💞 TANURE,
FOREVER💞
Chapter 6
“plea-se….plea-se try and save both of them,I can’t choose”Richa-rd muttered.The doctor walked away.
Richa-rd slumped on a chair and brou-ght out his cellphone,he nee-ded to tell his parents about this.He gave Maami a call.
🌻
Hours later,Mr Ojaide,Bisi and Mr Boyowa arrived at the hospital after a long trip from Ibadan.On seeing Richa-rd ,Mr Ojaide rushed towards him and gr@bb£d him by his collars.
“This is all your fault!You murderer,I hope you’re happy now”He thun-dered.
“It wasn’t my fault, I swear, I didn’t do anything”Richa-rd replied shakily,he glanced at his father who was staring at him disappointedly.
Just then, the doctor c@m£ out,Mr Ojaide re-leased Richa-rd as they rushed to meet the doctor who was sweating profusely and looked so exhausted.
“We tried our best but we couldn’t save the baby”He announced.
Bisi sat on a chair feeling so bittered, the long awaited baby was gone.
Richa-rd legs were transfixed to the floor,he still couldn’t fathom out the doctor’s words.Mr Ojaide stared at him,if not for his newly found faith,he would have smashed Richa-rd ‘s head against a wall.
Mr Boyowa shook his head sadly.
“How is she?”Bisi asked.
“She still hasn’t regained consciousness but I’m sure she’ll be fine, but mentally… I don’t know,so you nee-d to stand by her more than ever”The doctor replied and walked away.
Richa-rd closed his eyes wishing the ground would open and swallow him.
🌻
Tears trickled down Richa-rd ‘s cheeks, even if nob©dy had noticed,he was the one who mostly looked forward to the birth of his child but now there would be no child that he could call Max Olamide or Catherine Temit©pe.
“Why did you come here to hide and weep”Bisi asked behind him,he was at the back of the hospital.
Richa-rd quic-kly cleaned his face.
“I wasn’t crying…. I just yawned”He replied.
“And you let your yawning turn into uncontrollable tears”Bisi said and sat beside him.
“I really didn’t mean for any of this to happen… I swear..I really wanted the baby”Richa-rd confessed.
“Do you know of anyone who has any motive of harming her?”Bisi asked curiously.
Richa-rd gulped.’It wasn’t Christine’He thought trying to as-sure himself again.
“No, maybe they were just bunglars and they thought no one was home”
Bisi sighed.”it’s just so sad that I would have to wait again for another Akinjimi or Omotola”She said and turned to look at Richa-rd , just as she had expected,he looked shocked.
“What? Aren’t you married?Look, Kayo,as long as I’m alive you and Tanure are staying together, and when she gets better,you two must give me grandchildren”
Richa-rd just stared at her quietly.Bisi held his hands.
“Tanure is yours now, you have to accept that fact before it becomes too late”
🌻
She woke up to a reality that shook her to the bones,she wept and was practically traumatized by the incident,she wouldn’t talk to anyone not even Bisi.Tanure fell into a de-ep depression becoming the shadow of her own self.
Tanure looked around her ward,she was alone,she slowly sat up,she would be discharged soon and she would have to go back to the village.She didn’t want to go throu-gh that hell with Maami Funmi again but she had nowhere to run to.
She placed her hand on her stomach,she felt so empty… just days back,she was expecting a child and now it was gone.
This really had to be the badluck Richa-rd and her father always talked about.She could never be happy.She could never be loved by anyone.
Her heart hurts…..her stomach hurts….. everything hurts.
She turned around and saw a glas-s cu-p of water on t©p of the table.
“No one wants you Tanure.You always ruin people’s lives.See, your baby’s life is alre-ady ruined before even seeing the world.You’re going to be in pains forever and this pain is only going to st©p if you cease to exist”A voice reverberated inside her head.
With tears falling down her eyes in thick sheet,she brushed the cu-p away from the table and it fell on the floor scattering into pieces.
She bent down weakly and picked up a piece of glas-s.She stared at her wrist.She clenched his fists ti-ghtly so she could see her veins properly.
“Slit it, end this miserable life,it won’t hurt anymore,no one would be able to hurt you anymore”The voice sounded again.
