Katherine
I hoped he would come, after texting him the address. An old church cathedral near my locale. The wind summerslamed into a pack of debris behind the church and an explosion of leaves and debris occured in the air . I feared the worst and hoped that I was doing the right thing, Mimi had told me how badly she was disturbed by Andy, only so I could meet him.
I had to end the whole drama , I couldn’t allow him suffer, he deserved better than me. My son needed me to be strong and i couldn’t be that strong when someone else worried about me.
At the entrance of the church , a car pulled over and raise dust. Andrew alighted and was as energetic as ever, he wore his normal packet shirt and chinos plain trousers, he was quite fabulous to say the least.
He walked down the aisle and took off his sunshades ” Why are we meeting here, I thought it would have been a restaurant or something?
” It had to be here ” I sniffed and sat on a wodden bench at the church’s left corner.
” Well , won’t you say something? ” I asked .
He suddenly laughed .
” What’s so funny ” I became annoyed and yet couldn’t help it but laugh too ” Are you OK? I asked
” You have grown very skinny ” He sat down and rubbed his palms together . ” why are you running, Kate ? You should face your problems , not run from them ”
” What’s that part about me being very skinny ? ”
I hit him casually on his shoulders and his face brightened with a smile on every angle..
” Why did you call? He grabbed my arms ” I’ve been aching to see and talk to you”
I withdrew my palms and began ” You see that’s why, that’s why I wanted to see you in person- ” I said before he cut me short of the words .
” Whatever it is you are facing right now, we can solve it together , tell me. Okay ”
I faced my head down and tears broke out from every duct in my eyes . My life was in ruin and I couldn’t help but think of Andy as just a friend , we weren’t supposed to go beyond that barrier.. He rubbed my back softly and my spine became electrified .
” Do you still feel anything for him ? , He asked ” Kate, all men are not the same, I know you have a son with him who is six, but you are still very young, don’t hurt yourself by sticking around on a pretended love–”
I raised my head and said ” I’m with his child, and I can’t leave just like that-”
I was about to complete the sentence when a he got up instantly.
” We are done here”
I became confused , then I regretted why I told him in the first instance.
“Andy wait ” I ran after him and grabbed his left arm.
He suddenly jerked and looked me in the eye. I asked him why he was eager to leave,without saying anything.
” I don’t know what to say Kate, I honestly don’t know what to say”
” Tell me it will be fine, tell me its going to be OK, you are my friend right? Don’t leave me now that I need you more. Please Andy, say something”
He scoffed and released his arms from my grip, then, I saw the reason why he had jerked when I touched him: A huge scar on his left arm, just near the elbow joint..
I didn’t ask questions about it, even though it was very tempting to do so.
” You see Kate, that’s where the problem lies, I’m not comfortable being just friends with you , I have waited for a long time. If it can’t happen so I’d better try out my other options. Just know that whatever you need , you can always call me and I will provide it, if I can”
He wasnt making sense to me, he wanted something and I just couldn’t figure out what it was.
” Tell me what you want? What do you want from me Andy ? Please tell me,because I’m tired of all these suspense and tension. ” I shook his shoulder furiously .
” I want you ” He looked deep into my eyes, his dark brown eyeballs radiated cosmic energy, the type I’d never seen before.
I touched my abdomen and rubbed it carefully ” But I’m carrying—”
He cut in ” What if you loose it ? His eyes fixed into mine.
” You don’t mean abortion , do you ? I was surprised at his statement .
“I mean with the stress you have put yourself into, what if you loose it through miscarriage, God forbid, but eventually it happens? Will you still think its right to stay with him , when you don’t love him anymore”
I went backwards and trembled at his statement , why would he want me to lose my pregnancy? He was up to somthing and I couldn’t place a finger on it. Just then, a bird flew into bell tower of the church and hit the rope, making the bell report with loud succession of rings.
Gabriel ,
” So when will the final blow of the plan, happen? Dr Johnson asked me .
He was willing to do anything just to have a revenge at Dami. I thought he was foolish or maybe he enjoyed scheming plots that were not going to work.
I laughed .
I fondled with the pen on his table, at the centre of his office and we sat opposite each other with my legs crossed.
” Do you think I enjoy pretending to her ? I asked him
” Well, that’s the more reason we have to act fast ” He concluded
I laughed again .
“Honestly, why do you think I’m so foolish to give in to your plan .Now that I need her most ?”
” My plan is simple, like we agreed, you just pretend that its OK with you and her, enjoy her wealth and encourage her to keep coming here for shots of inducers to alleviate her hallucinations, the drugs which are in the inducers will gradually weaken her cells, and before a year she’d be dead. But now I want to fast track things—”
” Are you out of your mind ? I cut in.
His grudge against her , I had no idea but if there was any toll for serial killing ,Mr Johnson would have taken the lead on the chart.
” You can’t back out now! You have come this far with the plan and I think we should skip the whole thing and just do away with her.”
” Johnson, the main reason why I did accept your plan in the first place was to secure my child and wife’s future, but that didn’t work out for me . In fact I lost them and currently I don’t even know where they are.”
” But you have full access to Miss Akehinde’s wealth and assets , So why do you still need her?
I nodded and gulped down the wine in the glass cup which was on the table. I wanted to have riches and power ,but I was not a murderer.
” You see, Mr Johnson . I believe in second chances , I don’t know what grudge you have with Damilola but I want to make it clear to you that I will have no part in your sly game.”
” That’s not the agreement ” he blurted out.
” There was none in the first place”
” Are you black mailing me? He asked with surprise written all over him ” Remember , you made her sign a contract, right here in this office and now you have her wealth and assets , you think you can relegate me as the bad worm” his hands tapped the table top.
” An act , I regret up till this very minute I’m talking to you ” I clutched my fingers so tight .
I frowned and got up to leave his office when he said something that was inaudible . I twisted the door’s handle and was barely outside in the hall when he said
” You are making a wrong decision , Mr Egedege.That woman is evil , she is smarter than you think her to be”
I stopped and turned, faced him , nanaobots of anger went down my spine and I had to unleash them.
” I don’t care about her, I don’t care if she is the devil’s advocate, I don’t give a d–n about your plan. So you can as well shove it down your a-s. I only care about her daughter and you don’t expect me to make her an orphan at such a tender age. And let me warn you. Yes let me sound it as a warning . if you so much as speak to anyone about this conversation ”
I paused to allow my conviction sink deep into his mind.
” Then count yourself among the dead , ‘cos you will be a dead man. Have a nice day”
I banged the door loudly that everyone in the reception hall thought it was a gunshot.