This chapter is dedicated to poshdella and Tochdam for helping out with the Yoruba part of the chapter. Thanks ladies. I love you.

10TH October 1960,

It was only this morning, when we had received a visitor that came with news which changed the course of my life. The country of my birth had just received independence from the one I didn't know was also home and yet soon after that, I had lost my entire family. I had no idea they were mine to begin with. I feel like my entire life has been one big lie! Who should I be mad at? Mama? Papa? My biological father who couldn't fight to keep me or Mama? Confusion fills my mind, as questions I have no answers to are desperately sought after. What does this mean for me? Is Mama going to let them do this? I don't want my life to change; I am very happy with how my life is now. If there really is a killer on the move, am I next? All of these questions are what filled my mind as I opened my eyes this morning. I just pray this is all a dream.

Love, Mide.

"Every member of the Royal Family is dead! The whole world is in shock," I heard the broadcaster say, as I stopped dead in my tracks. What did they mean by every member of the royal family is dead? They were the most powerful family in the world and yet someone or a group of people murdered them? I couldn't stop the thoughts running through my mind as I barged into my parents' room.

"Ayomide Williams! What do you think you are doing?" Papa asked me sternly.

"What did that man mean?" I asked him in return, totally ignoring his initial question.

"It is not something for you to concern yourself with, now leave my room," he replied me with the same unyielding tone he had the first time he spoke.

"Mama? Please what is going on?" I directed my question to her, seeing Papa was hell bent on not replying me. For all I cared he could punish me later. I could see tears falling from Mama's eyes, and that was even more confusing than the news I had just heard.

"Mama! Papa! I am home. Where is everyone?" we heard my brother Tolu yell from the living room.

Soon enough he finds us all in our parent's room and he was looking at everyone like we were all carrying fire on our heads. I can bet the tension can be cut with a knife.

"Ki ló ń ṣẹlè? (What is going on?)" he asked all of us, yet no one in particular.

"Kò sí ń kankan ò ṣẹlè (Nothing is going on)," Mama replied him.

"Mo má padà sí ẹ Mide, ní sìn padà lọ sí ìyàrá ẹ. Èmi àti ìyá ẹ fé padà sí nkan ti a n se télè kí ó tó dá wa dúró (I will get back to you Mide, now go to your room. Your mum and I will like to get back to what we were doing before you interrupted us)," Papa said to me, looking at me daringly expecting me to throw a tantrum. I had had enough of this, and so I stormed off to my room ensuring I slammed my bedroom door behind me.

"What did she do wrong?" Tolu asked again.

"Can you drop it son? Your constant asking won't make me tell you either!" Papa yelled, clearly annoyed about the interrogation coming from my brother and I.

"Neither will your refusing to answer make me less curious," muttered Tolu under his breathe. Of course he couldn't dare dream of saying that out loud to Papa. That would have landed him in a 'pot of soup' as Papa likes to say. Finally, Tolu gave up and went to his room to change.

I was still brooding in my room and I really wanted answers. Why did the news of their death affect my parents so much? I know Mama used to work in Britain before she met Papa; could that be why she felt sad about the news?

"Maybe Mama had friends there," I thought out loud to myself.

"Yeah right! Mama would have friends in the Palace and we would not be rich," I said sneeringly to myself.

"Ah but this is big news o! Who would have dared to murder the royal family? Oluwa o! (Oh God!)" I continued thinking out loud.

I was so sure my friends would have also heard this news and I just couldn't wait to discuss this with them especially Fola. His obsession with them especially from the stories uncle Tunde told him about Britain, is beyond anything I have seen before. I was dying to see his reaction and I couldn't wait till the sun rose the next day, and I will be able to see him again in school.

"Mide! It's time for dinner sleepy head," I heard my brother call out to me from behind my room door. I had no idea when I had slept off but most of all, I was wondering why mama didn't wake me up to join her in making dinner.

"Wait, did I doze off?" I thought to myself, scrambling for coherent thoughts.

"I am coming," I replied him before he decides to starts banging on my door. Getting up, I changed out of my school uniform, since I had slept in them. I silently thanked God that Papa did not see me like this, there would have been another fight between us.

"Good evening Papa, good evening Mama," I greeted my parents with a slight curtesy when I reached the table.

"I am sorry I didn't come to join you in making dinner, I must have been so tired," I said apologetically, even though that was far from what I was actually feeling. I couldn't just sit on the table and start eating without apologizing for not helping out, or thanking her for the delicious meal.

"It is okay, you deserve some break sometimes," came Mama's kind reply. She still looked sad and her eyes were all swollen from crying. I could also see that Papa was upset about something, as he barely touched his food or looked Mama in the eyes.

My parents have always had a beautiful relationship. They have been friends since forever, until they decided to get married. According to Papa, they had me out of wedlock and because it was shameful to bear a child out of wedlock, their parents finally gave their consent. Or at least, everyone except my paternal grandmother. She had never liked Mama for whatever reason the adults refused to share with us. Deep down, I also always felt like she didn't like me either. She however has always been very different around my brother.

She gets him so much gifts anytime she comes over, calls him her only grandchild and that has always hurt me. I always thought it was because he was her only male grandchild. Africans usually had a thing for male children. It was something we were used to, and something people didn't seem interested in changing.

