#THE_SACRIFICE_SEASON_2
EPISODE 19
©Sir Zach
Jade was excited about the opportunity she had been given, all throu-ghthe day. She wanted to share her good news with Jake but he still hasn’t called her as promised. She just thought he was busy and would probably call her after the close of work.
Because of her prese-ntation tomorrow, she decided to stay a bit longer than usual to prep herself up since she already made plans of meeting with Amy and Lair afterwork, and she had texted them earlier to inform of their hangout at the karaoke.
She didn’t want to take any chances of hanging out for too long and miss out on preparing for her prese-ntation. She made a quick copy of the flash into her personal one and dropped the one Simon had given to her in her drawers. She’d work more with that one at home.
“Shit” She cussed when she noticed the time. It was 7:30 pm already. She was sure Lair and Amy might have been waiting. She hurriedly gathered her things into her bag and rushed off the building.
She tried flagging down a taxi, but none would stop. She sighed when she thought about how Lair and Amy must have waited for her.
‘But didn’t they call?’
She decided to walk to the bus stop so she could get a taxi or probably a bus from there. She fumbled with her bag to bring out her phone so she could call either one of them and ask them to wait to wait a bit longer since she was running late.
Jade was about to dial Lair’s number when his call came in first.
“What’s up? Are you there yet?” Lair asked the moment Jade answered the call.
“Erm no, I’m just walking towards the bus stop to get a bus or a taxi” She replied as she walked with hurried steps.
“Really? Just wait I’ll pick you up, I’m just around the corner” He said. He had thought about calling her to confirm her location when he noticed he was around her place of work.
“Oh, okay” She said. “What about Amy?” She remembered to ask. She was sure Amy must have been there waiting for them.
“She just left the office too. I’m sure we’ll arrive at the same time” Lair told her. Jade let out a sigh of relief. She was actually feeling guilty that she’d might have been keeping them waiting.
Jade turned back when she felt an awkward feeling envelope her. She looked around but she couldn’t find anyone or anything. For a moment there she thought she felt someone following her or staring at her.
“Jade?” Lair called throu-ghthe phone, when she suddenly became quiet.
“Hmm, I’ll be waiting” She said when Lair’s call snapped her back to reality.
“Okay” He replied before disconnecting the call. Jade looked behind her again to confirm that no one was actually watching her, she kept having the feeling that someone was watching her or rather following her.
She hissed and brushed off that thought as she walked over to the bus stop to wait for Lair.
Soon he arrived in his car in less than five minutes. Jade hopped into the car.
“Should I say you look good? Relationship is surely treating you well” Lair tea-sed making Jade roll her eyes at him.
“Just shut up and drive” Jade ordered with a glare.
“Yes ma’am” He chuckled as he drove off.
“Why were you coming from this direction?” Jade inquisitively asked. She was sure this wasn’t the way back from the University where he was currently teaching as an adjunct lecturer. As a matter of fact it was the opposite direction.
“Well I got a call from one of the hospitals I applied for a job-”
“You applied for a job?” Jade cut in as she asked in surprise. This was news to her.
“Yep”
“What about your old job, are you not going back?” She asked hastily.
“No” He replied.
“Why?”
“Because I missed you and I realized it was a mistake to leave and let you be with another man” He joked, but with a straight face.
“Lair!” She called in a threatening tone.
“Okay fine, you’re too serious” He hissed at her. “I want to stay here and be with the family most especially Amy. She’s having a ha-rd time, and I know she’s just putting up a front so as not to get us worried” He explained.
Jade looked at him without saying anything. Lair was indeed a great brother, as a matter of fact he was beyond that. He was a great person and his love for his sister was applaudable.
“Well I guess we’ll be having more of you around then. It would be great to–”
“Hold on, don’t be too excited, I’m not into ab-ortions” Lair interjected her. Jade’s eyes grew wide and she looked at him in mortification.
“Lair?!” She half yelled his name in embarr@$$ment. Who said anything about….never mind.
“What? Why are you acting so shy? Who knows what you and that boyfriend of yours have been doing. I’m just saying, I’m not granting ab-ortion favours” He said in a jocular manner
“Just shut up” Jade roared with stink eyes, making Lair throw his head back as he laughed at her embarr@$$ed reaction.
Jade was too embarr@$$ed, she turned her head away and looked outside the window. How dare he say that to her?
Lair was crazy….he was more than crazy as a matter of fact.
Speaking about Jake, she looked at her phone. He was yet to call her. He wasn’t going to neglect her again was he?
Well if he had forgotten about her, she’d have to remind him, and if he calls she’d give him a piece of her mind. She picked up her phone and se-nt him a quick text.
‘Just checking up on you just in case you have forgotten to do so.. From your abandoned girlfriend’.
___________
Jake had only gotten home when he heard his grandfather retching. He hurried towards the patio where the noise was coming from.
“Grandfather?” He called out panicly when he saw him bent over the washing bowl as he retched his throat out. His heart skipped a beat as he hurried towards him.
