“What were you doing with my girlfriend?” Nonso continued raising his voice.”It’s not what you think,” I quickly interrupted. I met Tim downstairs and accompanied him to his room so I could help analyse clips from his new movie,” I explained, hoping he would calm down.”Am I supposed to believe what you just told me?” Nonso asked, coming closer. I looked back at Tim and saw the disappointment on his face. He shook his head, walked back into his room, and closed his door. I was left to face Nonso all by myself. “So much for still being in love,” I muttered. He couldn’t even wait to defend me.
“I can’t believe I spent my money and time on this trip just to make up for cheating on you, and you came here knowing full well you were doing the same with your side guy,” he hissed. Then, looking at me in disgust, “I guess I can stop trying to please you now since we’re even.”
I tried to explain how it was all a misunderstanding, but my explanations fell on deaf ears. He walked away and returned to the room, leaving me standing alone in the corridor.I’m sure you must’ve already guessed that my entire trip became a nightmare after that. Nonso spent most of it ignoring me and making my life miserable for a crime I never even committed.
I was so happy when Sunday morning finally came, and I could go back home; if you thought I was excited about going to Calabar, you should’ve seen me on our way back to Lagos. I couldn’t wait for the plane to land. As soon as the ‘fasten seatbelt’ signs had been switched off, I was at the front of the plane.I didn’t bother waiting for Nonso. It was no use, he hadn’t said a word to me throughout the flight, and I was tired of begging, especially since I wasn’t guilty.
When Sandra asked how my trip went later on Monday morning at work, I lied to her and told her it was awesome. There was no way I was letting her know I had just had the most horrible 48 hours of my life, not after she’d told me how much she wished she was in my shoes.
There were so many activities to dread that week, and I wasn’t prepared for any of them. Topping the list was the documentary series meant to start with Nancy’s company. My boss had informed me at a meeting we had earlier in the morning that the project would kick off on Wednesday. So I was already prepared for a terrible week ahead.Steven called just as I was about to close from work to say that he was back in town and was on his way to the house to settle the family issues we were having.
By the time I was home, he was already talking with Mum. I joined them in the living room as we all pondered what to do about Dad. Mum told us that she couldn’t stand to see her husband in the arms of another woman, especially after all they’d been through together. She begged Steven to allow her to move in with him or, at least, rent a flat for her to stay in while things sorted themselves out. Steven understood her plight but insisted on hearing Dad’s side of the story before making any decisions. He said he would only allow Mum to move out of the house if his discussion and negotiations with Dad weren’t favourable for her. He believed that Mum moving out of the house would only leave more room for more young girls to surround Dad, causing more harm than good.
I hoped Steven could perform some magic and talk sense into Dad; he was our last hope. Dad always respected his opinions and listened to him. I’m pretty sure he never wanted Steven to learn about his escapades with younger girls because he’d be too ashamed to face him.Steven didn’t let Dad know he was around because he wouldn’t come home with Teni like he usually did. So we discussed other things and patiently waited for Dad to arrive.Finally, around 8:30 pm, there was a horn at the gate, and shortly after, we heard the car in the driveway.Within a few minutes, he walked into the living room with his sidekick following behind. Teni had become his shadow in the last few days, following him everywhere he went. I wouldn’t be surprised if she followed him to the toilet too.
Dad froze in his steps when he entered the house and realised that Steven was sitting in the living room. I saw him motion to Teni to go back into the car, but it was too late already. Steven had seen her. Teni, on the other hand, didn’t notice he was in the living room until he shouted her name.
“Teni! What are you doing with my dad!” Everyone turned to face them. I couldn’t even begin to pick who looked more confused between Dad, Mum, and myself. If anyone walked in at that moment, they would’ve thought there was a competition to find the family member who could look the most confused. Teni wasn’t the least bit shocked to see Steven. She stared at him without remorse while the rest of us waited for explanations.
“Can someone please tell me what’s going on here?” Mum asked, finally breaking the awkward silence that had filled the room. I could hear my heart pounding as I waited for a response.
Teni and Steven stared at each other with anger in their eyes like long-lost enemies that still had unfinished scores to settle. But none of them said a word. We were kept in suspense as I tried to make sense of what was happening in my father’s house.
Find out what happens next in Episode 13.