Tears clouded her vision. It won’t hurt anymore,no one can hurt her anymore.
The door opened, Richa-rd and Bisi walked in.
The bag containing some cereals and other light food that Richa-rd was holding fell from his hand taking in the sight in front of him.
Bisi walked towards her.
“Don’t come close to me”Tanure warned and Bisi st©pped dead in her tracks seeing her hand ti-ght£ñed around the glas-s,it was cutting throu-gh the skin on her palm and she could see Tanure’s blood alre-ady.
“Drop the glas-s,Tanure, plea-se”Bisi pleaded.
“Tanure, I know this is ha-rd for you but we can get throu-gh this together”Richa-rd promised, frantically.
She scoffed.”Liar.We won’t get throu-gh anything together,who would want to have anything to do with me? I always bring badluck, the baby’s dead because of me”
“The baby didn’t die because of you, Tanure… nothing was your fault,you aren’t badluck.plea-se don’t do this to yourself…you still have so many beautiful years ahead of you”Bisi pleaded.
Richa-rd saw her hand loos£n slightly from the glas-s,she was getting distracted.
“I do?”
“Yes, this would all pas-s and would seem foreign from your memory and you’re going to look back and smile that you didn’t hurt yourself……”
Richa-rd hurried towards her and gently re-moved the glas-s from her hand as she weakly struggled with him.
He pu-ll-ed her into his arms.
“Leave me alone…. don’t t©uçh me…..”She cried as her fist crushed into his che-st trying to push him back but he ti-ght£ñed his arms around her and reluctantly she gave up and sank into his b©dy…. crying and trembling.
Bisi heaved a sigh of relief.
Richa-rd just held her in that position as her cries filled his ears,he felt unaccountably bleak, frozen inside.
Was this the same girl he had been with months ago,he recalled the excitement in her eyes when she would look up to him and smile,then he would drool over those dimples.
But since she started living with him, she’d just look at him warily, and spend most of her time alone in her be-droom or his study then watch TV,she had retreated herself to somewhere he couldn’t reach.He no longer saw her smile or laugh ha-rd as she did that day when they saw a drun!kold man rocking his b©dy against a tree.And now this had to happen.
He ha-rd ly went to church, honestly he couldn’t remember the last time,he stepped into a church but he wanted this prayer to be answered badly.
Christine shouldn’t have anything to do with this.He wouldn’t be able to take it if he was p@rtly the reason why he lost his child and why Tanure almost took her life.
He stared down at her tears stained cheeks and bloodsh0t eyes.
Chapter 7
It’s been two days since She had been discharged from the hospital,Bisi,Mr Ojaide and Mr Boyowa were preparing to go back to the village.
Bisi walked into her be-droom holding a tray of food to find her lying on the be-d with her eyes opened.
“Tanure,eat something”Bisi urged.
Tanure sat up.”Ekaaro Maami”She muttered and started eating.
Bisi smiled and gentlyly stro-ked her hair.
“You have to get over what happened,you have to move on”Bisi advised.
“Shouldn’t I come with you to the village?”She asked.
“No,this is your home”Bisi snapped.
“The only thing holding us together is gone, Maami,I don’t want to stay here”
“Tanure, I un-derstand your fears but I don’t want any other woman for my son, you’re his and he is yours so let things work themselves out”Bisi said.
Tanure was quiet,she knew Bisi would never see reasons with her and she definitely couldn’t tell her that Richa-rd ‘s heart belonged to another woman.Bisi held her hands.
“Your father wants to talk to you”She announced.
Tanure swallowed.
🌻
Mr Ojaide walked into Tanure’s room,she was too scared to even look at his face.He sat on a stool beside her be-d.
“How are you feeling?”He asked, calmly as he placed his hand on her forehead.
She cringed.”Fine”
He felt hurt seeing her like this,what had blinded him all these years to see that he has been ma-king her life a living hell.
“I’m sorry, Tanure.I know that can’t change anything now but I’m truly sorry for everything”He muttered.
Tanure stared at him surprised,was this her father?
