Phoenix Reborn - Episode 3

 

Connor Michaels is a very disturbed man. He sits in is office and tries to concentrate but can't. It's been over twenty years since he saw her. He has no idea what befell her.
He was in his mid twenties when he last travelled to Kenya. He'd gone there at the instructions of his father Bolami Michaels Abayomi as part of a research programme to see how best to improve the standards of living in his country. As vice president, he needed to ensure he left a legacy for his son to take advantage of and indeed it worked out . The only catch was that they needed facts from one of the biggest slums on the world and it just so happened to be close to home, Kibera slum in Kenya.
What he did not count on however was that he would need to be one of them to get them to trust him enough to act normally and of course not to try and rob him. 'Diana... if only we had met under different circumstances. I know you and our daughter would curse me in your hearts if you don't already, if you knew who I really am. Well, at least you only knew me by my middle name. I'm however sorry but there is nothing I can do. Nothing I could have done.'
He was newly married when his father approached him with the job. His wife, former model and face of Delta oil was an extremely beautiful woman who captured his heart from the moment he first saw her picture

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. He made it his mission to know more about her there and then. When she agreed to be his wife three years down the line of dating, he was over the moon.
She was pregnant with his son Micheal when he travelled to Kenya. At first it was difficult but then he ditched his protective detail, bought some rugged, vintage clothes and moved into the slum. It was already a year and his son was six months old yet he was yet to set his eyes on him. He had to get this over and done with and go back home.
Three months in the hell, he'd been robbed twice of the little he kept in his shanti, beaten up thrice and made fun of for being soft. It was on one of this ritual mockery sessions that he saw her... Diana. She was just breathtaking. She'd been moving to her house when she saw them mocking him and stood up to them. That was one of the bravest things he'd seen in his life. He'd practically fallen in love with her at that moment. Even with the rough exterior, she was beautiful, more than even Evah, his wife.
They become friends after that but it wasn't until four months later that he decided to open up his heart. He knew it was wrong to play around with her like that but he could no longer stand the loneliness, the cold nights and not having someone to talk to. Diana had simply been the best, she'd respected him,pampered him and loved him in ways not even his wife had ever done. If only...
He'd asked her to move in when he realized he'd gotten her pregnant a year later. He couldn't help but think of his son Micheal who was then two years old and was yet to meet him. He had to make sure he did right by this child, if for nothing else but to ensure he choked it with all the love he would not be able to give it once he went back to his life. All the love he couldn't give to Micheal.
Witnessing the birth of Jewel was the highlight of his life.

Read " Phoenix Reborn: My True Brother " by the same author ( Sylvia Maleko )

. She was the most beautiful baby he'd ever seen. That marked the happiest and saddest day of his life. He'd fallen in love with her from the moment she first opened her eyes and smiled up at him. He wanted nothing more but to always be there for her, to love her and protect her. However, he knew that if Diana ever found out the truth, she would leave him and take their daughter with her. Plunging his life back into the darkness that is loneliness. It was selfish yes but he convinced himself he had no other option. Plus, his family would never accept them. He promised himself he would always be there to watch over and protect her, to love her and ensure she never lacked for anything. A promise which he was unable to keep.
He went back home five years later leaving both of them behind. Another bitter sweet moment because while he was leaving his daughter behind, he would be meeting his seven year old son for the very first time in person.