Palm lines 2 - Episode 25

 

David's POV
I stood up the moment I saw Ayo walk in with a customer bag. I was so hungry! I haven't had anything the whole day.
"Thank you!" I sighed then I grabbed the bag removing  the plate and I began eating then I noticed the surprise expression on his face. 
"I've never seen you this hungry"
"That was when I had a wife" I answered with a soft chuckle. "I've seen Mrs Erika really angry, and even when she eventually gets angry, she doesn't lock the kitchen door . You could have had something to eat"
"Not when I've been kicked out of the house" 
"Is it that serious?" He asked and I laughed in pain.  "It's very serious" "Wow. What happened?" He asked and i suddenly felt uncomfortable to explain the story all over again.
"It's complicated" 
"How?"
"I've explained it like five times, I explained to Erika to Lawrence to Feso and who gain sef? I think I might have to print out the reason and hand it out to interested members" I answered and he laughed.
"It can't be that bad"
"She found out I kissed Tasha" I answered and he moved backwards then he scoffed. "She came at you too?" He asked and I wondered what he meant by that.
"Wait ..

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/palm-lines-2

. she tried seducing you too?" I asked and he hissed.
"Yes but I rebuked her. Of all people I thought you would be stronger" "Hey don't judge me" I snapped and he lifted his arms up in surrender.
"How did it happen?"
"I don't know, one minute I was keeping her company because of her broken ankle and the next she kissed me and I kissed her briefly but who cares about that? Everyone's going to judge me for kissing her back."
"She's one sneaky b*tch" Ayo commented and I couldn't agree more. 
"After the dinner Mrs Erika invited Shirley and I to, she came over to the shop to seduce me into having s*x with her but I obviously didn't" "You could have told me"
"She apologized for it, she said it was a mistake and I shouldn't tell Sharon"
"I guess we both know another person that would be angry with you when she finds out" I answered and he rolled his eyes.
"I haven't done anything wrong" 
"If you had said something, you could have given us perspectives on who she really was but I'm not shifting blames to you but if you know what's good for you, you'll tell Sharon before she finds out from someone else" he advised and i saw him stall as though he had more things to say.
"Okay what's going on?" I asked, "Shirley helped me out with a little research on Felix and I found out something" 
"What?"
"Tasha is Felix's ex" he answered and my eyes widened in shock. "How is that possible?"
"Yes they dated once and there was even a fake marriage in Las Vegas" 
"Exactly where he said he'll love to have his wedding. That's suspicious." I pushed the food away. I just lost my appetite. 
"Why would she make Sharon date her ex? It doesn't make sense"
"Same thing I thought. I found out she spent time in a mental home, she had psychological problems. Maybe she's still crazy"
"She looks totally normal to me"
"To me too but what can we say? There has to be some kind of motive cause I honestly don't trust her, neither of them" 
"First thing first, we have to let Sharon know, we can't keep this away from her" 

