteen as I promised then I will have no choice than to get you married" Said Tere who left the room angrily. 

There was nothing that Purist could do to change the situation. Akeshia was also speechless since Tere had made her an official servant once again like she used to be. 

Purist continued to go to school and ensured that she worked hard and top in school. She was devastated since she was not able to prove Martin's innocence. She felt a hollow in her heart but there was nothing she could do about it. 

Purist therefore made a decision of accepting Haggai as her father. The family was complete once again yet it was said that a complete family full of sorrow would never be happy. 

That's how it became. Haggai took over the closer gates and this made everyone at the closer gates to fear him. He was the strongest warrior and he never feared to kill. Yet there was only one thing that he never did. 

He never accepted Purist as his daughter. Haggai mistreated Purist with every chance he got. 

MARRIED AT SIXTEEN.