Chapter 33: Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Harry

I pick the ringing gadget against my will. I don’t feel like talking to anyone because I would like to give my attention to her. That’s the reason I am here. ‘’Hey dad,’’ I say without concern as I stand up. I don’t want to go away because that would seem like I am trying to hide secrets from her.

Clarita.

I look at her one more time before making the next step. She is so beautiful, she is innocent and the only one person whom I can trust with my drink. I don’t want to remember the past so, I push that urge at the back of my mind.

‘’Hey son, how are you doing?’’

‘’Great! What’s up?’’

‘’Nothing much, son. I just wanted to know what just happened between you and your mum. She just called crying that you insulted her before some filthy village …’’

I cut dad off. ‘’Clarita is her name, dad. I didn’t insult mum, I just told her that my life’s messed up because of her. If only I listened more to you, dad. I could be like Henry. He has your blessings always, he is never found in scandals unless a mistaken identity. He is wise and I hate to say this but wiser than me.’’ I hear chuckles from his end.

‘’Son,’’

‘’Yes, dad,’’

‘’Where did you get that from? I mean who exactly has made you see the light this much?’’ I walk towards Clarita without a word.

I bring my lips to her forehead, give her a kiss then wipe the spot gently. ‘’She did, dad. She is changing me so fast. I have realized that I don’t have to have much money in life to be a great man. You have met her right?’’ I walk a few steps away as I listen to him respond. I steal a quick glance

‘’I have. Is she worth you going all crazy with your mum? Remember she is still your mum.’’

‘’I will never forget that fact. I hope she learns to mind her own business and stops interfering with mine. If I make a decision, mine remains final when the matter concerns just me and no one else. You all can only give opinions but cannot mess my decisions. Remember, dad, I am a full-grown man and I am bound to decide on what to do.’’

‘’I get you, son. What exactly did she do to her?’’

‘’She fucking slapped her, dad. She then was about to slap her again in my presence but I held her hand calling her names. She isn’t doing things right, please pass the message to her. She is your wife and trust me I was never there to interfere with her during her times.’’

‘’Sorry, son. I will speak to her.’’

‘’See that you do.’’

‘’Take care, son.’’

‘’I will, thank you, dad.’’

I disconnect and walk back to the table. Clarita is looking at me obviously expecting an explanation. I don’t think I wanna do that now.

‘’Sorry, I had to speak to dad.’’

‘’Not a problem.’’ I look at her fries and realize that she hasn’t touched them. I wonder if they are well made, if she likes them and what’s in her mind right now.

‘’Um … you okay?’’ she nods. ‘’Why then are your fries untouched?’’

‘’I was waiting for you.’’

I smile when she says that. I wonder what is happening to me. I am drifting from hard to soft but if this is going to make me stay with the woman I love, then I will and I am willing to do it and more.

‘’I hope you didn’t spike my drink, baby,’’ I tell her jokingly. Her eyes grow cold when she looks at me.

‘’I wouldn’t do such a thing. Wait,’’ she frowns a bit. ‘’You have experience? Or why would you think of me that way?’’

‘’Well, you got it right but guess what?’’

‘’What?’’

‘’I trust you and that’s the reason I left my drink and food here with you.’’

‘’I am listening.’’

‘’There is this particular day I took a girl to a hotel. It was just one of the many girls I had. The hospital had called me to inquire about something, I couldn’t carry my food with me when I was going to receive the call so, I left it on the table. When I came back, I took the food so fast, I didn’t know what she had done to the drink. I gulped it down swiftly and in exactly thirty seconds, I started feeling confused, dizzy and unusually sleepy. I was down and unconscious a few minutes later.’’

‘’Wow! What was the girl’s name?’’

‘’Jolene.’’ Her eyes shoot open I don’t know if she expected to hear a specific name but she seems really surprised. ‘’I woke up in the hospital. I didn’t have anything. I knew that girl. She denied all the accusations but in like three days she had died in a road accident.’’ Her mouth hangs wide open. ‘’She was crossing the road when a car ran over her. We until today don’t know who might have done that. My instincts keep telling me strongly that mum had something to do with her death but I don’t have any evidence criminating her.’’

‘’Did you recover anything?’’

‘’Nope. Anyway, I do remember that I was supposed to go to the hospital to see a patient, that didn’t happen. Dad was so furious but mum decided to stand by me. At that moment I knew that mum was being the best but right now, I know she was just making things hard for me. My brother, Henry tried so much to talk to me to apologize to dad but I could hear none of it. Anita came to ask me to respect dad but that wasn’t on my plate at that moment.’’ ‘’That’s not good.’’ She comments gently.

‘’I know, but please don’t judge me.’’

She nods, ‘’okay.’’

‘’I spoke to my mum who made sure that dad didn’t fire me from the hospital. Life kept being complicated. I was super bright but I was a drug addict. I kept on doing so many mistakes. I could do drugs, avoid going to the hospital for weeks. Every time dad tried to talk to me, mum intervened and dad ended up being the bad guy. I grew more arrogant and disrespectful, my brother Henry worked hard and even though he wasn’t even a bright student, he ended up being one of the big men I know. His real estate firms across the continent are doing so well and I am sure he’s doing well because he listened to dad.’’

