Palm lines 2 - Episode 27

 

Ade's POV
Shirley came back after a stressful day at work. She kept on complaining about her clients then she went into the bathroom to take her bathe and I sat on the bed going through the pictures on her laptop.
Shirley came out of the bathroom in her towel. "I just need a day's rest. That's all I ask for" 
"I spoke to Felix today" I began and she filled her hands. 
"That's good . What did he say?" She asked and I opened up to her. 
"So.... Sharon's single?" She asked and I nodded.
"That not the point"
"Not for me Ade. For me that's everything"
"I don't understand"
"Your focus will definitely be more divided and it will be very annoying and I might get hateful and it's so not me. I don't want to be that woman. I guess you know what will happen now" she held my hands and I squeezed softly on hers.
"I'm sorry" I apologized and she chuckled now cleaning her tears. 
"I'll be fine"

Sharon's POV

After the revelation I had from Tuni's prayer, I went back home. Mom was making breakfast and I hugged her from behind. 
"Hey" she said to me. 
"Have you heard from Dad?" I asked her and she shook her head.
 "I haven't been picking his calls

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. Sha leave me alone let me enjoy my single life" she answered and I chuckled. 
"Why can't you just call him up and forgive him" 
"It's not easy Sharon. Soon you'll be married and you'll realize some sins are unforgivable" 
"So you're not going to forgive him ever?" I asked and she laughed. "That wasn't what I meant"
"Seriously? Are you sure? I've been keeping notes on tips to being a successful wife and right now I'm not writing a good report" i answered and she laughed. 
"You're supposed to be my role model" 
"I know and I get your point, I'm a successful wife and that's a fact. I've survived ten years but It's one of those things"
"Just let it slide"
"Eventually but now, I'm just so jealous of that skinny bitch" she exhaled. "She's not prettier than me is she?" Mom asked and I shook my head.
"No she isn't"
"And you're not saying because I'm your mother" 
 "I bet if Tasha can rock 44 like you're doing" I answered and she laughed. "Okay that sounds great. Thanks" 
"What do you think if I start teaching?" I asked and she smiled.
"Awwwwn that's sweet. There's an opening"
"Not a secondary school, I mean a whole new level of arts in Nigeria" 
"As long as it's in Nigeria and it will keep you here, I'll love it" she answered and I smiled. 
"I broke up with Felix"I chipped in and she laughed. "Best news of the century" she flipped her hair. "I'm sorry, I sound so inconsiderate but you know I never liked that young man"
"I felt really bad for him. He cried, really bad" 
"I wish Ade wasn't with Shirley, you two could have hooked up but you guys have one complicated love rectangle. Now it's a triangle" 
My phone rang and she glanced at the caller. "Talk about the devil" she muttered while I picked up the call.
"Good morning Ade"
"Good morning Sharon, can we see?" He requested and I smiled. "Okay sure, where?" I asked, "In my house"
"You know, all I've been doing since I came is moving from place to place. It's like I'm not aware that i use fuel" I answered and he laughed.
"I have no idea why I just thought of that " I added and he laughed again.
"I'll promise to fill your tank" he promised and I chuckled. "See you in a bit" 
"See you" I answered and then I hung up.
"You might want to bathe first and brush your teeth"
"Of course I'm going to bathe. You say it like my mouth stinks. I don't have bad breathe" 
"Maybe a little bit," mom argued and I blew air from my mouth on the surface of my palm.
"It's not that... " I blew it again.
****
I knocked on the door and Shirley opened up. "Hey" I waved at her, "Hey" she gave a half smile. "I'm sorry I'm here, Ayo called" 
"Yeah... I'm aware" she turned back chuckling and I guess Ade wasn't far.
"He's prepping for what's to come"
"I don't understand"
"You have my blessings, I just wanted you to know" "What blessing?" 
"You can have my crown and I meant that literally, if only I can speak Yoruba I would interpreted it" she smiled a I tried to make sense out of it.
Then it came to me, crown meant Ade in Yoruba, so she was giving Ade to me; have they broken up? I asked within then I pointed at her. 
"You two..." I paused and she chuckled faintly.
 "Yeah... I guess he wasn't for me after all. He's all yours and try not to get too angry at him" she answered.
"What did you mean by .." before I could complete my sentence, she scurried off and I walked in looking at Ade who was scratching his hair.
"What did she mean by that"
"We broke up"
"I think I understood that part. What did she mean by try not to get too angry at him?" I asked and he chuckled.
"It's a funny story but let's talk about the break up first. Felix told me you two broke up"
 "Felix told you? Okay what am I missing? The last time I checked you two were not that keen on chit chats" 
"Like I said, it's a funny story. Why did you do it? Give him back rbe ring"
