HOOK, LINE AND SINKER (Episode 11)
He drove as fast as he could and luckily for him, the address was easy to locate. He rushed for the door and stopped himself from knocking so hard.
"Breathe" He told himself for the umpteenth time. He had been telling himself that since he left the house for the mall where he just sat in his car to put calls through to Bisola. This was huge for him. He was a father and somehow, he was the last to know. He thought of his mum as he waited for Peju to call him back. She wouldn't be proud of him. This was not the plan. She had trained him too well for him to turn out this way - an irresponsible man like his father. He was not going to be that man; the one that never showed up for his son, never took responsibility for his upbringing and practically disappeared all through his life. He was going to take responsibility.
He knew Bisola would not cook up such a serious allegation just to be with him again. She had stood by him in the darkest of days and he had abused the love and care she showered him with, even though it was unintentional. He liked her enough to bring her to his mum. But that was just it. She desperately wanted to meet someone, anyone. It seemed to him that she needed to see how responsible he had turned out before she died. His mum's passing took a huge toll on him and he felt the option was to change environment. A lot had happened in so little time that she begun to feel overwhelmed.
Bisola came everyday for a whole month till he buried his mother in the presence of few family members. She stuck closer than any other family member. She found a way to stop by his house very early every day before going to work and she made sure she stopped by after work before returning home. He couldn't be more grateful for the love, care, companionship and genuine friendship. That was it for him; a serious friendship he thought he was ready to take to the next level by introducing her to his mum, until she passed on and that ambition died with her.
He bit his lip as he waited for someone to answer the door. He was about knocking a second time when she opened the door.
"You muts be KainaM" Peju said as she invited him.
He shook off the awkward feeling that came with being called 'KainaM' by a total strange, as he smiled.
"Yes. You must be Peju. Thanks for calling. You were saying..."
He stopped talking when he saw another lady sitting quietly on the edge of the three-seater. Peju was just about introducing Sharon when Bisola rushed to the sitting room in search of her phone and saw him. She froze immediately. As a matter of fact, they all froze - Peju, Marcus and Bisola. Sharon took the empty glass cup from the floor and excused herself from the sitting room to the kitchen. She was really exhausted and was no longer in the mood for an Bisola-related drama.
"What is he doing here?" Bisola turned to Peju. She was physically and emotionally drained but not stupid. She knew Peju had everything to do with Marcus showing up at their house.
"Answer me" She yelled.
Her voice pierced through Peju's every vein till she shook and lost composure. The vintage ring in her hand fell off in an instant.
"I'm sorry..." Peju rushed to pick the ring, with hands still shaking.
"Bisola..." Marcus started with the hope of getting her to calm down.
"Don't even dare..." She cut in before he could continue with the rest of his sentences.
"How dare you barge in and out of my life at will?" She walked up to him and looked right into his eyes.
"How dare you barge into my house and mention my name like you own me?" She moved closer, while Marcus moved back towards the door.
"You have to calm down. Let's talk this through like adults" Marcus had never seen her that way before. She was enraged. But it seemed her anger was not about his sudden disappearance and reappearance.
"Don't tell me to calm down." She shouted as she held his shirt.
Peju rushed towards Bisola to drag her away from him. She was now scared. Actually, she had been scared since Sharon told her the whole story but seeing Bisola this way just confirmed her fears.
"Don'ttt..." She kept screaming amidst tears as Peju dragged her away from Marcus.
They both struggled with each other as Bisola tried to free herself from Peju's hold to no avail. The ring fell off Peju's hands a second time during the struggle. This time, it was Marcus that sighted it. He rushed to the spot where it rolled and picked it. A pang of guilt came rushing through as he cleaned the black stone with the tip of his shirt till it shined. It was his mother's ring. He had given it to her on one of those days she came to his house when he was mourning. He didn't deserve her, he thought to himself as he moved closer to the cousins. He wanted so desperately to compensate Bisola for the years of love she had invested into him; no, into them. He determined there and then to be there for Bisola and their child.
"Breathe" He told himself for the umpteenth time. He had been telling himself that since he left the house for the mall where he just sat in his car to put calls through to Bisola. This was huge for him. He was a father and somehow, he was the last to know. He thought of his mum as he waited for Peju to call him back. She wouldn't be proud of him. This was not the plan. She had trained him too well for him to turn out this way - an irresponsible man like his father. He was not going to be that man; the one that never showed up for his son, never took responsibility for his upbringing and practically disappeared all through his life. He was going to take responsibility.
He knew Bisola would not cook up such a serious allegation just to be with him again. She had stood by him in the darkest of days and he had abused the love and care she showered him with, even though it was unintentional. He liked her enough to bring her to his mum. But that was just it. She desperately wanted to meet someone, anyone. It seemed to him that she needed to see how responsible he had turned out before she died. His mum's passing took a huge toll on him and he felt the option was to change environment. A lot had happened in so little time that she begun to feel overwhelmed.
Bisola came everyday for a whole month till he buried his mother in the presence of few family members. She stuck closer than any other family member. She found a way to stop by his house very early every day before going to work and she made sure she stopped by after work before returning home. He couldn't be more grateful for the love, care, companionship and genuine friendship. That was it for him; a serious friendship he thought he was ready to take to the next level by introducing her to his mum, until she passed on and that ambition died with her.