She keeps nodding so, I keep talking.

‘’I kept bringing girls home. Mum never bothered with me, dad was pissed with me half the time and every time he wanted to complain, mum said that he didn’t love me, that he wasn’t a father enough to me, that he was choosing who to love amongst his kids and that I was equally his son, just like Henry and Anita. That kept making me a bad boy. One day, I came with a girl home just as was the norm.’’ that piques her interest.

‘’I had been going out with her for quite some time. She was called Ellen. Mum hated her guts because she was a pervert and a warp. I did love her, well I don’t know if it was love or infatuation. I tried as much as I could to hide her from dad and I managed. Ellen died without seeing dad. She was expecting my baby and as for me, having a baby at that time wasn’t anywhere close to the list of things I wanted to achieve. I told her to abort the bastard because that’s how I viewed it then but she refused.’’

‘’Why would you want that?’’

‘’I was young and arrogant. Rude and unruly. No one except my fellow drug addicts wanted to associate with me. That fateful day when I went home with Ellen, it was funny and very strange that there were no house helps. Mum had given them an off day and that was very weird. It was just Ellen, mum and I. she made tea, something that she had never done before. She brought the tea to the table but I don’t know what happened because Ellen’s tea fell and poured on the floor. Wanna know what happened next?’’ ‘’Of course.’’

‘’The cat licked the tea and died instantly. Life has never been traumatizing to me like it was that day. I felt devastated because it was super obvious that mum wanted to kill her or maybe the two of us. She acted like nothing was wrong, I went away with Ellen without tasting my tea. I didn’t know if mine was poisoned as well so, I didn’t take it. I took Ellen back home. I didn’t know how to convince her that mum didn’t want to kill her that that could have just been a mistake and the cat just died because it was its time.’’ I pause a little when I remember how it went later. Any explanations I had then were nothing but lies.

She nods, ‘’I am listening.’’

‘’A few days later, since Ellen wasn’t convinced that mum wasn’t trying to get rid of her. She wanted me to tell them that she was expecting our baby. She threatened to go to the police and since I couldn’t take her threats anymore and remember I didn’t want the bastard kid she was carrying, I decided to report to her highness, my mama. One evening, when I went back home, mum was seated in the gazebo, looking all flamboyant and lurid. She asked Anita to call me and when I got there she was smiling big.’’

‘’Problem solved.’’ She said still with a smile.

‘’What do you mean, mum?’’

‘’That stupid girl will never bother you, ever again.’’ She said it as if didn’t mean anything.

‘’You lost me, mum.’’

‘’She is dead.’’

‘’Dead? You killed her, mum? You are a …’’

‘’Murderer?’’ She laughs after cutting me off. ‘’You think so? Really? After taking that cabbage from your site? You call me that? You are so ungrateful!

‘’I don’t know what I felt. I was confused. I swear I thought I wanted her to disappear and stop bothering me, but no! I didn’t I wanted her, she is the only one who took my childish ranting and arrogance. I felt hatred for mum. I threatened to take her to the police myself for killing her but do you know what she did?’’ she shakes her head. ‘’She said that she is aware that that bitch was pregnant and that if I bothered to report anything which by the way I had no evidence on, then she will make sure to incriminate me and not her.’’

‘’Since then, I couldn’t report her because of all that. She has been blackmailing me left right and centre. She does whatever she can to make me support her and believe you me, when I shouted at you this morning, I was trying to know your mistake but I found out that you weren’t at fault.’’ She nods.

‘’How did you find out?’’

‘’She laughed evilly when you left and I had to interrogate her to know the truth. You were innocent and please forgive me for not acting wiser.’’

‘’It’s okay. You and I know you were doing that because you were under pressure, don’t worry about it.’’

‘’Thank you,’’ I say taking her hand into mine and smiling into her eyes. They are shimmering brightly and believe you me, it is a blessing to her do that.

‘’You welcome, what happened to your addiction?’’ she asks but I shake my head.

‘’Can we talk about that some other time?’’ I ask with a smile. I don’t know how she takes the whole story but since she has let me hold her hand, I am sure she will not be judging me negatively. ‘’Do you forgive me?’’

‘’For what, Harrison?’’

‘’For all that?’’

‘’I am I supposed to?’’ I look at her when she asks that. I pull my hand away from hers and take them to her cheeks. She doesn’t resist.

‘’You are. Your forgiveness to me is paramount. I will be fulfilled if you do.’’ I say then take away my hands from her cheeks.

‘’Okay, but please seek forgiveness from your dad as well.’’

‘’I will, baby.’’

I let her look at me as I motion her to cross over. I hold her hand and we both move to the available couch. I sit and ask her to sit on my laps.

She is about to protest but I pull her gently