Must Read: Paradox Of Abel - Season 1 - Episode 23

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: Paradox Of Abel - Season 1 - Episode 23

Despite being publicly rebuffed by Remi, Daniel still got his moment alone with the young lady. After the dismissal from the dining room by the blind matriarch, Remi led Daniel to his room when it appeared as though the footballer would still seek repose in a wrong room even after careful description of which room belonged to him.
Unlike the other rooms in the building, the one allocated to Daniel was very small. It was painted yellow and furnished with a bed. In addition to the bed, the room contained little furniture; one night stand, a dresser and a chair. The television at the corner of the room was ancient. He suspected that if he switched it on, even if it surprisingly worked, the TV would sport only statics. Instead of rug, this particular room was floored with carpet. On one wall was a hole covered in mesh. Daniel guessed that this was an air-conditioner vent without an air-conditioner. And apart from these flaws, the room was satisfactorily neat; well taken care of. The pillows and bedsheets were new, the curtains embroidered with enough flowery designs that could have been taken for the vegetable garden in a white man’s backyard.





The light was bright enough to illuminate a vermin’s nostrils, even the ceiling fan threatened to freeze the air.





Having taken all these in and nodded in apparent satisfaction, Daniel walked to the switch and reduced the speed of the blower.





This action wasn’t only due to the fact that the atmosphere and breathing seemed threatened but also because Daniel feared a screw might pop loose from the mechanism, causing the swishing blades to come crashing on them. The accident might cause the parting of skulls from necks in a show of splattered blood and flowing gore. Daniel had always suffered that fear since he was a child; the fear of having speeding ceiling fans flying off their hooks with murderous intents. He didn’t know what name that fear was being called, fannophobia perhaps.






Having shown Daniel his apartment, Remi made to exit the room but Daniel stopped her. He told her there was something they both had to discuss, to finalize. She sat in the chair while Daniel sat on the edge of the bed. They silently looked in each other’s eyes for a short time, the only sounds were the hums of the ceiling-fan and the swishing of its blades. Even after everything that had happened this night, Daniel was still grateful for having the chance to see the beautiful Remi again. He didn’t believe that he would come this far. Daniel was still disarmed by the beauty of the girl sitting opposite him. Her charms, her magnetism and alluring, seductive characteristics were matching components that swept Daniel clean off his feet. He desperately hoped she would keep the promise she’d made to him in the bus or all his struggles would be in vain. He undeniably felt something; a dryness of the mouth that had nothing to do with thirst, a peculiar tingling along the nerves of his limbs, and a tremble short of weakness in his knees – if he were not sitting, he could have fallen flat on his face.



He broke the silence with a question, “Do you know what I went through to meet you again?”
She took a brief moment to reply him, “I can only imagine, considering the fact that you don’t know how to keep your mouth shut.”
“How do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. Who gave you the permission to meet my father and tell him my whereabouts?” she demanded angrily. The anger scared Daniel, her eyes were suddenly cold. The fury burning within them were un-disguisedly scorching. Daniel had learnt that anger could be a medicine, but it was never a cure, only capable of briefly numbling the pain without extracting the thorn that caused the agony.



“Not only that,” she continued her furious spiel, “You also had the effrontery to introduce yourself as my boyfriend. How dumb can you get?”
Daniel was stunned at this insult. A slap in the face could not have been more to the point. He burned with humiliation. In Remi’s eyes he saw chilly contempt that was a match for her hot anger; obstinacy as unyielding as a corpse.
Swallowing enough anger and pride that would guarantee he’d’ve no appetite come breakfast the next morning, Daniel said, “I already told you I didn’t tell your father that.





Your dad isn’t a kid for heaven’s sake, he’s bound to suspect that sooner or later. A strange young man cannot approach him about his daughter and he’ll not have his own personal suspicions.”
“Suspicions which wouldn’t have been birthed if you had meddled at your own peril.” She almost screamed. The anger boiling in her heart was as bitter as any brew concocted in a cauldron full of rats’ blood, cats’ eyes and bats’ tongues. Daniel was beginning to refuse that this strange anger had stemmed only from the fact that he’d met with her father. He suspected that her infuriation had resulted from something particularly different from the obvious. He was certain that she was initially glad when she saw him in the waiting room in the afternoon; she’d even introduced her family members to him. She couldn’t have been this annoyed because her father had called him her boyfriend. This thing bothering her mind and invoking her ire was threatening Daniel’s chance with her.




Knowing fully well that violence was not always the solution for violence, Daniel curbed his own anger. If he responded bureaucratic arrogance and insults with as much double-barelled sarcasm and ridicule, his petty satisfaction would only come at his own mammoth loss. He kept his voice calm and his response measured, so as not to utter something he would later come to regret.
“I’m sorry about that, I really am,” he said, “I thought I’d never see you again. I didn’t have your contact address; not even your phone number. I hope you understand why I did what I did.”
“How would what you did soothe the slap inflicted on my face?” she spat in frustration, her voice was growing louder. Her face conveyed more contempt that might have been seen in a vivid expression of disdain.





Daniel forcefully eschewed Remi’s comment.




The anger he himself was trying to suppress was sparkling again raw and hot; he seemed to be getting tired of the nags. He wished the person sitting here was not Remi. He wished it wasn’t a lady making all these emasculations, because he had some few befitting replies to retaliate with. But seeing that the nag was no other person than the attractive lady he had encountered, he could not return humiliation for humiliation. Perhaps she’d sleep over it and when she woke up in the morning she’d realized how terribly she’d behaved and apologize to him. Daniel would forgive her in an instant, but if he said the wrong word now, that apology might never come. Not knowing what next to do to supplicate her, he asked, “So, what do you want me to do now?” He spread out his palms.




As if she’d been waiting all along for him to ask that question, Remi replied immediately, “It’s simple, Daniel. Just carry your bags tomorrow morning and leave, before you wreak any more havoc.”