Beautiful Mask
Episode 27
Caroline:
“Come on Caroline, you have to get out of be-d. This isn’t the end of the world. Simon-”
“argh. Don’t say his name” i gr0@nand cover my face with the blanket. Its been almost a week with no sign of Simon since he left me at the hospital when i told him about losing his baby. He must hate me for losing our baby and i don’t blame him.
I was so stupid that i let Kelvin kill our child. The only consolation i have right now is that Kelvin is alre-ady paying for his sins. We alre-ady filed a case against him and chinedu’s statement along with khalifa’s was enough to hold him in a temporary prison until the court pronounce his judgement. The awyer Beatrice hired as-sured us that with all the evidence we now have against him, he will be in prison for a very long time.
Everything would have been perfect if Simon was here with me. I only spent a day at the hospital and Beatrice has been by my side ever since. I have moved in with her and she has been trying to cheer me up to no avail.
“I cant let you continue like this” Beatrice say then drag the blanket away from my b©dy.
“leave me alone. plea-se” i beg.
“I have left you alone for too long. Come on. We are going shopping. Then we go and watch a movie.” she say then manage to lift me into a sitting position.
“I don’t want to go shopping” i say
“I do, so plea-se come with me. If after today you still want to hide in this room, I’ll let you be”
“promise?” i ask
“i promise. Now go take a bath”she orders.
“bossy”i murmur and she laugh.
“i am the eldest, afterall”she says smugly. She really is older. Just by 22minutes to be exact. I reluctantly get off the be-d and head towards the bathroom.
************************
“So exhausted. Can we go home now” I ask Beatrice who is almost done with her manicure.
“We still have the movies”
“I cant believe your shopping spree turned into a make over” i complain
“don’t tell me you don’t like your new look? Your scar is almost gone, now we look the same” she says cheerily
“i do like this new look but i miss my be-d”
“you have been slee-ping most of the time, this week. You are even worse than a pregnant woman.”
“okay. I’ll go to watch the stupid movie” i say
“you are gonna love this”
************************
“Why is there no one else here?” i ask once we get seated. The cinema is hvge but there isn’t a single soul except for Beatrice and i.
Beatrice just shrug at me. The big screen cli-ck on and i see a goodlooking couple carrying two babies on the screen.
“that’s our parents after we were born. You are the one with mom. You were always her favourite” Beatrice whisper her in my ear. My heart feels all warm. Another picture comes up with two little girls in a bath.
“that’s us?” i ask
“yea. Mom loved taking pictures” More pictures come up with Beatrice and i in diapers, in cute little uniforms, during our kg graduation and so many other events. My memory is all fuzzy but there is a sliver of recognition of all these events.
“Will be right back. Gotta pee” Beatrice says and leave me. I Watch in fascination as my life as a child unfold on the big screen. I hear footsteps coming but i am so enra-ptured by the pictures that i don’t even look to see who it is. Its probably Beatrice coming back.
Beatrice sits back beside me just as the pictures turn into older me. They are several pictures of the both of us at the mall earlier. I don’t remember Beatrice taking any pictures. I make to turn and ask but she holds my head so i cant turn
“shhh”
“so bossy” i grumble. I turn my eyes back to the screen and see that the slideshow has st©pped with a picture of me laughing. It was taken in the mall. I remember Beatrice antics just to get that laugh out of me.
“i want this to be permanent on yourl-ips” The voice behind me make me g@sp.
“Simon?” I whisper then turn. Simon is sitting beside me with a big grin on his face.
“I heard someone was missing me” he says. I suddenly bur-st into tears and his smile fall instantly. He tries to hvg me but i fight him off.
“I cant believe you left me there in the hospital, When i nee-ded you” i sob out.
“Am so sorry Caroline. I just couldn’t take it. You have been throu-gh alot because of me. I just thought you didn’t deserve me because while you were going throu-gh all that, i was here drowning in alcohol and blaming you for leaving me.” he finally succeeds in enveloping me in a hvg and i cry on his shoulder.
“I am so sorry baby. I cant stay away from you Caroline so i decided to do something for right this time. I know this won’t bring back your parents but atleast it would clear their name. This is a statement declaring that i was the cause of that horrible accident that took them away from you” he says.
I pu-ll away from him and he hand me a do¢v-ment. Its a statement stating that he caused the accident and a declaration of innocence of my deceased parents.
“Wasn’t the accident caused by your father?” i ask
“it was but i can’t betray him still. Thankfully the police said the case was too old so i won’t receive any punishment” he says sheepishly then grin
“i know this isn’t enough and i promise to make it up to you for the rest of my life.” he continues then go on his knee. He brings out a beautiful diamond ring from his pocket and hold it toward me.
