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About a week after Ope asked Oge to marry him, he travelled to another city to attend his cousin’s wedding.
“Ope, do you want Kemi and I to attend the wedding with you? I know it can be quite lonely to travel alone,” Oge said while Ope was packing a suitcase for the wedding.
“Oh no, please, you guys should remain at home. I won’t be back until Sunday evening and I do not want Kemi to look tired in school on Monday. Besides, as long as you’re here with him. I’m so sure that he is in good hands,” Ope said.
“Ok, if you say so. We will stay home and have a good weekend without you,” Oge said.
“You guys can do whatever you like. In fact, if you are not so busy, you can take Kemi out,” Ope said.
“Have you told Kemi you will be travelling? I don’t want him to question me after you’re gone, so please tell him yourself. You know the boy can be a handful sometimes,” Oge said.
“Okay, he’s in his room, right? Let’s go and see him,” Ope said as he headed to Kemi’s room.
Surprisingly, Kemi was not in his bedroom like they had thought; he was in the living room painting a picture.
“Kemi, Daddy will be travelling for a few days,” Ope said.
“Will you take me with you?” Kemi asked. For some reason, the minute Ope told Kemi that he would be travelling for a few days, Kemi’s mood changed to a sad one. It was almost like he was scared to remain at home with Oge.
“No, Kemi, I cannot take you with me. You will remain at home with your new mummy. She will give you whatever you want and take good care of you,” Ope said.
“No, Daddy. She is not my mummy. I do not want to stay with her, please,” Kemi began to cry and hold on to his father’s hands.
“Don’t mind him; he is just being childish. What’s most important is that you have told him,” Oge smiled, “Now, Kemi, go to your room; your father and I want to discuss something important,” Oge said in a stern voice, and Kemi scurried out of the parlour with his crayons and papers.
“Why did he act like that? Do you think he will be fine?” Ope asked.
“Of course, he will be fine. You know how kids can be at times. He’s not going to accept me as his mummy that easily, but I know he will do as we spend more time together. You know he has not gotten over his mother, so for now, we just need to stick with Aunty Oge,” Oge said. ” Don’t worry; I will take good care of him while you’re away,” she added.
“Thank you so much, Oge. You’re an angel, and I still say this: I don’t know how I would have handled things without you,” Ope said as she hugged and kissed Oge on the lips.
About 30 minutes after Ope spoke to Kemi, he set off on his journey.
“This boy wants to put me in trouble, abi? I will show him pepper today,” Oge soliloquized.
No one knew or even suspected that Oge had been sexually abusing 8-year-old Kemi right from the first month she moved Into their home, and she had threatened Kemi not to say a word to anyone or she would kill his father. Afraid that Oge would do something terrible to his father, Kemi endured the abuse for months.
“Kemi! Kemi! What was the meaning of what you did out there? Do you want your father to know I have been giving you a special treat? Didn’t I tell you it was our secret?” Oge yelled at Kemi, and he began to cry.
“My friend, will you clean those stupid crocodile tears now? I’m not your mother, and those tears will not move me one bit,” Oge growled.
Surprisingly, Kemi stopped crying and managed to hold back his emotions.
“Now, I want you to come and touch my breasts, just the way I showed you the other day. If you do not do as I say, you will go to bed hungry tonight. You know your daddy is not here to save you, so if I were you, I’d be an obedient child,” Oge said.
“No, Aunty, I don’t want to. If I do that, you will touch my pee pee and every time you touch my pee pee, it hurts,” Kemi cried.
“Look at this foolish boy, o. I’m teaching you how to be a man, and you’re crying. You want to tell me that those small girls in your class do not touch your pee pee, and you do not touch theirs. You’re lying to me, and you know I hate liars,” Oge said,” Now, remove your clothes and lie down on this bed before I give you the beatings of your life,” she added.
Unfortunately, that afternoon, Oge had her way with Kemi and she succeeded again at night before she went to bed.
For the three days Ope was away from the house, Oge ensured that she used every opportunity to abuse Kemi. It even reached a point where she would make Kemi kiss her on the lips first before she gave him food.
Even though Kemi did not like the things Oge was making him do, the poor boy had no choice. Aside from Oge threatening to kill Kemi’s father if he said a word to anyone, Oge also threatened Kemi.
Sadly, even when Ope returned home from his trip and he noticed that Kemi was a bit withdrawn and not as lively as he used to be, he didn’t do anything about his son’s sudden behaviour. He just believed that Kemi was having a mood swing and he would be back to his usual self in no time.
As time passed, Oge continued to abuse Kemi, even under his father’s nose. Most nights, Oge would insist on tucking Kemi in bed, so she would use the opportunity to abuse him.
About 7 months after Ope proposed to Oge, they began to plan a wedding and were getting close to their wedding date. The day Kemi found out that his father was getting married to Oge, he was very heartbroken and scared.
“Daddy, please. I do not want you to marry Aunty Oge. I do not want her to live with us,” Kemi cried. That morning, Kemi begged his father to drive him to school, and on their way to school, Kemi expressed himself. Kemi had waited until he was alone with his father because he knew that if he spoke in Oge’s presence, she would ruin things for him.
“What do you mean you don’t want Oge to live with us? Hasn’t she been living with us for a while now?” Ope asked.
