Never Too Late

 Kate ran as fast as she can to get a taxi to the hospital, she was on the verge of getting a heart attack when the news got to her that her daughter was involved in a tragic accident, she worried that nothing bad should happen to her daughter, she had never shown and let her daughter know how much she loves her. Kate cried so hard in the taxi, she prayed to God to help her daughter live.

Upon getting to the hospital she was told her daughter was in a serious coma, the accident has damaged her body and vital organ, and they are a 90 percent chance she might not make it. Kate cried so bitterly blaming herself for her daughter's condition, she regretted ever treating her wrongly which led to her moving out of the house. She ran so vigorously to her church kneeled in front of the altar and prayed to God to save her daughter's life, "she is all I got", she whispered as she lay flat on the floor miserably.

Irene the daughter of Kate, is 17 years old and has lived a miserable life since she was born. She grew up, with her mother beating and maltreating her, if the resemblance was not there one would have said Irene was not the daughter of Kate. Kate was 19 years old when she gave birth to Irene, Kate was coming back from church on Tuesday evening when she was raped by a group of guys who she can't identify. The terrible incident took her down so badly that she stopped attending services, and she blamed God for what happened to her, She was indeed a virgin who was living a life of holiness and spirituality, but after the incident, Kate lost all hope in God, after a month thinking everything was okay with her and she can start a new life again Kate realized she was pregnant, she was devastated with the revelation, her family who see a girl getting pregnant before marriage as a taboo chased her out of the house knowing full well it was not her fault that what happened to her happened. Kate was left with nothing, she carried her bag as she moved from place to place begging her relatives to accept her in their home but nor did. Kate managed to get help from a lady in her early 30s called Elizabeth, Elizabeth lived in a one-room apartment in a corrupted area, and Kate had no other choice but to live with Elizabeth she was indeed grateful that someone came to her aid.

After two weeks of adjusting to Elizabeth's little home, Elizabeth introduced Kate to her orange business, Kate would travel to different places to buy oranges at a cheaper price and bulk and thereafter sell in smaller quantities to Elizabeth's customers, Kate carried on with this business till she put to birth, after putting to birth Kate moved out of Elizabeth house and got a little apartment with the little she had saved, she continued with her little business thereafter, she would sometimes leave her little daughter at home all by herself, Irene who is just a few months old would cry herself to sleep since they were no one to look after her. Kate despises her daughter so much, she would blame the child for all her misfortune, calling her daughter a burden. Kate never showed any love to her child, when Irene was 2 years old Kate carried her to her parent's house left her daughter there, and ran out of town, Kate's parents had no other choice but to raise their granddaughter, they would sometimes wait for Kate to show up to take her daughter but Kate never did. Kate who had no burden or child no more worries about her situation, luckily enough for her she got married to a wealthy man who changed her life, Kate started living a better life again, she requested she needed to complete her education which her husband did for her. Due to her smart, she is she was able to own her own business and depend not on her husband for survival

Despite being married for 10 years Kate never mentioned to her husband that she had a daughter, her inlaws would call her barren for not being able to give their son a child, Kate got love from her husband which no one has ever given to her before, he never pressured her to bear a child for he believes God's time is the best, all this while Kate has been enjoying her life while her daughter was all over the world looking for her, Irene was just 14 years old when she left her grandparents house to go search for her mother, fortunately for her, she got the location of her mother, Irene introduced herself to the security man who went inside to go get his boss, the boss was shocked to hear what his security guard has to say. Mr. Adam the husband to Kate walked towards the gate and saw a girl standing nervously, he asked Irene what she want, and she gave him a picture of her mother, "I am looking for my mother", Irene said nervously, Mr. Adam was so surprised that he took the girl inside and called Kate on the phone who had earlier gone to the hospital for her weekly appointment. Kate after getting the news from her husband hurried home, she got home and saw her husband, her inlaws, and a girl of age 14 who she assumed to be the daughter she abandoned 12 years ago, Kate was terrified, she knew she has lied to her husband and her inlaws, the whole room was so silent waiting for her to speak up, after 10 minutes of dead silence, Kate finally spoke up, "Adam I'm so sorry I don't mean to hide the truth from you...", Kate was given no chance to complete her sentence before her husband and his family chased her out of the house, he regretted marrying her and don't want to ever see her face again. Irene felt so bad for destroying her mother's marriage if she knew things would turn out this bad she would never have shown up, she apologize to her mother for what has happened, instead of Kate showing empathy and feeling guilty for abandoning her daughter she cursed Irene forever coming into this world, "go back to wherever you're coming from", she said to Irene. Irene who was so determined to know her mother begged her mother to take her with her that she knows no one there, "please don't leave me stranded here mom", Irene pleaded to cry, and after much contemplation, Kate took Irene with her.

Kate moved to her apartment with her daughter, Irene who saw how big the house thought her life has finally changed but she never knew the moment she step foot into the house was the beginning of her nightmares. Kate didn't give Irene time to adjust before she started maltreating her, she saw her child as a burden and look for every way to eliminate her from her life, if Irene don't wake up on time, Kate would walk to her room and pour a bowl of water on her, If Irene doesn't come back on time from the market she would starve her all through that day, she would sometimes lock her up in a dark storage room for a day or two without food and water, and if her daughter got sick due to the maltreatment she wouldn't take her to the husband.

This maltreatment continues for 3 years. Irene who was so tired of all that she is passing through in her mother's house decided to return to her grandparents, she was on her way to hail a bus when she was hit by a vehicle...

Kate after realizing all her wrong doings held her daughter's hand firmly, she never left the hospital for even a day, she cried bitterly sitting next to her daughter, please don't die, Kate whispered, after two weeks of being in a coma Irene finally gave consciousness, she opened her eyes and saw her mother looking all miserable, "Irene you're awake", Kate screamed out getting the doctor's attention, Kate apologizes to Irene for everything and promised to be a good mother to her henceforth.