Sacrilege – Episode 29

Sacrilege – Episode 29

© Adeola Nissi

Tito’s blood raced through her veins like hot lava, melting all her thoughts, melting the voices that screamed at her, telling her she was making a huge mistake. Their first kiss had plagued her, and though she hadn’t been in the right frame of mind when Chris had kissed her then, it still plagued her senses. But now… this was different; totally different. The screaming in her head and the thudding of her heart, became an unrecognizable roar as in her ear as Chris’s hand slid up so tenderly to cup her cheek, the kiss growing deeper, more fervent. His lips were warm on hers and surprisingly gentle. It was like a communication of souls. Tito could feel him, smell him, taste him… her hand drifted to his head, one hand on his muscled shoulder, drawing him closer still, as she opened up to him, melting into him like butter on heat.

She was oblivious to her surroundings, oblivious to the gentle moan that escaped her which caused Chris’ hand to tighten, making his breath catch in his lungs. She was only conscious to the way she felt right there and then. She felt so special, so unique, so loved… and that was all the wakeup call she needed. Alarm bells went off in Tito’s head and in a flash, one minute she was in Chris’ arms, the next, she was out of it. “No” she gasped as she shot out of his arms like she had just been scalded, bolting off the log of wood. She stood, her feet unsteady beneath her as she tried to put her heavy breathing under control. She stared at Chris like she could not comprehend what they had just been doing. Her chest heaved as a hand went to her lips involuntarily. They still tingled from the kiss. Chris’ eyes held that smoldering look that almost nearly sent her running back into his arms. Tito shut her eyes tightly, turning away from him. But darn it, even now, everything in her wanted to go right back into his arms, have him hold her again, kiss her again. “No” she repeated aloud, silencing her wild thoughts. This was what she should have said and none of this would have happened, she should have just said no and the kiss would never have existed. But instead, she had to follow the dictates of her heart rather than her mind.

Chris’ seemed to exhale, his eyes carefully lowered and shielded. “I think you are not so good at convincing yourself” he finally said, pushing off the log. He ran his hand over his head before pushing both hands into his pocket.

Tito swallowed, not making the mistake of looking at Chris. “This was a mistake; it should not have happened” she said. Chris watched her, standing completely still. Tito’s brain seemed to work, her eyes growing thoughtful, trying to make sense of what had just happened. “Well” she said, breathless. “It was just a kiss, right? It’s nothing new; adults do it all the time”

“Is that what you think it is?” Chris deadpanned, his eyes letting out no emotion at all.

“Isn’t it?” Tito swallowed. “Certainly I’m not stupid enough to think you’ve suddenly fallen in love with me, or I you” she strained a chuckle to show just how ridiculous she thought the prospect was. “It is what it is, Chris.” She forced herself to look him straight in the eye. “Just a kiss” she concluded.

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Tito made a swift turn, ready to head back to the hospital. Chris’ hand reached out with lightning speed, caught her arm in a firm grip, swinging her around in a swift movement that had her hurled up against him in less than a second. Air knocked off Tito’s lungs as she found herself in his arms, gazing right into his eyes. There was a startling fierceness in his gaze that made her blood hum through her veins a lot faster than normal. “Just a kiss, uhn?” his voice was more like a growl.

Tito’s heart thudded in her chest. She wasn’t scared of him, but she was scared of other things. She was scared of the blazing look she saw in his eyes, she was scared of the way he made her feel and she sure was scared of what this could lead to. “Chris” she gasped but no sooner had the word left her mouth than Chris’ mouth covered hers in a searing kiss that left her head reeling. It was in no way as gentle as the former, the kiss was hard and driven with mind-numbing urgency, knocking the wind and every form of thought from Tito’s mind. Chris pulled back abruptly, still holding Tito firmly. Tito’s eyes flew open, staring right at Chris as she tried to get her breathing under control. From looking at Chris, he was not also unaffected. “It’s not just a kiss” he growled, the intensity of his gaze burned into her. “I don’t know what this is but it is certainly not ‘just a kiss’, and I’d be darned if I’d let you think it is” with that, Chris let her go and she was stunned to realize her legs could still hold her up.

Chris stormed off, walking ahead of her back the way they came. He seemed angry and the worst part was that Tito was not sure of what he was angry about. She closed her eyes, swallowing as she tried to regulate the racing of her heart. She blocked all thoughts. She didn’t want to think now; no she surely didn’t want to think about any of these. She turned to follow Chris and found him waiting in the distance. Even in his anger, he would not leave her alone unprotected to walk back to the hospital in the dark. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards him and past him, thinking she wouldn’t mind welcoming the foul smell of the hospital, if only it would make her forget the scent of Chris’ cologne.

*****

Laura walked up the scanty flight of stairs and allowed just a moment’s hesitation before knocking on the door. Darkness enveloped her, doused by the security lights that cast a glow on the night. She swallowed and knocked again.

