Chapter 8 - THE MOTHER WHO CAME TOO LATEAmanda stood in the shelter's small garden, holding a letter against her chest.
It had arrived that morning through Barrister Adebayo.
The handwriting was familiar.
Her mother's.
For almost two months, Amanda had imagined receiving something from Ngozika.
Sometimes she dreamed that her mother would apologize.
Other times she dreamed of returning home, only to find the door locked.
Now the letter was in her hands.
She unfolded it slowly.
My daughter Amanda,
I don't know whether you will ever forgive me.
Every morning I wake up and look at the place where you used to sleep. Every evening I sit beside my shop and wonder whether you have eaten.
I thought being a strict mother would protect you from suffering. Instead, my words pushed you into danger.
I was ashamed that you became pregnant before finishing school. I worried about money and what people would say.
But now I understand that I cared more about what strangers might think than about what my own daughter needed.
I am sorry.
I don't want you to return because I expect you to take care of me someday. I want you to be alive, healthy, and happy.
If you never want to see me again, I will accept it.
But please know that I love you.
Your mother, Ngozika.
Amanda read the letter until the words blurred.
Then she sat on a bench and cried.
She remembered growing up in a tiny rented room.
After her father died, Ngozika worked endlessly to keep food on the table.
Amanda remembered waking before sunrise to help prepare bread and bean cakes for the roadside shop.
She remembered her mother returning home exhausted, her hands burned from hot oil, yet still asking whether Amanda had finished her homework.
Ngozika had loved her.
Amanda never doubted that.
But love had become tangled with fear, expectations, and shame.
When Amanda told her mother she was pregnant, Ngozika had reacted as though her daughter's entire future had been destroyed.
That rejection wounded Amanda deeply.
But reading the letter, she realized her mother was finally beginning to understand.
Sister Grace found her crying.
"Amanda, are you all right?"
Amanda nodded.
"My mother wrote to me."
"Would you like some privacy?"
"No."
Amanda wiped her face.
"I think I want to call her."
Sister Grace sat beside her.
"Then call her when you feel ready."
Amanda considered the words.
She had spent weeks feeling powerless.
Now people were finally allowing her to make decisions about her own life.
She dialed Ngozika's number.
The phone rang three times.
"Hello?"
Amanda couldn't speak.
"Hello? Who is calling?"
"Mama."
Silence.
Then Ngozika screamed.
"Amanda!"
Amanda began crying again.
"Mama, it's me."
"My daughter! My child! Thank God! Oh, thank God!"
Ngozika was crying so loudly that Amanda had to move the phone away from her ear.
"Are you safe? Where are you? Have you eaten? How is the baby?"
Amanda smiled through her tears.
"I'm safe, Mama."
"Please forgive me!"
"Mama..."
"I shouldn't have sent you away. I shouldn't have shouted at you. I was afraid, but that doesn't excuse what I did."
Amanda took a shaky breath.
"I needed you."
Ngozika began sobbing.
"I know."
"I was so scared, Mama."
"My daughter, I'm sorry."
Amanda looked down at her stomach.
For several moments, she allowed herself to feel the sadness she had been carrying.
Then she spoke quietly.
"I want us to have a relationship again. But things have to change."
Ngozika immediately agreed.
"Anything."
"I don't want you calling my baby a mistake."
"No, my daughter."
"And I don't want you deciding my future for me."
"I understand."
Amanda swallowed.
"I still want to become a doctor."
Ngozika's voice softened.
"Then I will support your dream in whatever way I can."
For the first time in months, Amanda felt something inside her begin to heal.
They spoke for almost an hour.
Ngozika told her about the shop, the customers, and how James had been searching for her.
Amanda became quiet when she heard his name.
"Mama, does James know you're speaking to me?"
"No."
"Please don't tell him where I am."
Ngozika hesitated.
Then she answered.
"I won't."
Amanda closed her eyes in relief.
"Thank you."
After the call ended, Amanda found Dr. Okafor waiting in the shelter's office.
The doctor was holding several papers.
"Amanda, I have some news."
Amanda became worried.
"About the baby?"
"No. The baby is doing well."
"Then what?"
Dr. Okafor smiled.
"Remember the educational support program we discussed?"
Amanda nodded.
The clinic collaborated with a charitable foundation that helped disadvantaged young adults continue their education.
Amanda had applied after Sister Grace encouraged her.
"I remember."
"They reviewed your academic records."
Amanda held her breath.
"And?"
"You've been selected for a scholarship interview."
Amanda stared.
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
Tears filled her eyes again.
For so long, life had brought one painful surprise after another.
Now, for the first time, something good had happened.
"Does this mean I can return to school?"
"It means you have a real opportunity. You'll need to complete the interview, and we'll make a plan for your studies and childcare."
Amanda began laughing and crying simultaneously.
Dr. Okafor hugged her.
"You're still allowed to have dreams, Amanda."
That evening, Amanda opened her old notebook and wrote a sentence across the first page.
My child will never be the reason I abandon my future. My child will be one more reason I fight for it.
Then her phone rang.
It was Barrister Adebayo.
"Amanda, I need you to stay calm."
Amanda immediately became nervous.
"What happened?"
"The investigator we hired has identified the man who was following you."
Amanda gripped the phone.
"Collins?"
"Yes."
"Did he work for Lucia?"
"He admitted receiving instructions from her."
Amanda closed her eyes.
The lawyer continued.
"But there's something else."
"What?"
"According to the messages recovered during the investigation, Lucia wasn't the only person asking about your whereabouts."
Amanda's stomach tightened.
"Who else?"
May you like
Barrister Adebayo hesitated.
"The second person is connected to Chief Benedict's household."
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