The moment we arrived in Lagos, the noise hit me like a wave car horns blaring, street vendors calling out prices, and the scent of roasted corn mingling with exhaust fumes. It was chaotic, vibrant, alive. Nothing like the calm of Enugu or the quiet edge of Badagry but I had no time to marvel i was here for a reason.
Chinedu held my hand tightly as we stepped off the bus. "Where do we begin?" he asked.
I pulled out the folded piece of paper where I had scribbled details from Ifeoma's last call. "She once worked at St. Raphael's Hospital. That is our first stop."
We found a cheap motel near Ojuelegba to drop our bags before heading to the hospital. Lagos moved fast, like it was trying to outrun something i felt the same.
At St. Raphael's, the receptionist glanced at the name I offered. "Chika…" she repeated, then shook her head. "We had a Chika here years ago but she left suddenly, no forwarding details."
"Please," I urged. Do you know anyone who might have stayed in touch?
She frowned thoughtfully maybe Nurse Ngozi she was close to her i think she still works at a clinic in Yaba.
That was all we needed, we thanked her and left, catching a keke heading toward Yaba the sun was high now, burning down on the city like it wanted to expose every lie.
Nurse Ngozi was a small woman with watchful eyes and a knowing smile. When I introduced myself and mentioned Chika, her gaze sharpened.
"You are her daughter," she said, not askedsaid. My breath caught in my chest.
"How did you?"
"She had your photo always kept it in her locker, she used to say, 'One day, she will come find me.'" She reached behind her desk and pulled out an old, creased envelope. "She gave me this years ago, told me to hand it over if a girl with her eyes ever came looking."
My hands trembled as I opened it. Inside was a letter, written in smooth, neat handwriting:
"My dearest Tomiwa,
If you are reading this, it means you have found me or at least, the trail I left behind. I'm sorry i never wanted you to grow up with questions but some truths were too dangerous to speak aloud. Michael tried to protect you i did too, in my own way. What happened all those years ago it wasn't just betrayal it was survival i had to disappear.
They will come for you if they know who you really are but maybe it is time to stop running maybe it is time to fight back.
If you are brave enough to keep going, find Pastor Obasi in Surulere, he has the rest of the answers.
Love, always,
Chika."
I read the letter twice, then a third time, trying to make sense of the heavy ache in my chest.
"She is alive?" I asked, voice cracking.
Ngozi looked away, "I don't know. Last I heard, she left Lagos, said it was getting too dangerous but maybe… maybe she is watching from somewhere."
On the way back to the motel, Chinedu was quiet. Finally, he asked, "Do you want to find Pastor Obasi?"
"Yes," I said without hesitation. "Whatever my parents were running from, I need to face it."
That night, I sat on the motel bed, reading the letter over and over. My hands shook, not from fear, but from the weight of everything unraveling. My father had loved two women, my mother had vanished into silence and I… I was standing in the middle of a mystery that was only beginning to unfold.
I did not know if Chika was alive i did not know what danger waited around the corner.
But I knew this:
I would keep going.