The Last Smile – Episode 19

By Adeola Nissi

“Why did you do that?” Lucy asked as she joined Raymond in the car.

Ray started the car. “Do what?”

“Stay in the car? You could have followed me inside the church instead of sitting outside here like a bodyguard. What did God do to offend your family”?

“Nothing.”

Lucy kept quiet after that. She hadn’t even spent three days and she was already overstepping her bounds. The drive home was quiet after that. She missed her people a lot and she wished she was home already. She needed to hear her parents’ voice, to be sure they are ok. She thought about Deolu and her heart pricked. She needed to leave the house. She needed her people and sanity back. Ever since the previous day when she had called Teju in the presence of Raymond, she had felt very uncomfortable with him, especially whenever he stood close. She sighed softly when she thought of her predicament. She was living with total strangers; they both don’t want to have anything to do with God and one of them is a lesbian. She sighed again, thinking about the many things she might find out about this family if she stayed for some time.

Raymond watched Lucy, noticing her distant state. He wondered why her mood should bother him. Shrugging off her quietness, he focused on the road as he pondered on the thoughts that had plagued him. Why was he developing strange feelings for this lady who was obviously engaged to someone else? She hadn’t even spent three complete days and he had become so attached to her. He remembered the past evening and his heart skipped a beat, he had to hold the steering tighter. The desire to kiss her had almost overwhelmed him. Ever since then, he had ensured that he did not move close to her. He only needed space in his life now and not anyother woman to complicate his life the more. The earlier Lucy left the house, the better.

**********

**********

Teju sat frozen as she stared with a confused expression on her face. Tunde did not have the boldness to look into her eyes as he said everything he had rehearsed.

“Teju” he called softly but she did not even blink. “I can’t do this anymore. You claim to love me but you don’t want to give me what should rightfully belong to me. I have a right to touch your body; it is part of the benefits I should derive from being your man, but you are not giving me. I have found a lady who is willing to go all the way with me. she does not hide anything from me, least of all her body”. He concluded.

Teju looked at the clown she called her fiancé and wanted to strangulate him. She had tried all she could to be the best woman in his life. She could have sworn that she had spent the past two years of their relationship making his life a happy one. She couldn’t have been more wrong because all he could think about was sex. Sex? How could she have been so stupid? She remembered all those times he had almost forced her into his bed; she should have been wiser then. She swallowed as tears came to her eyes. She blinked away the tears; he does not deserve it.

Slowly, she took a deep breath as stood up and went to the door. She opened the door, wide enough to contain two people at once. Only then did she open her mouth. “Leave” she said quietly.

Tunde swallowed. “Teju, I am sorry. I just…”

“Get out” she mouthed.

He stood up slowly and approached her. “Baby, calm-”

“GET OUT” she yelled and Tunde vanished in a flash. She slammed the door forcefully and collapsed on the floor as she cried herself out.

**********

**********

Chris needed no other confirmation. He got every answer he needed from Fred’s reaction. He could never in a hundred years, imagine that Fred had the capacity to take a life but the reality was staring at him like a horror movie.

“Don’t you dare give me that melodrama, you this miserable monster. I don’t even know who you are anymore” he yelled at a shivring Fred. He grabbed Fred by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up like a bloody criminal. “Where the hell is the girl? Where did you keep her?” he yelled.

Fred shook like someone who just emerged from a cold room. “She… she’s… she’s dead” he stammered.

“JESUS” Chris screamed, leaving Fred immediately. “Oh my God! This can’t be happening. I can’t believe this”

Fred held his feet. “Please Chris, you have to help me. please…”

Chris kicked him away. “Blood of Jesus! So, you are a bloody murderer?” he pointed his finger with a strange look on his face.

“NO” Fred shook his head vigorously. “I did not want to do it. It was accidental. Please believe me brother”

“Brother?” he laughed. “No. I am not your brother and can never be. You killed a girl; not just a girl; the fiancée of Mr Adeolu. You could not even pick any other person? Wow”

Fred cried as Chris said those things. “Please”. Chris shook his head, pushed Fred out of the way and rushed out of the house like someone who was being pursued, leaving Fred wailing.

**********

**********

Lucy walked with Vicky towards the back of the house to check the flowers. She carried the watering can in order to water them. They both discussed their love for flowers as they went about watering the flowers. The beautiful colours of the various flowers pleased Lucy immensely and she said so. She sighted the two buildings at the back of the house and called Vicky’s attention.

“What are those buildings for?” she asked casually.

“Oh… the first one is the gym and the second one is where Raymond paints” she chipped as she sampled the flowers.

“Paints? He paints?” Lucy asked bemused as her eyes widened.

Vicky turned to look at Lucy like she had lost her mind. “Don’t tell me you don’t know”

Lucy shook her head. “He never mentioned it”

“Even at that, he is a very famous artist”

Lucy had never really fancied paintings because it never really freeked her but as she thought about it, a name struck her. ‘James Ray’. How had she missed that? Teju never stopped talking about his paintings but she never even took interest. “James Ray?”

“That’s him” she smiled. “I am surprised you missed that. Although he has not painted anything for a long time now” she chipped.

Lucy frowned. “Why?”

Vicky shrugged and walked on, leaving Lucy with her thoughts.

“Hey”

Lucy turned round to see Ray standing just a few steps from her. “When were you planning on telling me that you are a renowned artist?” she asked, stepping farther away from him.

“I never would have told you. I am no longer an artist and I actually loved the fact that I finally met someone who was not drooling over me because of my fame”. he replied walking away.

Lucy followed. “I am not drooling over you at all”.

Ray laughed. “I noticed”

**********

**********

Deolu exited the bathroom and dried himself with a towel. he wore a singlet and boxers and sat on the bed. Staying in a hotel had little or no effect on his account but he wished he was home already. The knowledge that Fred was lurking somewhere in the state made him feel better about leaving Lagos for work but he still felt miserable. He knew that even without being present, he could pull all the strings he needed to pull in order to secure Fred’s arrest. He needed to finish this deal, go back to Lagos and look for his love. He had the distinctive feeling that Lucy was in Lagos and he would find her, even if it was the last thing he did.

He had received a call from Lucy’s dad and he had told him about his progress in Abuja. He had been happy but the sadness of his missing daughter was evident in his voice. Deolu dialed Teju’s line and it rang severally but she did not pick up. He was beginning to get worried. He had called her severally but she didn’t pick up. He composed a message asking about her welfare and telling her how far he had gone then he lay on the bed to sleep. Worry did not afford him the luxury of a wonderful sleep.

Twenty minutes later, he dialed Teju’s number again and she picked, much to his relief.

“Hello Teju, thank God.” he sighed. The response he got from her frightened him. Her voice had never been that low and depressed. “What is the matter T? Are you alright?”

“I am fine” she responded still in that sober manner.

“You are not fine” Deolu said, sitting up. “What happened to you? Did you hear from Lucy? Did something happen?”

“Everything is fine, don’t worry. I got your message and I would work on it and give you feedback.”

“Teju, you are scaring me. You know what? Since you would not tell me what the matter is, I would leave this place for Lagos tomorrow morning.” he said as he stood up.

“No” she replied sharply. “You need to be there Dee”

“No. I should not have come in the first place. I can do everything in Lagos. I am coming over”. Before Teju could respond, he hung up and started packing his things. Teju called severally but he did not pick, knowing she would just try to convince him.

…To be continued