“Recently, I started the village church,it has really given me inner peace,I found those lost hope and faith and I realized that nothing was your fault, everything that happens in this life has a reason, I was a coward for not giving you my attention,
I couldn’t control the pain of losing my wife so soon so I hated you for it thinking it would less£n the pain but I’m sure that I’ve been tormenting your mother’s soul, ma-king her restless that she died in vain.I thought you deserved all what Funmi did to you.I’m so sorry,
Tanure, I know I can never make up for lost times, I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness even if I ask for it but I just want you to know that I’ll stand by you from now on, I won’t sit back and watch anyone hurt you again”He said, tearfully.
Tanure just stared at him as painful memories reeled throu-gh her mind.
“I wish you had changed towards me sooner, I wish……”
Mr Ojaide held her hands shakily.
“I know and if I could do anything… even if it means taking my life just to see you happy,I would do it”
Tanure stared at him as h0t tears rolled down her cheeks,if only he had been kind to her, maybe she wouldn’t have been so desperate to get away from the village.
But nothing could change the past now, maybe if she finally goes back to the village,Maami Funmi wouldn’t dare maltreat her anymore.
“Oh…baba”She cried and hvgged him as tears flowed freely down her cheeks.
Father and daughter clung to each other, wishing they could have a second chance to make up for everything.
🌻
Bisi,Mr Boyowa and Mr Ojaide soon left for the village, before leaving Mr Ojaide had given Tanure some Christian pamphlet to make her feel at ease.
Things were as cold as ever,they ha-rd ly talked,though he badly wanted to talk to her,he wanted to know how things would be between them.
Tanure on the other had arranged her things waiting for the right time to leave his house,she knew he would want nothing to do with her and was probably waiting for the right time to kick her out.
🌻
Richa-rd arrived home from work,he met Tanure in the kitchen.He had visited the police station today and they still had no news about who attacked her.
This only meant someone with alot of money did the clean job but he still argued strongly against his subconsciousness that it wasn’t Christine.He was saying that it wasn’t Christine but he was avoiding her like a plague.
“I have been meaning to ask you, did you see the faces of the men who attacked you?”He asked, curiously.
Tanure turned around.
“No,they were wearing masks, maybe my instincts might be wrong but I think they were s£nt by someone who knows me and wanted the baby dead”She replied without staring at him.
“Why do you think so?”Richa-rd asked.
“One of the men said they weren’t supposed to kill me”
“What if she loses the child?”
Richa-rd quic-kly pushed that voice aside.
“Richa-rd ,I want to leave, I shouldn’t be here anymore”Tanure announced.
He was taken aback by her words,this was what he wanted right?He should agree to this but he couldn’t form those words.
“But…. I….why?”
“Staying here would mean that I’m practically destroying your life, you’ve made it clear to me times without numbers that I’m just an intruder…an obstacle. I really want to be happy and I don’t want to make you and your lover unhappy,it wouldn’t be fair, right?”With that,she headed towards her be-droom.
“What would Maami say?She won’t agree to this”Richa-rd said following her into her be-droom.
Tanure gr@bb£d her luggage.Richa-rd felt confused as hell,he didn’t want to let her go,he had to find the right words to make her stay.
“Tanure, didn’t you hear me?”
She angrily turned to face him.
“We can just tell her that we tried but it didn’t work,we aren’t meant to be together”
“You’re my wife,you’re mine!”Richa-rd thun-dered.
“Says who?so that I can be your fool again?”She asked and rode her luggage away.
Richa-rd stood there feeling so disturbe-d.He felt he would be ma-king the biggest mistake of his life letting her go.
Ever since he held her in his arms at the hospital,he hadn’t been able to see her as that naive village girl but as someone he wanted to protect… someone he wanted to change for.
He walked to the door and st©pped.Damn!He was confused.Why was he feeling this way?This is the same village girl he didn’t want to be with.
Maybe he had gotten used to her staying in his house.Maybe it was her meals.It had to be just her being Tanure, the girl he had wanted to pl@yaround with, the girl who poured water on him, the girl who he had helped to carry her bowl just to end up walking like a drun!k.
Until he could fathom out what this was,he wanted her to be in his house, everyone else didn’t matter.
