CAN’T HOLD MY TEARS SEASON 2
EPISODE 12
Maxwell went rigid against Amara’s closely knitted b©dy as his blood roared in his head. He knew what was happening, he just was having a ha-rd time coming to terms with it. She is using me! Me! It was so startling that he could almost not believe it at first. He felt her slim hands wra-pped firmly around his w@!st as her face remained tilted up in a smile directed at Alex. He couldn’t decipher if her goal was to annoy Alex or make him jealous. Whatever the case might be, it did not taste good to him in the least, but for the life of him, he couldn’t call her bluff. Swallowing ha-rd , he gazed impas-sively at Alex. “That is right” he declared, his voice ringing out in the dead silence which had descended the air. “And I am not p@rticularly glad that someone has upset damsel just when I c@m£ to whisk her away on a ro-mantic d@t£”
Amara stiffened and her smile sli-pped before she hastily corrected herself. She smiled up at Maxwell, ma-king him blink and wonder vaguely how a simple smile could make someone look so breathtaking. “Oh Max, surely the visit of an unwanted pest is not enough to sour my mood. Where are you taking me darling?” she asked with her eyes sparkling with humor.
He raised his arm and lightly brushed against the hair at her nape. He win-ked at her. “It is a surprise” he said grinning mischievously.
Alex snorted with rage and started bouncing towards them. “Would you both do me the plea-sure of getting out of the way?” he barked. “The sight of you makes me sick”
Amara turned to face him with a firm glare. “Well, I hope you remain sick; that way you would keep your disdainful self from disturbing my life” she spat angrily, leaving the entrance for Alex to safely lead himself throu-gh. “Do not let me see your face anywhere close to mine Alex, I can get a restraining order” she threatened.
Alex laughed. “The law in Nigeria cannot st©p me from doing anything I want to do woman” he said.
“But I can” Maxwell responded. “No one interferes with what’s mine; you’ll do good to remember that” he said sternly.
A sm-irk crept up Alex’s face. “This woman is not yours; you’ll do good to remember that” he returned and walked briskly out of the office.
********************
Alex fumed, boiling with unadulterated rage as he flagged down a taxi and hopped in, slamming the door f0rç£fully. The de-sire to use his fists on either Amara or Maxwell had been too strong; it had been a miracle that he left her office without creating a scene. The fact that he had married Amara in the secluded enclosure of his father’s sitting room and had practically kept his marriage a secret the whole time had made the whole marriage fiasco remain a secret. Only few knew of the scandalous marriage and the few who knew were not prepared for the scandal of the press so they never breathed a word. He clenched his fists at his sides as blood gushed throu-gh his veins. Alex admitted that he had expected Amara to have a man in her life, but damn, he hadn’t expected him to be so incredibly handsome. The man had been handsome almost to the state of beauty, enough to put every male model to shame. His look was enough to intimid@t£ any man who tries to drag a woman with him because; any woman would take one look at Maxwell and dump whoever she is with. To t©p it up, he is wealthy! Alex thought, disgusted.
He shouldn’t be angry! He didn’t even have the right to be, but here he was, boiling with rage over the fact that his ‘ex-sister and ex-wife’ was with another man. Vaguely, he remembered that his wife and daughter were in Abuja, where he ought to be also, but, his mind didn’t dwell on it. He had just found out that there was no abomination in engaging in anything frivolous with Amara; that was the only good thing he could draw from the stupid news he heard this morning, and he would be stupid if he couldn’t take advantage of it. He picked up his phone and called Toba.
The phone was answered almost instantly. “Hey man, what trouble have you sank yourself into?”
“Cut off the snide remarks, I am not in the mood for it” Alex barked into the phone.
“Wow, someone has upset his lordsh!p; if it isn’t Lisa, then it no doubt is Amara” he bit out.
Alex hissed. “Since the former is back there in Abuja, I guess that is out of the question.” He said sternly. “I nee-d you to run a check on Maxwell Babs for me” Alex said before Toba could answer.
“What about him?” Toba asked, out of curiosity.
