#AFTER_THE_STORM
©Sir Zach
EPISODE 13
“Easy Atieno!” Franca warned her as I was beginning to lose my nerves. I knew she was right but she had no idea what was up between myself and Mark, even I had no idea. It was like I was not capable of loving him even though I have tried to…
“Scarlet, does Mark know about this boy you are looking for?” Franca asked and I shook my head slowly.
“You are just interested in helping this Lawrence right? It’s not like you had one feeling for him a long time ago and you are worried that you still may have the feeling?”
“I do not have feelings for him anymore, okay!” I snapped at the both of them without thinking. “Look, I love my marriage, it must have started like a joke and a pretense but Mark is really doing everything to make it work. In fact he is the best and he is working so hard….”
“So what are you doing while your husband is busy trying to make the marriage work? Hmm? You are busy looking for a man…?”
I gritted my teeth at Atieno’s outburst. My hands were rolled into a fist and my breathing was becoming erratic. She was making me so angry.
“Atieno. I think you should leave.” Franca said to her.
“I will, Franca but Scarlett knows I love her and I just don’t want her to take Mark for granted. The man has done a lot for her.” With this she left and I began to breathe slowly.
“Scarlett, I understand everything you are saying about finding your Lawrence. Mark has done a lot for you too, remember, do not jeopardize your marriage. After finding Lawrence, what next?”
I thought for a while. I haven’t really thought about that.
“ I just want to help him. Give him some money to start a business with or something. I just want to repay him for his kindness.”
“Then after this what next?” she asked again and I was quiet.
“After that, you will come back to Mark and be a dutiful wife right?” she asked again…
“Yes.” I said with a nod.
“Good.” She replied and then she stood up. “I know there is more you are not telling us but you know I would never judge you. Once its time, you can always count on me okay?”
I nodded with a weak smile. “Thanks Franca.”
“Are you still meeting Dafina-the bride, tomorrow at the hotel?”
“Yes. I will come for those designs once you are through with them. ”
“Okay.” She replied before shutting the door after her.
I was glad that I was finally alone, now I could think. Mark and I have been separated for a while just like we have planned but we hid it from the public. the truth is, I couldn’t love him. he gave me enough than I needed and now that I have everything I needed, I wanted to start working on the plans I have been working on for some time now…
I took my tablet and navigated to my “To-Do” app. I planned to find Lawrence first, after which I would deal with that Honorable, the one who had made me take that drastic step…the step which had affected my womb….finally I would deal with mother, the architect of my horrible past….
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*Days later*
“Do I need to include that sketch too?” Franca asked as she packed all the designs together.
“No”..I shouted, removing one from her packed magazines.
She eyed me suspiciously. “Scarlet what is wrong with you, why are you not talking to me? Who else would you talk to? You are behaving somehow ever since you got back to the country! Now you just shouted cos of a sketch?”
I sighed and paused on the cloth I was packing.
“I and Mark are separated.” I blurted out and she didn’t look surprised so I continued. “It was my idea cos, I don’t love him…I just couldn’t and it broke his heart . He’s been too nice to me than for me to hurt him so he made me promise we would keep it from the public eye.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“Yes.”
“I thought something was wrong too. So you stayed in Englad all this while doing what?”
“I got more training at Russia and some other places, and we stayed in the same house so we could seem married. He gave me half of his asset as the law demands and that is what I’m living on right now. The truth is.. I have plans and marriage right now will affect everything…”
Franca smiled and sat on the bed with me.
“You mean, plan with Lawrence?”
I smiled but continued. “He’s part of it and some other things surrounding my childhood. I can’t marry Mark, my life won’t be fulfilled even though I will have everything. There are some things I need to fix and now is the time for it. I am in that position right now.”
“Hmm….so, what has that sketch got to do with it?”
I smiled and took the paper in my hand….
“I’ve had this thought about my marriage, when I finally settle down with the man that I want, this will be my wedding gown.”
“It’s really beautiful… are you sure you are not totally imagining you in this wedding gown beside Lawrence?” Franca teased and I smiled, as I was about to reply her, her phone rang. “Let me quickly pick it.” she said, excusing herself from the room.
“Yea. I can totally imagine myself wth Lawrence in this gown if I’m lucky and its not too late…” I said to myself, finally accepting the fact that, I have always loved Lawrence and no one else.
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*LAWRENCE POV*
“Baby, I still do not understand why I have to come with you on this trip.” I said as she kept packing my stuff in the travelling bag.
“Because it’s your first trip to Kenya. Its good if you come see where your fiancé hails from don’t you think so.”
I sighed. She hadn’t even told me beforehand, she just did this morning.
“I don’t want to go Dafina.”
“You don’t have a choice honey. I already booked a flight for the both of us. Besides, you should be there to look at the sketches of what would be my wedding gown, I need your support okay.” She whined, now zipping the bag and doing something on her phone.
I knew I had little to say, father had said I should try and impress her atleast till we finally get married. I just don’t see how I would cope with all this nonsense till that day.
“Hello, yea, this is Dafina Roberts, please get an extra ticket, my husband will be coming with me.”
I gasped as I realized she had played on me… I was doomed for sure.
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*The next day*
“Kenya is really a beautiful place.” I said to myself but loud enough for Dafina to hear as I put my bag on the bed.
“Well , thanks for the compliment dear, that is why we have beautiful people.” She replied, busy chatting on her phone.
I yanked off my shoes and collapsed into the king-sized bed. “Wow! This bed is heavenly!”