"Cause it felt like the right thing to do. I couldn't go through with the wedding"
"Why?" 
"You know why?"
"I don't"
"You obviously do"
"You realized his head was too long for your liking?" He asked and I laughed.
"No. What's it with you guys and his head? I realized..."
"He wasn't that much of a good kisser"
 "No dummy! I realized I don't want to spend the rest of my life with someone"
"That has bad breathe?" He completed and I rolled my eyes. 
"No, I didn't want to be with someone I don't love because I'm still in love with you" I blurted out and he smiled.
"Was that so hard?" He asked and I chuckled.
"Same reason we broke up, Shirley and I. Actually she broke it off" "And she spent the night"
"See who's already jealous" he teased and I laughed. "I love you too Sharon" he answered and I smiled. He wrapped his arms around me and then he kissed me on the lips. 
We kiss slowly and deeply. Soon the kisses grew deeper, our tongues enlaced as we explore each others mouth. 
We stopped and I stared at him laughing.
"Just like old times" I chuckled and he kissed me again  back and I moved backwards till I leaned against his chair and then I sat on the arm and we both continued kissing until I fell on the chair and he knelt above me running his fingers across my entire body.
He kissed my neck and nibbled on it and I squirmed almost in disappointment cause I was about to break off the beautiful moment. 
I was too curious to know what might get me angry.
"So. What is the bad part?"
"Not yet, first thing first,  Dennis called me up" 
"Your step father?"
"Yeah
"Apparently he's dying and he wants to invest in my life but I refused" "Why?" 
"Cause he's probably looking for a way to make himself feel better for being a prick all those years" he answered and I mounted back on him placing my hands on his cheeks. 
I noticed he suddenly felt sad.
"I'm sorry" I apologized, "Why?"
"Cause whether or not you wanna admit it, he's your step dad and you lived with him for seven years? I mean you're bound to feel bad that he's dying" I answered and I saw him blink his eyes then he looked away.
He then move a finger close to his eyes, then he wiped something off; probably his tears. 
"I'm sorry dear" I sympathized and he sighed. "So what is it that might get me angry?" I asked again and he pressed his lips against mine. 
"What's the dillio?" I asked in an anxious tone and he shut his eyes, "Okay. You might get angry, I don't know when I'll ever get to kiss those lips again" he kissed my lower lips now looking at me.
"How bad is it?"
"Depending on how you want to see it. Since you're the kind to keep grudges, you might hold it to heart" he answered sitting up and I gave it a thought. He might be right.
"Are you ready to hear it?" He asked, "One minute" I mounted on him, my legs spread apart, now sitting on his lap then i kissed him and we were once again absorbed in a kiss for about five minutes or more. 
We both stopped and I tried to catch my breath.
 "Okay now I'm ready" I answered and he sighed.
"Here it goes. After that dinner your mom invited Shirley and I to, Tasha came by and she tried to seduce me" 
"How's that possible? Why will she do that?"
"I don't know but she came at me and she said some pretty nasty things about you and she took off her clothes but i sent her out of the shop"
"Why didn't you tell me?" I got off him and he scoffed. 
"I came by, remember when I visited? Remember? She apologized and said she was under the influence and I had no choice but to believe her" 
"I can't believe this ... Why would she?"
"Just like she came after your Dad, she's just a sick person" he answered and tears rolled over my cheeks to the top I wore and covered my face in my palm.
"I swear to God that I'll kill that idiot!" She stood up tightening her fist. "You always look hot when you're angry" he commented and I rolled my eyes.
"No jokes Ade. This is serious! I wish I had slapped some sense into her the other day" I rose up walking to and fro the sitting room, at the same time pondering about what Ade just said.
"That's not all" 
"Seriously? What else?"
"Um.... Shirley dug some information on Felix and she found out Tasha was Felix's ex. Were you aware?"
"No! I was never aware of it. Oh my God, what mess did I get myself into?"
"Are you aware she has psychological problems?" "Tasha has always been controlling, apart from that, she acts normal."
"She has issues and Felix had a plan to send her back so they can trap her. He had tickets"
"I'm aware he had tickets. I just didn't know his reasons" I cried even more. 
"I don't understand shit, I don't know what's going on? Can you explain the more?"
"According to Felix, Tasha persuaded him to ask you out" "And then persuaded me to accept him" i added with a scoff.
"To what end?" I cried out, "You might have to ask her yourself. If you ask me, i think it's because she's crazy and she needs to be locked up even in jail"
"A psyche Ward is most suitable for her"
"She killed Felix's ex girlfriend and  she alsothreatened Felix she'll kill you too. He was kind of worried about you"

