Chapter 55: Chapter 55

Chapter 55.

Clara please, come back and be with me. Forgive me for not being who you thought I was.’’ Mum cries somewhere as we are just leaving. I look back and dad is pacing the compound like a mad man. I don’t know what to tell this woman. I cannot go back there because dad will just chop off my head.

My siblings are holding each other in togetherness. They are all sobbing and right about now, my heart is broken into pieces. I didn’t expect this to happen but it did.

Alvin pulls away after Luke and Tabby and I am sad that we don’t get to see my godmother. She will feel really bad and left out when she hears the story. I am super sure that she had an idea that I wasn’t my parent’s child.

I never knew I was someone’s daughter because I wasn’t raised suspecting anything. They cared about me as much as they did with their other children.

Life can do you harm at some point.

My real mum didn’t abandon me, she was denied the chance of even looking at me on the very first day I stepped feet into this world. She suffered all this while thinking she will never have the pleasure of meeting her daughter.

We share a passion in fashion designing and I didn’t think about it at all. I thought that was just a coincidence.

I land on mum with a hug and she hugs me back. I feel the familiar warmth that I normally feel when with her and in some way, a touch relief runs through my plasma. This woman has been a mum to me for months without me knowing she was my mum. She was always there for me and she treated me with care. I wonder what on earth I would have done if it wasn’t for her and her family.

Torrents of tears are falling down my cheeks uncontrollably. I thought I had cried enough, not really. I am just starting afresh.

My own dad mistreating me so much. I don’t care if he didn’t sire me, he raised me up and he did it well. He was the best father before I knew all these.

I remember him saying that he never wanted his kids out of school when learning was going on and that’s the reason he clearly stated that he’d rather go angry but pay school fees.

I pressed the envelope that mum gave me into Clare’s hand. I hope that she can hand it over to them carefully without causing any chaos. I am desperately hoping that it will help them sort some bills. I whispered to her that if dad doesn’t accept it, then she should find Liam and secretly pay him his debt that dad owes him.

‘’Hush!’’ Mum startles me from my reverie. ‘’Hey, I am here for you. Don’t cry because that is literally breaking my heart. I want you to be happy. I want you to have peace and I want you to live the life that you deserve. Your dad is a good man. He may be mad at the moment but that doesn’t make him bad.’’ I nod amidst sobs.

‘’Where is my son?’’ I ask tears rolling down my cheeks. She softly brings her thumb and wipes them away.

‘’You don’t have anything to worry about. Ian is safe. I saw this coming and I had to get someone to baby seat him. We will get to them soon.’’ I nod gently. ‘’I didn’t want my first and only grandchild at the moment to witness all these, okay?’’

Luke and Tabby over speed and go far ahead of us. I meet Alvin’s guess in the rare view mirror and his look makes me feel bad. I hate being pitied and that’s exactly what he is doing to me right now.

Mum’s phone chimes and she picks it. I totally don’t pay attention to her call at all because my mind drifts to everything that has been happening in the past few months.

My life has literally taken a sweeping change and that’s not something good. Well, I cannot say it isn’t entirely good because both families are good. I don’t know what mum’s husband will say or perhaps he already knows. He has been so good to me and I think he is a good man.

We are in the town where we shopped earlier in a few minutes and I smile when my eyes fleet to mum’s car, her driver and someone dressed as a nurse are standing outside. I haven’t spotted Tabby and Luke yet.

I hop out so fast when Alvin halts and I figuratively route towards the car. I spot my one-month-old baby looking so lively. The lady that picked him earlier is holding him carefully in her arms and I don’t think I have ever been grateful. I know it is the fresh air in the countryside that’s making Ian so lively. It would have been so sweet if my godmother saw him but I make a mental note there and then. I am never exposing the baby that much. I traveled all the way to come show my dad and mum their grandson and all he could do is to criticize me and say how bad I am.

Ian is just a month old for effort’s sake. The sacrifice I was making was immense, they should have at least appreciated by welcoming me home. Thank God we left the shopping there, they can dispose them off if they want.

The question that has been in my mind all along with strays once again. Where is Harrison when all these are happening?

‘’Surprise!’’ someone shouts behind us and I turn swiftly to look at them. I cover my mouth using both my palm when I meet my godmother’s eyes on mine. She is one of the most adorable women I know.

I literally run towards her in speed.

We are stuck in a warm clinch and I think I had missed this woman so much.

‘’Tabby has briefed me. You will be okay.’’

‘’Thank you.’’

‘’Where is my godson?’’ I pull back and smile at her as I pull her gently towards the car. She is quite jovial as she holds my son and she says that he is a blessing to me.

She urges me to keep it cool, not to forget my parents even if they didn’t seem welcoming. That an hour’s episode shouldn’t interfere with over twenty years events. The love, care. Happiness and the sad moments that happened shouldn’t be burnished off just like that.

