Life continued at Obalende Avenue in contrast to the death that Folakemi had already settled for. David worked like an ant giving himself no time to rest. He detested sleep because he felt it was a waste of time and a luxury to lay in bed for hours doing nothing but closing your eyes. So he'd tried to work for four days without sleeping during bedtime.

He collapsed on the night of the third day.

After he recovered, he realized he couldn't go against nature. Still, he went on to reduce his sleep time to three hours per day. Immediately after waking up each day, he got up to continue working like a maniac. He wanted to please Mr. Akinwale and also wanted to dutifully live a tough life as a way of punishing himself.

He wanted to constantly be on Mr. Akinwale's good side so that Celine would never have to suffer for his sake again. David couldn't even face Celine after what he'd done to her. He was an insane, deranged psychopath. David didn't know what exactly it was that he wanted. Initially, he'd wanted to be close to Celine so he could enjoy watching her protect him and suffer for him.

Now, he hated himself for having done that. And it was surprising to him to see how much he loathed himself. He'd detested himself so much that he was willing to be a monster to someone else so that they could hate him too. David couldn't fully comprehend his emotions. Hence, he didn't even know how to act.

Nevertheless, he was sure of one thing – his immense guilt towards the death of his sister. That was the propensity towards his toxic behavioral pattern, even if he couldn't wholly decipher the root of his emotions sometimes.

David chose to focus on the guilt he felt and channel it towards his work life. He could work as diligently as he could to redeem himself of his sins.

It was a very sunny day, and Mr. Owonikoko wasn't having it. David had to hurry and pack as many pure water sachet bags as possible to the lorry parked outside. He'd had to learn how to carry more than six bags of pure water sachets at once because there were other customers who were more impatient and nasty than Mr. Owonikoko.

Relieved that at last, he'd been able to deliver thirty bags of pure water sachets into the booth of the shiny rusty lorry, David carried the last bag leisurely and was about to drop it among the other packs in the booth when someone called his name.

"David!"

It was a very familiar feminine voice. A voice that David was utterly displeased to hear. Gripped by trepidation, David slowly turned in the direction of the voice calling him.

It was stupid of him to have been shocked when he saw the person calling him. He'd already known she was the one even before turning to look at her. Yet, he still froze in shock to see that his conclusion had been accurate.

A few meters away stood his heavily pregnant mother, who now looked like the shadow of herself. She was running towards him with a kind of energy that astonished David. How could she run when she looked so energetically when she looked so malnourished? Her hair had fallen out so much that her hairline began to recede to the middle of her head.

Her skin condition had further worsened. Pink patches had begun to appear somewhere below her lips. And that pregnancy... How had she not miscarried the baby yet? She looked too thin — like a stick with a big ball attached to it. How on earth was the baby still living inside her? David's felt his eyes sting with moisture. He was devastated to see his mother in this state.

So he stood still, unmoving for a couple of seconds.

Until he realized that he didn't want his mother or family members to find him, yet she had — which meant that he had to avoid her by all means.

But she was already approaching. She'd already seen him. What was he going to do? How did she even find him here? Why did she have to look for him?

David became short of air in an instant. Blood rushed to his head so quickly that he got a headache. Foolishly, David turned his back and made a move to return to the factory to avoid his mother. Maybe if he pretended not to have heard her, she would think she'd seen the wrong person and would go away.

But David was too late, and Mr. Owonikoko, the dense bloke, couldn't keep his mouth shut as he called out his name harshly from the driver seat of the lorry.

"David! Drop the last bag, nau! Ki lo'nro?"

He hadn't dropped the last bag before turning to walk back to the factory. He'd been the dense one and had brought this upon himself. His mother was now convinced that it was him. So, she walked even faster and then grabbed him by the elbow when she got close enough.

David turned to meet his mom's eyes. They were glassy, and the coagulated tears between her orbs began to fall down her cheeks as they maintained eye contact. Folake was in deep disbelief, but more importantly, her curiosity had been heightened to its peak.

"David, David, oh my boy. You are alive!" she roamed her hands around his forearms so gently – as though to be sure that her son wasn't a ghost or a phantasm. "Where on earth have you been? Why did you leave the house? I've been looking for you for so long now!"

"I..." David sniffed back the tears that threatened to fall down his eyes. "I didn't leave the house, mom. I only went to look for a job, and I've been working. How did you find me?"

David tried his best to sound as unaffected as possible, and it surprised him to realize that he was trying to be pretentious. From the time that Sindara died, David had loathed his mother's reaction to the whole situation. He'd wanted her to hate him for disobeying her. For that reason, even he decided to leave the house.

But now that they'd met again and her affection ran over like an overflowing cup, David was smitten by it. Strangely, he was touched by her extreme concern for him, and he didn't like that. He didn't run away from the house because of this. He'd wanted rejection and viciousness. He wanted to suffer and be punished. He ran away from home because the mushiness that his mother and siblings exhibited was unbearable.

So he tried so hard not to seem touched by her love for him. He had to pretend. Otherwise, he would loathe himself even more for craving an affection that he didn't deserve. Wanting to be loved would be unfair to Sindara, his sister whom he'd murdered.

"I looked for you everywhere, my son," Folake answered her son's question. "That's how I was able to find you: me, Yemisi, and Alex. We combed every place possible. But that doesn't matter now because I've found you."