“I just nee-d to know about his p@rt relationsh!ps and data on any doting ex that might want him back” Alex said f0rç£fully.
Toba laughed. “Let me guess: he is involved with Amara”
“That is none of your damned business” Alex yelled. “Just do what I asked.
“She is your SISTER” Toba yelled. “Why are you being so s-en-seless?”
“News flash! She is not my sister. She…” he sighed. “It is a long story. Just get me that info as soon as possible.”
“Ok. Hey man, sorry to add to your heavy load of problems but I must warn you, Lisa is likely to be in Lagos as we speak”
“WHAT?” Alex yelled and the taxi driver almost lost control from the shock of the sudden exclamation. “What on earth would she be doing here?”
“Saving her marriage, of course. I went over to your place and was told that she left the house a day after you and kept Pamela with that lousy friend of hers”
Alex scratched his head furiously. “That woman would be the death of me” he swore, wondering what Lisa must be doing now. But if she had been in Lagos the whole time and hadn’t confronted him, Alex couldn’t begin to imagine what is wife might be up to. He hung without another word and closed his eyes with his br@in running wild. When he had embarked on this ridiculous escapade, he hadn’t envisioned dealing with Lisa’s craftiness also.
********************
Lisa alighted from the taxi after Alex’s cab had vanished from sight. She stared at the Ara P building curiously. She shoved the digital c@m£ra in her hand into her bag. She had taken numerous pictures of Alex alre-ady. Alex had come out of the building terribly angry and something told Lisa that someone was inside that company who is responsible. She turned to the taxi driver. “Wait for me” she murmured, then walked towards the building.
********************
Amara was so nervous, she felt she might faint from the intense turning of her stomach. The silence in her office was so deafening and she completely avoided looking at Maxwell. She couldn’t tell what stupidity had come over to make her do something so terrible. She had completely used Maxwell, giving him no choice but to pl@yalong. She couldn’t imagine what a disaster it would have been if he had expo-sed her act by declaring that she had lied. But he had instead pla-yed the gentleman and had covered up for her rather smoothly even though she had felt his tension as she wra-pped her hands around his w@!st. And I k!$$£d him! Amara felt faint from the thought, avoiding his gaze at all cost. The weird thing was that she had felt almost nothing. She had ba-rely registered the feel of hisl-ips on hers and it didn’t seem fair. She must have totally bruised his ego with what she did. She started pla-ying with her f!ngersnervously.
“I think I deserve an explanation” Maxwell’s voice suddenly cut into her reverie, ma-king her head snap up instantly. She saw the ti-ghtness of his jaw and cursed herself.
“I am sorry… I am so sorry. I should never have done what I did, I acted without thinking” she said hastily. “I am sorry”
He smiled drily. “You used me to make him jealous” he stated.
“No! Of course not; I just… wanted him to leave me in peace and thought that if he sees me with someone else, he just might” she explained apologetically.
“You love him?” he asked quietly.
Amara almost laughed. I would rather love the devil! “No” she answered firmly. The idea of loving him was so unplea-sant that it created a bitter taste in her mouth.
Maxwell must have seen the truth in her eyes because his shoulders slumped in relief. Amara looked at him with hopeful eyes. “I am so sorry! Do you forgive me? I swear it never was my intention to use you. I am so stupid; you walked in and I acted without thinking.”
Maxwell smiled softly. “Well, I would forgive you on one condition” he declared and Amara stiffened, wondering what he might ask of her. “I do believe I c@m£ to whisk you away to a ro-mantic dinner d@t£” he began with a smug smile. “That is if the visit of the unwanted pest truly hasn’t soured your mood” he grinned.
Amara flu-shed with embarras-sment. Maxwell arched his brow, waiting for her answer. She sighed. “Alright. I am sure I owe you more than that for my stupidity” she said as she went to shut down her system and gr-ab her handbag.
