I FORGIVE YOU

PROLOGUE
“Good afternoon guys, welcome to Get To Know Your Stars show, this is the show that brings you great news about popular artiste, actresses and actors, let me just say we bring news about anyone and everyone famous and today I have with me two very important guests who would be filling us in on who they were before they became famous and what shaped them into being who they are now. Find yourselves seats and sit firm as we all go on this ride together. I promise you would love it even as much as I would. Well right now I will like to give my guests the honor of introducing themselves and filling the blank spaces for us. Hit us with all you’ve got.”
“My name is Love and this is how it all started”
 
CHAPTER ONE
“SURPRISE!!!!!”
“Oh my God. Guys, wow.” Love said as she stood at the entrance to her parent’s living room staring with disbelief at her family and friends. She was definitely surprised, when her parents and brothers hadn’t wished her a happy birthday this morning before she went to school she had been disappointed. She had really expected more from her family at least a girl could only clock sixteen once then her friends had also been distant to her in school that day. She had even walked home sad and unhappy and alone since her best friend made an excuse to leave school earlier than Love, but unknown to her, her friends and family had been planning this surprise for her.
“Thank you guys, this, this is so wonderful” she said as she clasped her hands together in front of her.
“Happy birthday baby” her dad said as her engulfed her in a hug
“Happy birthday darling” her mother also said as she came close to her to hug her
“Happy birthday Love” her twelve year old twin brothers said together as they also hugged her. “Are you surprised?”
“Yes very”
“Mum told us not to let you in on the surprise but it was very difficult to keep it from you, you know we tell you everything”
“Yes guys and you really did a good job of keeping it from me” she said to her them as they grinned from ear to ear and moved towards the cake, they loved cake so much.
“Hey friend” she glanced up to see her best friend Praise.
“Happy birthday babe. You thought I was been a bitch today shey?”
“Yes I thought so”
“I was just playing the part. I couldn’t let you in on the surprise then it won’t be a surprise anymore would it?” Praise said trying to appease Love for her behavior today.
“Nope it won’t, I love you girl. Come here” Love said as she hugged her best friend
“Okay time to cut the cake” her dad shouted holding up a camera
Her dad with a camera, this was something she really wanted to see and also dreaded seeing at the same time, her dad could never take a picture even if he was forced to.
“I know what you are thinking babe, but I will not be taking the pictures” her dad said with a smile.
“Thank God” Love said to herself taking a deep breadth
“Ok, guys we will be spelling Love before cutting the cake” the photographer who dad had probably called and paid to come take pictures of us said
“Ok let’s go guys” he added
“L-O-V-E”
The camera flashed and captured another happy moment in the life of the Williams, hardly did anyone know that two years to that day things were going to fall apart.PROLOGUE
“Good afternoon guys, welcome to Get To Know Your Stars show, this is the show that brings you great news about popular artiste, actresses and actors, let me just say we bring news about anyone and everyone famous and today I have with me two very important guests who would be filling us in on who they were before they became famous and what shaped them into being who they are now. Find yourselves seats and sit firm as we all go on this ride together. I promise you would love it even as much as I would. Well right now I will like to give my guests the honor of introducing themselves and filling the blank spaces for us. Hit us with all you’ve got.”
“My name is Love and this is how it all started”
 