“Give me a chance to make you happy for the rest of our lives. plea-se Marry me”he says
“umm i guess i will. Since you asked so nicely” i tease. Simon sl!pthe ring unto my f!nger then he wra-p me in his hands.
“I love you Caroline. Even if you are a smart as-s” he says and i smile.
“I love you too so much” Simon ca-ress my cheek and my eyes flutter close. Hisl-ips brush over mine softly and i gr-ab his head to de-epen the k!ss.
“Hey love birds!”someone on the screen say and i break the k!ssstartled. I turn to the screen to see kelvin.
“I nee-d a little favour from you guys. I just broke out of prison and the police are after me so i nee-d you to bring 5million naira in cash to the port at NPA. Here is alittle encouragement for you” he says and.the screen moves to Beatrice who is tied up in a corner.
“i trust that you would do this little favour for me my sweet cousin and wonderful friend. Well, you have two hours or I’ll throw her into the sea. Bye” he says and the screen goes off.
“oh my God. How did he get Beatrice?. She was just here. How did he even get out of prison?. Simon what do we do. We have to call the police”i ramble.
“We can’t call the police. He would kill Beatrice if he finds out we did. calm down Caroline. I’m alre-ady calling my account manager to get me some cash. I cant let anything happen to your family again” he says. Tears of panic start to flow from my eyes.
“Caroline, listen to me. I want you to go to the police station. You would be safe there while i handle this”
“i want to come with you.” i say.
“No, I cant put you in anymore danger. plea-se do what i have told you” He pleads.
“Okay. Promise me you’ll come back to me with Beatrice. Both of you safe.”
“I promise” he says then pu-ll me into a long k!ss.
****
Beautiful Mask
By Ameh Juliet
Episode 28(Final)
Few hours later
Simon:
“You are late” kelvin says as soon as i pick his call. I am alre-ady at the port with the money he requested.
“am sorry. The bank didn’t want to give me the money”
“excuses!. Now, i want you to walk towards the back. You’ll meet someone that would bring you to me” he says and the line goes dead.
I quic-kly walk towards the back and i find a mean looking guy who walks me to a big sh!pwhere Kelvin is seated in the t©p floor.
Beatrice is kneeling in the corner with her hands bound, her mouth taped shut and her left eye is bruised shut. My hands clench into fist and i have the immense urge to beat the life out of Kelven. I grind my teeth and curtail my anger. I drop the two bags of money which contain a phone with a GPS. Once i get Beatrice out of here, the police would be able to track kelvin.
“Here is your money, now let her go” i say. Kelvin signal to his goon who open the two bags to confirm the money then Beatrice is untied and pushed towards me. Beatrice run into my arm and i hold her ti-ghtly.
“Thanks for keeping your end of the deal” i say to kelvin who just grin then gesture for me to look behind me. I look back and see another goon with a gun to my head.
“We had a deal” i grind out and Kelvin just laughs.
“Well the deal was to let the bit-ch go. I didn’t say anything about letting you live”he says.
“now, kneel” he command. I fall on my knees obe-diently.
“Beatrice get out of here!” i yell
“i cant leave you here. Kelvin no nee-d to do this. What would you gain if you kill him? You cant get his company anymore. Not now that the police are after you. Just take the money and leave the country like you alre-ady plan” she sob out.
“If i cant have his company, atleast i can take his life so you better get out of here before i change my mind and kill you too” kelvin grind out
“i cant. Am not leaving”
“Beatrice, Caroline is going to nee-d you. Get out of here. plea-se” i plead
“but-” she tries to argue but i cut her off.
“no buts. Caroline has been throu-gh alot lately don’t let have lose her sister too” i say and she nod.
“Okay. I am so sorry” she says then hvg me ti-ghtly before the goon pu-ll her away.
“Boss, wouldn’t she report your whereabouts to the police?” one of the goon ask kelvin and he shake his head.
“she wouldn’t dare and i won’t be here for long. Let her go”
i watch Beatrice safely leave the sh!pbefore i breathe a sigh of relief.
“now, lets pl@ydear cousin” kelvin says then land a b!ow to my throat.
My vision go hazy in pain as the three of them land b!ow after b!ow on me.
“that’s enough. The sh!pis about to leave. I have to go. Once i leave, shoot him and throw him into the water.” kelvin says then raise my face up.
“Goodbye cousin. Bid our dads farewell for me” he says then gr-ab the bags of money and walk down the stairs leaving me to my death.
