***
Doing as Stella said involved leaving for school the next day with a few clothes packed in my bag. I did just so. Uncertainty coursed through my veins at the sound of the closing bell. Was I ready to leave my family behind? Stella believed this to be for the best, and Amarachi thought no different.
From the corridor, I watched Cynthia leave. My heart swelled with a longing for home. I couldn't do this. I couldn't leave my family. I'd tell Stella. She would surely understand. I turned to leave, but found myself facing Sir Aaron.
"I know you're conflicted about this," he said. "But it's only for a few days. At least, till Stella and I put things in order."
"How?" I asked.
He smiled in a way that brought my father to mind. "That's my job and Stella's. Your job is to seek happiness. Can you do that for yourself?"
"I'll try."
"That's a good girl. Come now, I have to finish up with my work. It'll only take a minute or two."
Sir Aaron's 'a minute or two' translated into an hour or two. Watching him attend to paperwork made my eyes droop. I pulled Stella's Robber's Heart out of my bag and flipped to page sixty where I stopped. I read through four pages, and Sir Aaron's 'a minute or two', counted on.
"Five minutes and I'm done," he said.
That would mean five hours. But this time, he kept to time. It felt awkward following him to his car. He didn't seem to notice my discomfort. Either that, or he was a great actor.
We got into the car and he pulled out of the lot, his pace noticeably slower than Raheem's. Being with him brought a new kind of feeling to my body; a bold mix of fear and the promise of relief.
I looked down at the book on my laps, my new companion. But Sir Aaron interrupted me before I could even take in one paragraph. "What did they do with the body?"
"What body?" The answer hit me once the question left my lips. Bruno. "I don't know. Stepmother and Cynthia disposed of it. I'm thinking they buried him somewhere."
"Or tossed him in the trash somewhere," he said. "Why, it's possible. I doubt that stepmother of yours would trouble herself by digging him a grave."
An image of a decomposing Bruno lying in the trash raked into the walls of my chest. I turned away, willing this image away. I wanted to believe Cynthia had forced Bruno's murderer to honor him by burying him. But the more I thought of it, the more I thought of his corpse being exposed to defilement.
"You're a strong one," Sir Aaron commended. "You go through a lot, and yet you wear a smile and act like everything is fine."
"I learned to cope," I said.
"That's a fine skill. Holding your head under water and still breathing fine."
"Thank you."
After a moment of silence, he asked, "Are you nervous about meeting my family?"
"Yes, sir," I admitted.
"You shouldn't be."
"How many kids do you have?"
"Three. Bolaji is the eldest. He's not home at the moment. He's studying Medicine in Uniport, and so, he stays at Choba. You know, distance and all. And then there is Sharon. She's done with high school, but hasn't gained admission yet. I know you'll get along just fine. Although, I must say, she's obsessed with being neat. Can't stand a small stain on her cloth. Washes her bed sheets and towels every week. She won't have a handshake unless she's sure you just stepped out of the shower, or used a hand sanitizer. And then she always carries with her a hand sanitizer. And finally, there's your namesake. Vicky. She's only eight, but she's a handful. Looks just like her mother."
"Your family is adorable," I said.
He smiled. "Wait till you meet them. You'll feel so at home, you'll see."
I'd feel so at home. Although he'd aimed at helping me relax with those words, he achieved the exact opposite. But I wouldn't bare his failure to him. The thought of feeling at home in Sir Aaron's house frightened me. What if I felt so at home that I forgot my family and wished to belong here instead? Wouldn't that count as betrayal?