“Who is it?” she heard from inside.

“Laura”

There was a brief hesitation on the other end; making her wonder if the door would come open anytime soon. The door eased open and there she stood, Teju, looking all strong and healthy. Laura felt her heart bleed as she stared right at Teju. Teju looked at her, uncertainty in her eyes. “Laura… what are you doing here?”

Laura heard the words and managed a smile. “Can I come in?”

Teju looked a bit skeptical but she stood back to let Laura in then closed the door. Laura stood in the middle of the room. She stared at Teju like she was looking for something, her eyes gently assessing like that of a doctor. She was lost on what to say. Finally, she gave a shaky smile. “How are you?” she asked.

Teju frowned slightly. There was something about Laura’s gaze and question that gave her a cold shiver. “Hanging in there” she finally said

Laura nodded continuously, staring right back at Teju before looking away uncomfortably. “What are you doing here, Laura?” Teju thought she had probably come to finally confront her about the things she had overheard her saying to Mark, actually, she had been expecting Laura to show up for an explanation, but after three days, she had thought she never would. But shouldn’t she be shouting, raving or even slapping her if that’s what she came for? She knew what she had done to Mark was pretty unforgivable; labeling an innocent man a rapist couldn’t be easily forgiven, especially not by his own daughter. But instead, Laura looked down and raised her hand. “I brought you these” she said.

Teju stared at the large Justrite nylon Laura was carrying, seeing it for the first time. “What is it?” she murmured, uncertain. Laura shrugged, stretching the nylon for her to take. Teju moved forward cautiously and collected the nylon. She opened it and raised her head in surprise. “You got me provisions?” her confusion was obvious on her face.

Laura shrugged again, maintaining eye contact. “I thought you might need them”

Teju looked at Laura, speculating. “What’s up, Laura?” Something was not right. Nowhere in the script she had drawn up in her head involved Laura buying her provisions. She had done too much to mess with Laura’s life to deserve whatever form of hatred Laura might feel for her.

“There’s more in the bag than what’s on the surface” Laura stated, her eyes lingering on the nylon before going to Teju. “Why not check the content?”

Something in Laura’s eyes made Teju do just that. She had this bad feeling that comes not too often. She placed the nylon on her bed, removing the content which ranged from provisions to fruits to groceries. But as she removed the last pack of cornflakes, she froze, her hand suspended midair as blood drained from her brain, leaving her cold.

“I thought I’d bring them back to you” Laura’s voice was shaky as she watched Teju raise the documents all imbedded in her diary.

Teju looked up, horror written all over her. One glance and she knew Laura had seen it. It was all written on her face, evident in the tears that swam over her eyes and the lips that shook from keeping sobs at bay. Teju surged to her feet, she felt like she was going to be sick. “Why?” Laura gasped out shakily.

“You should leave” Teju forced, walking away towards the door.

“Why would you keep this all to yourself for so many months?” Laura asked, not moving an inch. “You’ve had this report for so many months now and you never told anyone, not even Deolu. Why? Why would you do this?”

“Because of this” Teju yelled, whirling around, tears falling from her eyes as she stared at Laura. “I’ve had to deal with so much pain in my life, you think I want the epilogue of my life to be you people treating me like a charity case, looking at me with pity written all over you?” she swallowed, blinking at her tears but not succeeding in stopping their flow.

“No one would do that”

“Of course everyone would, just like you are doing right now”

“I don’t pity you?” Even as she said that, she wondered just how true that was.

The smile Teju offered Laura was watery. “Don’t you?” she asked. “I know I am dying, I have come to terms with that, but pity?” she shook her head. “I don’t think I can handle that. I’d much rather take your hatred than have you pity me”

Laura moved restlessly, her tears dropping. “We don’t pity you, we love you. Deolu loves you and even though there has been so much happening lately, I still love you. You were there for me during countless occasions. You are an amazing person and I…” she swallowed, trying to get her emotions in check. “It hurts me to know that you have been suffering in silence for so long and I was not there to be a friend for you when you needed one” tears slipped from her eyes. “It hurts me to realize that I’ve been so worried about my own problems that I never even gave a thought to finding out if you had some of your own. And Deolu, he’s been too focused on me to even realize something was wrong with you”

Teju shook her head. “It’s not your fault” she couldn’t fathom why Laura would even feel sorry for anything.

“It is… everything is my fault. I am such a terrible person. I am sorry… I” her voice shook, “I am so sorry”

Teju swallowed. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Laura. I, on the other hand, have everything to be sorry for” she walked up to Laura, trying to maintain eye contact despite the tears streaming down her eyes. “I am sorry for all the pain I’ve caused you, Laura” Laura shook her head but Teju was resilient, she had to get this over with. “No excuse is good enough for what I did to you, not even my medical state. I was selfish. You trusted me with your husband and yet I betrayed you… I stabbed you in the back. I am so sorry” she lowered her eyes, tears streaming down her face.

