My Friendly Enemy Chp VI

Chapter Six: The Unexpected Visitor It was a quiet Saturday afternoon.The harmattan breeze drifted gently through our neighbourhood, carrying with it the scent of roasted corn from a nearby roadside vendor. Since there was no school, Andrew and I had spent most of the morning playing football with other children before returning home, exhausted and covered in dust.After taking my bath, I settled in the sitting room, watching an old cartoon on the small television while my adopted mother prepared lunch in the kitchen.Just then, there was a knock on the gate.Knock... Knock... Knock.My mother wiped her hands with a kitchen towel and walked outside.Standing at the entrance was a neatly dressed man in his late fifties. He wore a navy-blue suit despite the afternoon heat and carried a black leather briefcase."Good afternoon, ma," he greeted politely."Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you?""My name is Barrister Adekunle Adebayo. I'm a legal practitioner from Ibadan."My mother looked puzzled."I'm sorry... have we met before?""No, we haven't."He reached into his briefcase and brought out a brown envelope."I'm looking for a boy named Olaoshebikan Clement Enitan."The moment she heard my name, her expression changed."He's my son.""I was hoping to speak with his guardian.""I am."The barrister nodded respectfully."May I come in? What I have to discuss is quite important."Although she was hesitant, my mother welcomed him into the sitting room and offered him a seat.From where I sat, I watched curiously.Who was this man?Why was he asking about me?The barrister adjusted his glasses before carefully placing several documents on the centre table."Mrs..."She told him her name. "Eunice Majekodunmi"He smiled politely."Thank you Mrs. Majek, First of all, let me apologise for coming unannounced.""You're welcome," my mother replied. "Please, tell me what this is about."The barrister took a deep breath."For the past three years, my law firm has been searching for the surviving heir of the late Chief Adeyemi Olaoshebikan."My mother frowned."I'm afraid I don't know anyone by that name.""You may not," the lawyer replied. "But Clement is related to him."Silence filled the room.I stopped watching the television and listened carefully.The lawyer continued."Chief Adeyemi Olaoshebikan was a successful businessman with investments in real estate, agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing. He passed away eight months ago."My mother remained speechless."Before his death, he left behind a legally binding will."The barrister slowly opened one of the files."In that will, he specifically instructed our firm to locate his closest surviving blood relative.""And... that person is Clement?" my mother asked in disbelief."Yes."She covered her mouth."But... Clement's parents are dead.""We are aware.""And he has no family."The lawyer gently shook his head."Not exactly."He explained that Chief Adeyemi had been a distant relative from Clement's late father's family. Years earlier, disagreements and family conflicts had separated them, and communication was completely lost. By the time the Chief tried to reconnect, Clement's parents had already died."He deeply regretted not finding the child sooner," the lawyer said softly.My mother's eyes became watery.The barrister slid another document across the table."According to the will, every personal property, investment, bank account, and landed asset belonging to Chief Adeyemi is to be transferred to Master Olaoshebikan Clement Enitan."My mother blinked repeatedly."I'm sorry... did you say every property?""Yes."He opened another file containing photographs."There are residential buildings in Lagos, Ibadan, and Abuja..."He placed another photograph beside it."...commercial properties..."Another."...farmlands..."And another."...shares in several companies."My mother's hands trembled."This... this cannot be real."The lawyer smiled reassuringly."It is."He reached into his briefcase one last time and produced a document stamped with several official seals."In addition to the properties, the late Chief also left a substantial amount of money in multiple bank accounts."My mother swallowed hard."How much?"The barrister looked down at the document before answering."Just over three hundred and eighty million naira."The room became deathly silent.I didn't understand the significance of the figure.To me, it was simply a very big number.But my adopted mother knew exactly what it meant.Tears rolled down her cheeks.Not because of the money... But because she suddenly realised that the little orphan she had picked up years ago had unknowingly been born into a family with a forgotten legacy.The barrister carefully gathered the remaining documents."There are legal procedures that must be completed before everything can be transferred to Clement. Since he is still a minor, the court will require a legal guardian to oversee the estate until he comes of age."He looked directly at my mother."If you are willing, the late Chief's wishes allow you to serve as his legal guardian."My mother couldn't speak.She simply looked at me.The little boy sitting innocently on the floor had no idea that his life had just changed forever.Neither of us noticed the small figure standing outside the half-open window.Andrew.He had come looking for me so we could play football.Instead... He had heard enough to change the course of both our lives forever.

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