My father's second family was living 20 minutes from our house for 11 years

My father died in 2003 and we buried him in Ibadan. Eleven years later, a woman came to our house with a boy who had my father's exact face. She said they had been living in Akobo since 1992, and that my father was paying her rent until the day he died.

My mother did not cry. She just sat down on the veranda and asked one question: "Did he ever eat your food on Christmas day?" The woman said yes. My mother nodded and went inside. She did not come out until evening.

The boy was 19 then. He is my brother, and I have not called him that once in 12 years. He came to my mother's burial last year and stood at the back. I saw him and I felt nothing. Then I felt something. I still cannot name it. Maybe that is the thing about secrets. They do not die with the person who kept them. They just change address.