" I know who killed Mummy"

I was in the yard that morning doing my thing, I was playing with Jack and Ironman when I heard them arguing.
I thought it was just the usual rant of mummy telling him where to keep his dirty socks, and not littering them all over the room.

This time it was different, it was getting so vociferous, I decided to go in and check on them.

"Mummy"
I called out as I went into the house...
That was when I heard the bang and a scream from the room...

"Mummy"
I called out again, this time gulped in fear, and yet there was no response...

The door to mom's room was slightly open, so I decided to sneak a peek...
And I saw my worst nightmare.

He was standing with a lamp in his hand, and it was covered with blood...

"Where is mummy?... "
Anxiety eclipsed my thoughts, my eyes darted from left to right...
Then I saw her lying in the pool of her blood...

"Mu... Mummy?"
My blood froze in my veins, I was frightened to scream, cringed with fear I resorted to hiding, I hid in my closet, as I cried in silence in the dark till the police came.

"Who is the man in your story?"
The lawyer asked...
I was in court, at the witness stand.
My gazes were fixed on the man who killed mummy.

"Who killed mummy?"
The lawyer asked again...

I was wordless with rage, I lowered my head while fighting back tears, I jerked my finger towards the direction of the man who murdered my mom.

" He did "
I said as resentment grew like a tumor in me.

"Who? "
The inquisitive lawyer who couldn't help but force the words out of me asked...

"Daddy did" I took a deep breath and continued
"Daddy killed Mummy" I said with damp eyes...

Daddy was found guilty of all charges and was sentenced to life imprisonment with parole...
I couldn't care less, I watched him get dragged in as he repeatedly kept saying...

" I didn't do it, I swear with everything I have...
Johnny! I didn't kill mummy, I love her"...
I felt a flicker of irritation as I became breathless with anger...
He was a liar and two-faced.

That was the worst year of my life, testifying against my dad, and watching him gruesomely killing mom.
I and Jack ended up living with my uncle, he was the nicest person I ever knew, he loved and took good care of Jack and me...
He was there when I had a series of nightmares about mom's death and how I had to testify against dad...
He was a shoulder to lean on...

It's been years dad was sent to prison, and never for once have I gone to visit him...
I had always tagged along with Uncle Max but have never gone in...
As I grew, resentment was building a tower in me... I couldn't bear to see his face.
Although I longed so much to see how old he has aged and asked him why...

Three months ago, Jack and I were cleaning up Uncle Max's old garage, and I saw his old car, he and dad use to take me for a ride, it was the good old days...

Suddenly...
Jack began to bark, He had sniffed something from the backside of the car, I went in the car to see why Jack was acting all up...

And I found dad's old boot, seeing his boot wasn't something interesting, but seeing blood on the boot was what creeped me out...

"Why is dad's boot covered in blood, and Uncle Max's car? "
I puzzled over these questions...

I had a flashback to the day mum was murdered, and I can remember dad wearing those boots...
That however explained the blood, but why it was in Uncle Max's possession instead of the police was still a mystery...

Two days later, I saw a picture frame of dad and Uncle max with little me on the wall, and he was wearing those same boots, then I remembered that those boots actually belonged to my Uncle, and dad had only borrowed it for a while and returned them...

Uncle Max was Mummy's killer...
The man I saw that day, the man who murdered my mother in cold blood was my dad's twin brother
Uncle Max, and not dad...

Dad was innocent after all...
I felt so remorseful...
I had let the vision of a 6-year-old fool me, and let my dad pay for a crime he didn't commit...
Uncontrollable tears came pouring like water, the man I spent 19 years of my life hating was innocent...
While the man who took care of me for 19 years was my mom's killer...

I took 19 years of his life, I accused him of killing the woman he loved and deprived him of paying his last homage to her...

I hated myself for this, while I was engulfed with guilt, I received a call from the hospital...
Dad has been hospitalized, he had a tumor in his head...
He was dying, I ran over to him...
My dad was dying, and I was to blame for it...
He has aged a lot, while lost in thoughts...for the first time in 19 years, I heard him call my name...

"Johnny? "
He called out with so much love and tears in his eyes...
I held him tightly, I hugged him and all I could say was
"I'm sorry dad"
I said as I buried my head in shame...
"I'm so sorry, I was young and wrong...
I'm sorry, I caused you so much pain, I promise to get you justice "
I said with utmost sincerity

A few days later, I requested for a retrial with the evidence I had with me, Uncle Max's fingerprint on it, and mom's blood on it...

The request for a retrial was granted, dad was released and Uncle Max was arrested.

It wasn't a tough case, since Uncle Max pleaded guilty to all the charges levied against him...
He was sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labor and no parole...

Dad died a month after the sentence of Uncle Max, death didn't give me the chance to pay for all the years I took from him...
I wasn't allowed to atone for my sins...
He was buried beside mom at Sanit Mark's funeral home...
Mom got Justice, dad's name was cleared.
But I was left alone.
© Joyce Godswill