Caroline:
“Are you sure he said NPA because we have searched all the loading sh!ps and he isn’t in any of them” the police officer beside me says.
When i got to the police station, i was so worried about Simon and Beatrice that i couldn’t just sit there doing nothing. Simon was right when he said kelvin would know if he went there with the police but i reasoned that kelvin wouldn’t be expecting the police to come later on.
I informed the police of everything and they immediately dispatched some officers to go with me. Kelvin was alre-ady a wanted criminal who killed two police men to get out so the police f0rç£ were more than happy to follow my lead. We have been at the port for some time now and we still haven’t located the hide out of kelvin. What if i am too late? What if he alre-ady killed Simon and Beatrice?. God, plea-se s£nd us help. I pray silently to the heavens.
“We have to keep looking. Maybe he is in one of the abandoned sh!ps. Why don’t we check those?” i ask
“madam, Kelvin is a wanted criminal who is running from the law. He is most likely trying to stowaway in one of the sh!ps leaving the port right now. But lets check the abandoned sh!ps. Just to be sure” he says
“thank you” i say and he nods then command his men to look behind the port. We are almost giving up our search when we see Beatrice running out of one of the sh!ps.
“My God Caroline!” i run to her and hvg her.
“Ooh my God. Look what he did to you. Are you okay?. Where is Simon?” i ask then look behind her but there is no sign of him.
“He is in the t©p floor. They are going to kill him” she sob out.
“what?! Officer lets go before he gets killed”
“Madam, we cant just barge in like that. It is dangerous up there so you better stay down here with your sister” the office says
“i am not waiting here while he is up there.”
“Madam but-”
“But nothing” i say
“Okay. Just stay behind us. Joseph, call an ambulance for the young lady. The rest of you, follow me” he orders. Beatrice is taken away while i follow behind them. We are almost at the t©p stairs when we see Kelvin rushing down the stairs carrying two bags. I see his eyes go big as he sees us. All the police men point their big guns at him and seeing that he is outnumbered, he raises his hand in surrender.
“Drop your weapons!” one of the police yell at him and he brings a pistol from his back pocket and throw it on the ground.
“Search him”the officer orders one of his men after picking Kelvin’s gun off the ground.
“No other weapon on him sir” the policeman affirm after checking Kelvin.
“Now, move” they command kelvin who walks back upstairs slowly. When we get there, I see Simon lying on the ground bloody while two men smoke beside him.
“Your hands above your head” the officers orders and the two fierce looking goons turn around in shock. Their mouths hanging open.The
raise their hands up and let their guns fall to the ground. I rush to Simon and raise him off the floor. I breathe a sigh of relief as Simon envelope me in a hvg. suddenly, kelvin rush forward and gr-ab one of the gun on the floor and The police men open fire on him.
He is sh0t multi-ple times before his kneels hit the floor. I watch in horror as he points the gun towards Simon and pu-ll the trigger. I turn Simon away from the bullet and g@sp as the bullet hit my back.
“No!” I hear Simon yell along with guns firing. I can fell immense Pain shooting throu-gh my b©dy and myl-ips turn up in a wry smile.
“I love you, Simon” I say before my b©dy go limp in his arms.
********************
My head hurts and I feel like thousands of tiny nee-dles are prickling my b©dy. I manage to f0rç£ my eyelids open and I see white everywhere. Have I died and gone to heaven?
“Caroline? can you hear me?”
“Simon? Are you in heaven too?” I whisper.
“What are you talking about? You are in the hospital. You have been out of it for about a week. Do you remember getting sh0t?” he asks. I ru-b my eyes with my hands and my vision gets a bit clearer.
Simon is sitting beside my be-d and he looks worried.
“I remember. What bout Kelvin?” I ask
“He is dead. Caroline what were you thinking? You could have died. Hell, our baby almost died. . I almost lost the both of you again”
“Wait. What? What baby?” I ask confused
“Our baby Caroline. Its alive. The doctor said you are still pregnant” he says with a big smile on his face.
“That can’t be true. There was blood. I saw it. The doctor-”
“We did an ultra sound to confirm it. The doctor said during the very early stage of pregnancy, the baby may not be detected by An ultrasound” Kevin says and I just look at him dumbly
“So you are saying that I am still pregnant?”
“Yes, caroline. Here look at this” he hands me an ultrasound picture.
“That’s our baby” he says Pointing at the picture.
“I can’t believe this”I sob out
“Dont cry baby. From now on, no more tears and pain. I promise you” he says and k!ssmy fore head.
The End!