“Stop, Teju”

Teju shook her head. “I never should have slept with Deolu, never should have put your marriage and happiness on the line just for my own selfish desires. As a woman, I knew how you would have felt when you found out I was pregnant, it is the most unforgivable thing. I would understand if you never want to forgive me…”

“I forgive you” Laura cut in, capturing Teju’s face in her hand and wiping her tears.

Teju stared at Laura. “This is the pity in you talking” Teju had never felt so bad. Of course, who wouldn’t want to forgive someone that was dying? “You can tell me you don’t. I wouldn’t forgive me if I were you”

Laura shook her head, forcing a smile as her hands fell back to her sides. “If it makes you feel better, then I don’t forgive you”

Teju swallowed. “Do you know what would make me feel better? Forgive Deolu” she stated. “Deolu was just the victim in all these and he loves you so… so much. I know…” her eyes watered, “I know I wouldn’t be around to take care of my child” the tears fell. “I want you to have her. I know you and Deolu would give her all the love that I would never be able to give her”

A girl. Laura sobbed, her tears falling down her cheeks. She grabbed Teju’s hand. “You are not dying, you hear me? We are going to fight this! We would, together, okay?”

Teju smiled weakly, a look of pain flashing through her face. She breathed deeply. “I don’t want to fight this, Laura… I don’t. Chemotherapy would ki*ll the baby and that is the last thing I want. This child was my shot at a happy ending, Laura”

Laura turned away, stumping her foot in frustration. “But what about everyone who loves and cares about you? What about Deolu? How do you think he would handle this information?”

Teju froze. “He doesn’t have to know. Please Laura”

Laura shook her head, feeling pain afresh. “What of Gloria?” she whirled around. “She just found you and now she is going to lose you again forever” she swallowed. “And Frank? Everyone?”

Teju frowned at Laura. Gloria had been coming to her place for the past three days over and over but she hadn’t given her audience. “Gloria has never been there ever since I was born, why should I worry about what she would feel?” Frankly, she was more worried about how her mother would feel, the mother who had raised her. “And what about Mr Frank? Surely, you don’t think he’d care one tiny bit if anything happened to me. I am nothing to him as it is” she muttered.

Laura shook her head, staring at Teju, totally perplexed. There was that look in her eyes again. “Oh, Teju” she shook her head, placing her fingers on her shaky lips.

Teju could feel her feet grow cold. “What is it?”

Laura shook her head again, removing her hand from her mouth. “Mr Frank is… Mr Frank is your father” she dropped.

*****

Margaret watched her phone ring in Gloria’s hand until it went dead. “Sooner or later, I’m still gonna have to talk to him” she said.

“Sooner or later, I’m gonna have to arrest him” Gloria retorted. “And you are not seeing him until I say so, do you understand?” She emphasized. “We have enough to worry about as it is, I can’t be worrying about a daughter of mine dying in her own sleep all thanks to a narcissistic husband who can’t keep his fist under control.”

Margaret swallowed. He stared at Jane sitting a few paces away, playing with Tess. She leaned her head on Gloria’s shoulder. “Thanks mum”

Gloria smiled, giving Margaret’s cheek a slight caress. “We are family, we stick together”

A part of Margaret was angry that her fausse marriage was a matter of public debacle but she couldn’t but feel a measure of comfort and safety knowing her family was with her now, supporting her through her marital crisis. She had been sleeping at home in her father’s house since the accident since they wouldn’t have her going to her husband’s house. She knew she would have to face him soon but she was grateful for this time alone. Jane had been with her all through. Everyone had showered her with love despite the pain they were all going through with the accident of the Johnsons, even Laura… Margaret couldn’t but feel bad. Laura had been going through so much and all she had been doing was being the terrible sister. Laura was shouldering too much. What on earth was wrong with men though?

Tito walked towards them and from the look on her face, Margaret thought she probably had that same question on her mind. She couldn’t spot Chris anywhere near, she wondered what had happened. She had never been so close to Tito but she was her cousin and this incident had actually brought a measure of rapport and closeness between them. There’s always a good side to everything.

Tito drew close and Margaret raised her head. “Is everything okay?”

Tito stared at her and nodded. Someone approaching caught their attention and they surged to their feet. “Doctor” Gloria murmured, her face turning white.

“Any news?”

Tito stared wide eyed at the doctor. Her heart beat raced but not from the sensual excitement she had felt a while back but this time, out of fear. She’s had enough. She didn’t think she could stand any more shaky news, he’d better bring good news.

Then, like miracle, the doctor’s face eased into a smile. “I bring good news. One of the twins has woken up”

“Dad?” Tito gasped, her heart racing in her chest.

After days, the doctor was now able to distinguish the two men. He shook his head. “Frank Johnson”

To be continued

 

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