BELLA'S MEMOIRS (ENTRY #25)

WRONG DISCLOSURE

Nothing was going on as planned, which is very typical of my family. This was the moment I just needed everything to work out without any surprises, because the life of the man I loved was at stake but unfortunately my family could not agree on anything. The only thing we all agreed on was the fact that we had to agree on something.

The Duchess: Bella should stay here. She doesn’t have to come with us, considering the media frenzy that would begin today following the story we leaked to the press, she will just attract unnecessary attention to herself and blow the whole plan.

My Daddy: Do you really believe this Toni girl will speak to us without Bella being there? Bella is our only chance of making her talk, she came to Bella herself to confess. She obviously trusts her for some reason.

Ms. A.: Every minute we spend arguing about this is a minute too late for Okechukwu. The Duchess’s contact has confirmed Toni is on a flight out of Nigeria this night and we are here wrangling.

Me: I think I should come with you Daddy.

However, before my father could answer me, the door to the living room flung open. It was Okechukwu’s elder brother Senator Okonkwo. He was holding a newspaper in his hands and wearing a very scary look on his face. Behind him was Aunt Linda his wife who also rushed in barefoot and breathless. It was obvious she had been crying.

Senator Okonkwo: Tokunboh what the hell is this?

He asked, waving a newspaper in my dad’s face.

My Daddy: Senator…

Senator Okonkwo: I called my sources and they told me you were behind this story leaking. I have been paying good money to avoid a scandal since Okey was picked up three days ago and now you have made a mess of the entire thing. If anything happens to my brother, I will personally make sure you are not alive to apologize to me.

The Duchess: Are you threatening my son’s life?

My Daddy: Mother please stay out of this. Senator we are trying to protect your brother this way. He has a trial. He can’t just be silenced now that the public is aware of the charges against him.

Senator Okonkwo: Are you in your right senses? Have you even seen what was printed?

He shoved the paper at my dad. My dad glanced through the publication and I could see the blood drain from his face as he read each line.

My Daddy: Oh my God. This can’t be happening.

Me: Daddy what is it?

He didn’t respond. I tried to take the paper from his grasp but he held on to it tightly.

Ms. A.: Linda what is in the paper?

Aunt Linda: Hmmmmmm Anjola they said that…

Senator Okonkwo: Me chenu gi! (Shut up). I have been warning you to stay away from this crazy family but you will not listen, now see… Okey’s life is ruined.

Aunt Linda instantly kept quiet as instructed.

My dad handed the newspaper to The Duchess who was standing right beside him and I walked over to her side to also have a look.

It was bad…really bad. Instead of the story we had circulated to the press portraying Okechukwu as a victim of the ineffective legal system in Nigeria, which would allow a suspect to be transferred and interrogated in the absence of a lawyer; they had rather portrayed Okechukwu as a criminal who did not have a steady source of income but was driving flashy cars and owned his own home in one of the expensive parts of Lagos. There was reference to his past criminal record. There was also a claim that Okechukwu had tried to assault me and was issued a restraining order by the police to stay away from me. The publication included a scanned copy of a forged restraining order in the papers.

The story had changed completely from what we sent to the press.

Me: How could this have happened? Is this the only newspaper reporting this?

Senator Okonkwo: All the papers are carrying this version of the story. The public are already judging him and calling him an internet fraudster and drug dealer. You gave him a trial quite alright but not a court trial, you have sentenced him to death with this!

Ms. A.: Please Senator we will resolve this. Okechukwu would be fine.

Senator Okonkwo: Shut up your dirty mouth.

He screamed at my stepmom.

My dad instantly snapped out of his shock.

My Daddy: How dare you speak to my wife like that in front of me and in my house for that matter! You can talk to your wife like that if you want to, but never address my wife like that again!

Senator Okonkwo: Can you see how they are insulting me in this house? After trying to commit murder and framing my brother, they are insulting me, ‘ehn Linda’, can you see what you have caused?

Aunt Linda: Please let’s go home we will find a way to help Okechukwu.

Ms. A.: Linda I will come with you.

Senator Okonkwo: You will never step into my house again!  From today, you are not welcome into our home anymore.

Ms. A. looked shocked especially because Aunt Linda remained quiet.

Senator Okonkwo: I will never forgive you all for this and my wife and brother would no longer have anything to do with this evil family.

As he was about to leave, my dad’s phone rang.

My Daddy: It’s the Vice President.

Everyone froze in their tracks. My dad accepted the call and put the phone on speaker.

My Daddy: Your Excellency. Good afternoon sir.

Vice President: Adetokunboh, if not for the respect I have for your mother, I would have ordered the SSS to pick you up for treason. How dare you interrupt the process of me getting justice for my son’s attempted murder?

My Daddy: I don’t understand sir.