He softly pat his back while the old man continued puking. “Take it easy” He comforted him as he slowly pat his back.
After few more minutes, the retching finally stopped. He helped his grandfather up and @$$isted him to his seat. The old man was slightly pa-nt ing and he looked pale.
“When did the vomiting start again? And where’s your butler?” Jake asked, a worrisome look etched on his face. He wondered why the butler had not been with grandfather when he came in, what if he had p@$$ed out and probably hit his head on the ground. Jake frowned dee-ply at that thought. They should be more careful with him, and shouldn’t be left alone. Wasn’t that the reason they had gotten a butler for him.
“He’s at….” He stuttered as he coughed. Jake hissed at himself for asking when he was yet to get himself back.
“I’ll get you water” Jake hurried towards the kitchen. His face was dark and gloomy, as he took long strides to the kitchen. His frowned dee-pened when he saw the butler in the kitchen, doing God knows what.
“Why are you here and not with Grandfather?” Jake demanded in an angry tone startling the man. The butler nearly jumped his skin when he heard Jake’s voice from behind him, the container in his hands sli-pped and fell to the ground.
“Good evening master Jake” The man greeted nervously as he hurriedly picked up the cu-p from the ground.
“Are those grandfather’s pills?” Jake curiously inquired.
“No… yes” The man stuttered. Jake furrowed his brows in a line when he couldn’t get a reliable answer from him.
“Which is it?” He asked in annoyance.
“Yes it’s his pill. I was just about going to him with this herbal tea to ease the vomiting” The man explained. Jake stayed his dark and gloomy eyes at the man for few more seconds before speaking again, “Then you should hurry” he growled angrily.
“Yes sir” The man bowed and hurried out of the kitchen. He heaved a sigh of relief when he walked out and hurried towards the patio to hand grandfather the tea.
Jake picked up the water and hurried back as well. He wasn’t happy with the butler’s recklessness. Though he has been working with them for a long time, since his father died and he has been good at his job, but that didn’t mean he would condone any recklessness from him now. Jake made up his mind to have a talk with him later. His sole job was to look after grandfather, so he was expected to do his job well by taking care of his grandfather’s health.
After a while grandfather Beau was able to calm down. He looked really pale and weak, but still a flashed an easy smile at Jake to ease him up. He could see the worry lines on his face and he didn’t want that for him. Jake was p@$$ing throu-gha lot at the moment, so he didn’t want to add himself to the list.
“You know I’m fine right?” Grandfather Beau said.
“Yeah keep telling yourself that. I’m taking you to the hospital by morning” Jake told him with a serious look which indicated that he meant it. Grandfather Beau sighed when he heard him. He didn’t want to go the hospital, as matter of fact, he hated hospitals.
“There’s no nee-d for that. It’s not like the vomiting is new, I can-”
“It’s not new but it has stopped for a while now, but it’s back again. So I’m taking you to a hospital period.” Jake said authoritatively. He knew how his grandfather hated nee-dles and how he dreads the thought of being confined to a hospital be-d. But that doesn’t matter, his health comes first, and he wasn’t going to take any chances with him.
“I’ll be fine Jake, you don’t nee-d to worry. I’ll go back to taking the antiemetic drugs again, everything will be fine after that” Grandfather Beau reasoned, with a convincing look on his face. Jake looked at him and sighed out deflatedly. He could tell the old man really didn’t want to go to the hospital.
“Are you sure?” He asked skeptically.
“I’m sure. If it doesn’t work then we can go to the hospital” He bargained. Jake thought about it for a while and nodded his head in agreement. “Fine.”
“So how did your meeting go?” Grandfather Beau asked inquisitively.
“Not as I expected and I think something is off” Jake told him.
“What is?” Grandfather Beau asked.
“I think my father–” Jake was about to say something but he stopped himself. He looked at his grandfather and sighed. What was he doing? He shouldn’t be telling any of this to his grandfather, it would only make him worry and think too much, and that might spike up his blood pressure. So no he wasn’t telling.
“Grandfather you shouldn’t bother yourself with this things anymore. You’ve done your pa-rt just let me do mine. For now all your focus should be on your health and nothing else” Jake told him, making the old man frown at him. He reluctantly nodded his head. He knew there was no way he could convince Jake otherwise.
“I’ll bring you to your room, so you can rest” Jake offered as he rose up from his seat to help his grandfather up. He had only taken a few a step towards his grandfather when he heard shattering sound by the door.
“Sorry master, it was an accident” Came the voice of the Butler who appeared by the door and bowed at his two masters apologetically. Jake nodded dismissively before turning back to his grandfather and helped him to his room. He didn’t think much of the Butler’s sudden clumsiness.
Jake took off his clothes and made his way to the bathroom for a warm bath. His bones and muscles felt tensed and a warm bath was really going to ease them. He was still in the bathroom when he suddenly remembered something important.
“Shit!” He caused out loud as he hurried out of the bathroom with a soapy face.
He’s going to be dead meat!
He whipped out his phone from his suit jacket and of course there were many missed calls and threatening text messages from his angry girlfriend.
