  &quot;Please sit,&quot; She offered. And he took the nearest seat to him. She looks old and frail, but she still has traces of youthful beauty. Hard times must have taken their toll on her, but Michael kept quiet.
  &quot;Mama, are you okay?&quot; he heard Leah question her with concern in her voice for her.
  &quot;Her daughter,&quot; He thought. And his sister.
  &quot;I m fine.&quot; She replied, rubbing the back of the hand Leah placed on hers.
  &quot;Are you, my mother?&quot; He asked. Breaking their little display of affection.
  Rebecca tensed.
  &quot;What!&quot; Leah stood up. Surprised at the question and shocked. She wasn t expecting that. But she soon regained composure and sat back.
  &quot;She isn t your mother,&quot; She fired back at him with a glare
  &quot;Why don t you let her answer that, Lil girl?&quot; He said
  &quot;The name is Leah,&quot; She responded tartly 

  'Why did you do it?&quot; He asked gently
  &quot;I was young and foolish. I was only eighteen years old when I had you. 
  Michael nodded. Stopping himself from adding &quot;selfish&quot; to the list she just made of herself. And he knew more than being young and foolish, she had been selfish. 
  He looked at her. Head bowed down. In regret or shame. Perhaps both. He doesn t feel a thing towards her but amazingly he was no longer mad at her. She had said she was eighteen, a frightened scared girl, she must have been. But it s still no justification for having left. But he was going to understand from that perspective, that she was young, foolish, selfish, and scared. And let his bitterness and anger towards her go away.
  They remained in silence for a long while. Both lost in their thoughts. Michael continued to look at her with her head still bowed down, he was no longer sure why he

  He moved towards her but came to an abrupt stop when she signals him to stop 
  &quot;Brandy?&quot; She called out softly and the little puppy appeared out of nowhere moving to her side like a Shepherd dog. 
  Michael understood. He was after all a stranger, so there is a need for her to be cautious around him.
  He beckoned to him to step forward. He did.
  &quot;The picture? She said, holding out her hand
  &quot;Here&quot;
  She took it and gave it a brief look before she looked at him for a very long time. Her face gave nothing away nor does it register any recognition.
  &quot;Perhaps I am at the wrong house,&quot; he said to himself but loud enough for her to hear.
  &quot;Who are you?&quot; She finally, asked 
  Michael felt like he was being questioned, questioning his intentions and somehow, she had tried to turn herself to some kind of superior and reduced him to a commoner o

&quot;Please sit,&quot; She offered. And he took the nearest seat to him. She looks old and frail, but she still has traces of youthful beauty. Hard times must have taken their toll on her, but Michael kept quiet.
  &quot;Mama, are you okay?&quot; he heard Leah question her with concern in her voice for her.
  &quot;Her daughter,&quot; He thought. And his sister.
  &quot;I m fine.&quot; She replied, rubbing the back of the hand Leah placed on hers.
  &quot;Are you, my mother?&quot; He asked. Breaking their little display of affection.
  Rebecca tensed.
  &quot;What!&quot; Leah stood up. Surprised at the question and shocked. She wasn t expecting that. But she soon regained composure and sat back.
  &quot;She isn t your mother,&quot; She fired back at him with a glare
  &quot;Why don t you let her answer that, Lil girl?&quot; He said
  &quot;The name is Leah,&quot; She responded tartly before turning to her mother.
  &quot;Mama,&quot; She spoke softly. Almost pleadingly. Hopin

Chapter 70