The Things Mama Never told Us - Episode four

THE THINGS MAMA NEVER TOLD USEpisode Four: What Kemi Knows For a moment, nobody spoke. Aunty Ronke's words kept ringing in my ears. *Someone in your family knows what happened to her.* I looked at Kemi again. She was still wiping her tears, refusing to meet my eyes. “Kemi, please. What do you know about Sade?” “Nothing, Teni.” “Then why are you crying?” She looked at me, and for the first time, I saw something in her eyes that frightened me. Fear. “Can we please leave?” she whispered. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. “We came here because you insisted on following me! Now that we're finally getting answers, you want us to leave?” “Teni, not here.” “Then where? At home, where Daddy can interrupt us? Or should I wait until everybody is ready to tell me the truth?” Aunty Ronke sighed. “Kemi, perhaps it's time.” My sister immediately turned towards her. “Please, Aunty. Not yet.” Not yet? Those two words told me more than either of them realised. There was something they knew. Something they weren't ready to tell me. I stood up. “Fine. If nobody wants to talk, I'll find out myself.” I walked out before either of them could stop me. Kemi caught up with me outside. “Teni, wait!” I kept walking. “Please, listen to me.” I stopped. “I'm listening, Kemi. For once, say something that makes sense.” She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Then she did something I wasn't expecting. She held my hands. “Whatever you discover about Sade, promise me you won't hate Mama.” I stared at her. “What does Mama have to do with this?” Kemi released my hands immediately. “I shouldn't have said that.” “Kemi!” She walked away. Just like that. I stood there, watching my own sister leave me with another question. By the time I got home, I was exhausted. I wanted to confront Daddy, but I knew how that would end. He would tell me I was overthinking things, remind me that Mama was dead, and ask me to focus on my studies. He always did. So instead, I went to my room and called Damilare. He picked up on the third ring. “Hey, Teni.” “Do you remember Sade?” There was silence. Not the kind that comes when someone is searching their memory. The kind that comes when someone knows exactly what you're talking about. “Why are you asking me that?” he finally said. I sat upright. “You know her?” “Not really.” “Then why did you sound like that?” “Like what?” “Dami, please. I'm not in the mood for this.” He sighed. “What happened?” I told him everything Aunty Ronke had said, including Kemi's strange reaction. When I finished, he remained quiet. Then he asked, “Did Kemi tell you anything?” “No. But she said something about not hating Mama.” Another silence. “Damilare, what's going on?” “Listen to me, Teni. You need to be careful about the questions you ask.” I laughed bitterly. “Everybody keeps telling me to be careful. Nobody wants to tell me the truth!” “I'm trying to protect you.” “From what?” He didn't answer. I ended the call. For the first time since this whole thing began, I wondered whether Damilare was part of the secret too. That night, I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about Sade, Mama, and Kemi's tears. Then I remembered something. When we were younger, Mama used to tell us stories before bed. There was one story she told more often than the others, about a little girl who got lost and a family that searched everywhere for her. I had always thought it was just a story. But now, I remembered the ending. Mama never finished it. Whenever I asked what happened to the little girl, she would smile sadly and say, “Some stories are better left untold.” My stomach tightened. Had she been talking about Sade all along? I got out of bed and went to Mama's old room. I didn't know what I was looking for. Maybe another photograph. Maybe a letter. Maybe something that would finally make sense. I searched through the drawers until I found an old notebook. Most of its pages were filled with recipes and shopping lists. But on the last page, Mama had written a name. **Sade.** Beneath it was a sentence that made my blood run cold. *If she ever comes back, don't let Teni see her.* I read it once. Twice. Then I heard footsteps behind me. I turned. Daddy stood at the doorway, staring at the notebook in my hands. For several seconds, neither of us spoke. Then he slowly closed the door. “Teni,” he said quietly, “where did you find that?” I swallowed. “Who is Sade?” His expression changed. And in that moment, I realised something I had never considered before. Daddy wasn't surprised that I had found Mama's notebook. He was afraid of what I might read next. To be continued…

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