"Enough, grandma!  Not another word!" I raised a stern finger at her just as she did to me, always. I could see shock filling her face and that of the housekeeper. 
"I won't let you insult Peter.  He had done nothing but bring happiness to my desolate life. I've told you times without number that nothing happened in the room. Do you want to know what we did for more than four hours? I'll tell you. We were watching a movie. A horror movie precisely and we watched each episode. To be honest, I enjoyed every bit of it and I discovered something, grandma: you lied grandma.  You said movies would influence me negatively but the movie I watched yesterday didn't.  You lied!" I screamed at her.

I pushed the chair backwards as I turned to go to my room.
"Did you just speak to me that way, Beatrice?" Grandma stood up slowly; clearly livid.

I didn't respond instead I ran into my room. I could hear grandma running towards me so I grabbed my reading table and pushed it to the door. I took my chair and placed it on top of the table to reinforce the table Grandma pushed the door, trying to open it.  When she found out she couldn't,  she began knocking hard on the door.

"Open this door, Beatrice! Open this door this instance or you won't like yourself! Open this door right now! Beatrice! I said you should open this door!"

The banging was so loud, I could feel the wall shake. I stood at the middle of my room thinking of what I could add to the door. Tears had filled my eyes and I could barely see. The banging stopped and I heard grandma's footstep walking away but I knew it was not over. Grandma wasn't one to give up like that.  I pushed my bed toward the door, then I sat on the floor; leaning on the wall. I bowed my head and began to sob heavily.  I didn't know why  I was crying.

My body began to shake violently as I sobbed harder. Now I understood the strange feeling that consumed me as I sat in the dining with Grandma. It was hatred.  It began to dawn on me that this feeling had been there all along; ever since she separated me from Zainab. This feeling increased when she lambasted me for crimes I didn't commit. When innocent workers were sacked, the hate gained more weight. It magnified when Ma Suzanne left. Seeing the look on Iyanu's face filled the cup to the brim but watching Peter get slapped pushed the cup to the floor, spilling its content deep into my soul. Now the hate filled my heart; overwhelming my inner being and leaving me rancorous.

It dawned on me that minute that grandma's sermon after each punishment had only nullified the hate for some moment. It had never taken it away but had only shoved it to a corner. Now that the cup had been broken,  I felt the full intensity. I hated grandma with every ounce of energy in me.

The pushing of the door resumed, this time with more energy. The bed moved slightly and I stood up alarmed.  I knelt on the floor and pushed the bed back.
"Is that all you can do? I thought you are a man?" That was grandma's voice.
"Walaihi madam, I no fit open the door." I heard Musa the gateman say.
"Useless man. Run to the gate.  Rubbish!" Grandma insulted and I heard footsteps of Musa walking away. 
"Beatrice! If I eventually open this door,  I'll kill you. Do you hear me? I'll kill you."

She kept on knocking but I refused to open up.  I was fed up.

"Hello, Justina! It's your daughter o. Your stupid daughter o. First, she goes to a man's  house and second she locks herself inside the room." I heard grandma say.
"Man's house? It can't be possible. Give her the phone mama. I want to speak to her." It was my mother; she was panicking.  Grandma had put the call on loudspeaker.

"Beatrice! I know you can hear us. Your mother wants to speak with you. Open the door now."

I didn't move an inch. It was grandma's trap; her attempt to lure me out so she could pounce on me. I knew the woman I had lived with for more than fifteen years. She had always seen everyone including my mother as a negative impact. It had dawned on me when she asked my mother not to come visiting anymore some years back.
"You're a bad influence on her."
"How?" My mother had asked.
"I don't know. Seeing how you got pregnant at seventeen, you might want to teach  her__"
"Mama!" My mother had cried out then.

So seeing my grandma willing to let my mother speak to me depicted that it was a bid to lure me out of my room.  I wasn't going to fall into her trap. I knew better now. 

When grandma saw I wasn't coming out, she left with a final note of 'I'll teach you a lesson'.

I cried throughout the day. My eyes were puffy and red. I cried till no tears were left in me. I cried myself to midnight. I didn't realise that I had sat on that same spot for so long, thinking about everything that had happened to me. 

When I found out it was midnight, I made my way to the door but I could barely walk. I had drained all my strength in crying.

I didn't regret any of the actions I took from Friday night down to this moment. I wouldn't even change a thing if given a chance.

The kitchen door was locked when I got there. This wasn't surprising. I knew grandma would lock it up.  I turned back and headed to my room. I rammed my table and chair to the door as I forced myself to sleep despite the agonising feeling of hunger.

I dressed up for school early that morning as my heart lighted up at the thought of seeing Peter. I got out of my room and walked to the sitting room. Grandma was sitting on a sofa watching the news when I came in.  She looked up from the television and shook her head. She then turned her attention back to the television. 

"Good morning grandma!" It took a lot of conviction to greet her. I could still feel that deep hatred for her.  Grandma didn't respond to my greeting; she totally ignored me.

I glanced at the dining table. It was empty. I headed for the kitchen only to see the housekeeper doing the dishes.

"Good morning.  No food today?" I asked her.
"There is but grandma asked me not to serve you." She looked at me.

I sighed wearily as I left the kitchen. I didn't stop to look at grandma as I headed straight to the door. I was too hungry to get myself into an argument with her.
"Where do you think you're going?" Grandma called out.
"I'm going to school," I replied gently.
"School?  So you want to go to school? Unfortunately,  I told the driver not to come since you locked yourself inside your room. I didn't know you would come out. I thought that was your permanent dwelling place." Grandma rolled her eyes in mockery as she faced the television and hummed the soundtrack of Channels news.

I stood awestruck and dumbfounded.  I didn't know what to say.  I knew she did it deliberately just to get to me.
"I'm going to school even if I'll have to trek," I told her.

"I said it.  That boy is your boyfriend.  You've never been this eager to go to school before. Anyway, suit yourself.  Trek and get lost.  I've washed my hands off you.  You're on your own from now on. Ungrateful slut!"

Tears came to my eyes when she called me a slut but  I quickly wiped it off.  I turned the doorknob and walked out of the house. I didn't even have to tell Musa anything for him to open up — he opened the gate immediately he saw me.  I was very hungry and I had a burning headache but thinking about Peter strengthened me.