Alone

I'll miss you"-I said as I hugged my 1st brother trying desperately not to cry but I couldn't stop them,the tears just flowed.

"Hey, don't worry"- He said as he tried to clean my tears."it's just three months"

"Yes and Samuel is with you"- my second brother said as I hugged him too."He'll protect you ok?"

I nodded"but I'll miss you all a lot "-i said starting to cry again.

"Yeah and you are a strong girl. You can do this and besides we'll come visit"- my second brother said.

That made me smile and now as I left them and went to where Samuel (my third brother) was standing.he had no expression on his face as he took my hand, waved at our two elder brothers and went to stand in front of the gates of the house that I liked to call the house of terror.

You are probably wondering what's going on. Well... let me introduce myself.

My name is Ewa (meaning beauty) Adeola. I'm a Yoruba girl who hardly knows the language(not my fault). My mum had cancer after she gave birth to me so she died when I was two years.

My dad was crushed,he could hardly take care of himself not to talk of the 4 children my mom left behind. My eldest brother,kola, was 18. My Second brother,Samson, was 16,while my third,Samuel, brother was 9.

Since my dad could hardly take care of us and he was passing through some financial issues because he spent a lot on my mom trying to keep her alive,he thought it would be best someone else to take Samuel and I seeing as my 2 other brothers could still take care of themselves.

The relationship between my dad and his family wasn't so strong neither was his realtionshop with my mum's family so he couldn't trust any of them to take care of us. The only person he could trust was my mom's best friend whose husband also happened to be my dad's closest friend at that time.

Samuel and I lived with them permanently for a while before my 2 brother were done with school and before they started working. During this time,my father became a pastor,he even started his own church so he hardly had time for even my 2 elder brothers.

Once my brothers started working and doing well financially,Samuel and I always came home for the holidays but once school started we had to go back.

My experience at my mom's best friend's place wasn't so bad, It wasnt so good either. Most of the memories I have of my childhood with them is of my being beaten or punished but as I got older it got better . My mom's best friend had 4 kids too,3 boys and 1 girl who also happened to be the last child.

I've learnt to endure everything during the years I've spent there. Don't get me wrong,they do not maltreat me....but I'm made to understand every single day that I'm not their child and that I'm not a part of their family.

Every morning I was to tidy up the kitchen before I went to school,I was to sweep it too. Normally I did not mind doing all these but the fact that their children did nothing while I worked always made feel somehow.

Every Saturday I was to sweep all the rooms and the stairs and the corridors and pretty much everywhere except the kitchen which their daughter swept. Samuel had to sweep the entire compound too.

Back to present time...

The holidays just finished and we were outside my mom's best friend's house saying our goodbyes.Another session was starting . We had already bade our dad goodbye at home but he didn't follow our brothers to drop us.

Samuel and I knocked on the gate of my mom's best friend's house and tried to smile as her daughter opened it for us.