He bit his lip as he waited for someone to answer the door. He was about knocking a second time when she opened the door.
"You muts be KainaM" Peju said as she invited him.
He shook off the awkward feeling that came with being called 'KainaM' by a total strange, as he smiled.
"Yes. You must be Peju. Thanks for calling. You were saying..."
He stopped talking when he saw another lady sitting quietly on the edge of the three-seater. Peju was just about introducing Sharon when Bisola rushed to the sitting room in search of her phone and saw him. She froze immediately. As a matter of fact, they all froze - Peju, Marcus and Bisola. Sharon took the empty glass cup from the floor and excused herself from the sitting room to the kitchen. She was really exhausted and was no longer in the mood for an Bisola-related drama.
"What is he doing here?" Bisola turned to Peju. She was physically and emotionally drained but not stupid. She knew Peju had everything to do with Marcus showing up at their house.
"Answer me" She yelled.
Her voice pierced through Peju's every vein till she shook and lost composure. The vintage ring in her hand fell off in an instant.
"I'm sorry..." Peju rushed to pick the ring, with hands still shaking.
"Bisola..." Marcus started with the hope of getting her to calm down.
"Don't even dare..." She cut in before he could continue with the rest of his sentences.
"How dare you barge in and out of my life at will?" She walked up to him and looked right into his eyes.
"How dare you barge into my house and mention my name like you own me?" She moved closer, while Marcus moved back towards the door.
"You have to calm down. Let's talk this through like adults" Marcus had never seen her that way before. She was enraged. But it seemed her anger was not about his sudden disappearance and reappearance.
"Don't tell me to calm down." She shouted as she held his shirt.
Peju rushed towards Bisola to drag her away from him. She was now scared. Actually, she had been scared since Sharon told her the whole story but seeing Bisola this way just confirmed her fears.
"Don'ttt..." She kept screaming amidst tears as Peju dragged her away from Marcus.
They both struggled with each other as Bisola tried to free herself from Peju's hold to no avail. The ring fell off Peju's hands a second time during the struggle. This time, it was Marcus that sighted it. He rushed to the spot where it rolled and picked it. A pang of guilt came rushing through as he cleaned the black stone with the tip of his shirt till it shined. It was his mother's ring. He had given it to her on one of those days she came to his house when he was mourning. He didn't deserve her, he thought to himself as he moved closer to the cousins. He wanted so desperately to compensate Bisola for the years of love she had invested into him; no, into them. He determined there and then to be there for Bisola and their child.
He cleared his throat as he adjusted on the chair. Peju let go of Bisola who seemed to be calm by now. She excused herself for a minute to check up on Sharon.
"You need to go out there to explain to him. She's still in denial" Peju said quietly once she got into the Kitchen to see Sharon sitting on a stool and staring into nothingness.
"Is that not what I've been trying to do all day? She'll keep believing what she wants to believe." Sharon started.
" I think it's her way of healing or moving on with life..." She continued.
"At the expense of her mental health?" Peju cut in.
"You can't give up on her now. Like you said, nobody should go through what she went through. We need to put this issue to rest once and for all, before she sells the same story to Marcus right now."
"What?! That's the Marcus? The Kaina? Oh my..." Sharon stood up in a hurry and rushed to the sitting room to see the duo talking. Bisola was no longer crying. She seemed normal; as a matter of fact, it seemed she was smiling at whatever Marcus was saying in response.
"There is no child" Sharon blurted.
Marcus turned sharply towards the voice as he watched Sharon walk towards them in a hurry.
"Don't listen to her, okay? She's delusional. There is no child." Sharon continued without minding an attack from Bisola this time.
She was ready for anything. She thought it would be easier to come down to Lagos to resolve the issue instead of having Bisola travel all the way down and then harm herself on her way back to Lagos. She took the risk on behalf of her friend that she loved so dearly. She had been taking risks all these years, but it was time everyone knew the truth and lived with the consequences.
"I... I don't understand." Marcus shifted on the chair. He looked at Bisola and waited for her to say something. She suddenly seemed to be lost in thoughts.
"The child she claims to have, the one she named MarK coined out of Marcus and the first letter in Kaina..." Sharon settled in one of the single chairs as she continued with her explanation while totally ignoring the tears that were now rolling down Bisola's cheeks and the confused look plastered on Marcus' face.
"Yes. That one; that MarK... He's not your child. He's my child." Sharon said sternly.
"But she..." Marcus tried to find the words to say.
"I carried him for nine months, so I know what I'm saying..." Sharon continued.
"Sam is not your child, Bisola." She turned towards Bisola whose head was buried in her hands. She stood up from the chair and walked towards her.
"You know he's not. You know it. You just need to accept this truth and let's all live in peace like we've always done."
"Get outtttttt...." Bisola screamed as she raised herself up from the chair.
"You liar. You traitor. I trusted you with my life..." Her voice broke, her body betrayed her. She collapsed before she could spit out the remaining words.
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HOOK, LINE AND SINKER By Faith Olatunbosun
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HOOK, LINE AND SINKER By Faith Olatunbosun
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