He grinned winningly. “Right now, I am glad you used me”
********************
Lisa stayed outside Ara P, somewhere hidden from sight as she took pictures of every woman that c@m£ out of Ara P. She knew only a woman can get Alex so annoyed so she didn’t waste the lens on men except the ones she deemed too fine to leave out. She had initially wanted to enter but changed her mind at the last minute. It is always best to remain un-dercover, until it is absolutely necessary to surface, she thought vaguely, thinking of the numerous American movies she had watched. As she took pictures, a couple emerged from the building and her mouth instantly dropped open just from seeing the gorgeous man who was smiling brightly at his p@rtner. She totally ignored the p@rtner as her eyes devoured the hunk of a man. He was indeed a very ‘beautiful’ man, one who would give you breathtakingly beautiful children. She started taking several pictures of him but as the woman beside him c@m£ into view, Lisa almost swallowed her ton-gue in complete shock. Walking beside the extremely handsome man was the last person she expected to see.
“Amara?” she g@sped silently. Her mouth refused to close as she stared at the refined version of her husband’s ex-wife. She blinked severally as she stared at the couple walk towards a shining black jeep. Amara!!! Her br@in repeated in bewilderment. She was too shocked. So, Alex had left Abuja to continue his escapades with his ‘sister’? Have they no shame? She swallowed ha-rd as her hatred for Amara blossomed and multi-plied. When would Amara leave my man alone for me? She wondered angrily. She quic-kly took Amara’s picture before she vanished into the safety of the tinted car, then she glared at the c@m£ra, still in shock. This woman surely must be casting a spell on all men, she thought vaguely as she watched the handsome man pu-ll out of the parking lot with Amara beside him. Her anger mounted and mounted until she thought she might explode.
“Ohhhh… I will deal with you Amara” she clenched her fists, holding the c@m£ra in a vice-like grip. “I would teach you an unforgettable lesson you who-re. I have waited long enough” she growled spitefully as the car sped out of sight.
********************
It was alre-ady dark when Maxwell pu-ll-ed to a st©p in front of her house. Surprisingly, Amara had truly enjoyed the outing. Considering the fact that the one and only Alex had showed up today, Amara wondered why she still had a cause to smile. Could it be that she was truly healing? Could she be really getting over her past? Hope bubbled in her, for the first time in years. She knew that it must have something to do with Kelvin’s appearance. Even though he had done next to nothing, seeing him alone had changed her. Amara turned to Maxwell as she gr@bb£d her bag. She smiled. “I really had a nice time” and she meant it.
“I am glad. I had a nice time as well. I would give anything to have this again” Maxwell said with a smile. Amara tensed, then tried to push aside the real meaning of the comment. “Even if it involves you using me against other guys. The prospect of being your fiancé is actually very plea-sing” he grinned.
Amara laughed, glad that he had a s-en-se of humor. “Don’t tempt me, I just might take you up on that” she returned, surprising herself by following up that joke.
“Is that a promise?” his eyes wi-de-ned brightly and Amara laughed.
“No” she said quic-kly. It occurred to Amara that Max would be a very good friend. He seemed easy to like, disregarding the initial impression she had of him. She glanced at the gate to her compound and sighed. “I guess I’d better go”
He sighed also. “Sadly”
Amara smiled. “Goodnight. Thanks”
He leaned forward and planted a soft k!sson her cheek before she could blink. She shifted slightly and gave him a shaky smile before alighting from the car. She opened the gate and went in, sighting her car inside the compound as she closed the gate. She had told one of the two security men in Ara P to help drive the car home. As she walked towards her ap@rtment, her phone rang and she fished it out of her bag, and picked it up.
The voice that floated into her ear made her heart skip. “Hello beautiful”
She didn’t nee-d to ask to know who was speaking. “Kelvin” she breathed.
“How are you Ara? Are you looking as beautiful as you looked yesterday?” his low voice breathed.
Amara shook her head. “God save me from flir-tatious men!”
Kelvin laughed at the other end. “It would be almost impossible not to flir-t with you honey. You have the most compelling appearance.”