Sharon's POV
I knocked on the door and Tasha opened up with a smile. "Hey beautiful bride to be" she greeted and I made my way in then I observed the sitting room.
"I thought you were staying in an  hotel"
"Um no... I changed my mind"
"How did you manage to get yourself a place within a short period and it's already furnished" "I have my own money Sharon, I'm not dependent on anyone" 
"Oh shut up Tasha, I know you're lying!" I snapped and she quietly looked at me. 
"Okay..." She paused, "I know Dad got it for you" 
"Why did you ask then? To make me look stupid?"
"Cause I wanted you to be truthful to me. Aren't we supposed to be friends?" I asked and she shrugged.
"Sharon" she called out, "You kissed my father Tasha! I welcomed you into my home and you kissed my father!" I snapped and she immediately busted into tears.
"Sharon I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean for it to happen, I just fell in love with him. Your dad is an amazing man and your mom wasn't treating him well" 
"And what gave you that idea"
"He told me by himself"
"So you decided to treat him well. Who told you it was your place to do so?"
"It not my fault I fell in love. I didn't mean to Sharon, I just thought I'd be a better wife, a better motherly replacement for you" she answered and I scoffed. 
"Do you realize how you sound right now? Yousound crazy. Why would you want to replace my mother?"
"Because I know about your family genealogy and I know someone replaced your real mother and Erika replaced someone. Karma's a b*tch and I just thought maybe your dad and I were meant to be"
"No one is going to replace my Mom" 
"She already replaced the mother you loved"
"You know what I meant. Mom is perfect for Dad, now you've just managed to put a wedge between them. Mom just sent Dad packing"
"Sharon I'm sorry about that"
"Sorry doesn't even begin to..." I paused in tears.
"All of your stupid flirts, I wished I had stopped it or even made you lounge in a hotel" 
"Sharon I'm really sorry" she cried. 
"I'm really angry at you! I thought you were better than this! Now I'm just disappointed!" I yelled then I left the house. 
Felix called me and I picked up. "Not now Felix, I'm in a really bad mood" 
"Can we see?" He asked and I rolled my eyes.
 "Where?"  I asked, "Where else?" He asked and then I drove over to the hotel. 
"What's up?" I asked after I entered, I noticed his eyes were all teary and red. "Have you been crying?" I asked and he shook his head. 
"That's a lie Felix. You're obviously not okay. What's wrong?" 
"I.... I've been thinking" 
"About what?" 
"Sharon we need to get the hell of out this country"
"Why?" 
"I have a plan" "To do what?" "I'll explain to you after we leave" he raised three plane tickets up. "Let's just go, three of us"
"I'm not going anywhere with Tasha, I'm pretty much angry at her. Can you believe she kissed my dad, threatened him and  also wante to have s*x with him?" I asked and he scoffed. 
"All the more reason to leave"
"I don't want to leave, I'm not done with Nigeria yet, i have to help mom through this mess and..."
"Ade" he answered and I scoffed.
"Not Ade"
"What else then?"
"He's the only reason you're holding back from me." He cried and I shut my eyes.
"Do you still love him?" He asked and I shrugged, "Don't ask me that" "And me, do you still love me?" He asked and I shook my head.
He suddenly busted into tears. Then he leaned against the wall.
 "Felix" I called out and he punched the wall. 
"I can't believe I was stupid to think...." he sobbed turning towards mw. "I fell in love with you from the first moment I set my eyes on you. I thought...i just thought, maybe I could really have something good with you. I've had it all planned out right from the moment she asked me to propose to you" he blabbed and I wondered what he was saying. 
"I don't understand" 
"She's not going to let you be" he added now looking at me. "Who?"
"She's crazy" he added and I turned over to the bottle of wine over on top of the drawers. "Okay. Felix, I think you've had enough to drink" "I haven't had enough to..." He hesitated, "I'm not drunk"
"Yeah you're not... How about taking a nap?"
"I don't need any. You don't understand, we need to trick her into going back. I have my own plan and she won't see it coming. She'll stop at nothing but to see you sad, she's the Mastermind here, controlling people only makes her happy and if she can't. It makes her unhappy and she gets really angry"
"What are you saying?"
"It's Tasha"
"I don't understand" 
"Tasha is controlling"
"I know. That's the first characteristics in her, she has always been controlling. That's why she wants us to go back"
"I'm lost here. Felix, calm down and explain to me what's going on?"
"She has plans for you"
"Did she send you to convince me into traveling abroad?" I asked and he shook his head. 
"No." He cried. 
"I want us going out there because i had plans that can bring us together without interruption and control. Unfortunately you're not as interested in getting married to me as I am"
"I'm not too sure about it"
"Because you're in love with Ade" 
"Yes I am, I can't deny it any longer. Even if I have nothing to do here in Nigeria, being with Ade will make me happy"
"And me?"
"I needed the distraction and when Tasha advised me to agree to date you, I did. I thought I was in love but I wasn't. I'm sorry" I apologized and he cried even more. 
I've never seen a man cry so much. 
"She won't agree to it, she won't let you stay here with him" "Who?"  "Tasha" he answered and I scoffed.
"She doesn't control my life! Fine I've given her that much freedom but not when it's my decision to stay back" 
"I love you Sharon" he confessed and I felt hurt by it.
Then I removed the ring off my finger then I dropped it on his palm. 
"I'm sorry" I apologized then I walked out of the room in tears.