The last one read….
“You better be dead Jake Beau, or better be tied up at the bott-om of a bridge with your phone miles away from you. Cause if you’re not I’m going to KILL YOU!!”
Jake kept trying Jade’s number but she wouldn’t take his call. She kept declining it and this was the fourth time she was doing it. He hissed out loud when she still didn’t pick up. His heart was pounding really ha-rd. He knew she was furious at him, maybe beyond furious, because he had actually promised to be in touch with her and had also promised to call her earlier this morning. How could he have forgotten such an important thing?!
He quickly se-nt a text to her. She could ignore his call but not his message.
Meanwhile at the Karaoke, the two best friends were watching their third best friend sing, with his not so likeable voice.
“Maybe we should tell him to stick to saving lives rather than causing us to suffer from ear bleeds with his disastrous voice” Amy said mockingly. She was glad Lair couldn’t hear him or else he would demand for her blood for spewing such nonse-nse behind his back.
“Mmm” Jade abse-ntmindedly nodded as she stared at her ringing phone. She could hear Amy but her attention was more on her ringing phone. She was torn between taking the call and just ignoring him. He should learn how she feels when she couldn’t get to hear from him all day. She knew how busy he was most especially with the current situation at the company, but he must have seen her missed calls or messages. She has been calling him since she arrived the Karaoke with Lair. And he was only calling her now, she wasn’t going to take it. He should get to feel how it felt when you don’t get to hear from the people you love.
She knew de-ep down she was acting childish but she couldn’t help but feel the way she was at the moment. She was still a girl with feelings and who wanted to be spoilt by the man she loves. A minute call wasn’t going to kill him was it?
Amy who realized she has been talking to herself, looked at Jade’s ringing phone and saw the name displa-ying on Jade’s phone. From the cheesy name on the screen, ‘Emerald’ and the lot’s of heart emojis attached to it she could tell who was calling.
“Aren’t you going to take that?” Amy asked, her hand nudging Jade by the side to get her attention.
“Hmm?” Jade threw a questioning look at her.
“Your call, it’s Jake right. You should take his call” Amy said.
“I don’t want to” Jade replied angrily. She has spent the whole day thinking about him, about sharing the good news from work with him, and also about her surprise gift for him after this short break between them, but there was not even a call from him. Even when she had called and texted he didn’t pick up or reply. It was obvious he hadn’t even thought about her all day. That thought made her sad, so why should she pick.
“Why?” Amy asked in a concerned voice.
“Because–” Jade was about to speak up when her screen lit up with a message notification. She looked at it, and it was from Jake. It read …
[Baby please I’m sorry, don’t act like this. I’m going to come looking for you and break my promise if you keep ignoring me] A pouting and pleading emoji was attached to it.
“You already did” Jade hissed with annoyance. What promise was she talking about? Didn’t he break his to always keep in touch with her. She was about to ignore the message when another one came in.
[You know you’re my only muse, baby it’s going to be a sad day without hearing your voice. Your boo is sorry] He added a lot of ki-ssing emoji to it.
Jade snickered when she read it, ‘Her boo huh? She was booless!!
Her li-ps twitched when she received another message from him. This time it wasn’t a text, but a picture of him with his soapy hair, his li-ps cutely pouted and his eyes shut ti-ghtly, maybe to prevent soap from entering them.
Alot of hearts, ki-ssing emojis were attached to the picture.
Jade wanted to smile but she held herself back, she shouldn’t let go of her angry emotions so soon. She wasn’t going to let him sweet talk her out of this. But yet there was another text.
[I love you babe, and I’m sorry. Please pick up or I’ll really come to the karaoke right now]
Jade’s eyes grew big when she read his last message. How did he know where she was? Her phone GPS wasn’t turned on or was it? She was about to check when Jake’s call came in again. Because she was in the process of scrolling throu-ghher phone she mistakenly answered the call.
Jade hissed when she realized what she has done. She glared at the phone before raising it to her ear. She really didn’t want to take the call, but she also wanted to speak to him.
Why was love so complicated?
“Hello” She spoke in a cold and angry voice. Jake heaved in a relief when he finally heard her voice.
“Are you still angry?” Were the words that came out of his li-ps first.
“What do you think?” Jade asked sarcastically. She gave an apologetic look to Amy gesturing she wanted to excuse herself. Amy waved her hand at her to go, and Jade did. She stepped outside the room, where Lair’s horrible masculine voice couldn’t be heard.
“That you love me and you miss me, and you shouldn’t be mad at me because you love me?” He said with a small smile.
“Newsflash Jake Beau, I don’t love you anymore” She snapped.
“Babe you Know you don’t mean that”
“Oh I do” She gingerly said.
“Jade Peterson” Jake growled.
“Do you know what I’m doing right now?” She asked.
“What?” Jake asked suspiciously.
“I’m currently on a date with a very handsome guy, who’s very rich and he has been singing for me. And right now your call is bothering us.. Maybe you should call later when I’m free and available” She taunted him.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 20