She continued.
“How did you even come back home? Chida told me you were not doing well. She said you were stranded.”
Okon’s hand stopped.
“What?” he asked.
Mrs. Madara nodded slowly.
“She told me things have been hard for you,” she added gently. “That is why I have not received any money from you for about three years now.”
She paused for a moment, then spoke again, her voice softer.
“And I could no longer continue my business because of my age,” she said quietly.
Okon’s eyes widened.
“For three years?” he repeated.
“Yes,” she said. “After your sister got married and left the house, things became harder for me.”
Okon leaned back. His mind was racing.
“I have been sending money every month,” he said, his voice low but firm. “I never stopped. Not even once.”
Mrs. Madara looked at him, confused.
“My son, it has been a long while since anything reached me,” she said quietly.
Okon shook his head.
“I called Chida many times,” he said. “Many times in a month, especially each time I sent your monthly upkeep. But each time, she told me you were fine.”
They both went quiet.
The truth began to settle between them.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Okon looked away.
Now it made sense.
The missed calls. The excuses. The same words every time.
“Don’t worry. Mother is fine.”
Mrs. Madara held her chest.
“You mean…” she started, but could not finish.
Okon nodded slowly.
Neither of them wanted to say it, but they both understood.
Chida had been lying for years.
They sat there in silence.
After some time, Okon stood up.
“Mama, let’s go,” he said gently.
He helped his mother up and led her back to the car.
Before returning to the hotel, they stopped at a clothing shop where ready-made clothes were sold. He gently led her inside and asked her to pick whatever she liked.
She looked at the expensive clothes in the shop, then turned to her son.
“My son, are you sure? These clothes look very expensive,” she said quietly.
He smiled warmly.
“Mama,” he said, “I am here now to take care of you myself. Nothing is too expensive for my mother.”
She smiled for the first time in many years.
Slowly, she began to choose a few simple but beautiful dresses, picking each one carefully.
He paid for everything, and the shop attendants packed all the dresses into bags.
As they left the clothing shop and settled into the car, Mr. Okon leaned back for a moment, his mind heavy with thoughts.
He turned to his mother.
“Mama, did you say you have not seen Chida for over three years?” he asked quietly.
Mrs. Madara let out a deep sigh.
“My son,” she began slowly, her voice filled with sadness, “I don’t know what happened to your sister. She changed after her marriage.”
She paused, shaking her head gently.
“She has not come to see me for more than three years now,” she continued. “They even moved out of their former house, and she did not tell me.”
Okon’s brows tightened.
“It was when I went there myself to check on them that I found out they had already left,” she added softly.
Okon breathed out slowly.
“Hmm,” he murmured.
Then he spoke again.
“The reason I asked is because two years ago, I was sending her money to build a modern house,” he said, “on a piece of land I also sent her money to buy for me.”
Mrs. Madara turned to look at him, confused.
Okon brought out his phone. He opened his gallery and began scrolling.
“These are the pictures she was sending to me,” he said.
He showed her image after image, from the foundation to the rising walls to the roofing, until the building looked complete.
Mrs. Madara stared at the screen, her eyes wide.
“This…” she whispered.
Okon swallowed.
“I was on my way to that house yesterday when I saw you,” he said. “I believed you were already living there.”
Silence filled the car.
Then suddenly, Mrs. Madara broke down in tears.
“What happened to my daughter?” she cried. “How did the child I carried for nine months become so heartless toward her own mother?”
Her voice shook deeply.
“All these years, I believed you were the one suffering,” she continued. “I’ve been crying to God to bless my children.”
Tears rolled freely down her face.
“I did not know God had already answered my prayers,” she said.
Okon moved closer and held her gently.
“Mama, it’s okay,” he said softly. “It’s all over now.”
He held her hand firmly.
“I’m here now,” he added. “We are going to that place. I want to see what she did with the house I sent her money to build for you.”
The car moved forward again.
They drove for a long time, almost two hours.
Finally, they arrived at the location.
Okon stepped out of the car.
“Mama, please stay inside,” he said gently.
She nodded.
Okon looked around slowly. His eyes searched the area.
His face began to change.
He took a few steps forward, then stopped.
“This place…” he muttered under his breath.
He looked again, then again.
His heart began to beat faster.
“Is this not the land Chida bought?” he said quietly to himself.
But there was nothing there.
No building. No blocks. No sign of construction.
Just empty land covered with tall grasses.
Okon walked a little farther down the street, checking carefully. He looked at nearby houses and landmarks.
Everything matched.
This was the place.
He slowly brought out his phone again and dialed Chida’s number.