Amara held the phone against her ear, holding it in place with her shoulder as she tried to fish out her keys from her bag, with a silly smile on her face. “Oh, cut it out” she snapped pla-yfully. As she re-moved her keys from her bag, her eyes fell on a piece of folded paper sticking out of the door. She frowned as she pu-ll-ed it out, not really listening to what Kelvin was saying as she re-ad the words on the paper. What the…
“Ara!” Kelvin called suddenly, cutting off what he was saying. “Are you there?”
“Y… Yes. I…” Amara stared at the paper in bewilderment. “I just saw a weird note at my door.”
She stared frightened at the note with ‘IT’S PAYBACK TIME’ boldly written on it, not knowing what to think of it.
“A weird note?” he asked, catching the frightened note in her voice.
“It’s payback time. That is what is written on it” she said, clearly afraid now.
“I am coming over” he said instantly. “Don’t go in. I would be there in a few minutes” he added and hung up before she could protest. Amara re-ad the note again, not knowing what to make of it.
CAN’T HOLD MY TEARS SEASON 2
EPISODE 13
Amara paced the entrance of her ap@rtment, feeling agitated. The day had been strange enough as it is with Alex showing up all of a sudden and spilling ridiculous ru-bbish, insinuating things that she couldn’t even begin to think about. It had been even stranger that his appearance hadn’t impacted so much on her; not even half as much as she had thought it would. She had even gone a d@t£ with Mr. gorgeous and had even stunned herself by enjoying it. This weird note just had to crown it up. Entering her own house was scaring her beyond words. What the hell is wrong with me? Now Kelvin would come here and think I am some sort of scared chicken. She heaved a sigh into the cold night as her hands clenched around the railings at the entrance of her ap@rtment.
The gate moved and her head snapped up but she was horribly disappointed when the pedestrian opened instead to let in her neighbor. Nadia’s mother walked on with her eyes glued to her phone, but as she got nearer, she raised her eyes and paused when she saw Amara.
“Hey Ara” she called.
“Good evening mummy Nadia” Amara said with a quic-k smile in the young woman’s direction.
“I didn’t see you come in, someone dropped your car” she stated with a smile as she moved closer.
Amara nodded. “Yes, I c@m£ in minutes ago”
She frowned. “But why are you outside? Is everything alright?” she asked, looking concerned.
“Oh no… I mean Yes. Everything is great” she said hastily. “I am just errr… waiting for someone” Amara finished with a soft smile.
The woman’s smile slowly eased, then her face lit up dramatically. “Oh my God, I almost forgot; someone c@m£ earlier looking for you. A very pretty lady” she said with a slight smile.
Amara’s brows sh0t up and her ears stretched to their limits, trying to get every detail. ‘IT’S PAYBACK TIME’ loomed around in her head. “Lady? What lady?”
She frowned. “Oh, she hasn’t called you?” she asked. “She told me she would call you; when I asked for her name, she didn’t tell me” Nadia’s mother stated.
Amara’s frown de-epened. She was certain that the lady in question must have dropped the note; but who could it be? Which woman had she offended in her life? She had thought she was the offended p@rty her whole life.
“Ara” Nadia’s mum called with a de-ep frown now. “Is everything alright?”
Amara quic-kly smiled. “Of course. I was just… wondering who it might have been” she quic-kly responded. “By the way, how is Nadia?”
The mother smiled. “She is fine, asleep alre-ady. She never st©ps talking about you and the Indomie you made for her” Amara laughed, some of the tension oozing out. This had to be the lengthiest and friendliest conversation she has had with her neighbor and surprisingly, Amara found that she liked the single mother’s company.
“She is a lovely girl” Amara said with a smile.
“Yes, she is” the woman said grinning. “My job has been ma-king things ha-rd for me, ma-king me lose the time I ought to spend with my daughter” she confided. “I am quitting my job to get another one, but I am too scared to do that.” She sighed. “This is Lagos! What if I don’t find another job? I don’t want to regret it yet, my daughter is suffering from this lack of attention”
Amara forgot totally about her problems as she stared at the agitated mother. Initially, she had thought the woman didn’t care enough for her daughter, but now, she saw the woman’s pain. Being a single mother must have been hell. Would I have also had this problem if my child had stayed? Out of nowhere she popped up, causing her to frown de-eply. She pushed away the thought as she focused squarely on the woman. “Your child should be your priority” she said softly.
