Must Read: Paradox Of Abel - Season 1 - Episode 22

7 years ago

Must Read: Paradox Of Abel - Season 1 - Episode 22

She was still staring at him when she replied with a single word, “No.”
To Daniel, it was a blow and his eyes failed to hide his disappointment. He felt heartbroken, empty. He could hear the members sigh in relief at her answer. Except Esther, who was still staring at him with interest. He felt angry again; he wanted to shower Remi with expletives, call her a betrayer and tell the other family members to go and kiss the devil. But he knew he could not do that; this was not his home, he was with strangers. It’d be wise if he tread carefully here, lest he regretted his actions. There were dangerous people here, he knew, but unfortunately, he didn’t know who those dangerous people were. Hearing this disappointing words from Remi, there was no cause for him to tarry there any longer, but a part of his mind still told him that the story might change, that Remi was only influenced into saying what she said.

The landlord said, “There is no room for any quarrel; there is something more important we need to talk about. It’s ten minutes past nine and we’ll be ushering in the Christmas in less than three hours. We don’t want to welcome the special day with any disagreement or fight, do we? I’ll say you should iron out issues amongst each other before then.” He stopped and extracted a mobile phone from his pocket, he speed-dialled a number, waited for the recipient to pick the call and said, “Is that you, Mr. Okafor? Okay. Make it? Of course…I know tomorrow is Christmas…But it’s very important that you come. Of course no…no problem for now. Will you come? In the morning…thanks a lot. I shall be expecting you.

And, Merry Christmas in advance.” He terminated the call, smiling to himself.
“Who is Mr. Okafor, dad?” David asked, “Another guest we don’t know?”
“Oh, Mr. Okafor is my new attorney.”
His wife looked up sharply at him, “What about Lawyer Nkem?”
“I fired him in August. He was extorting from me.”
“Another stranger to celebrate the Christmas with us?” said Ruth rudely, “I don’t know we’re about to invite half the population of Lagos State.”
“He’s not coming here to celebrate with us.

He’s coming for something much more important.”
“For what?” Esther asked sharply. So sharply that, for a moment, they all cast a puzzled look at her. “For what?” she repeated solemnly this time.
“I called him so as to have him change my will. I want to write a new will. Some things have come to light and there is going to be a change tomorrow.”
Everyone was silent at this. Even Daniel felt like a member of the family for a thousandth of a second. The silence was like according respect to someone long deceased.
“What is there to change?” Ruth asked irritably.
“That’s for me to decide, my dear.” Her father replied pleasantly.
“Whatever,” David said in a bored tone, “Can we please talk about something else?” he faced his brother, “Hey writer, how far have you gone with your novels? You’ve been quiet all day. Don’t you have anything to say about dad’s ludicrous intention? Aren’t you concerned that you might be cut off the inheritance?”
True, Daniel thought, this man had not uttered any word since he had stepped his legs into this devil’s dinning room. Daniel hadn’t even been aware of that fact until David spoke about it. He was particularly concerned about the silence of the mistress of the house, the blind Hannah Malik. Daniel would have thought the woman was not only blind but also dumb if he had not heard her speak a few minutes earlier.
David turned to his father, “But dad, do not forget to include your grandson’s name in the will when you’re going to have it altered.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, David!” Ruth lashed out, “I thought your greed would have diminished now that you’re an adult.”
“With all due respect, madam. I won’t condone such insult against my husband.” Replied Anuli.
“Tell me you’re not talking to me, young woman.” Ruth was already boiling with rage.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” pleaded Anuli, “I overreacted, I believe it’s a wife’s responsibility to always back her husband up in any circumstance. Since you’re divorced three times, I don’t expect you to understand that.”
“Wow!” Ariel whistled, smiling. He was apparently enjoying this bicker.

Daniel was expecting Jamal to do something to curb this rising altercation but the old man seemed not ready to do anything. He was carrying a straight unconcerned face.
Ruth roared, “Your brain must have been fried too often under a beauty shop hair dryer for you to talk to me in such a rude manner. You must be––“
“Hey, watch your wager, sister!” David admonished, “I won’t tolerate any word of imprecation from your pathetic snout.”
“Ow!” bellowed Ariel again.
“Bro David,” Esther spoke, “You and your wife cannot come back here after millennia like Christ descended and start making trouble.

Anuli, didn’t they teach you in your home how to accord respects to your in-laws?”
Daniel admired this young woman. Aside from her general good looks, she was obviously a lady that made every word worth speaking, and she always kept quiet most times, like her mother. Daniel had always believed that all women had volcanoes. Some compulsively erupted from the mouth with unending dribble.

Other women kept their volcanoes dormant and exploded them at the right time in the right way. Daniel liked such women. It was quite impressive how the room suddenly turned now.
“And what do you know about respect, little sister?” David demanded, carrying a cruel smirk on his face, “What use is respecting someone who doesn’t place much respect on himself? If I knew that this was how this dinner was going to end I’d have gone to bed with an empty stomach. I feel like puking now.”
Daniel was beginning to vaguely understand the family. He now understood that two had anger issues among the old man’s four children. The coolest of them all, he reflected, was Ariel. But he was not very sure about that. Esther, judging by her few words behind the table, he could easily conclude that she was neither cool nor choleric.

Remi’s father sighed and said, “What a family!”
It was a bombshell. The squabble resumed newly. David lashed impudence at Tunde Johnson for his nefarious comment, Remi defended her father by throwing back an affront at her uncle. Anuli chastised her rudely. Esther came to her niece’s rescue by hurling abuses at her sister-in-law. Her uncle took umbrage at her words and gave her a piece of some vile vocabularies in his own lexicon. Ruth took it from there and the wrangle became so noisy that Daniel was afraid furniture would begin to gather wings.
“Keep your filthy mouths shut, all of you.” Said Hannah.

Silence again. The silence was so very obvious that a crawling ant would have been heard. Daniel was very impressed. The woman’s voice carried a heavier command than her husband’s. Daniel could see that everyone in the room acknowledge her fiat. The veneration they all accorded her surpassed that of her husband. Daniel studied the anopsiac with a new pair of eyes full of reverence. Despite being blind, Mrs Malik was able to recrudesce orderliness in the tumult.
“Go to your rooms,” she ordered, “Dinner is over.”
They obeyed her as a civilian would obey a piqued soldier.

The dining room was left in the wake of Hannah and her husband.