Tarasha - Season 5 - Episode 47

4 years ago

Tarasha - Season 5 - Episode 47

9:35AM
ABUJA, MADAM HENRIETTA’S HOME
Stephanie alighted after the cab pulled up right in the compound. She paid the man and walked towards the boot of the car to get her bags. The driver followed to help her get the bags out. She took a quick glance at her wristwatch and sighed. She should have gotten home earlier but the driver had arrived at the airport twenty five minutes late.
She carried her bag and proceeded into the house while the cab man reversed the car and drove out of the compound.

She inserted her key into the door hole and turned it, but it didn’t open, a sign that it was locked from behind. She was surprised. The only person that could be in the house was supposed to be in Lagos with Elvis Richards. She then realized that it was possible Madam Henrietta had left one of her maids in the place. She stepped back and pressed the door bell. To her surprise, she heard madam Henrietta’s voice demanding for who was at the door.

She was in shock. Her mind replayed the scene at the airport again and she affirmed in her heart that it was really Madam Henrietta whom she had seen the day before, her eyes couldn’t have deceived her.
‘Who is it?’ Madam Henrietta asked again, this time her voice was closer to the door.
Stephanie was still too shocked to reply but the woman checked her face from the peephole of the door and identified her.
‘Stephanie!’ Madam Henrietta exclaimed in surprise as she opened the door. ‘You didn’t tell me you were coming today.’
Stephanie was still shocked to see her and she didn’t realize that the woman’s hands was spread out for an embrace.
‘Hey! What’s wrong?’ the woman asked with raised eyebrows.
‘Oh! I’m sorry mum,’ Stephanie finally came back to herself, realizing that her mother was in front of her. She hugged the woman briefly and proceeded into the living room leaving her mother at the entrance.
‘Steph, is there any problem?’ Madam Henrietta asked after locking the door back.
‘No mum, I’m just feeling a bit tired.’ Stephanie replied and sunk into the sofa and kept her bag on the floor beside her leg.
‘Are you sure it’s just tiredness,’ the woman asked and sat on a seat beside her.
‘Yes,’ Stephanie replied. She let out a deep breath and finally took time to look at the woman’s face well. She was putting on a white singlet and black shorts and was sweating profusely like one who had just finished a strenuous exercise. Stephanie didn’t notice the smell of burning paper(smoke) on her body.
‘Are you coming from Lagos?’ Madam Henrietta asked.

‘Yes, I took the 8AM flight,’ Stephanie replied.
‘Okay, I hope there’s no problem.’ Madam Henrietta let out a sigh of relief. She had also flown to Abuja that morning and the flight had left about the same time. She was sure that what saved her from the embarrassment of them running into each other was because she followed the some of Vice President’s crew who returned to Abuja that morning on a separate plane.
‘Ermm… No problem,’ Stephanie replied, still looking confused. She suddenly remembered the previous conversation she had with the woman and remembered that she said she would be traveling out of Abuja very early that morning. ‘But Mom, you said you were going to be leaving Abuja this morning.’
The woman mouth opened in shock as she remembered that she truly said she was going to travel that morning. ‘I… I…,’ she stammered for some seconds before she was about to come up with a good lie. ‘I actually wanted to travel but I have to wait because of my friend.’

‘Your friend, mum? You never told me about this friend you have in Abuja.’
‘Yea, Steph. We’ve never really had time to come to this state together except for now.’

‘Well,’ Stephanie let out a deep breath. She continued to stare Madam Henrietta’s face, still baffled as to how the woman was in Abuja. ‘Were you by chance in Lagos yesterday?’ she finally asked when she couldn’t hold it in anymore.
‘Lagos?’ Madam Henrietta opened her eyes wide in pretense. ‘I’ve not been to Lagos yet. Why are you asking? Didn’t we talk yesterday?’

Stephanie faked a smile. ‘Nothing Mum, don’t mind me.’ she said and picked her bag from the floor.
‘Nothing?’

‘Yes mum.’ She got up to her feet and proceeded hurriedly with her bag to the room.
‘Stephanie, are you sure everything is alright?’ Madam Henrietta asked as she watched the girl go.
‘Everything is alright mum!’Stephanie shouted back.
She heaved a sigh of relief after Stephanie had gone out of sight. She wondered what made Stephanie ask if she was in Lagos. She realized that it could be the same reason she called the day before to ask where she was. Maybe someone who knew her had seen her and reported to Stephanie. She had to thread more carefully, she had gone a long way with Stephanie and couldn’t afford to lose the girl’s trust now.
Five minutes later, Stephanie returned to the living room with a more confused look. She was still putting on the same clothes even though they now looked ruffled.
‘Steph, you must be very hungry,’ Madam Henrietta said as she heard the girl’s footsteps approaching.’I prepared noodles this morning…’ she was saying as she turned back but stopped when she saw how the girl looked.

‘Mum, did you move those files in the cabinet?’Stephanie asked with a frown.
‘Which files are you talking about?’ Madam Henrietta raised a brow.
‘The ones I came to Abuja for, you told me they were here.’ she got to the woman’s front and stopped.
Madam Henrietta let out a tired sigh and shook her head. ‘Steph, what do you need those things for?’
‘Those things mum?’ Stephanie exclaimed and widened her eyes in amazement, wondering why her mum was referring to the documents like unimportant ones.
‘Yea, what do you need them for?’
‘Mum, those documents contain proof to my father’s innocence.’
‘And what do you need them for?’
Her mouth opened widely in shock, she couldn’t believe her ears. ‘Mum, I don’t believe that you’re asking me that.’
‘What’s there not to believe? I want to know what you need them for.
Stephanie gasped. She tried to speak but couldn’t find words to express herself.
‘Look here Steph, those documents are best thrown into the garbage bin, they can’t do you any good.’
‘Mum! Don’t tell me you threw them away.’

‘They’re on the field at the backyard.’ Madam Henrietta replied with a nonchalant attitude and turned her face from her.
Stephanie made her way to the backyard hurriedly. She hoped that the woman had not done anything to make the documents useless or damaged. She got to the field at the back and began to look for the documents around but found nothing, except for some fresh ashes at a corner of the field.
She was about to turn back and go into the house when she saw Madam Henrietta coming towards her from behind. The woman had her arms folded across her chest and her lower lip folded in as she walked.
‘Mum, I can’t find the documents you’re talking about.’
The older woman walked past her silently and stopped at the corner where the ashes were.
Stephanie suddenly realized that the documents were what had been burnt to ashes. She screamed out loud in agony.
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