“I know… I really know” she sighed and leaned against the railings. “But then that is why I work; to put food in her stomach, pay her school fees, buy her clothes and everything she nee-ds. I work for her; there is no one to fall back on”
Amara swallowed, then took a de-ep breath. “This might sound silly and I don’t know if it helps but if you truly quit your job, you could come and work at Ara P” she blurted out suddenly. “We work ha-rd but I can make your work-time a bit flexible”
Unexpectedly, the woman’s eyes watered. “You would do that? Give me a job in your company?”
Amara misun-derstood the woman’s emotional swing. “I know it must be awkward saying that; I have no right to think that I can give you a job. I am sorry if that sounded insulting” she hastily said.
“Insulting?” she suddenly laughed. “Oh my God! You have been going about, keeping to yourself for a very long time, I never knew you are so kind-hearted. Wow! I would be extremely happy to work in your company” she declared.
“You would?”
“Of course! Ara P is a really big company, many times, I feel I am living with a celebrity. I totally love decorating and doing what I love would be a blessing, plus I get to spend more time with my daughter; what more can I ask from God?” she squealed. Amara’s face broke into a smile. Nadia’s mother started towards her in complete happiness and pu-ll-ed Amara into a hvg before she could blink. “Thank you so much; you are God-s£nt” she squealed, retreating from the hvg due to too much excitement before Amara could even wra-p her own arms around her. “I am turning in my two weeks’ notice immediately” she declared with a squeal. “Thanks Ara, I would never forget this. Thanks”
Amara smiled. She had always derived joy in ma-king other people happy. She guessed the woman couldn’t be more than five years older than her but her dedication and efforts at seeing to the happiness of her daughter made Amara respect her so much. The sound of a car at the gate stunned her and sharply, she remembered her current dilemma. She rushed off and pushed the gate open for Kelvin. He drove into the compound instantly and she hurriedly closed the gate. She forgot totally about Nadia’s mother as Kelvin alighted from the car.
Amara moved closer, noticing the way his t©p clung to his b©dy so firmly, revea-ling strong muscled arms. She didn’t even take up the temptation of looking at his wall-like che-st. She raised her eyes to his and his worried gaze soothed her immensely. When last had she felt that she had someone she could rely on?
“Ara” he breathed as he walked up to her.
“Thanks for coming Kelvin” she whispered as his hand brushed away hair pla-ying at her cheeks. Her hairband still held the upper half of her hair in place.
“Are you ok? Where is the…” Kelvin raised his eyes to see the woman standing just few steps away. Amara also turned towards Nadia’s mother and her eyes narrowed when she saw her checking out Kelvin. She was openly gawking at him, running her eyes over him.
“Wooow. Where did you find such a breathtaking man Ara? Probably if I go there, I would get lucky” Nadia’s mother said with a wistful look on her face.
Amara swallowed as she watched Kelvin grin at the woman, looking very much like he was flir-ting with her as he approached. He took her hand slowly and placed a chaste k!ssat the back of her f!ngers. “You definitely are a stunningly beautiful woman” he said, effectively stunning Amara into shocked silence. “I, on the other hand, have a cousin who would give me a run for my money”
The woman sighed. “I don’t think that is possible, it is alre-ady a sin to look this good” she said, then leaned in to whisper something Amara couldn’t catch. Nadia’s mother straightened with a grin which was equally matched by Kelvin’s as she started moving towards her ap@rtment. She turned to grin at Amara. “Goodnight Ara” she said gaily.
“Goodnight” Amara responded with a sour note to her tone.
Kelvin smiled down at her Amara gave him a too-bright smile. I am sure he would derive plea-sure from seeing me moody. Did he expect me to be jealous? I surely haven’t seen the man who would make me get jealous. Amara told herself sternly as Kelvin walked back to her. Amara instead, walked to her ap@rtment, causing him to change his direction. “I think everything is clear now; I don’t see why I should be scared over a flimsy note delivered by a woman” she said automatically, ignoring him as she bent to pick up her bag.
