Walks of life

What really happened.

Amanda Mukwaasi's POV

As it is now 30th /December /2016 it marks 15 full years without seeing the woman who gave life to me, my mother. Am really grateful that she even did it and am honored. The moment I found out at the agency that she was one of the big people on the executive board I just knew even if it meant that it was the only way to keep my kids in school through that agency it wasn't going to happen.

Maybe she would let them get the bursaries, but I knew it won't just happen before she makes some condition and thats exactly why I couldn't let her even let her talk to me. I couldn't picture myself being controlled by her ever again. Controlling me was one of the reasons I ran away in the first place and I vowed that no matter what life I may live, I will never beg for anything from her.

My dad always helped me out whenever I was in a bad time but it only resulted in getting him in trouble with my mom who used her high position in the judiciary committee to do whatever she wanted without being stopped. Be it tracing his phone, putting some private investigators on him, freezing his bank accounts untill she finds out he didn't send any suspicious amount of money from his account, she controlled every single step he took because she got the money and power. That's all she ever cared about in her all life having money and power just to please her father who was a retired judge too. So you must say like father like daughter not the other way round.

Dad always helped me through using other people's identities while sending me money that's how he could do it without being tracked down. We always communicated through letters can you imagine in this 21st century where mobile phones are almost every where. Affordable and reliable but we couldn't risk it or I couldnt risk my mom finding out where I was. She last saw me and my kids when my daughter Joannah was just 4yrz. After telling her that I was moving with my kids to USA and we were never coming back after the family tragedy that had happened.

FLASHBACK STILL AMANDA MUKWAASI'S POV

(YEARS 1994- 1999)

I was so determined to go and apologize to my parents for all the mistakes I had done. I was all alone now and had no one to run too if anything bad happened to either me or my children. I was just 8 months and 2 weeks pregnant with my third born. My husband who I got married to in a secret wedding at a church we used to attend during my university years was so scared to approach my parents for the first time so we agreed that he will only face my parents only if I get their second chance and forgiveness . I had eloped with him after I came to know about my mother's plans were to marry me off after I finished my first year of law studies with one of the son of her workmate whom I had never met.

The only way I could think of to escape all this was to run away with my boyfriend that I got from school. I loved him and I knew I wouldn't regret my decision if I ran away with him because he also promised to take care of me if I ever wanted to escape all kind of life I was living .

I had become a disgrace to my family for what I did. My mom always praised me to her friends and so proud of me telling them how I was going to be a lawyer and then later an attorney just like her. All those dreams of hers she had about me were all shuttered the day she found out I ran away from home with a man that she didn't even know about. They looked for me but I had already made up my mind and didn't look back. I was just in my first year in a law school perusing a career I didn't even have any passion for. It was all my mothers commands that I was fulfilling. I never wanted to be a lawyer and she wanted just that and I had no room for negotiations with her.

My father was always on my side but he didn't have much he could do to change my mother's mind. I was just in my 1st year and she was already planning how my life was going to be including an arranged marriage, where to work from, which law firm I should associate with, the number of kids I should have (which was strictly one) reason she wanted to see me as one of the chief judges on the judicial system and that takes a long time to get.

She even told me that's why she got me a lawyer to be husband just like me so that he doesn't complain.

I was basically so tired of the way my mom treated me. I was always envious of the kids I used to go to school with every time they talked of how their parents treated them. I had no friends at home and the ones that I got always remained in the shadows. I never talked about them because they were secret friends.

She always emphasized that every parent raises their children in a different way, so not being cooperative with other kids at school was only helping me not to be distracted from my goals that she had set up for me to achieve in the future and that was her priority.

She never cared about my feelings, how I really felt about everything she made me do. I was a loner at school and at home. The only people I talked to where my dad and my nanny. The other house helpers where not allowed to associate with me whatsoever.

My parents were both rich because of their career jobs they were working on. My mom a famous lawyer and my dad a surgical doctor who also owned his own medical school that majored in training students who wanted to be surgeons like him.

The life we were living was envied by many but what they did not know was that some of us in the mansion we were only admiring those outside of it.

In 1994 I was just months away from finishing up my first year in the law school and I heard my mom talking on the phone with one of her friends about my already arranged marriage proposal and the wedding was to take place in just 2months.

I couldn't believe my ears,I was astonished and so heart broken. How could she do that for me without even talking to me about it first.

I always knew my mom never cared about any bodies opinion when it came to something she wanted to happen, it had to go down her ways and no one ever dared to challenge her not anyone I have ever seen.

When I heard that I just knew I had no way out.it was either I had to go with her plan or run away from home even though I didn't know any where to run to and I had to act so fast.

I knew if I succeeded, it was going to be the first time I became defiant to my mom and disagreed with her decision but I was just going to do that.

I went straight to my bedroom and thought of what I was going to do next. I started pacing back and forth in my room corner to corner just to come up with any sort of idea that would get me out of the house.

I had no mobile phone, because by then it was just few people that even possessed a landline. We had one at home but it was only mom and dad that ever used it. And even if I knew how to use it who was I going to make a call to?The only person I had my whole hope in to help me escape this prison was my secret boyfriend Joseph.

I decided to act normal untill the next day to meet with Joseph at the campus so that l let him know everything that my mom was planning and then we plan what to do next. I was not planning to have lived my whole life in a sad and undesirable life to then get married to someone I didn't know or even loved.

I was in love and was determined to fight for it. At that moment when I told myself all that I knew there was no retreat.

I went to the kitchen and talked with my nanny pretending to ask her about some of my stuff just to see where exactly my mom was. It was just 8pm in the evening and dad had not come back yet. Mom was sitting in the library reading her books as always and I ran to pack my little run away package because I didn't want to take alot that will alert anyone. I was going to elope the moment mom drops me to the campus building and never to return.

I was so satisfied with my plan and only felt a little bit sad for what my dad was going to think of me but I had to rescue myself first.

I knew he was going to be hurt, disappointed and heart broken to say the least. He always told me to try to not make my mom angry or disappointed with me that I jaut had to say yes to everything she wanted me to do and he trusted me that I will never act otherwise but this time around I was not going to let anyone stop me from what I had decided to do.