Sacrilege - Season 1 - Episode 63

4 years ago

Sacrilege - Season 1 - Episode 63

Gloria and Teju turned sharply to see Laura standing just a few paces from them. Gloria pulled back instantly, as if she was caught in an abominable act. Laura’s eyes rotated from her step mother to Teju, her mind full of questions. Her step mother seemed too pale and Teju was a mirage of emotions. What on earth was her step mother doing in Teju’s place, holding her face so affectionately with tears in her eyes? Her life was fast becoming a soap opera; she was having trouble keeping up with the wind of change blowing from all angles. She was here to clear her head; she certainly didn’t need another complication.
Laura took a cautious step towards her stepmother and Teju, frowning at them. “What is going on here?”

*****

Gloria rubbing her hands on her face to dry her errant tears. She seemed nervous and shaken, almost like she was seeking a means of escape; from what, Laura could not tell and she was scared as hell, thinking of what it might be.

Teju looked from one woman to the other, her face showing utter confusion. “You know her?” she asked Laura.

Laura glanced at Teju briefly then returned her gaze back to Gloria. “She is my stepmother” she announced, staring oddly at Gloria.

“Oh” Teju gazed at Gloria, still looking puzzled.

“Yes, oh” Laura snapped taking several steps closer, frowning. “Now, the question is, ‘what are you both doing together?’” she placed her hands akimbo, raising a brow at Gloria.

Gloria shifted. “Laura…”
“I don’t actually know” Teju bottted in. “All I did was open to her knock and the next thing I knew, she started calling me Atinuke”

Laura’s head snapped to Teju instantly. She might have seemed surprised before but now, she was shocked. “What?” she paled slightly.

Teju looked at the two pale faces before her and she actually started getting scared. “Okay, you two are scaring the life out of me. Who is Atinuke?”

Ignoring her, Laura shot forward, seizing Teju’s left hand and raising it to her face for a thorough inspection. She gazed at the hand for a prolonged moment until Teju angrily snatched it away.

“The dot is not microscopic, it is a birth mark” she snapped. “Would you tell me what’s going on?”

Laura shook her head in wonder. Several years back, she had walked in on Gloria as she held a bottle of water with tears in her eyes. She had hastily tried to hide the bottle but then, Laura had already seen it. She had found it weird and almost thought the bottle held something diabolical. But, after much pressure, Gloria had finally confided in her, told her of the rigors of her past… told her of that little baby girl she had to let go of… and the mark in her left wrist… “It cant be” Laura gasped. Wow… Teju surely did know how to encroach into other people’s lives unannounced. She gazed at Teju like she was just seeing her for the first time. “She can’t be her”

Gloria took a step forward, touching Laura’s shoulder gently as she also gazed teary eyed at Teju. “I… I cant believe it myself”
“I can’t be who?” Teju almost screamed at the two pairs of eyes staring at her.
“Her daughter…” Laura announced. “My stepmother is your mother”

*****