A NEW BEGINNING:2 CHAPTER 2

Living With J has brought peace to my life, even though it hasn't been easy for her . The load she carries is to heavy for one person, but she handles it with strength and love . Her boyfriend helps when he can't, but J does most of the work, ensuring I have everything I need for school and life.

The fights with the rest of the family haven't stopped, but j stands here ground. She knows that I am her

Responsibility. And she will do whatever it takes to make sure I have like our would have wanted.

Though life has its struggles, I am thankful for my sister j as my father once was , and I know that with her by my side , we can get through. The tension with our family members continued to grow. Recently, they called a meeting, demanding that my sister j bring all the documents related to the social security benefits. They wanted control over everything, as if they had some right to the money our father left for us , his children. Their greed was clear, and they didn't care about us or our future only money.

But J, being the strong person she is , stood her ground. She told them straight to their face that they could go to hell . She wasn't go to hand over anything to them. She knew what they were after, and she refused to let them take what rightfully belongs to us .

If you push this any further, she warned them, I will take the matter to the police station.

Her words hit them hard. She wasn't playing their game anymore. They knew J was serious, and they knew she wasn't someone to mess with.

But even with her standing so strong, I could tell this constant battle was wearing her down. The weight on her shoulders was becoming heavier, but J would never let them win . She had promised to protect us and I knew she wouldn't stop fighting.

Sister J is now begging to fully understand what I went through. She had always believed me , but now she was experiencing the same harsh treatment from our family members. It became clear to her that their behavior wasn't just directed at me because I was younger it was their true nature, driven by greed and selfishness. They treated us as if we didn't belong, as if we were only valuable because of the money our father left behind

I'd heart ached , knowing that this was the same cruelty that forced me to leave the family members I once stayed with. She realized that everything I had gone through was because of their toxic behavior, and it fueled more to protect us from them.

Her boyfriend, Bro k was also deeply affected by the situation. He had always stood by J , but now, seeing how the family was treating her he couldn't stay silent. Bro K wasn't happy about any of it and he made his feelings clear. He promised J that if the family members continued to harass her and theirs , they would all end up in the high court.

I won't let them get away with this, Bro K said firmly. If they push you further, we'll take legal action. They won't be able to treat you like this anymore.

His support meant everything to J. She wasn't fighting this battle alone anymore. With Bro K by her side and the strength she found within here self, she knew that no matter how far the family pushed, she would stand her ground. If it came down to it they were ready to take the fight to h the highest level of justice.

Little did they know the family wasn't done causing trouble

Uncle Kwesi pace around his living room, his face dark with frustration.

He had thought getting rid of Ama would be the end of it but now a bigger problem loomed before him . If sister j and Ama were left alone, they could legally claim their late father's social security funds pension, and other benefits. That was money he and the rest of the family had planned to divide among themselves.

He couldn't let that happen.

Without wasting time, he called for a family meeting. By evening, the house was filled with relatives, uncles, aunties, cousins, and all murmuring among themselves, curious about why they had been summoned.

When everyone was seated, uncle Kwesi cleared his throat. We have a problem, he bagan , his voice firm .

Sister j and her little sister Ama , have been taken away from us . And if we are not careful, they will soon claim all of Nana's he paused, referring to his late brother by name, his social security benefits pension, and everything else meant for the family.

Auntie Afia clicked her tongue in annoyance.

How can we allow that? After all , we are his family too!

One of the uncles,yaw Mensa, leaned forward. But technically, the money belongs to his children. We can't just take it .

Uncle Kwesi shot him a sharp look . Yaw don't be naive.we have ways of handling things. If we let them be, sister j will take all that money and used it for herself, we must act now.

A murmur of agreement spread through the room .

They all knew what this meant if they wanted the money, they had to fine ways to take control Ama and her sister j aging.

But how do we do that ? A cousin asked, sister j has that boyfriend of hers he's a government worker, and he won't allow us to touch them.

A sly smile spread across uncle Kwesi face . We don't need to fight them directly. We just need to make sure they are seen as unfit to handle their father's benefit

Auntie Afia gasped. "Are you saying?

Yes uncle Kwesi said , we will go to social welfare and report that sister j is incapable of taking care of Ama . We will say she is to young and has no stable job .

And as for Ama, we will claim her, she is better of in the hands of responsible elders, us.

A wicked silence filled the room as the plan settled. In their minds,

Uncle Kwesi leaned back, satisfied, by the time we are done, the government itself will hand Ama over to us . And with her under our control… the money will follow.

The meeting ended with nods of agreement. The nettle for their late brother's wealth had just begun

Meanwhile, sister j and Ama had no idea what was coming their way.

Now that Ama was living with sister j and Kwame , she finally felt safe, for the first time in a long while, she slept peacefully without worrying about waking up to harsh punishment or being treated like a servant. Sister j and Kwame made sure she had everything she needed, love, care, and a real home.

But unknow to them , the family had already started their wicked plans. Uncle yaw , however, wasn't at peace. Ever since the meeting, his conscience had been troubling him, he couldn't sit back and watch uncle Kwesi and the other destroy the lives of his late brother's children.

He had to do something.

Late in the evening, he picked up his phone and called sister j . This time , the call went through .

Uncle yaw ? Sister J voice sounded surprised.

Yes my dear , he said in a low voice I need to see you. It's very important.

Sister J hesitate, But is something wrong.

Uncle yaw sighed, just come alone I will explain everything.

A few minutes later Sister J walked to the roadside, where uncle yaw was waiting in his car . She got in and he immediately drove to a quiet place, away from prying eyes.

When he parked, he turned to her . Sister J listen to me carefully. You uncle Kwesi and the others are not done , They are planning to report you to social welfare, saying you are to young and unfit to take care of Ama .

Sister J eyes widened. But that's not true . Ama loves me , I take good care of her.

I know uncle yaw said nodding. But they will want to used the law against you , so that the government will take Ama away from you. Once that happens, they will gain control over your late father's money.

Tears welled up in Sister J's eyes. What do we do ,

Uncle ? I don't want to leave Ama she is all I have , she is my younger sister.

Uncle yaw took a deep breath. Go home and tell ama and your boyfriend everything. Tell her to prepare, if they want to fight with the law , then we must fight back with the truth.

Sister J nodded wiping her tears . But now she felt determined.

When she got home she rushed inside and found AMA and Kwame sitting in the living room watching tv.

Kwame, and Ama ! My uncle yaw just told me something terrible.

They both turned to her concern on their faces.

What is it Kwame and Ama asked.

Sister J took a deep breath uncle Kwesi is planning to use social welfare to take you away from me and kwame.

Sister J hand clenched into fists she had , had enough of their games.

Kwame face darkened. Then it's time we make our move . They want to use the law against us? Fine , we will go to social welfare first and expose them before they even get the chance."

Sister J nodded , her voice firm . We won't let them win

The battle line has been drawn. This time , it was a fight for justice and sister J and Kwame were ready.