C6 Chapter Four

Somewhere in the heart of the city of Accra, the beautiful capital city of Ghana in East Lagon stands the enchanting mansion of the Ɔdɔ family. A silhouette stands at the balcony of the fourth floor, her distant eyes blankly gaze at the beautiful night city ahead.

No one knows what is running through her jumble mind except God.

Previously she would have smiled while gazing at the lit night city with pure admiration as she inhales the fresh air of the night intertwine with the sea breeze, loving how it whips gently cool on her face. She would have fallen deeply in love with the beauty of the sleepless city of Accra, the distant humming of cars stuck in traffic winding their horns, the vibration of music cries, the shout of joy and nature's songs from the tides enveloping the whole city.

However tonight is different from the previous blissful nights. Tonight is affected by her dampened mood. Tonight's air is gloomy, fills with sadness, pain, grief and loneliness--- suffocating, too depressed.

A lot is preying on her fragile young mind and whimpering heart. A lot has happened within a week. It took only three days to turn her life upside down. From a perfect life to an imperfect life. From doted on to hated. From a peaceful life to chaotic. From happiness to sadness. From acceptance to rejection. From a glorious crown to a disgraceful crown.

She still can not accept this reality, that something like this will happen to her--- lose everything she values so much overnight.

She lost friends.

She lost sisters.

She lost parents.

She lost loved ones.

She lost family.

She doesn't know how her fans will take the news if they find out--- which will happen sooner or later.

What a funny reality.

"What do I do now..?" She sighs, blinking back tears. She chuckles softly. She can't count the number of times she has shed tears for the past three days.

Her roaming thoughts take her back to this morning at the family house of the Ɔdɔ family, in Labadi.

All the extended family members were present for the family meeting. And it was because of her. The grandfather who dotes on her the most sat in the high chair, being the head. The look she saw in his eyes shocked her and still haunts her anxious soul.

She has never witness that look on her always happy smiling grandfather, who is full of love and praises for her. This morning fell in contrast with his previous warm demeanor.

She still recoils and shivers from the way he looked at her, his harsh words and eardrum bursting slap.

He had made her kneel in the center of the extravagant hall, pathetically.

"You filthy dirty thing!" These were his words before making her kneel and hitting her with his walking stick, so hard that it left a shiny swell on her forehead with a brutal head splitting headache. "How dare you bring such shame to our family you ungrateful brat! After everything this family has done for you you chose to whore around with no shame?!" Her eldest brother had stepped in to intervene for her, using the safety of the unborn baby inside of her to threaten their grandfather to stop hitting her. With red fury face he reluctantly stopped, nonetheless his anger was vented on her through disdainful words. Words that left a permanent mark on Gracious' soul.

Everyone had stared down at her, like she is the most disgusting dirty thing in the world--- the only ungrateful sinner in the world.

Her once glorious life is stained with spots, dirt and blemish--- disgrace. Disappointment and heartbreak soar proudly in the hearts of everyone around in the family home.

Their eyes blazed with disdain as they glared down at the thorn that pricked their family's image, disgust the expression of their once proud treasure.

They couldn't believe that she did this to them, made a fool out of them with her pure white lotus appearance, delicate innocence and perfect character. Who would have thought that behind that innocent looking angel was a devil waiting forth to ambush them?

They felt ashamed, betrayed and insulted by their pride, once respected pure jasper treasure.

Dignity rolled and tumbled into a discarded tattered dress, scattered on the ground and being stepped on. Becoming nothing but a bullying garment of shame. Purity rolled into a crown of disgrace, wearing her proudly with shame.

Her pleads and apologies are nothing to ease the shame and pain in their hearts. Her sad tears could not wash away the stain dripping down on their family's image.

No matter the detergents use to wash and purify it, the colour could never be the same like it used to be.

The stain will forever imprint on and in every fiber and vein of the name.

It is a sad reality they all have to live with.

They had mocked, taunted and shamed her with toxic words. They had called her dirty, filthy, a cheap easy woman--- a harlot.

A snake, the real wolf--- black sheep of the family. A liar and a pretender, a sneaking smelly rat who fooled them with her pure delicate appearance.

