26/27
– ~TELL ME LIES-~ 🍷🥂🤷🏼♂️
Chapter 26
I am lying on the couch drinking wine and listening to music, it’s been emotionally stressful day and I just want to unwind and feel better. My mother has tried to call and text me but I have ignored her calls and messages, I don’t think I am re-ady to talk to her at the moment. Mr. Hadebe too called, I don’t know where he got my number, he wanted to meet up with me but I refused, I still haven’t processed this whole issue. I will nee-d to time to get used to having a father who is alive but before then, he nee-ds to keep his distance. With everything happening, I am just grateful I got to meet my sister and she helped me open my eyes to the kind of man Gabriel is. I would want to Rissa and I to stay in close communication and relate as sister but I respect her decision to want to keep some distance between us, her loyalty is with her mother, I think I would do the same if I were in her situation.
I just feel so bad that her mother is going throu-gh so much pain at the moment because of mine. I pray she forgives us someday, I pray she accepts me. A knock sounds at the door that moment, startling me from my reverie and I rise to my feet head towards it. Opening it, I fins Gabriel standing in front of me with a suitcase, I am not even surprised that he is here, Rissa dumped his as-s, she texted me and told me it was done. I eye him quietly from his head to his toes, Gabriel is such an excuse of a man- so now that Rissa has b!own his cover, he has decided to come over here to seek refuge.
‘’What are you doing here?’’
‘’Babe! I can explain.’’
‘’Explain what exactly? That your auntie has kicked you out of her house?’’
‘’Can I come in so we can talk?’’
‘’what’s there to talk about?’’
‘’I am sorry babe, I love you a lot, Rissa was just a distraction, I don’t even love her. I wanted to break up with her but she kept on clinging to me, I—.’’
‘’I hope you know that the girl you are bad mouthing is my sister and I will not stand here and allow you to insult and demean her.’’
‘’But it’s you I love, we can sort things out between us.’’
‘’I want nothing to do with you Gabriel. You wasted Rissa’s time and mine. I think we deserve better, you an excuse of a man, I wish you the best thought.’’
‘’You can’t do this to me, no you can’t I alre-ady paid your bride price.’’
‘’And that money will be s£nt to my sister so she can invest in one of her projects, don’t expect it back, you took so much from her.’’
‘’What? So you and Rissa have been pla-ying me all along?’’
‘’No dude, you have been pla-ying yourself, you thought you were clever but in the end see who had the last laugh. Rissa and I.’’
‘’Iris! Iris! Iris I love you so much, I don’t know what Rissa said to you but my heart belongs to you, you have always been the one and I don’t want to lose you, plea-se, reconsider your decision,’’ he pleads.
I am about to respond when the gate opens and Godfrey drives in. Parking his car next to mine, he steps out carrying a banquet of flowers and some plastics then he walks towards us. I called him earlier and told him what was happening, he promised to come over, Godfrey has really been amazing, he told me he likes me, I like him too but I told him I want us to take things slow.
‘’Hey boo,’’ I smile.
‘’Baby!’’ he leans in and lightly k!sses myl-ips then he turns to Gabriel, ‘’what’s up man?” he extends his towards him in greeting and Gabriel looks at him sharply.
‘’Who are you and what right do you have to k!ssmy fiancé like that?’’
Godfrey laughs, ‘’You had a good woman right here but you lost her because of your selfishness, Iris is mine now and plea-se stay away from her.’’
‘’What the fv¢k is that supposed to mean? This woman is traditionally married to me, I paid her bride price.’’
‘’You lost this woman, move on dude.’’
‘’Babe, I think we should go in,’’ Godfrey says handing me the flowers and plastics.
‘’Yes babe.’’
‘’This is bull$h!t!’’ Gabriel yells, gr-abbing Godfrey’s arm.
‘’Violence is never the answer, accept that you have lost.’’
‘’I haven’t lost anything, Iris is mine,’’ with that Gabriel punches Godfrey in the face. ‘’You punched me? Like you just hit me?’’
‘’I will do it again if you don’t leave my woman alone.’’
‘’Let me show you what I am made off,’’ Gabriel yells before he punches Gabriel back and knocks him to the ground before he kicks him repeatedly in the stomach.
‘’Godfrey! plea-se let him go, you will hurt him.’’
‘’He is a j£rk, he deserves to be treated like this.’’
‘’plea-se let him be I am sure he has learnt his lesson.’’
‘’Don’t you ever show your filthy face here!’’
Gabriel manages to rise to his feet, his mouth is swollen and he is bleeding, ‘’this is not the last you will hear from me, I will make the both of you pay I swear.’’
‘’Do your worst Gabriel, I will be waiting up for you.’’
‘’Let’s not even waste time with him,’’ Godfrey says leading me into the house before slamming it ha-rd behind our backs.
‘’Thank you for coming to my rescue.’’
‘’You are always welcome, how are you holding up?’’
‘’It’s been ha-rd , like I am emotionally exhausted, my life is a mess.’’
‘’This too shall come to pas-s.’’
‘’I don’t know if I can forgive my mother for what she did.’’
‘’I get you, just take everything a day at a time.’’
‘’Thank you, what can I get you to drink?’’
‘’Don’t worry about me, have you eaten?’’
I shake my head, ‘’I have just been here drinking my wine.’’
‘’You nee-d to eat something.’’
‘’I am not hungry.’’
‘’Come, let me cook for you, I will feed you if I have to but you have to eat something.’’
‘’Okay.’’
We walk into the kitchen, I sit at the table as he decides what he will cook. Godfrey is a nice guy, I should have met him earlier. Well everything happens for a reason, I guess he walked into my life at the perfect time- at this moment, he is the only one who can keep me sane.