🌻
Tanure walked down the street, she had no idea what she would do when she gets back to the village,she didn’t even have enough money to start a trade but then she had hope,she had her father,she would be okay.
She heard footsteps behind her and felt her arm being gr@bb£d,she was pu-ll-ed around.
Richa-rd looked down into her face.
“Stay with me, Tanure”
“St©p……”
He had his hands on her arms now.His voice sounded rou-gh.”I don’t really know what’s wrong with me but we can be good together,you said you loved me, right? how can that change so soon?”
She pu-ll-ed herself free of Richa-rd who just let his arms dropped.
“It doesn’t matter if I loved you, right now,I feel nothing for you and I know you feel the same too,you have a girlfriend”She reminded.
“We broke up”He blurted out.
“Liar! I won’t ever fall for your lies again”
As she tried to leave,he held her hand again.
“I want to love you”He announced.
She stared at him.”For real”He added.
“He’s lying again”Her subconscious mind warned.
“Just think about it,Maami will never allow us to go our separate ways,so let’s try and make this work, plea-se”He pleaded, seriously.
Tanure scoffed.”I know you have a plan for me,let me tell you,it isn’t going to work this time, since you won’t let me go, I will have to prove to you that nothing good can come out of this cursed marriage,this time,you won’t be able to fool me again”She declared.
Richa-rd gulped taking her luggage from her.He hoped he would be able to put up with this new version of Tanure.
🌻
The following week, Richa-rd got promoted to the regional manager in the company he worked for.And just to make her smile,he had told her that she was responsible for his progress.
But she only nodded and congratulated him dryly.Can’t she even try to act as his wife even for a day?He couldn’t believe he was the one craving for her attention.
To make her get over her trauma,he bought a bigger house in the posh p@rt of the state.He knew she was happy about it though she didn’t admit to it
Richa-rd walked into his house,he could hear music coming from the kitchen.He strode towards there and slowly opened the door,he peered inside and saw Tanure dancing to the beat of ‘Tonight’ by Nonso Amadin.
He opened the door wi-dely and leaned against the doorpost.Great!it was Nonso Amadin today, tomorrow it will be Johnny Drille or Adekunle Gold.
He was starting to regret buying her a cellphone,these men weren’t even giving him breathing space, maybe he should’ve been an artiste instead.But to him,he was more goodlooking than any of those artistes.
His eyes followed the gentle sway of her h!ps,and he could feel his member alre-ady getting ha-rd .Her back was to him and he allowed himself imagined all what he could do to that big and well rounded………
As if s-en-sing his pres£nce,she turned around and frozed.Damn!She wasn’t expecting him to be home soon and the last thing she wanted was for him to see her dancing.
Richa-rd cleared his throat.”You’re such a terrible dancer”He tea-sed, purposely adding to her embarras-sment.
“How long have you been standing there?”She asked.
Richa-rd shrugged and strode towards the breakfast bar,he sat down on a chair.
“Too long to know that you’ll get disqualified instantly if you apply for a talent show”He tea-sed.
She scoffed.”That’s none of your business”
Richa-rd grinned,he shouldn’t be the only one to get upset all the time.
She quietly served him his meal and sat opposite to him.
He quic-kly pu-ll-ed himself together, time to act sweet if he wanted some action tonight.
“You really seem to like Nonso Amadin’s songs,are there other artistes you like?”He asked as if he didn’t know them.
“Well, I like Johnny Drille, Adekunle Gold,Ric….”
“What about me?”He asked, sweetly.
“You’re not an artiste, and you’ll be disqualified instantly if you apply for any talent show”
Richa-rd grinned.” Iyawomi, now you’re using my own words against me”
‘Iyawomi?’She thought and almost smiled but quic-kly reminded herself that this was Richa-rd , someone who had a plan for her.
“I’m full, Goodnight”With that,she stood up and walked away.
Richa-rd ‘s teeth clenched, how do you tell a woman who suddenly has annoying mood swings that you’re so hor-ny?
No! He shouldn’t be scared of her,she was his wife and this was his right, even if he was still figuring out why he felt compelled to share something more than S-x with her.
He should start taking her down, at least twice a day, all he had to do was to turn her on.
TBC