Lust & Love (The enemy within) - Season 1 - Episode 9

4 years ago

Lust & Love (The enemy within) - Season 1 - Episode 9

I stormed out of the office like a mad man with no directions; I could tell my face wasn’t the friendliest one as I could feel water gathering around my eyes. I avoided all eye contact while heading to the park to fetch my car with the divorce paper in my left hand.

I zoomed out of the company, heading straight to my father in-law’s house. I didn’t even bother to call him to find out if he was home; I demand answers and I’m sure I’ll get them once I get to his house.

Getting by his security was an easy one; I was already a familiar face. I headed straight to his living room. I found my daughter Isabella watching TV while sipping from a cup of what seems to be a juice. On setting eyes on me, she shouted ‘daddy!’ completely abandoning her drinks, she ran towards me and jumped into my open arms and I raised her up to my chest.

I became very emotional at this point. All the tears I have been holding back just started pouring out freely and my chest was beginning to ache again. I hugged her more tightly while sobbing. She must have noticed this. She loosens her hold on me to look at my face only to see tears rolling down my cheek. ‘Daddy why are you crying’ she asked me, ‘nothing dear’ I replied as I dropped her to the floor, ‘is grandpa home?’ I inquired. ‘No daddy, grandpa went to the golf club with uncle Tunde’, I was about turning my back on her when she asked again ‘daddy, mummy said you won’t be coming home again, is it true?’ Prior to that question my anger had subsided a lot but the question brought everything back.

I didn’t want Isabella to see this so I feigned a smile, squatted in front of her and said ‘look baby, daddy and mummy are just trying to settle an issue but Daddy will come home very soon ok?’ she nodded back and I stood up ‘tell grandma I came by, I will see you soon’ I hurriedly turned away from her as I could already feel tears were about to start rolling again. I drove out with a fiery rage hot enough to compete side by side with the fabled ‘hell fire’ and headed straight to the Oriental golf club where my father in-law usually hangs out with Tunde his right hand man. Tunde is more like his handy man. Whenever he wants anything to happen, Tunde makes it happen. Tunde was responsible for bringing my wife back home from where she once eloped with a guy named Nnamdi before we met. He tracked her down there and brought her back home. I don’t think my mother in-law knows half of the things Tunde knows, little wonder he is considered family in my father in-law’s household.

I got to the club, checked in with my membership card (it was the only way you can be allowed on the course when going alone) and located my father in-law who seemed to be having the time of his life with a club in his glove covered left hand and a bottle of energy drink in the other.

On sighting me from afar alighting from my cart he called out to me cheerfully ‘Ben my son!’ but I wasn’t in the mood for merriment.

I approached him wearing my sternest look yet and stabbed the letter into his out stretched hand and without saying a word, I moved a step away from him towards his left hand side backing him. As he was opening the letter, he asked me ‘what is this?’ ‘I don’t know, maybe you can explain what is going on’ I fired back.

As soon as he finished reading the paper he burst into so much laughter! I couldn’t believe it. I had to turn to face him to confirm that his laughter wasn’t out of sarcasm but it wasn’t. He was genuinely laughing because he thinks it’s funny. He handed the letter to Tunde who glanced through it and also smiled devilishly.

I couldn’t hold myself anymore, I had to say something before this people will dismiss my entire life with the back of their hands, so I began to pour my hearts out ‘sir, I beg of you, this is my life, this is everything that matters to me, my whole future and sanity depends on this……’ by now my tears were pouring out freely, the smile on my father in-law’s face has wiped out, replaced with a frantic look. I continued ‘if there is any way I have wronged you or anything I have done to provoke your anger, if not for my sake, please for the sake of my children and your daughter make all this go away! I can’t take this anymore! It’s not funny anymore,’ I was now clutching to my chest again which by now seems like someone was dragging some wires therein. I bent down a bit to get some comfort and I felt my father in-law’s hand patting me on the back. ‘It’s ok Ben……..it’s ok’ he told me. It seems I had finally reached his heart.

I stood up erect looking at his face. He dropped his club to the floor and placed his left hand on my right shoulders, he said ‘Ben………are you aware that the fraud committed by Jide and Patrick was committed in your name?’