"I wasn't lost, mom. I've just been working."

"But I didn't see you at home. Yemisi comes back home from work every day. But you never did. At least I didn't see you. How's that?"

"I came home, mom, but I left as early as possible. It matters that you stressed yourself so much to look for me. You didn't have to. Dad doesn't even like the idea of me being present among the family, and that's exactly what I need. I need rejection. Not warmth or acceptance. I don't want you caring for a sinner for me."

"I THOUGHT YOU'D DIED!" she yelled. More tears spilled down. "I saw bloodstains on your pillow when I came home that night!"

When I came home that night.

Then it dawned on David. That rainy night when he'd returned home, his mother had been out on the streets looking for him. It perfectly explained why he'd met his Dad in the living room when everyone else was asleep in their bedrooms. His Dad had been worried about his mother.

Truly, his dad didn't care about him. He only feared that Folakemi would hurt herself while she looked for David. His father had lied to him that night that his mother was at home. David couldn't understand why his father had lied to him, and he didn't know how to react now that he knew his mother was out searching for him that night.

"When I came home and met Dad in the living room, I asked him about you, but he lied to me. I didn't know that you weren't at home. Otherwise, I would have gone back to look for you. Please, mom. I don't want anything to happen to you because of me. I won't be able to live. Knowing that Sindara's death was my fault is already choking enough."

"That's why you should come home with me, David," Folake stroked his hands. "You have to go back to school, you know? I already bought your school bag. Also, I'm gathering money bit by bit to pay your school fees."

"Mom, please. Don't do that. I just don't want to go back home. Even if going to school will guarantee me a couple of hours away from home, I will still have to come back home eventually. Then, the pain and guilt I already feel will destroy me. I don't want to be in the environment where I killed my sister."

Folake closed her eyes in agony and frustration as more tears fell. She sniffed, swallowed, and then opened her eyes, determined to convince her son.

It was going to be difficult. David was bent on staying away from home and his family, but Folake was determined to bring him close. It was almost impossible for such strong desires to clash or for one to submit to the other. Still, Folake was going to try.

"Okay. I'll take you to the hostel. How about that? You can become a boarding student so you won't have to come back home every day."

"Saliu, the son of the hairdresser, attends the same school as I. Also, if I go back to school, that means I will see Alex and Demi. I don't want to see them."

"Saliu's mom doesn't even know what happened. No one will talk ill about you in school. As for your siblings..."

Folake became speechless. It was impossible for David to avoid his siblings, especially when they were in the same school. What could she do? And what was she going to tell his siblings if they asked her about him?

"Mom, don't try too hard. I don't want to go to school or stay at home, mom. This is what I want to do — work, and I'm fine with it. Sister Yemisi hawks bread to earn income for the family when she's supposed to be studying in school. You should also allow me to work."

"You aren't fine, David. That's the difference between you and Yemisi right now. Look at all these scars all over your forearms. You might work yourself to death, and I won't allow that!"

"Mom, I'm fine," David was beginning to seethe with rage.

What did he even do to warrant so much love and concern from her? It didn't make any darn bloody sense.

"No," her eyes became glassy again as she insisted. "We have to reach a compromise. Okay, look. How about I take you to a new school? So you won't have to see your siblings. I'll take you to the hostel so you can become a boarding student at that school. You won't have to come back home — even during the holidays. I can beg my friend to accommodate you. Remember my friend that you saw at the market?" she asked without giving David the chance to answer.

"Yes, Florence. She's my best friend, and she's a very nice person. She'll let you stay at her place. If you are worried about being a burden to her, I have a solution to that too. You won't have to stay at her place all day long. You can come back to this factory to continue working during the holidays. Then I can stop by to see you occasionally at my friend's place."

"How about Dad?"

"Who says that Dad is going to be involved in this plan? I will pay your school fees with my hard-earned money – zero contributions from him. He won't know that you are going to another school. Neither will your siblings. Just you, me and my friend. You won't have to come back home."

"Mom—"

"Please," Folake squeezed his hand tenderly. "I just want you close in any way possible. Once I'm assured that you are safe and I can keep a close eye on you, that's more than enough for me. It will give me the strength I need to encourage your siblings whenever they worry about you. You can't say no, or else I'll be very hurt. Please, my son."

David closed his eyes. He let out a deep breath. Then he opened his eyes again. He looked at his mom; her heavily protruding stomach, her receded hairline, the pink, painful-looking patches that smeared her light skin, her thin frame.

He pitied her.

He didn't want to be around her or any of his siblings. Still, he would be harming them by being adamant. He'd hurt Celine by doing things that were emotionally draining and overbearing. He shouldn't repeat the same mistake. Otherwise, that would make him more vicious than he already was.

David couldn't bear to imagine the worst possible thing that would happen to his mother if he turned down her offer. He never imagined that Sindara would die, yet when she did, it became his goriest nightmare ever – day and night.

In order not to give room for another nightmare to occur, he made a decision, one that was in no way beneficial to him. He accepted her offer.

"Okay, mom, I'll go to school."

Folake's eyes now glistened with triumph, not tears. She'd successfully managed to offer a solution that would be convenient for her son but still bring her closer to her him. She felt like a good mother and a genius one at that.

Little did she know, however, that that was about to be the worst compromise she'd ever make.