We introduce her to my current mum and she is happy when she is told that that’s her soon to be mother-in-law.

We pull away after a few minutes of chit chat and mum bluntly refuses that Alvin and I drive with Ian. She says that I am in no state to even breastfeed the baby so, she will find a way to make him feel comfortable until we get to the city and I have relaxed enough to breastfeed him.

Weird enough though, I don’t feel any guilt about Harry. I feel like I will just set him free the next time I meet him which I don’t know when. I will break the news of him and I being siblings and I know that will be our best reason not to hold on to each other.

Alvin pulls up beside the road and without warning, he unbuckles my seat belt and pulls me gently until I am seated on his laps.

He cups my cheeks and looks straight into my eyes. ‘’I have been dying to tell you something.’’ He says seriously.

‘’What?’’ I ask casually.

‘’I know this isn’t the right time but I want you to give me a chance. I want to love you the way a real woman should be loved. I want to make sure that you are okay and protected and I want you to be happy by my side. I love you, Clara.’’

My eyes are wide open when he says that. ‘’When did you start loving me, Alvin?’’

‘’When I realized that the sweetest fruit was just somewhere around me. When I came to appreciate more the person that you are and when I first saw you after so long, that day in my office. You keep giving me every reason to be with you all the time and I don’t want that chance to outstrip me.’’

‘’You know that I …’’

‘’Love the Harry guy? That’s fine. I am just requesting for a chance. I want you to give it to me. Don’t worry about you still being in love with a douche I love you.’’

‘’You have never said that before.’’

That’s why I am saying it now. At the right time.’’

‘’And a wrong place. You could have at least waited until I got to the city to figure things out first.’’

‘’I know I just made a big mistake but that’s why I started the way I did. You and I are literally here to make things right.’’ He says gently. ‘’I have been in love with you for the past years but I never had the courage to talk about it. I always knew what I wanted with you and that’s why I opted to do what I did back then.’’

‘’And what could that be?’’

‘’Taking care of you and making sure that you were safe, that no one bothered you and that I was always beside you. The reason why I never told you about my immense love for you is because I was going abroad for many years and I didn’t want to leave you suffering.’’

‘’What makes you think that I would have suffered? Maybe I would have understood the situation. In fact, I suffered more knowing you left without telling me.’’

He looks at me for a few seconds before pulling away his gaze from mine. ‘’Love is a complicated game.’’ He says and turns to look at me again. ‘’There have to be two players. The players have to be close to each other for the game to be super interesting. The two players have to either win or lose the game. I am here now though.’’

‘’I don’t understand you.’’

‘’I mean I personally prefer to be closer to the person I love. I hate with passion long-distance relationships.’’ I nod at him.

‘’I get you.’’ I say gently and he gives me a smile, that smile that never comes easily. It takes him time to smile but he smiles sweetly when he finally does. He then encircles me with his long hands and pulls me closer to him. I can feel his warmth all the way through my clothes to my beating heart. The hug is warm and reassuring.

I needed it.

‘’We have to catch up with your brother and his girl.’’ He states jokingly.

‘’We don’t have to, Alvin. Let’s just go at our own speed. We will get there.’’

‘’Clara?’’

‘’Mh!’’

‘’You are so beautiful. What happened between Harry and you?’’

‘’Nothing that you don’t know yet. Maybe you should be asking what didn’t happen.’’

‘’What didn’t happen?’’

‘’He didn’t keep his promise of escaping with me. He didn’t love me enough and he literally didn’t stay longer to witness the birth of his first son.’’ I explain to him. ‘’He didn’t support me, he sided with his mum and got married to one Diana and now I am here without him. All alone.’’

‘’Hey, you are not alone. I am here for and with you. Do you still love him?’’

‘’Not after the revelation. I don’t love Harry anymore.’’

‘’What if you find out that he isn’t your brother?’’

‘’Nothing will ever change. He went away and forgot about me even after he made a promise that he would look after me and our youngster. He never even called to find out if I was doing well with the pregnancy. He never even tried to look for me but if he did, then he didn’t try harder. Guess what?’’

‘’What?’’

‘’My decision stands. And that’s my final decision.’’

‘’Hey, don’t say that sweet pie. He is your spawn’s dad. Don’t you think he deserves another chance.’’ I chuckle when he asks that.

‘’You can ask that again, Alvin.’’ Tears fall uncontrollably and I don’t do anything to keep them at bay. ‘’That was a betrayal from Harry’s side.’’

‘’Hey, you are crying.’’ Alvin states quietly and believe it or not, I don’t want to do it, the mixture of happenings that he arouses in me and all the happenings though. ‘’I am here, you don’t need to cry.’’ He brings his thumb to wipe my tears and I let him.

‘’Let’s get going,’’ I say quietly.

‘’Let’s go, baby.’’ He says and he steps on the gas like the lunatic that he is.

Innocuous excursion to us.