She was made fun of, her nuclear family was made fun of by her favorite auntie--- the very one who worshipped her feet with praises.

Their scoffs and mocks still crawl on her skin, raising dreadful goosebumps and wrapping her soul with cold darkness. A whirlwind trapping her limps in bondage.

It makes her laugh every second she remembers the scorching hate and look of contempt and victory dancing in the eyes of her favorite auntie as she mouth dirtied her during the whole family meeting.

It was as though she hit the jackpot.

She couldn't do anything--- say anything. She knelt in the middle obediently receiving every painful remarks and insults from every corner of the enormous hall of the family house, head low at the mercy of everyone.

No one, stood for her. No one understood her. No one empathized--- sympathized with her. No one asked why. And it hurts her, a lot so much that she can't exhale without the cutting wounds opening.

It makes her wonder if they--- her family did truly love her, or even care--- just a little bit.

She had felt rejected, lost and broken beyond repair--- lonely and depressed to the point she thought of ceasing her own breath to stop the pain.

They cut her, slit and deep. Blood spewing out,

cruelly like a bleeding lilly.

It was too much, too hazy, too dark and dizzy.

She has never in her living life heard, come across--- seen a family who cared the most about image and reputation than a human being's feelings, even if it causes the person's life.

They are all vipers, poisonous snakes who care nothing about the pain they inflict on someone.

Heartless animals in human bodies.

Her friends, church members, parents, siblings--- family!

They are all hypocrites and liars!

God, they all need to die.

Gracious had wanted to say all these words to the people who showed their true colours after her downfall. But she couldn't, the words will not come out. It was as if her throat was ceased, there was nothing she could do or say to change things or inflict the same pain they inflicted on her on them, which makes her so angry and helpless.

It is as though anyone can slap her, kick her to any direction like a football and she can not complain.

She feels vulnerably expose to every predator passing by. And she can not do anything to protect herself from the danger ahead.

What killed her soul was the look of disappointment in the eyes of her fourteen year old cousin, her number one fan--- admirer.

She has higher expectations and goals to attain because of her. She adores her, she wants to be like her. She eats like her, drinks like her, dresses like her, smiles like her, laughs like her, talks like her, walks like her--- does everything like her. Her everything portray Gracious.

She was so proud of her Gracious, her idol and mentor.

Perfect wanted to be perfect like her big cousin so she imitated everything of hers.

She loved her so much. She would always boast of her perfect flawless Beauty to everyone she saw. In school, church, neighborhood, in the family, to her friends, teachers--- on social media.

No one was allowed to badmouth her perfect Gold. She would go to the ends of earth to defend her Gracious' pure honour. Because she knew that, not once will her perfect Gracious will ever taint herself.

And to be struck with the news of her dark secret, hit hard.

Perfect had met Gracious right after the family's meeting, crying and begging her idol to tell her the real truth because she couldn't accept whatever everyone said. That isn't how her pure innocent Gracious is.

Gracious was left with a knot in her throat, tongue tied. A heavy crushing heart and guilt filled eyes. Head hung low in shame as pleading tears fell miserably.

Perfect had gasped, recoiling back in shock. The look of shock, sadness, pain, disappointment, betrayal, disgust, anger and hate that crossed her number one fan's eyes left a permanent mark on her soul.

Heart completely torn apart, crushed--- numb to the point the tears stopped coming. That was the most painful encounter of her life and Gracious doesn't know if she has lost her anchor--- the only string of hope keeping her numb limps floating on sea.

That fear keeps preying on her restless misery grieving bound soul from the moment they parted ways at the family house.

She wonders if her grandmother is to be part of the living, will she she also treat her like everyone else? Or will she understand her and care just a little to ask why?

As she stands gazing blankly at the magical lustrous looking city of Accra, she thinks; Is there anyone out there, who cares enough to ask why?

Making up her mind she finally lifts the communication pink device trap in her tightly clench shaking hand and stares at it for what felt like years, giving her decision a thorough thought again she does what she should have done days ago.

Dialing.......

Trey Lee

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