Vice President: Did you honestly think that you could use the media to manipulate this investigation? I am the Vice President of this country for crying out loud. No publication can be made on this case without express consent from me. Well, since you have decided to draw out your sword for a battle, I have shown you that you are a small fly in this game. I could have easily shut the story down and ended it there, but because you have displayed your ungratefulness for all I have done to give you a career in politics, I decided instead to hang you with your own rope. Trust me, this is just the beginning, you will be disqualified from the governorship elections and then you will face charges for the allegations levelled against you. I made you and I will destroy you. You and your family.

With that he hung up.

Ms. A.: What does he mean? What charges will he bring against you?

The Duchess: The fraud case we buried of course! All my worst fears are coming true. We would all be exposed. This won’t stop with you Tokunboh.

I had never seen The Duchess so scared. She appeared as if she had just seen a ghost and aged overnight. I wondered if she had bigger skeletons in her wardrobe that she was hiding.

My Daddy: So what do we do now mother?

The Duchess: We will fix this. We will fly to Abuja immediately, you and I and we beg the Vice President to forgive your naivety and indiscretions.

My Daddy: Never! My not becoming governor isn’t the end of the world Mother! As for the fraud allegations, we have been paying back all the people who lost money in that investment. We just need to get them to testify that they agreed to a repayment structure which we have been adhering to and I’m sure the punishment won’t be as grave as we are imagining.

Ms. A.: You are not going to jail TK. God forbid.

My Daddy: Anjola, are you saying that I should beg for forgiveness and leave that innocent boy out to be hanged?

My stepmom was quiet. I knew it was a tough decision for her to make. I could totally relate to her position because even though I would never admit it, if I had to choose I’d rather have my father in jail than Okechukwu. It was a horrible realization to me but it was the honest truth.

Aunt Linda: Anjola! I cannot believe you would let Okechukwu rot in jail for something he did not do! You are my best friend and Okechukwu is my brother!

Ms. A: What do you want me to say Linda? If you were in my shoes what would you do? Watch your husband go to jail?

Aunt Linda: You are so selfish! We won’t let you get away with this. All of you!

Senator Okonkwo: Can you see what I have been telling you about these people? They are evil!

The Duchess: Oh please! If you did not use your own brother to carry out your criminal activities, they won’t have a record to hold against him in the first place. So you are as responsible for putting him in this situation as we are!

Senator Okonkwo: I did what I had to do to protect my family at that time and I got him out of the mess. He was doing fine until he got entangled in the evil web of this family.

The Duchess: You did what you had to do to protect your family, so surely you understand that I have to do what I have to do to protect mine.

Senator Okonkwo: If my brother goes down for this, your family will pay!

The Duchess: I have bigger enemies Senator. Your threats are the least of my worries right now. Adetokunboh go and get dressed we are going to Abuja. If you had listened to me none of this would have happened.

Senator Okonkwo: Tokunboh add me to the list of enemies this family has. My brother risked all for me, I am willing to risk all for him and trust me the worst enemy you can have is the one with nothing to lose.

He walked out of the house in anger with Aunt Linda scurrying behind him already in tears. The look she gave my stepmom before she left was a look of pain and hurt and I knew my stepmom felt very heartbroken that she had betrayed her friend. But is there any woman who would have done otherwise?

My Daddy: Mother I understand we have very limited options here. But you ought to realize that if we do this we would become a puppet to the Vice President and his family.

The Duchess: What are our options here? We have to first fix this and later we can think of what to do in the long term.

I was silent in a corner watching my world continue to unravel before me. What were the possible outcomes here?

1)      Ask the Vice President for forgiveness which would mean leaving Okechukwu to take the fall. My father would win the governorship elections and we would carry on with our lives.

The issue with this picture was; if the families reunited would I still be expected to marry Yinka to keep the family’s relationships cemented?

2)      Call the Vice President’s bluff. Keep trying to help Okechukwu. Prepare for the imminent family scandal and other attacks from the Vice President and possible conviction of both my father and Okechukwu if I didn’t win the battle?

Those were the only two options I could think of and they both did not work for me, because in both scenarios, Okechukwu still took the fall.

I knew my father was not as strong willed as he often tried to prove, it was only a matter of time before The Duchess’s constant pressure and my stepmom’s tears made him accept to go and make peace with Yinka’s father. The only way to ensure this did not happen was to change dynamics of the game. I had to put one more piece on the chessboard. I had to add an element that I knew my father would die for into the equation and I knew exactly what the piece was and how to add it.

I had completely wandered in my thoughts and was not sure why my father was now raising his voice at my stepmom, who was also wailing but I interrupted them anyway…

Me: Dad, I am not going to let an innocent person suffer for my mistakes. I poisoned Yinka and I am going to make a public confession.