“A woman delivered it” he said. “I should have known”
“Why? Because you know women so much, you even know that they drop threat notes at the entrance of other women?” she ranted as she unlocked her door.
“No, because only ONE woman would want to pay you back for something” he said seriously.
Amara turned then, mostly from curiosity and also a p@rtial reluctance in entering the ap@rtment. “What woman?” she asked.
Kelvin took her shoulders in his two arms, looking at her upturned face. “There is only one woman who would do this. Lisa” he declared and Amara blanched. She had even forgotten totally about Lisa. “She thinks you stole Alex from her, remember? And you even s£nt her to jail” he said. Amara’s stunned eyes slowly sli-pped away from his, staring dazedly at his che-st. Kelvin stared at the opened door. “Wait here, let me go in to see if everything is alright” he said, moving her aside.
“No!” she said instantly. “I am going in with you”
“No, just stay-”
“I won’t have you tell me what to do in my ap@rtment” she said sternly. “I would either go in with you or go in alone”
Kelvin stared at her stubbornly set face and sighed in resignation. “Alright, stay behind me. I really don’t think there is anything to worry about though, the door wasn’t tampered with” he tried to dispel her worry.
She nodded and followed him closely as he turned on the light. For some minutes, he seemed detached as he moved carefully around. Amara left him, feeling like a cynical chicken. “It is obvious there is nothing here” she declared. “She must be glad now, knowing I am freaking out” she said angrily as she dropped into a chair. “Is it not enough that Alex showed up today?”
“What?” Kelvin g@sped. “What do you mean Alex showed up?” she saw a spark of temper in his eyes as he watched her narrowly.
She sighed. “He suddenly showed up in my office today” she supported her elbows with her knees and placed her head in her open hands. “I have never been so shocked; not only by his appearance but by my response”
“What response are you talking about?” Kelvin asked in a silently dangerous voice.
Is that jealousy? “I felt… nothing” she said. “I had thought I would be filled with undiluted rage but ap@rt from my initial outbur-st, I felt nothing. It is like I am slowly getting over my past” she sighed again. “But then, he really got me boiling with rage when he insinuated that we are not siblings and that-”
“Wait, what?” Kelvin boomed suddenly and Amara looked up to see his pale face.
Amara swallowed. “I was equally shocked to think that he would go to the extent of lying. Apparently, he didn’t just come to apologize, he wants to have something to do with me” she laughed. “I wonder if he thinks I am a fool. What I don’t un-derstand though is why his face carried so much pain when he said that he just found out that we aren’t really siblings. It almost seemed true” Amara thought vaguely with a de-ep frown. “But it was probably p@rt of his act; nothing from him has ever ended up true. He is a bundle of lies”
Kelvin ran his f!ngersthrou-gh his hair with a bewildered look on his face. “This can’t be! It is simply impossible.” He said, trying to reas-sure them both.
“I think so too” she said, still frowning.
Kelvin’s veins were taut, then, trying to change the subject, he said. “You must be hungry”
Amara smiled. “Actually, I am not” she said. “I went on a d@t£ with someone and I am practically filled up”
His jaw ti-ght£ñed as he gritted his teeth. “I see” he dropped icily.
Amara would have explained to him that her dinner companion was just a friend, but she was too busy enjoying the spectacle of Kelvin’s jealous face to even consider telling him. Payback is always enjoyable, Amara thought with vague satisfaction. She wondered what her neighbor had whispered into Kelvin’s ear but she would re-move her own ton-gue before she asked Kelvin. “Everything is Ok Kelvin, why don’t you go” Amara said. “It is getting really late”
Kelvin nodded grimly. “Right” he ran his f!ngersthrou-gh his hair again as his eyes left hers to roam round the sitting room as if he was searching for something. “Are you sure you can stay here all by yourself?” He asked. “You can come with me to my ap@rtment if you feel uncomfortable”
Amara laughed slightly. “C’mon, I am not a small puppet, I can sleep perfectly well. If it is Lisa, I won’t give her the satisfaction of knowing her scare tactics is working, because it is not” she said br@vely. “I would be perfectly fine. Don’t worry about me”
Kelvin nodded. He seemed totally distracted, not paying full attention to her words. “If anything pops up, you are to call me instantly, Ok? Instantly!” he emphasized.