“Hello, yea, we are here, are you around already? Okay, please let’s meet at the lounge . Okay see you.”
I watched as Dafina put the phone back into her purse.
“I will be right back love.” She blew me some kisses before leaving the room.
I sighed, finally happy to be on my own and I sat upright. The room was exotic, glassy, transparent walls, a TV big enough to fit the whole room, marble floor and a beautiful scenery. You can see the whole compound from just lying on the bed, thanks to the see-through wall. I could see the large swimming pool as people came in and out.
I focused my attention to the CNN which was displaying on the big TV screen… it worked with voice command and I was filled with the urge to shout “Fashion Channel” but for some reason, I changed my mind.
I was in Kenya, what were the odds of running into my childhood crush? Definetly Zero. I still had so much to ask. How did she get here , how was she able to become so famous in such a little time?
My mind wandered to the night I had allowed her to escape, i took the blame ofcourse, I had lied that I set the house on fire mistakenly and I was taken back to the facility, punished …and later brought back. I kept watching the fashion channel, it was the only thing that kept her memory alive in me. She was like the closest person I have ever been with.
We were survivors together and I was happy doing all the things I did for her. I just loved seeing that beautiful smile on her face.
I remembered while we were still at FADBAS, while she was watching the fashion show as always.. it was a wedding of one of her ‘mentors’ like she had said and when I saw the way her eyes lit up watching the wedding gown…. i had asked.
“You like the gown?”
She smiled stylishly.
“It’s so divine. I will wear it oneday.”
“Will you wear it for me?” I had stupidly asked and that moment was the most awkward moment we had ever had together…. later that night while we slept. She had called my name, thinking I was sleeping, she had said ‘yes I will wear it if you want me to.”
It was stupid, we were both stupid. We were still kids so, it was okay to be stupid and stupidly that night, I kept grinning to myself like a stupid boy that was inlove!
There was a knock on the door.
“Room service.”
“Come in.” I shouted and the door opened, a young lady in her twenties came in, wheeling in towels and other things I wasn’t patient enough to check.
“Well, do your thing, I will take a look around.” I said to her, she nodded and smiled respectfully while I wore my shoe and left the room.
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*SCARLET POV*
“ What’s taking her so long?” I asked Franca who shrugged. We ‘ve been waiting at the lounge for several minutes. This was one reason why I hated holding a meeting at the hotel, she must have been caught up by the splendor of the whole place and lost her way.
“Should I call her again?” Franca asked.
“No, let me quickly change into my swimming outfits, I will check out the pool, it’s just close by, once she gets here, just signal.”
Franca nodded. “Alright.”
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*LAWRENCE POV CONTINUES *
I should have changed into a casual outfit, I said to myself. Coming out all suited up was just a mistake, especially when the water looked so inviting from afar.
I nodded to several people as I walked towards the swimming pool and somehow for a split second, I had the urge to look upwards for no reason and I stopped in my tracks.
Again, what were the odds of running into scarlett—–100 percent odds….
Her hair was straight black, falling over shoulders, so smooth and silky as if tailored from the finest fabric. she kept blinking from time to time, allowing her eyelashes to flutter like the wings of a butterfly. She was beautiful while we were younger and exquisite on the magazine and on the screen but my God! Right here in real life and few feet away from me, she was spellbinding. She walked on with an effortless saunter…she kept smiling, as if the water was calling to her and she kept looking and in a minute I thought she was going to look at me but right then, I felt a cold wash all over me and I immediately snapped out of the spell I was caught under. I had just walked straight into the pool with my cloths on.
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*SCARLETT POV *
I shifted a little…as the water splashed and I was afraid, I didn’t want to get my Armani suit wet. People by the pool were already grumbling to the idiot that must have purposely done that.
Almost immediately, the figure emerged, it was a man and he was wiping his face with his hand but I heard Franca calling me so I turned from the view and had to go back, not changing into the swimsuits again.
She and the other lady were coming towards me. She was pretty, dark with that ‘daddy’s girl’ look, she must be really spoilt.
While I walked to meet them, the lady gasped in horror and I wondered why . She hastened her footsteps and just as I thought she was addressing me…she by-passed me…
“Darling! What the hell is this and why are you all wet?”
I turned to see whoever was behind me and I realized it was the man that had fallen into the pool. He was completely soaked to his pant and he was dripping water, as he constantly wiped his face and….my heart skipped a beat and for some reason I thought I knew who this was and for some other reason, he seemed to be looking right at me as if trying to see if I could recognize him.
“How did you fell into the pool?” The lady asked, checking him all over to see if he was hurt probably…
“It ..um..it was an oversight…” The fine-wet man said, not blinking or taking his eyes off me and neither was I…I knew this man and he seemed so familiar and yet so strange…
‘Well, Scarlett and Franca, this is my fiancé, forgive his outlook, he doesn’t always go about falling inside pool it is his first time in Kenya…”
“Hi…Scarlett…” He said to me, extending his hand forward towards me and saying in the most familiar voice. “I am Lawrence…”
It was like being resuscitated from a comma…and I extended my hand, still maintaining eye contact…I took his hand in mine…several emotions were welling inside me and I just wanted everyone to vanish leaving the both of us alone.
“Okay, off we go. I, ladies, come, Lawrence, let’s go clean you up.”
The lady, Dafina as I could remember her name now, said hurriedly, pushing Lawrence with her….and for the same reason, he looked back one time at me…
I knew…he was Lawrence….the one I’ve been looking for.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 14