“No, Daddy, you do not understand. If you marry Aunty Oge, she will kill me and you,” Kemi said.
“What do mean?” Ope asked. But the moment Kemi realized that he had said too much, he stopped talking.
“Kemi, is it not you I’m talking to? Answer me now,” Ope yelled, but Kemi did not respond. From the way Kami acted, it was so obvious that he was scared about something.
“Kemi, do you want me to spank you? Why would you say that your new mother wants to kill you?” Ope yelled.
“She is not my mummy; my mummy would never do what she does to me,” Kemi yelled.
That was the first time Ope saw his son yell at him. In fact, he was shocked that Kemi could talk to him like that.
“Daddy, please promise me that you will not marry Aunty Oge. I don’t want her to live with us anymore,” Kemi said in a teary voice.
“Kemi, I have had enough of your nonsense. It is high time you accepted Oge as your mother. She has been nothing but good to you. Do you think it’s easy to find anyone else who will love you and take care of you like she does?” Ope said, ” If I were you, I’d stop the silly tantrums and accept Oge because I’m marrying her, and she isn’t going anywhere any time soon,” Ope added.
When Kemi heard that, he burst into tears and cried until Ope dropped him off at school.
“Look here, you better behave yourself. If anyone sees me now, they will think I’m maltreating you. Not knowing that you’re a naughty boy,” Ope said before Kemi exited the car.
After Ope dropped Kemi at school, he went straight to his fabric shop at the market. About an hour after he arrived there, he got a call from Kemi’s school teacher, telling him to come over to school.
“Good day, Mrs Rose,” Ope greeted Kemi’s school teacher.
“Good afternoon, sir. I called you here because of your son, Kemi,” Kemi’s teacher said.
“Yes, what about him? I hope everything is alright?” Ope asked.
“Sir, your son came to school crying uncontrollably, and I tried to calm him for a few minutes, but he wouldn’t stop. It seems like he is really bothered about something, but he won’t tell me what it is. I called you to ask if everything is fine at home,” Kemi’s teacher said.
“Oh! Don’t mind Kemi; he is just trying to be naughty. Everything is fine at home, and you have absolutely nothing to be worried about,” Ope said.
“That’s not all. For a while now, Kemi has not been active in class. He doesn’t play or associate with the other pupils and barely does his homework. I understand that some homework can be tough, but we expect parents to assist them sometimes,” Kemi’s teacher said.
“No, that’s not possible. His stepmother helps him with his homework every evening. Are you sure there’s no mix-up somewhere?” Ope asked.
“Yes, I can even show you some of his books if you don’t mind. Aside from not doing his homework, I think you really need to talk to Kemi. Most times, when kids withdraw like this from people and refuse to open up to adults about what’s bothering them, something is seriously wrong,” Kemi’s teacher said.
“Thank you, Miss Rose. I will do my best to get to the bottom of this, and I assure you that Kemi will be back to his normal self,” Ope said.
“Thank you, sir. I hope to see some changes soon,” Kemi’s teacher said.
“You will. I have to take my leave now,” Ope said before exiting Kemi’s classroom. Before he left, he waved at Kemi, who was sitting sadly on his desk. However, Kemi did not wave back at him.
Later that evening, when Ope went home, he told Oge everything that had happened, including what Kemi said in the car and his impromptu meeting with Kemi’s teacher.
“Babe, if Kemi does not want you to marry me. Then, I think I’m not the right person to be his mother. The boy doesn’t even like me. At this point, I do not know what to do again. I have tried my best to be patient with him, and I do not want to turn into one of those evil stepmothers,” Oge said in a sad and manipulative tone.
“No, it has not gotten to that. I am not just marrying you because of Kemi; I am marrying you for myself too,” Ope said,” and trust me, when Kemi sees that he is stuck with you forever, he will have no other choice than to like you,” Ope added.
“Are you sure? I’m asking because I do not want a child who will resent me as he grows up. He might even start insulting me,” Oge said.
“C’mon babe, you know Kemi is not like that. He is a good child, and we raised him well. Just give him time, I think he still misses his mother and hasn’t accepted that she is gone forever,” Ope said.
“Alright, if you say so. I will trust you on this one,” Oge said, “Then, concerning his homework, you know I complained to you a while ago that Kemi was giving me a difficult time. He wasn’t answering my questions, and I didn’t want to answer them so it wouldn’t seem like I was doing the homework for him. I was even thinking his class teacher was not doing a good job, that’s why he couldn’t answer the questions, but now I know better,” Oge added.
“Don’t worry. From now on, I will take care of that. You no longer have to assist him with his homework; I will do that,” Ope said. But please continue to treat Kemi as your son, even if he’s giving you a tough time. I know he will come around to you with time; he always does,” Ope said.
Even though Oge pretended like all was well, deep down, she was mad at Kemi for saying such things to his father. Luckily for Oge, she was smart enough to explain everything Kemi said, and after that day, Ope never talked about those things again. Ope trusted Oge with his life, and he never suspected that Oge was abusing his son, even when she claimed to bathe him.
But a couple of months later, Ope learns about the spine-chilling secret, and in anger, he does something that alters their lives forever.
Watch out for part 3.
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