Chapter 41: Chapter 41

Chapter 41

‘’Luke how are you?’’ Tabby’s voice flows through when Luke picks the call. He has decided to put her on speaker after telling me that he is super sure that Tabby is calling about me.

‘’I am good, yourself?’’

‘’I’m not okay. There is a problem, Luke. I need your help.’’

‘’Are you okay, honey?’’ Luke panics when she says she isn’t okay. I know Tabby very well and if whatever is disconcerting her isn’t my supposed disappearance then I have no idea what it is.

‘’Nope, Clara is missing and her stupid desperate of a boyfriend was here a while ago. We have really tried calling her but her phone isn’t going through. Do you think you can …’’

‘’Help you locate her? Relax, darling, I can do that and more. Just come over and we will find her together okay?’’ ‘’Are you sure?’’

‘’Are you doubting my capabilities?’’

‘’Not exactly. I just want to be sure that she doesn’t do anything stupid. I want that girl because if anything bad happens to her, I will never forgive myself and I know my mum and everybody else will not forgive me. I love her. You get what I mean.’’

‘’I get you, baby girl. Just come overo kay?’’ Luke assures her one more time and he disconnects the call. ‘’Tabby loves you so much.’’ He says certainly and I smile thinking I have never lost her love and I love her too.

‘’I know right? I love her right back.’’

Once again I am so grateful that it’s Luke who found me. Supposing I was found by Mrs. Williams’ men. What would I would be talking about right now?

‘’Listen, Luke, does your mum know that I am here?’’ I ask him slowly. I don’t want to cause him problems.

‘’She does, in fact, I just called dad a while ago and told him my friend is here and he is delighted to meet you. My dad is one of the most understanding men I know.’’ He says proudly. I don’t know if I can say the same about dad. I know Luke was there when dad mistreated me but that doesn’t make him the worst person.

‘’You think they don’t have any issues?’’

‘’No. don’t worry, you are safe.’’ He says and I smile at him. A smile that doesn’t reach my face but hey, there is a lot to think about, so much is happening and I need to find solutions.

Someone pushes the door open walks in without knocking and I don’t have to be a magician to tell that they are siblings. The lady who seems to be almost my age has a salient and an arresting resemblance to Luke.

This must be his sister.

She takes sure steps towards the bed, a smile as sweet as that of the handsome Luke plastered all over her face.

‘’Privacy, Emmy, you could at least knock because you know, this is a private room.’’ She chuckles. ‘’What if you walked in on us trying to make babies?’’

‘’Luke!’’

He laughs sweetly. ‘’These things happen, Clara. Knocking at a bedroom door is no rocket science.’’ He says teasingly.

‘’Says the person who never knocks on my door.’’ She says jokingly and I smile at her when she does the same to me. ‘’Hi, Clara,’’ she says stretching her hand for a handshake.

‘’Hi, Emmy,’’

‘’You know my name?’’

‘’Of course, I just heard him calling you a few minutes ago. And you? You know my name?’’ I ask her politely and she nods gently.

‘’Luke talks a lot about you. He has made everyone in the house want to see and know who you are. My mum, dad, and his friends would want to meet you one day. Sorry about what happened. How are you feeling?’’ I lift my head and look at her with a genuine smile.

‘’I am feeling way better, thanks to my guardian angel here. I am really hungry though.’’ I say something I don’t like so much.

‘’Ooh! Sorry sweety, forgive my manners. I have some food here. Sit up and eat your food, together with my silly brother here.’’

The food is delicious. When we’re done eating, I say thank you to Emmy who is back with a glass of juice. I feel like I am craving passion juice, something that has never been my favourite. To my surprise, she hands me the glass and I am glad to find out that the flavour is passion.

Emmy tells me how Luke has been there and hasn’t left me for the few hours that I have been unconscious. That he didn’t want to leave my side. He excuses himself to go see his mum and leaves Emily and I in his bedroom.

‘’Mum said she wants to have a private talk with you.’’ She says gently and I tense. What would she want to talk to me about? That’s funny but I am in her house and maybe, just maybe she wants to send me away.

‘’Really? And what would she want to talk about with me?’’ She smiles sweetly at me. She is one sweet girl and I officially feel like she will be my favourite person from now henceforth. ‘’Clara,’’

‘’Yes, Emmy,’’

‘’You got nothing to worry about. Mum isn’t a bad person. She loves people, she will welcome you here because I have verified that you are sweet. Can I tell you a secret?’’ I nod at her.

‘’Yes please,’’

‘’I already love you so much.’’ I titter when she says that. She is very funny. ‘’What are you giggling about?’’

‘’Nothing really, but I appreciate that love.’’ There is a gentle knock on the door and she stands up to go get it. That could be Tabby and I can’t wait to see her reaction when she finds me here. She must be very unhappy based on the fact that I am missing. I smile despite myself when I think of that.

Clara the missing girl.

