Chapter seven - Pain from the past

Collins sat on a stool in a corner of his newly transformed room, lost in thoughts.

Soon, he will be the lucky husband to Sugar Williams, the billionaire's daughter.

A part of him wished he had explained things to Anne, and another part of him wished he didn't have to end things with her. In all, he was happy with his newly found wealth and hoped there would be an occasion to make things right with Anne shortly.

His engagement with Sugar wasn't something he saw coming nor the flock of friends that now follow him.

At first, it was a platonic relationship based mainly on gratitude but then Sugar grew attached to him and he was made hers, like every piece of jewel she owns.

Initially, Collins felt trapped, but after calculating the benefits, he too was filled with desire for her wealth.

Collins had been dealt severely by the hands of rejection so much that it felt strange to be desired by Sugar of all people.

At the age of eight, his mother was hospitalized in a neurological hospital a few years after his father's demise, and that brought his already dark world crushing to pieces around him. His maternal aunt, Agatha had taken him in only after much pressure from friends and family plus he was rejected at the other relatives' places, leaving her as his last hope.

Although she did not maltreat him in any way, all she did was act coldly toward him and sometimes pretended he didn't exist.

He was made to eat, play, and do everything else all by himself and was forbidden to interact with his cousins.

While the other children ate on the table, he ate his food sitting on the ground and while they played together, he was forced to play alone.

Her aunt's children who were too young to understand what was going on took it that he did not like them and they reacted by returning the feeling.

He was not allowed to help in the house and this somehow angered the children since they were made to do all the chores themselves.

He had a personal cup, plate, and spoon and the only chore he performed was to wash them after eating. His utensils were kept separately, as if in a bid to prevent them from contaminating the others.

Aunt Agatha's husband, Chris was a little kind to him but he didn't possess enough authority around the house to change things so Aunt Agatha prevailed.

The day he broke his plate while trying to retrieve it from a shelf, Aunt Agatha had stood over him for long seconds, looking at him with scrutinizing eyes and shaking her head in pity.

She regarded him as though there were traces of madness lurking around him, waiting for an opportunity to emerge.

She tiredly shoved him out of the kitchen towards his room and called one of the other kids to clean up the mess.

That evening, his meal was served in a plate similar to the broken one and he once again bore the burden of listening to the chatters of the other kids as they ate and conversed while he remained silent.

The first few years he spent in Aunt Agatha's place were the darkest in his life, not a day went by that he did not long for his parents, though it was impossible to see his father, his mother was very much alive, even though mentally ill.

He didn't take long to muster enough courage to plead with Aunt Agatha to take him to visit his mum.

At first, he was hopeful for a positive response then recalling all her cold treatments, he became skeptical.

Aunt Agatha however surprised him by agreeing immediately and they prepared to visit her the very next day.

He couldn't believe his luck.

The next day, after breakfast, they both went to the hospital to visit his mother. On their way, they bought some fruits to go with the breakfast Aunt Agatha had packed up.

It has been a whole different aunt Agatha from the moment he asked her for permission to visit his mom. It was as if she was reminded of Collins' existence as she now regarded him with more compassion, a little boy with no father whose mother is in a hospital for mentally sick people. What was she thinking, treating him so coldly when he was only a victim of circumstances?

They got to the hospital a few minutes to noon and hell! he was nervous. How would he feel should his mom be in a really bad state? What if she is all tied up? Would she recognize him? Would he recognize her? All these questions clouded his little mind as they got out of the car.

It was thoughtful of Aunt Agatha to have asked her kids to stay back as their clattering wouldn't have been helpful right now plus he wouldn't want them to see his mom in a vulnerable state.

They checked in with the receptionist and Aunt Agatha was given a card while a staff showed them to a waiting room.

The door was opened moments later and Mrs Maxwell, Collins' mother walked in with the aid of a doctor. She looked smaller than Collins remembered and way paler.

Her face beamed when she recognized the people in the room and for a moment she didn't look sick at all.

She insisted Collins sat on her lap while she had a lengthy conversation with her dear sister. It had been eighteen months since she got admitted, since she saw her son, and since she saw her only sister.

Together they ate the food and fruits they brought and stayed for another hour. She was half asleep when they left the hospital, promising to visit again.

The ride home had been peaceful and little Collins had basked in the serenity of the car all the way. He had been so relieved when he saw his mom in a not-too-bad state though she looked pale.

He had overheard his mom and aunt talking about the date she would be due for discharge and it was just a few months away, he couldn't wait to have her back to continue with his life which seemed to be on hold since he could remember.

He was entirely grateful to Aunt Agatha for taking him in when no one else did and most especially for agreeing to visit his mom and he looked forward to visiting again.

They got home late due to the heavy traffic congestion on the way, ate the badly prepared dinner made by Junior, Aunt Agatha's senior son, and went to bed.

That day marked a new beginning for little Collins-Maxwell.