Ade's POV

After my discussion with David about Tasha, I grew even more curious to know more about Tasha. What better way to know except through Felix. There was no way to reach him so I had no option but to go over to the his hotel room.
I saw him lock the door, then he turned to me in shock. "What are you doing here?" He asked and i plunged my hands into my pocket. 
"I came so we could talk"
"I have somewhere to go to"
 "Do you have a minute?" I asked, then he unlocked the door. "Get in" he walked in and I followed him.
"I want to know all there is to know about Tasha" I requested and he sat down looking up the roof then her exhaled. 
"Tasha and I, we started dating since high school and ...I was so in love with her. Tasha has always been competitive, even in school. She grew obsessive and it became uncontrollable. She started making plans for me and she strived to make sure those plans were accomplished. I tried not to tell her about my personal plans cause she'll make it hers and she'll stop at nothing but to actualize every one of them. It became annoying and we broke up but I was still very much in love with her"
"So you just broke up with her because she was controlling" 
"You don't understand, I found out she was psychotic. She was battling with pychological problems and we tried to help her. Her father and I, we tried all we could. We both sacrificed our time to making her better but she didn't. We all thought she was better but no. She had this way of masking how she felt and just covering up and acting as though everything was alright when it wasn't." he laughed nervously. 
"I moved on to another then she died and Tasha was there for me so I went back to her" he cried. 
"Tasha killed her" he confessed and shook my head. "That's a serious allegation... Are you sure of it?"
"She said it to my face after I proposed going to Las Vegas for my wedding during the dinner here. She said if she sensed that I was having real plans to give Sharon my dream wedding, she'll kill me and kill Sharon just like she killed my ex" 
"If she's still in love with you and your both still having s*x, why did you bother dating Sharon?" I asked and he sighed. 
"Some sick plan to keep Sharon in America to make her forget you" "Was there no other guy, why did she have to use you"
"She tried with others, she was just too ....too in love with you to start any relationship with any other person. I was her first interest and Tasha in her sick mind game, made her date me" he answered and his phone rang, I caught a glimpse of the caller's ID; it was Tasha.
"I have  a lot of questions right now" "I won't be able to answer it. Tasha needs to see me"
"Why did Tasha threatening to kill Sharon? Why did you propose to her at first?" I asked.
"She woke up one morning close to me and she gave me the directive to do it and I did but what Tasha didn't know was that it has always been my plan to propose to her. I wanted to get married to Sharon but there was no way to break out of her Tasha's control because i know it's crazy but I loved her." he cried. 
"When I found out she killed my ex, I made plans with her father, when she goes back, she'll be locked up and she'll once again resume treatment. That was why I wanted Sharon to go with me rather she gave me the ring back." He scoffed removing the ring from his pocket.  "She chose you and not me" he answered to my shock. 
"But Tasha will not let her be, I know she has something more in that twisted mind of hers. I'll see if I can convince her to follow me back so Sharon can be safe" 
"You're going back?"
"Yeah. I'm tired of this damn country, love brought me here now all I have is this..." he closely looked at the ring again.
"It's a reminder that I was rejected by the only virtuous woman I ever dated" he gave a half smile and I joined him on the bed. 
"Do you love Sharon?" He asked and I scoffed. 
"With all my heart and soul." 
"I'm pretty sure you'll  make her happy more than I ever did." He added and I scoffed. 
"I almost forgot, you have a girlfriend"
 "It's kind of complicated"
The phone rang again and he picked it up. "I'll be there Tasha, I'm just running a bit late. The traffic here is horrible" he answered then he hung up and I scoffed. 
"I can't believe you just used the Lagos traffic as a lie" I answered and he laughed then he got my phone from me dialing in his number.
"You can call or send me an invite for the wedding." "What wedding?" I asked, "You and Sharon" He answered and I laughed. 
"Sharon still loves you and you'll be an idiot to let her pass you by"
 "How will I start explaining all this in words to her? I know too much about a lot of things"
"You can start by crying first"
"That's your talent, I don't have it in me. I've seen you cry like a baby"
"Like you've never cried before"
"Sharon made me cry the day she introduced you as her fiance, mehn I cried"
"Sorry about that Man" he apologized and I waved it off. "It's nothing. I mean the way you came in that day with your long head and you kissed her like you owned her,"
"Sorry about that." He laughed, "I knew were her ex, but let's say I've always been jealous of you even before I met you." "I feel honored" I chuckled and he laughed.
"You know we could be" 
"Don't even say friends" i snapped,
"Why?"
"Ten years ago, I know of two enemies that became friends. It'll just be weird if we end up the same way"
"At least you can boast of a friend who lives in America. I bet you don't have any" he answered and I punched him on the arm.
"Ouch!" He groaned.  "You have hard hands and I'll have to go for reconstructive surgery cause you broke my nose"
"Are you sure you're not gay?" I asked.
"I'm not, I'm a really sweet and straight guy. You can ask Sharon" he answered and I shifted glaring at him.
"Not cool, not cool" I answered, "Sorry" he apologized and we both laughed.
"I have to go. I'm pretty sure Lagos traffic doesn't take this long and I still have to encounter the real traffic" he answered and I laughed. "Hopefully if I can convince Tasha to go, we'll be gone in three hours or we'll miss the flight" he answered and I shrugged.
"Friends?" He proposed and I laughed. 
"I'll think of it"  I stood up and he laughed. 
"It's not like I'm asking you out" "It feels like it, I'm shy, I've never done gay things before" he answered and we both laughed getting out of the hotel room.
I didn't go straight to the restaurant, maybe I needed to hear people out rather than making conclusions so I went over to Dad's office. 
I waited a while at the lobby before I was allowed in, Eniola was in there.
 "Hello little brother" she greeted and I almost scoffed.
 "You know technically, your mom and my dad are not totally divorced so I think you have to stop acting uncomfortable when I call you brother" she answered and Dennis smiled.
 "I was shocked when my secretary told me you were waiting for me" Dennis added and I let out a troubled sigh.
"Let's get this over with, what is it you want from me?" I asked and he demanded I have a seat. 
"Please" Eniola begged and then I sat on a swivel chair. "I'm all ears"
"I'm sorry for abandoning you" he apologized and I rose up. "Just have some patience Ade! He's really sorry" she yelled. 
"Can I have sometime alone with him?"
"No!" She exclaimed and Dennis gave her a strict look. "I'll be outside" she answered then she walked out of the office.
"Please have your seat Ade" he urged and I did. 
"I never had a choice you know, I grew up not having any choices in life. I did what my parents wanted from me even though it wasn't part of my plan for life; I was never happy as a kid. I imposed on my children too and when you came, you were different.

