NO GREATER LOVE

chapter 4

it had been two months since the demise of Adekunle owolabi and life has never remained the same for the Adekunle's family. Ewawunmi walked around town for weeks in search of a job before she found one at the company of one of her late husband's business partner.

she now spends her days at work and her evenings either crying in her room or nagging at Toriola.

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Toriola was in his room scribbling in his noge when Ewawunmi barged inside and yanked his headset away from him angrily.

"how could you disrespect your brother that way?how dare you!" she demanded.

"I have no brother". Toriola said coldly before turning back to his book.

"yes! yes you have no brother you bastard. Adeshina can never be your brother. after killing my husband you want to frustrate me till death too? I'll kill you before that happens you unfortunate boy!" she yelled and started beating him.

Adeshina stood by the doorway with a smirk on his lips as he watched the show.

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" Go" Adeshina muttered to one of his underlings at school by the name of lasisi one certain morning. lasisi smiled wickedly and stood up to do his boss's biddings.

"Adekunle Toriola!" lasisi yelled, catching the attention of the whole class before walking to toriola's desk.

Toriola ignored him and continued scribbling in his mystery book.

"the greatest dullard of all time!" lasisi mocked and the whole class bursted into laughter.

"oh wait! I heard you killed your father with your ogbanje. poor man exploded with the plane like a firework" he said wickedly.

Toriola's hand tightened and shook violently on his own but he still choose to ignore lasisi. he took in a deep breath and continued writing.

"don't ignore me when I'm talking to you!" lasisi yanked his note away and tore it into pieces before spraying it all over toriola's desk.

"N - No! No!" Toriola cries as he packed the papers together while lasisi kept on laughing. lasisi's laughter rang In his head like a thousand bells and before anyone could blink, he has lunged at lasisi with his pen held tightly in his hand and he stabbed his neck multiple times. Blood splurged out of lasisi's neck and stained toriola's face and uniform but he kept on stabbing and crying.

the whole class was in a a frenzy as they screamed and ran around. it took two hefty teachers to drag Toriola away from lasisi who had already lost consciousness.

He sat down on the b****y floor and continued crying while still clutching the pen tightly.

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Benson Ajani drove roughly into the school compound minutes after the principal called him. he parked hurriedly and sprinted to the principal's office.

"Toriola!" he rushed towards the crying boy and hugged him tightly not minding the blood on him. toriola's body shook slightly as he continued crying.

"Mr ige, what happened? why is he covered in blood?" he asked the principal.

"Mr Benson, please have a seat" Mr ige gestured and narrated all that happened to Ajani.

"Toriola has refused to speak and kept on crying ever since then" he concluded.

Ajani wiped a tear from his face before giving Toriola a glance.

"Mr Benson, I know Toriola is in a very delicate state as he lost his father not long ago but this drastic change is something beyond my comprehension. he has become so violent a-a-and is slowly losing his mind! what explanation do you expect me to give the parents of the boy he stabbed? what if the boy had died? I know bullying is not a good thing but this is too extreme!"

"I'm really sorry me ige, I'll bear the medical cost and everything the boy needs while recovering " Ajani said solemnly

"because this has never happened before, he is only going to be suspended for a month. a repetition of this will earn him expulsion. take your boy home Mr Benson, he needs help."

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"Toriola, Toriola, Toriola you've been crying ever since I brought you home from school. why are you doing this to yourself? why are you doing this to me? Toriola what is going on? this is not you! just tell me what is going on and let's find a solution to it together I beg you" Ajani knelt before the boy and held his trembling hands.

"when is my daddy coming back? uncle Benson he promised to be back by weekend. it has been a lot of weekends already and I haven't seen him! will he be back this weekend?" he asked hopefully.

Ajani took in a deep breath as he tried to hold back his tears.

"don't be in denial Toriola you know your father is dead. he's never coming back"

"no! he promised! he'll come back!" he screamed

"look at me Toriola. from now on, I am your father. you can call me daddy and I'll treat you as my son, the same way I treat fola and Ayo. I'll do everything your father used to do and more. you can even come live here if you want but please stop talking about Owolabi. l -l - I'm not saying you won't see him again ok? you'll see him again when you get older and make us all proud. he'll come with a smile that shows how proud of you he is but please, let go of him and live your life for now. let go of him Toriola, let go of him!" Ajani cried as he hugged the weeping boy.

don't worry Owolabi, I've always got your back. he thought as they both wept bitterly.

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"my love we need to talk" Mrs Benson tapped her husband gently at midnight.

" oh what is it again this woman. can't you see I'm sleeping? why must we talk at midnight?" Ajani grumbled as he sat up and rubbed his sleepy eyes

"I'm sorry my husband. it's just that I might not have the opportunity to say this during the day"

"mtcheew. I'm listening "

"thank you". she took in a deep breath and continued

"honey, I don't think we should allow Toriola to go back to his mother"

"why? she is his mother isn't she? Ajani was confused.

" I know she is dear but do you think Owolabi would want his son in such an environment? a child left for school since yesterday and didn't go back home yet she feels relaxed. she's not even worried. not even a phone call to confirm if he is with us or not. what kind of mother does that? what if the boy isn't with us? God forbid but what if something has happened to him? I know he is her son but I can't watch as the boy suffers after his father's demise o. I can't"

"so what are you saying now?"

"you still don't understand? I'm saying should keep the boy with us! talk to his mother and make her release him to us. I'm sure his father would want that as well."

"woman! do you know what you are saying? we should take a grieving woman's child away from her? that's not fair enough "

" what grieving woman? is it grieve that makes her maltreat him,? if you see the number of scars I saw on his body when I was bathing the blood of him. you expect him not to be violent when he lives with such a violent woman? ehn? tell me na.

just know one thing my dead, if anything happens to Toriola then it's all on you because you promised to take care of him!". she said and laid down angrily leaving Ajani lost in thought