JEREMY
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Episode 13
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“What Aunty Uju heard from those girls’ lips is not entirely untrue, babe. There is some truth to it.” Jeremy began. “My family truly is royalty. That much is true. It is true that I am the presumptive heir to the throne, and it is also true that I have been forbidden from doing so until I have fulfilled certain conditions. Nevertheless, these people are only speaking as observers from the outside who believe they are extremely knowledgeable about my family. They are not at fault, in my opinion. They could not have understood that life is more complex than it first appears.”
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Jeremy sat up, then continued his story.
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“We weren’t always royalty. There was a time when people used to say that my father and mother were just your typical, lovely couple. When the current king passed away, the quest for a new one started. The quest was necessary because the king lacked a son and no near relatives who could claim the throne. My father received the crown as a result of a series of events. At the time, they just had my older sister. As the years passed, my father’s search for a successor progressively grew in importance. My father could have as many wives as he desired because he was a king. My mother was unable to produce another child for some reason after Eva, which gave my father more time to consider these advantages. He made sure to actually fulfill that expectation. Because of his wealth, he had no trouble taking care of the other two ladies he eventually decided to marry. Yet, as the years went by and we, his children, grew older, it became clear that fatherhood involved more than just being a provider.”
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Jeremy let out a long sigh as tears started to stream down his cheeks once more.
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“Baby, I didn’t mean to. I swear I didn’t. Yet the fury I felt that day, at that very second, was beyond words. It was one thing to have read about it or imagined it; it was quite another to have experienced it firsthand. He was sharing a bed with Diana when I entered. It was when I caught my own father in that position with my immediate elder sister that I lost it. I ran mad with rage. That idiot was having incest with my preferred sibling. I watched in disbelief for a few moments as he committed this heinous act while ignoring Diana’s cries for aid, scratches, and pleadings. I’ve always believed that man is capable of doing anything bad. He constantly presided over us. I’ve always seen how he fixed his gaze on Diana whenever she passed by. It got so terrible that any eyes attempting to pick up on a suspicion found these sexual stirrings to be quite conspicuous. I’ve seen how nervous Diana gets when she’s near him.” Jeremy paused to catch his breath.
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“No matter who is present, that bastard hits our mother whenever he gets the chance. He seized every opportunity to expose my mother to his terrible side. In the eyes of her maids, my mother would have long since lost respect if she had not been queen, as a result of my father’s ongoing mockery of her in their presence. So as you can see, on normal grounds, a nervous Diana in our father’s company was not unusual, but I had my doubts. I’d grown tired of his careless actions for a while, but on this particular day, they reached an extreme. I only wanted to keep my sister safe. I just wanted to put that demon in his place.”
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I sat there, doing my best to pay attention as Jeremy related his story, but the more he talked, the more perplexed I became. The emotional outburst that Jeremy appeared to be experiencing prevented him from speaking in a way that my brain could fully comprehend.
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I never stopped trying to figure out how Jeremy’s story fit together. As I was unable to continue, I stepped closer to him, gave Jeremy a warm hug, and said, “Take a deep breath, baby.”
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Jeremy started crying again. It was clear that I had brought back a bad memory—memories he had undoubtedly made every effort to forget.
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It seemed as though Jeremy was going through the incident again. The intensity with which he described his father’s abhorrent actions spoke it all.
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I took Jeremy’s head and softly rubbed it against my chest while also comforting him with my words.
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It didn’t take long for Jeremy to become receptive to speaking again. But I had a question that couldn’t wait any longer, so I interrupted him before he could continue.
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“Baby, you mentioned that your father had two additional wives. Was his behavior toward the other women the same? What changed since he wasn’t always like that with your mother?”
To be continued…
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Moshood Avidiime The Writer