I called Felix after I left Ade's place but his number didn't go through. I drove over to Tasha's apartment but she wasn't home either so I went over to Dad's office.
"How's your Mom?" He asked and I shrugged. 
 "She doesn't want to pick up my calls but I'm coming home to see the kids today" he smiled and I quietly stared at him. 
"You're not happy are you?"
"I just realized Tasha's a bigger bitch and I'm angry at her, I'm angry at myself. I'm not even too angry at Ade. I'm just really pissed off for being used. Not as if it makes sense to me"
"If you're talking about her kissing me, I had my faults too"
"Not just that"
"Ade told you about Felix right?" He asked and I gave a gentle nod.  
"I have a lot of questions for Tasha" 
"Same here but I'd rather avoid her for now"

***
"We kissed" I confessed to Tuni later on and she clapped her hands happily.
"This week is going so smoothly so much that I'm even scared" she answered and I laughed.
"It's a wrap on Providence and I'm feeling like I should get new apartment of my own" she answered and I laughed. 
"You're crazy"
"Okay how was the kiss?"
"You're supposed to be a Pastor's wife, questions like that should compromise your faith"
"Shut up and answer"
"It was like old times" I bit my lip. 
"Okay. Listen up and let me introduce you to abstinence till marriage. It's God's command to man" 
"Tuni, you're obviously struggling with abstinence" "And I want you to join me in my struggle" she added and I laughed. 
"Wanna come with me to an all actors summit?"
"Don't you have to go in with some ID"
"I'll just tell everyone you're my PA" she joked and I laughed.
"Screw you!"