Read " Dysfunctional " by the same author ( Essien Eno )

. You were obviously stubborn and I thought I could teach you some life lessons that I learned from my parents. Mom will always say life was about the competition, everyone wants to be where your father is and you must strive to get there or be better than him. Mom would whisper that into my ears until it became a norm. You were free-spirited and you wanted a lot of things and I stopped it but it didn't stop you from being happy. I was jealous of what you had. I couldn't even clip your wings and when you made that decision that day. I decided to let you fly, to see how you would survive and you did" he answered stretching a file to me and I opened it seeing pictures of myself and the restaurant. 
"I've had my eyes on you for a while and I must commend you for the effort"
"What do you want Dennis? I'm pretty sure you didn't come all the way to the house because you wanted to congratulate me" 
"I want to invest in your life" he passed a document at me.
 "What's this?" "Read it" 
"I don't have the time" 
"I'm not drafting a will son, I'm giving you thirty percent of what I own"
"I'm doing what I should have done"
"Are you dying?" I asked and he gave a slight nod and I shut my eyes in pity.
 "When?"
"The doctor said I had less than two months to live, that was a month ago." "And you just decided to show up now?" I snapped and he laughed.
"Would have treated me otherwise or hated me less if you had found out I was sick?" He asked and I stalled.
Good question.
"I just want to do what's right for me and for everyone. Just making sure everyone gets what they deserve" 
"I've made it this far on my own. I don't need you or your wealth" "You studied economics right? It's called an investment. The only thing I want is a clean conscience and a peaceful death Ade. Just grant me this" he requested and I walked out of his office; my eyes filled with tears.