– ~TELL ME LIES-~
Chapter 27
‘’I will get you for this?’’ I yell before I gr-ab my suitcase, head out and jump into a taxi. Just over an hour later, I pay the taxi driver and step out in front of Gina’s house. gr-abbing the suitcase, I manage to pu-ll it after me and walk into the house.
‘’Gabriel!’’ My sister exclaims, she is sitting on the couch when I enter the room. ‘’What’s happening? What’s with the suitcase?’’
‘’I nee-d a strong drink first,’’ I walk into the kitchen, get some whiskey out of the cabinet and pour myself a hefty drink. Taking a large gulp, I walk back into the living room and Gina stares at me obviously waiting for an explanation.
‘’Iris and Rissa are sisters and they know I was d@t!ngthem both.’’
‘’What?’’ he mouth hangs open in shock.
‘’Exactly the same reaction I had when I found out. And that’s not even the worst thing that has happened, can you imagine Iris is seeing someone else now? And that fool had the guts to l@yhis filthy hands on me? I am still in shock.’’
‘’What exactly happened?’’
‘’It so happens that Rissa’s dad had an affair with Iris’ mum some years back and that affair resulted in a pregnancy but she didn’t tell him about it. Anyway it’s just complicated but they recently found out so Rissa’s mum is even at her place as we speak- she is upset with her husband for the deception.’’
‘’Did you try to beg both women? How can you lose them both? You know I am not done with school? How will you manage to pay for my fees plus rentals for this house? Even if I didn’t like that Rissa girl, she was our meal ticket you know?’’
‘’I still have some businesses running with Iris, those should be able to sustain us for some time while I try to look for another woman to take care of us. And on begging, I did try to plead with both women but to no avail.’’
‘’And the bride price you paid? Can you claim it back? Do you think Iris will still want to continue doing business with you after this?’’
‘’I don’t know sis, I don’t know,’’ I say, taking another sip of my drink.
‘’Well, you nee-d to find a way out or else we will starve.’’
‘’Have you cooked anything? I am hungry.’’
‘’There’s some rice and chicken in the kitchen?”
‘’Okay,’’ I respond rising to my feet and heading to the kitchen and Gina follows me.
‘’I think we should go out tonight, while you are still trying to figure all this out, you can start looking for other women, let’s go look around.’’
‘’That’s a good idea,’’ I say, dishing up for myself before sitting down to eat.
*
A month later, I have just finished preparing breakfast when a knock sounds on the door. I pause what I am doing and open the front door to find my father standing on the doorstep. He looks miserable, like he has not sle-pt for days. For the last couple of weeks, my mother hasn’t been picking his calls and she has refused to see him.
‘’Daddy! Good morning.’’
‘’Good morning baby, how are you?’’
‘’I am fine, I can’t say the same about you.’’
He manages a smile, ‘’Can I come in?’’
‘’Sure,’’ I open the door wi-der and move out of the way. He steps into the house and I shut it behind my back. ‘’I was ma-king breakfast,’’ I say.
He follows me into the kitchen and sits on the chair.
‘’What are you prepared?’’
‘’I have bacon, sausage and omelets filled with meat and eggs plus coffee which is almost re-ady, let me start dishing up for you before I check on mum.’’
‘’Okay.’’
I dish up for him and wait for the coffee, when it is re-ady I pour for him.
‘’Breakfast is served daddy.’’
‘’Thank you child, I haven’t had a normal breakfast in the last couple of days.
‘’You eat up then, we don’t want you losing weight.’’
I am about to walk out of the room when he calls my name and I turn. He looks at me and intently stares at me, ‘’I am sorry child, plea-se find it in your heart to forgive me, I didn’t mean to hurt you and your mother, I am de-eply sorry.’’
‘’I hold no grudges daddy, it’s not me you should ask for forgiveness from.’’
‘’Do you think she will forgive me?’’
‘’I don’t know, she is de-eply hurt, she hasn’t been herself.’’
‘’What can I possibly do to make things right between me and her?’’
‘’I don’t know but just try and talk to her.’’
‘’Okay.’’
‘’Let me go and get her.’’
‘’Sure.’’
I climb up the stairs and head towards the spare be-droom, ‘’Mummy!’’ I say pushing the door open. She is sitting in be-d re-ading her bible.
‘’Morning baby!’’ she smiles, placing the bible on the be-d.
‘’How are you? sle-pt well?’’
‘’I sle-pt well thanks, you?’’
‘’Perfect, I just got done ma-king breakfast.’’
‘’You just re-ad my mind, I am starving.’’
‘’I am your lucky charm.’’
‘’You definitely are,’’ she smiles. ‘’You are my sanity Clarissa Hadebe, thank you for holding me down the last couple of days, I don’t know what I would have done without you baby, I love you so much, child of mine. You are the best thing I have got out of this fake marriage.’’
‘’I love you too mummy, I know daddy hurt you but plea-se don’t be so ha-rd on him, find time in your heart to forgive him, he looks miserable.’’
She shoots me an angry look, ‘’don’t even go there, child.’’
I shrug, ‘’if you say so.’’ I will not even tell her that daddy is here, I don’t want her lashing out at me. Getting out of be-d, we head to the kitchen, when mum notices daddy, she stands still and looks at me, ‘’What is he doing here?’’
‘’I think you guys nee-d to talk,’’ I quic-kly gr-ab my keys.
‘’Clarissa, what did I tell you about–,’’
‘’I will see you later,’’ I respond quic-kly heading out of the door before she says anything more, this isn’t my battle to fight, I don’t want to find myself in a position where I have to choose between either of them, they are parents and I love them both despite the mistakes they have made.
*
Tbc