****
Felix's mom called me up on Wednesday evening because she was worried about Felix's whereabouts. 
"I've been trying to call him but I haven't been able to get through to him"
"Same here Ma. I just assumed he travelled."
"He didn't Sharon, I was hoping you'd know where he is or you can help me find him. Check the hotel"
"It's late for now but I'll try my best" I answered then I went over to Ade's house on Thursday morning. I knocked on the door and he opened up. 
"Hey" he greeted, he wore a singlet on boxers with a big smile. I noticed he was chewing on something. 
"Good morning" I greeted walking in. 
"I made your conventional yam and egg, nothing special to it" "I'll pass" I answered then I cleared my throat. 
"So...." I stalled.
"Are you done being angry at me"
"I wasn't exactly angry at you, I needed time to process the whole thing" I answered and he moved closer to me. 
"I guess I'm free to do this then" he wrapped his arms around my waist then he kissed me on the lips and I instantly responded to his kisses. 
"You taste like garlic" I complained and he chuckled. "I'm sorry. So I guess you've given the issue a thought?"
"Yeah but i have a lot I want to ask Tasha some questions" "She's crazy, let's throw her into one of Nigerian's  psychiatric hospital"
" I've stopped by at her apary like five times already. I haven't seen her" I answered and he dipped a boiled yam into a fried egg then he took a bite out of it.
"Can you just stop eating for a minute?" I requested and i swallowed. 
"Did you just swallow your spit?" Ade moved close to me and I scoffed. 
"I'm not stopping you from eating"
"Thanks."
"Felix's mom just called me up"
"Why?"
"She wants to know the whereabouts of her son which is weird cause he clearly told me he'll be traveling and he wasn't at his hotel room the last time I checked." 
"That's strange. The last time we spoke, he was going over to Tasha's apartment to convince her to travel with him. Maybe they left together" 
"I'll go check the hotel again" I turned to leave and he volunteered to follow me.
"You don't have to"
"It's okay"
When we got to the hotel, the receptionist informed us that Felix wasn't around. 
"Did he check out?" Ade asked, "No. He booked the room for a month" 
"Did he go out to get something"
"No. Mr Felix hasn't been around since...." She looked into her log book. "Since on Monday" she smiled. 
Is anything the matter?" She asked and I shrugged. "No. Nothing" Ade answered looking at me then he'd cleared his throat.
"Thank you, you've been helpful"
"You're welcome" she answered and we both walked away from her. 
"This is weird" I added and he agreed.
 "I know. We'll check Tasha's place once again"
"I told you already, i checked like eight times"
"Let's check for the ninth time then" he added and we drove off to the apartment.
I knocked and no one opened up. "See!" I complained then Tasha opened up. Ayo laughed at me.
"Hey guys" she stared in surprised, she seemed surprised to see us together. 
"What are you two doing here?" She folded her hands and I walked in forcefully, Ade followed me then she closed the door.
"Where's Felix?" I asked and she shook her head. "How am I supposed to know where is he?" She asked and I slapped her on her cheek and Ayo held me back.
"And that's for the lies" I yelled and she busted into tears.
"If you were so hurt about your dad, you could have slapped me when you came the other day"
"Oh shut up Tasha! It's more than this and you know it. You hid a lot of things from me"
"I had my reasons" 
"What reason? You tried to convince me against being with Ade but you seduced him afterwards" 
"And I'm sorry" 
"And all those things Felix said about you" 
"They're all lies and I can prove it" 
"What about the fact you two dated?"
"That was a very long time ago.  Precisely in high school. Felix has a problem and if you're willing to listen to me, I'll explain it to you."
"And we're supposed to listen to the crazy one" Ade added and Tasha scoffed.
"Did Felix also tell you he got in too? Did he let you know he was admitted into the psyche ward too?" She asked, "No."
"Oh how convenient Felix"she rolled her eyes.
"They didn't dig that up on him" Ade answered and she rolled her eyes.
"Of course.

Read " The Picnic " by the same author ( Essien Eno )

. I can tell you guys everything that happened. I won't play the innocent party cause I'm not entirely innocent but i deserve to be heard too."
"I'm thirsty" she cleared her throat. She went inside and she got a pack of juice. She poured it into a glass on the table and then poured into another.
"Wanna drink?" She asked and I shook my head. 
"No thanks. I'd pass"
"It's not poisoned." She drank it, "I won't poison myself will I?" She asked and i rolled my eyes.
"I could use a drink" I held the glass up. "You better start explaining"
"It all started the day of your art exhibition"
"The day I met Felix"
"Yes the day you met Felix. I honestly didn't expect you to meet him. Do you want any drink Ade?"
"No"
"I have beer"
"I'm fine" he answered. "Okay"" she raised her hands, there's no point being harsh about it." She snapped and I drank from it.
"Okay back to my story" she announced now smiling. 
"That reminds me, I have to turn off the gas, I was boiling beef" She went into the kitchen and I suddenly felt woozy and I let out a low groan.
"What?" Ade asked and I placed my hands on my head.
"I don't know" I answered, "I feel weird" i answered and he suddenly picked up the empty cup on the table, "Shit! She spiked the drink" he answered and suddenly he fell to the floor.
"Ade!" I screamed then I turned towards Tasha who had a stick in her hands. 
"Ade!" I muttered then I suddenly felt weak and I sat on a chair and she moved closer to me. "What's that? You have questions to ask me" she laughed.
"What's that I hear? Did you have the drink spiked?" She asked, " "Yes I did" she spoke in my face.
"You're probably feeling so heavy, your hands must be weak and your eyes all blurry. I'm really sorry it had to get to this, I'm really sorry Sharon dear" she laughed again.
"Sleep tight baby" she slapped my cheek softly and everything went dim!