CHAPTER TWO
TWO YEARS LATER
“Who is at the door?” twelve years old Raphael asked as he moved towards the entrance of the house
“Who is at the door?” he repeated when he didn’t get a reply from whoever was knocking.
“Why is the person not responding” his mother asked from where she was sitting in the living room
“I don’t know ma”
“Ask again”
“Who is it?” he repeated again this time moving closer to the door to hear the person’s reply.
“It is I, Love” he heard feeble voice reply
“Ohhhhh, Ma it is Love” he said to his mum “but what is Love doing home?” he said to himself as he opened the door.
“Hey Raph” Love said as she entered the house carrying a bag across her shoulders
“Honey” her mother said rising up from where she was seated and moving towards her.
“Good evening ma” Love greeted kneeling down.
“Love, is it, is it, the---the---the” her mum asked stammering
“Yes mum, it is back again”
“Ohh baby, come here” her mother said hugging her and quietly shedding tears.
“It is ok Ma. I am okay”
“Hey guys we are home, the blues won the match” her father said as he entered the room with his usual burst of energy.
“Yes we beat the reds hands down” Daniel said from the doorway.
Her mother stared at her father and brother like they had two heads, that was probably because she knew nothing about football since it was only Love, her father and Daniel that had passion for football in the house or maybe she was still feeling weighed down by what Love had just told her, Love didn’t know which it was but the expression was so funny she burst into laughter and regretted it as soon as she did, her tummy gave a pang as an excruciating pain robbed her off her senses till she was gasping for breath and crying out in pain.
“Love, is that you, but what are you doing home you are supposed to be in school. Why--- Ohhhh, is it, ohhh” her father said as he came to the realization of what had brought her home. He moved near her and hugged her hard as Daniel and Raphael also moved in and hugged her tightly.
“You are going to be okay” Her father said and Love hoped that was true.
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
As she lay in the comfort of her bed that evening, Love couldn’t help but think about how life had really dealt with her for the past two years. She had felt pain in her stomach few days after her sixteenth birthday and as the pain grew worse her parents decided to have a checkup at the hospital and that was where they had discovered that her appendix had to be operated on, it was doing this period that she got admission to study Art at the university of Ibadan, the operation had long since been conducted but the pain had not stopped. The doctor who had operated on her and who was now her personal doctor had told her to give it time that the pain was going to recede after a while but that had not been the case and that was the reason she was home presently. The pain had started again when she was in school and she could not withstand it anymore so she had decided to come home and see Doctor Solomon and that was what she would do first thing tomorrow morning. Or so she thought.
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“ARGHHHHHH, OHHHHHHHHH” Love screamed out loudly, she was in pain, so much pain. In fact it felt like someone was hitting her stomach with a pestle. “AGHHHHHHRR” she screamed again
“Love what is it” her mum asked as she and her dad entered the room and crouched down beside Love’s bed.
“Mum, Dad, the pain, I can’t take it, make it stop please” Love groaned in pain
“Oh God” she heard her dad say as he stood up and left the room
“Love, it is going to be fine, it is going to be fine” her mum said with tears streaking down her face.
“Mum, mum”
“Yes Love”
“It hurts badly” she cried out and by this time her brothers had entered the room probably awakened by Love’s groans
“Femi, call the doctor, we need to go to hospital now” her mother said to her father
“Paulina what are you saying, we can’t go to the hospital now, it is past two in the midnight” her father replied
“We need to go to the hospital like right now” her mother insisted
“We can’t, let’s just wait till morning”
“Just call the doctor at least, let him know what is going on with her” her mum said.
“I already did”
“Why didn’t you say that earlier” her mother shouted
“Anyways what did he say?”
“He said to come to the hospital immediately”
“Then why are you hell bent on making us go in the morning” her mother shouted
“Ma, it is okay. I can wait till morning” Love said trying to keep her parents from arguing
“We need to go the hospital now” her mother said to her father
“Okay, I will take her, you stay at home with Dan and Raph”
“Nope, we all go together”
“Lina----”
“Nope don’t say it” her mum said interrupting her dad
“We are all going together”
“But--” her dad was once again cut short by her mum.
“No buts, I want to be there for her and I cannot leave her brothers at home”
“Ok, let me go and start the car while you guys get ready” her father replied and left the room
“Ma, let’s just wait till morning” Love said to her mother
“Nope, we are going now Love, I can’t stand seeing you in pain” her mother replied “Dan, Raph get up” she said to her brothers who had slept off on her bed
“What--what mum” Dan said as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand
“We are taking your sister to the hospital”
“What, by this time” Raph said with disbelief
“Yes, get up. You can sleep in the car”
Few minutes later they were on their way to the hospital.
A journey that Love would end up regretting.
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
“Stop this car, I said stop this car this instant” Love heard and looked outside the car to see a police officer standing outside her father’s car.
Her father had just stopped to check the bonnet of the car which had been misbehaving as they had journeyed to the hospital
“Sir please let us go sir, we are on our way to the hospital, and our daughter is not feeling fine” my mother said to the police officer in a placating tone
“Get down from the car both of you” the police man whom Love noticed was drunk said to her parents.
Her parents got down from the car as Love really looked around and noticed that the drunk driver had stopped them in front of a supermarket, everything was silent and everywhere was dark, which was supposed to be the case since it was three o’clock in the midnight from what Love could see on her cell phone.
“You are trafficking children shey” the police officer said waving his arm like a mad man
“No we are not, those kids you see sleeping in the car are our kids” our father said
“Give me something for the boys” the police man said stretching forth his arms
“I don’t have any money on me, we left our house in a rush so I didn’t take time to pack money, or Lina do you have any money there” my father said asking my mum.
“No I don’t” her mother replied as she slowly moved towards the police officer
“Sir please, just let us go, you can follow us to the hospital if you want to confirm that we are indeed taking our daughter to the hospital”
What Love heard next came as a surprise to her, she heard a gunshot and felt her mother fall before she saw her fall, before she knew what was happening she heard another gunshot as her father fell down dead on the roadside. There was blood flowing from where they had been shot.
“Love what is going on” her brothers asked her as they roused from sleep by the sound of the gunshots
“Sshhh” Love said in a soft voice but unfortunately the police officer had heard the voice of her brothers as she felt the blood of her brothers spilling on her as they both died instantly from the impact of the bullet the police officer had shot at them.
Love started to tremble and shiver, the police officer probably not noticing her at the back of the car staggered away and went on his way leaving four dead people, two dead adults and two twelve years old along with a devastated eighteen years old girl whose life was about to take a bad and wrong turn.
“shhhh” she kept on saying.