My brother was also physically different from myself. Taking Papa's height, Tolu was an averaged height kid. His skin was about a shade darker than mine. People always said I was my mother's child and Tolu was my father's child. They would joke about how Mama and Papa should have another child, which would be a perfect blend of both of them. Papa would always joke back saying, "Unless you want to take these ones of my hands first, I don't think I can handle one more of Mide or Tolu." I had questions about the texture of my hair, but I didn't read much into it. It had more curls than those of my friends. Its frisky nature made it difficult to comb most times. There were those who were of a lighter brown than I was and those who had been nicknamed 'albino's'. This was Nigeria and we were all shades of beautiful; male and female.

I remember the huge fight Papa had with Grandma, because she called Mama names; names that I couldn't understand why they were related to my mother. In the heat of their conversation, Papa asked Grandma never to return to our home. I have to say that day was the best day of my life. I no longer had to deal with her constantly disrespecting Mama, or making me feel like I was less than human. I became happier and had developed a strong head on my shoulder.

Silently, we all finished our dinner in the most awkward of ways. Since my parents seemed out of it, Tolu and I decided to clean up after dinner. Every night after dinner, it was always mandatory for us to have a conversation as a family. It was a family ritual that I enjoyed on most days that I wasn't feeling sleepy. Papa always called it "bonding time". We would talk about how our day went, what was bothering us, discuss happenings on the news and then finally we would pray together. For the first time in years I was really looking forward to our bonding time.

"So who wants to go first?" Papa asked, with his voice ever so gentle.

"Can I go first Papa?" I asked, excitedly raising my hand.

"Sure Mide, what is on your mind?" Papa said, giving me the room to ask the question that has been on my mind since I came home.

"What does this mean for Nigeria? Our Queen is dead!" I spoke out again, carefully easing in on the not so personal questions.

"What Queen?" Tolu asked, clearly he had missed a ton of today's hot gist.

"Queen Charlotte of England!" I exclaimed, a little more excited than I should be about breaking the news to my brother.

"What! What happened to her?" he asked, looking between our parents for answers.

"An assassin murdered them all! Every member..."

"Ayomide stop it! What is wrong with you?" Papa scolded.

"What did I do? I am only telling him what happened," I asked in sheer pretence. He ignored me and continued speaking to Tolu.

"Yes son a group of people were said to have attacked every member of Her family and now we are just waiting on the government to tell us what is going to happen to the Commonwealth. They are not sure if there is any surviving member of the family who can take the throne, but for now all we can do is to pray for a glimmer of hope," Papa finished off patiently.

"That's the same thing I said," I retorted, lifting up shoulders.

"That is not what you said. Try some patience and kindness Mide," Tolu said mockingly at me.

"Na you sabi, Mr Kindness," I countered, sticking out my tongue to him.

"Both of you should stop it!" came Papa's stern voice, which was enough to end whatever it was we were doing. After discussing a few more uninteresting issues, we were dismissed for the night and we all dispersed to our various rooms to rest from the day's activities.

The cock crowed signalling that another morning was here. I had never been so happy to wake up and go to school. Today was going to be very eventful and I felt it in my bones. I rushed off to do my morning chore; singing and dancing.

"Mide you are happy today o. What is going on?" Mama said, coming into the sitting room and seeing that I was almost done with my chore for the day.

"Good morning Mama. Hope you slept well?" I greeted her, getting on my knees as a sign of respect.

"I slept well, thank you. Good morning. Why are you so happy?" she asked me, my joy rubbing off on her as her smile grew.

"This is the day the Lord has made and I am glad and rejoicing in it," I replied her, making her laugh hard.

"You this girl ehn. God will help you. Be fast so that you won't get to school late," she said, leaving me to finish my chore.

"Yes Mama," I told her and continued singing.

I was done with my chore and I had had my bath. It was finally time for breakfast. Mum had made Akara and Ogi. We had all sat at the table and started digging in when there was a knock on the door.

"Oh God! Who is this one knocking so early in the morning?" I grumbled, walking towards the door to see who it was that had just disturbed a delicious meal.

"Who is there?" I asked when I got to the door.

"I am not hearing you, speak up. Who is at the door?" I asked again.

"It is I, Charles English," I heard someone with a weird accent say at the other end of the door.

"Papa do you know any Charles English?" I asked slightly imitating his accent.

"What did you just say?!" Mama and Papa asked simultaneously, thereby startling Tolu.

"What did I say wrong now?!" I asked myself confused.

PHRASES AND THEIR INTERPRETATIONS:

Ki ló ń ṣẹlè. – What is going on?

Kò sí ń kankan ò ṣẹlè. – Nothing is going on.

Mo má padà sí ẹ Mide, ní sìn padà lọ sí ìyàrá ẹ. Èmi àti ìyá ẹ fé padà sí nkan ti a n se télè kí ó tó dá wa dúró. – I will get back to you Mide, now go to your room. Your mum and I will like to get back to what we were doing before you interrupted us.

Pot of soup – Getting into trouble.

Akara and Ogi – Bean cake and a custard like meal except this one comes in different colours (white, brown or yellow).

Oluwa – God.

Na you sabi – That is your business.