It was a heated argument between Mr. and Mrs. Dozie on Saturday morning. She couldn't bear the nagging of her husband since they had a new baby.
Stephen, their son was born with down syndrome and Mr. Dozie wouldn't stop blaming his wife for his condition. He was a successful businessman in the Alaba market, well known but despite his exposure, he had a strong belief in superstitions.
"Papa Stephen, I am done taking all this from you. How else do you want me to explain that I wasn't responsible for our son's condition? Even the doctors said it and you still choose to nag about it always", Mrs. Dozie couldn't help but cried as she carried her baby from the sofa.
Everything she said meant nothing to him, Mr. Dozie believed his wife encountered a spirit while walking late at night.
He didn't want her to work when she was pregnant but she wasn't the type that loves to be idle.
That evening, Mr. Dozie's family members came around, it was an unexpected visit and his wife knew it wasn't a good visit.
Her in-laws didn't respond well to her greetings and it didn't bother her since she knew the worse they could do was get their son a new wife.
Later that night, they called a meeting.
"Mama Dozie, how do we tell that the other children in you won't be like this deity you have given to us as a child?", one of the in-laws asked.
She paused for some minutes before responding, "I am not God and Stephen is a child not a deity".
They laughed and the conversation went on for quite some time. Mrs. Dozie felt cheated because she was an orphan, she didn't have anyone to call.
"We have decided that our son should take a second wife in case you can't have a normal child", another in-law passed judgment.
"Is that the decision you just made or the one you have been planning since his girlfriend got pregnant?", Mrs. Dozie asked and the room went silent.
"Which pregnancy?", Mr. Dozie stammered.
"I know everything but I don't want to be a problem for you, so I have been quiet", she responded.
Mrs. Dozie smiled as she wiped her tears and took permission to leave their midst.
"You have come a long way with our son so we can't abandon you. We have taken pity on you and decided to continue taking full responsibility for you and your son", one of the elders said as Mrs. Dozie left their midst.
She walked toward her husband and told him, "I am not an object of sympathy, I will be always fine with or without you".
A day before the new wife came, Mrs. Dozie left the house. She couldn't cope with the continuous nagging from her husband and in-laws.
She went far away from them to begin a new life. Things were difficult and she had to pick up her life from the scratches again. It was once like that but this time, she had a kid.
Mrs. Dozie got a job and ensured her son had a good life. He went to a good school and she stood by Stephen because it took time before the society accepted him.
Many times, she quarreled with people for referring to him as a disabled human. She taught him to do things by himself and Stephen became independent just like his mother had taught him.
He doesn't get special attention at school yet, he performed well in his studies.
Years passed, and Mr. Dozie never checked on them. She didn't for once talk to Stephen about his father and when he asked, she silenced him. She invested every penny she earned in Stephen and believed he will become great someday.
The young Stephen grew up to become an attorney, and his success in the school of law even gave him international recognition. He became the first lawyer with down syndrome in the country and his success made his mother proud.
Stephen was called to the bar immediately after graduation and he choose to be a human rights attorney among the opportunities presented to him. His mother wanted him to take offers with good pay but Stephen didn't want more than that and she had to let go of her ambitions for him.
He became famous and well-respected in his practice.
Stephen never lost a case and he became everyone's favorite.
People get scared when he is too busy to handle their case in court, and only a few lawyers will love to go against him in court.
On a fateful day, an elderly man walked into his office to request help. On seeing Stephen, the man turned back to the reception to ask for the famous Attorney Steve.
He was taken back to Stephen's office and he finally introduced himself as Mr. Dozie.
He had lost everything he worked for to his wife, and he wanted to retrieve his properties. Mr. Dozie narrated how he had raised a child who doesn't belong to him and his wife ended up carting away his property documents.
Stephen set to work and had to involve the police since Mr. Dozie's wife proved to be stubborn. She was charged to court and after 4 months of appearing in court, Mr. Dozie won the case.
He was happy and tried compensating Stephen but he turned down everything. Mr. Dozie enquired about his house and went to meet Stephen after work hours.
He knocked on the gate repeatedly and Stephen came to check. He was surprised to see Mr. Dozie and after a brief conversation, he allowed him in.
They entered the sitting room and while Stephen went to get juice Mr. Dozie looked around the house.
He shivered when he saw his wife's portrait in the sitting room, Mr. Dozie stammered as he asked who was in the portrait.
"That's my mother", Stephen replied with a big smile.
Mr. Dozie was shocked and didn't believe his ears. He was lost in thought when Mrs. Dozie walked in and her voice called him back to life.
She was angry and asked how he got there but he couldn't say a word.
"Do you know each other?", Stephen asked.
"This is your father", she answered angrily.
"But how? This is Mr. Dozie and my surname is Collins", Stephen asked further.
"Collins is my father's name and I decided to give you that name because I didn't want any connection between you and this man", Mrs. Stephen explained.
She explained everything that happened and why she left his house.
Stephen narrated how they met and everyone went speechless after everything that happened in the past had been let out.
Mr. Dozie apologized but she didn't listen. Weeks passed and Stephen didn't stop begging on his behalf, he only wanted her to forgive him so that they will be at peace.
She didn't have a choice but to make her son happy, she forgave him but vowed never to have anything to do with him anymore.
Mr. Dozie willed his wealth to Stephen but he turned it down and requested that everything should be given to the less privileged. He was happy they forgave him but he couldn't live under one roof with them as a family again.
Mr. Dozie grew old and died happily knowing that Stephen the son he rejected become great.