MUMMY'S LOVE

chapter 5

One weekend, Mrs. Linda went on a journey. She was meant to return in two days, but things took longer than expected, and she was gone for an entire week. Back at home, Joy was very pregnant and nearing her due date.

When her labor began, Joy was all alone with no one to help. She gathered what she thought she needed and set out for the hospital, rain pouring the whole way. It was hard, but she managed to reach the hospital by herself. Fortunately, the doctor and a nurse were there. They immediately got to work. Joy arrived around 8 p.m., and by 11 a.m. the next day, she delivered her baby. Everything turned out fine.

She gave birth to a baby girl. Overjoyed, Joy called Mrs. Linda—her madam—and shared the news. Linda was excited as well. The following day, Linda came to the hospital, took care of all the paperwork, and brought Joy and her newborn home.

Joy named her daughter Amaka. Amaka grew up strong and beautiful. When Amaka turned two, Joy became free—her madam released her. Joy gained her independence, started living well, bought herself a house, even a car.

One morning, while dropping Amaka at school, Joy noticed a man she recognized. She froze and realized it was the man who had gotten her pregnant years before. Without delay, she called the police. They arrested him immediately and took him to the station. Joy pressed charges and prepared to go to court.

On the day of the hearing, Joy’s father was there as well—he was in trouble, accused of something he hadn’t done, and had no lawyer. That same day, her father had run away from home, feeling helpless. While walking down the road, he saw a broken-down car. Three boys were trying to push it out of a gutter and asked him to help. As soon as he joined them, the police arrived and arrested everyone. That was when he learned the boys were actually criminals.

At the police station, Joy was stunned to see her father—she barely recognized him with his wild, untidy hair. She called out, “Dad, what are you doing here?” He explained it all, how he’d been in prison for years and had just been released. He asked about his wife. Joy said she didn’t know; her mother had sent her away long ago. But Joy promised to help, got a lawyer for him, and started working on his case.

After some time, her father was finally freed and returned home, only to find the house empty. Everything was gone—his land, possessions, all sold. His wife was nowhere to be seen. When he asked the neighbors, they told him she had died of HIV. He mourned her deeply.

Life moved on. Amaka continued to grow. When Amaka was twelve, Joy decided to let a man into her life, but she set a rule for herself: she would not marry, just find a young man to keep her company and help around the house.

That’s when she met Emmanuel, who was 22 at the time. Joy was 45 then. Emmanuel moved in, and things seemed good at first.

But one day, Joy went to visit her father, leaving Emmanuel and Amaka at home. While she was gone, Emmanuel tried to force himself on Amaka. Fortunately, Joy’s cook was in the house. She heard the noise, rushed in, and pulled Amaka out of the room. Emmanuel tried to twist the story, claiming Amaka had come after him. When Joy got back, Emmanuel told her his side, and Joy, blinded by anger, almost struck her daughter. The cook intervened and stopped her, insisting Amaka, only 16, would never do such a thing.

Afterwards, Emmanuel began to change. He started demanding money from Joy and spent it on other women. He brought girls to the house, threw parties when Joy was away, and did whatever he wanted, sure that Joy loved him too much to care.

Joy, caught up in her emotions, ignored everything—even when Amaka’s presence reminded her of that awful night, and she sometimes found it difficult to face her daughter.

Amaka, though, was clever. She did well in school and stayed strong.

One day, the cook’s sister, Chioma, visited. Emmanuel immediately took notice—he liked her looks and tried to take advantage of her as well. But Chioma defended herself and refused to let him.

That was how things were messy and complicated, but somehow, life kept going.