“Yes sir” Amara said automatically, with a grin.
Kelvin sighed. “Ok” he started moving towards the door. “Come and lock up” he commanded and Amara scowled at his retreating back as she stood to do his bidding. He st©pped at the entrance and Amara made sure to keep a descent amount of distance between them.
“Thanks a lot for coming to my aid, I really appreciate it” she said.
Kelvin nodded stiffly. “Just be safe. Remember: call me if anything out of the ordinary happens; don’t un-derestimate Lisa” he said.
“Ok” Amara said with a nod.
Kelvin raised his hand as if to t©uçh her but brou-ght it back down and turned. “Lock up” he said, closing the door. Amara didn’t hear his retreating steps until she had turned the lock. She stood there at the door, listening until the sound of his car faded and vanished, then she went back into her sitting room, looking round in agitation, despite her calm claims.
********************
Amara finally opened her eyes to the bright lights of the day. She didn’t nee-d to check the time to know she woke up late. Her eyes were heavy from lack of sleep. She had woken up twice with nightmares. Amara wondered why a flimsy note containing three words had effectively s£nt her into a state of constant panic. I should have taken Kelvin’s offer, she thought. If she had sle-pt over at his place, she surely wouldn’t have had nightmares.
Amara brushed her hands against her heavy eyes, trying to keep them open as she stood up from the be-d, her joints aching from rolling all night long. She pu-ll-ed her short nightshi-t over her head, dropping it carelessly on the be-d as she made for the bathroom. Her phone st©pped her in her tracks and she backtracked to check the caller. As expected, it was Tega. “You don’t have to tell me that I am late Tega, I alre-ady know that” she murmured to the ringing phone and cut the call, switching off the phone instantly. Her head was alre-ady pounding enough, she didn’t nee-d Tega’s ranting voice to add to it.
She dropped the phone and proceeded into the bathroom, turning on the shower instantly. She gratefully welcomed the cold feel of the water against her skin but she didn’t have the luxury of time, so she quic-kly washed up and got out of the tub, brushed her teeth and entered the room, toweling herself dry as she went. She pu-ll-ed out a black trou-ser and a bright yellow t©p, hoping that the bright colour would brighten up her day. After brushing and pinning down her hair, she gr@bb£d her car keys and her bag and left her be-droom, opting to have Tega order in her breakfast from an eatery.
Amara bounced out of the ap@rtment, trying to feel more enthusiastic about the day, despite her pounding head and aching b©dy. However, as she locked the door to her ap@rtment firmly and turned to her car, whatever enthusiasm she had summoned evaporated instantly. She stared at the deflated tires of her car in complete horror. Her bag hung limply on her arm as she walked stiffly towards her car. She walked round the car, horrified to see that all the four tires were in the same state. Her heart beat and headache increa-sed dramatically as she sp©tted a note un-der the windscreen wiper. She dragged it out with angry hands and opened it.
ENJOY YOUR DAY!!!
Amara crumbled the note in anger, clenching her fist around it. She swallowed and stuffed the crumbled note in her bag. No! I would not let this destroy my day. She told herself sternly. She marched out of the compound, her angry strides ma-king her walk fas-ter. She tried to put a smile on her face but she wouldn’t, she could only look around grimly, searching for a taxi to take her to Ara P. she sp©tted a taxi and flagged it down. “Ara P” she murmured and jumped in. she didn’t nee-d to give an address since Ara P was known by all. The taxi driver smiled, recognizing her but she didn’t have time for any chatter. She closed her eyes, blocking her mind against this new complication in her life. It seems her past was determined on haunting her continuously. If only Amara knew what she had done wrong to deserve it, she might even consider atoning for her sins.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 14