She walks in and hugs Emily tightly and she hugs her back. I like the way they seem to be friendly and humble. When I saw Luke in our village a few months ago, I only saw how handsome he was but I couldn’t imagine that they were this rich.

Her eyes fleet to me when she pulls away from their hug and she shouts without caring about where she is.

‘’Babe!’’ she pauses and runs fast towards me she pulls me gently into a warm embrace. ‘’You are here? Are you okay? I mean is everything okay? Did someone hurt you? Do I need to …’’

‘’Calm down, dear. I am doing perfectly fine. Thanks to your friend Luke.’’ I tell her and she pulls away with a smile.

‘’Sit down, babe. You know you are fragile and I wouldn’t want you to strain in any way.’’ I smack her gently on the shoulder and I proceed to sit on the edge of the enormous bed.

The door flies open and I watch in awe as she runs expeditiously towards Luke. He opens his arms and when she jumps towards him, he catches her midcourse and this is a shocker. I am more surprised when their lips meet in a ferocious, salvage and hungry kiss.

I didn’t know that these two were a couple.

Emmy clears her throat and they stop their little public romance display. ‘’You two should be getting a room already, Clara is in here.’’

I blush when she says that. What does she take me for? A small baby or something? They giggle but I keep my questions to myself.

‘’Get out, Emmy. This is my room.’’ He says jokingly and we all laugh.

Luke and Emmy walk out holding hands as they leave Tabby and I to catch up.

‘’Babe you frightened me. I was dead worried about you. Why didn’t you tell me about your supposed desertion?’’

‘’Sorry, girl, I bothered you. I didn’t know how to tell Harry about this thing. Is it bad to let him decide and put his shit together before he gets to know about the baby?’’ I ask her quietly.

‘’I hope your decision to keep quiet will not turn into some sort of regret. You and I know that he deserves to know.’’

‘’I know he should but if it is going to bar him from marrying that dying girl, then I will not tell him. I …’’

‘’Shut up, Clarita! That girl isn’t your responsibility! I don’t see the reason why you should worry about someone who you’ve never met. I want you to worry about serious things like letting Harry know about the pregnancy instead of Nonsense.’’ She shouts and in as much as I want her to stop shouting, she is speaking sense.

‘’Okay,’’

‘’What?’’

‘’I will go and tell him about it.’’

‘’You will?’’ I nod gently. ‘’that’s my beautiful cousin. You must stand up if not for you, then for the little angel, my godson that is gracefully growing in you.’’ She grins sweetly at me.

‘’You didn’t tell me that you and look were … you know, an item,’’ I tell her and she chuckles.

‘’My sister, I want to get moving. I decided to use the given opportunity. I love Luke like no one’s business and he loves me too.’’

‘’Wow, I am happy for you.’’ ‘’Thank you.’’

‘’Everything okay?’’ Luke asks from somewhere and a few seconds later he walks in with a cute smile. He walks to his Tabby then slings his arm securely around her waist. She winks at me then gives her man a sweet smile. ‘’Are you guys okay?’’

‘’We’re okay, thanks for asking,’’ I respond humbly.

‘’Hey, Clara. Mum would like to talk to you.’’ He says looking at me straight in the eye. ‘’Don’t worry, though she will not be asking you any difficult questions.’’

I shrug. ‘’Okay.’’

I stand on my feet and walk to the washroom. I sit on the bowl with a lot of fortitude as I take the call of nature. My life has taken a totally different turn in the last few months. I thought I would be happy in the city, that things were going to be different but no, life is teaching me lots of lessons.

My mind drifts to the nightmare I had earlier, I don’t really believe that what I saw in the dream is or could be true but who knows. I wonder for the longest moment why that woman would say Harry is my brother. One thing though, I think she was trying to make me feel guilty, something that will never happen.

Well, if Harry is my brother, then it means my dad has a son and he doesn’t know of his existence. There is no possibility of me being His dad’s daughter.

I wonder how mum is doing. I don’t know what she will say about me being pregnant but I know she will not be happy about it.

Anyway, this is not an internal illness, it is not a disability, and I know it isn’t something to put me down. I will stand on my feet until I bring the baby to this disgraced and mortified world. I will then focus on raising the angel and building my business and I desperately hope that I will make it one day.

‘’Clara!’’ tabby brings me back to my surroundings. ‘’Whatever it is you are doing in there, please note that your desperate boyfriend is calling. You should come and speak to him.’’ ‘’Send him to voicemail,’’ I respond with confidence.

‘’I thought we spoke, babe.’’

‘’I don’t think we spoke, I know we did. What can I do for you?’’

‘’Get your ass from there and come speak to this guy. I swear if you don’t I will do it personally.’’ I know her very well and she could say it as a threat but I know she will carry it out.

I walk out of the washroom and when I take the buzzing phone from Tabby, I switch it off at the same time that Tabby and Luke walkout to accord me privacy. They think I am going to speak to Harry.