The morning was dull and cloudy. The dark sky that has threatened to release rain for the past two days still refused to let down a drop of water. It hid the sun’s brightness under its cloudy blanket, like it was taunting the sun’s inability to penetrate it. that’ s less important anyway, the heavy rainfall we witnessed last week still left dirty water in blocked drainages and pot-holes, such was the intensity with which it rained. One couldn’t ask for more, and should in fact be grateful to the sky, for holding back another rain that seemed to have being building up for ages.

A red Chevrolet car sped past us and splashed a generous amount of water on my trousers. I turned to its direction and tried to say something, maybe I wanted to curse him, throw a stone at the car or probably run after it and teach the arrogant driver an important lesson. However, none of the words or action came, I could only stammer, as if the anger in me has filled my oesophagus with abnormal pressure. I turned back to face Mary, who seemed to be less concerned about the incidence. I nodded and together we continued our journey down the road. She should have said something, a “sorry”, “take it easy”, or even hold me to suppress my anger, but she just kept mute and maintained the worn out, faint facial expression she had been used to recently.

She was right after all, we were heading to our ruin or ruin, and I’m not supposed to blame her for being lost in thought, I should blame myself for getting angry at a reckless driver while I should be thinking of the difficult mountain ahead.

The beautiful glowing eyes, full breast, sweet lips and her enticing thin nose that attracted me to her a year ago now seemed alien. The sweet happy voice that rings in my head every now and then has suddenly turned to sighs and sobs. The flat tommy that would make me gush over her repeatedly has been replaced by a little bulge.

“Hmmm” I hummed, inhaled heavily and exhaled in like manner. I peeped at her stomach from the corner of my eyes again.

“So…this is it? I am going to be a father? Who am I to get myself tangled in stuffs like this?” I piled the questions on myself. I just wished things were different. I loved her so much and I knew she loved me much more. Maybe she shouldn’t have returned the love I expressed to her; maybe she should have seen me for who I am: a final year orphan, who had struggled with life right from birth. that way, I shouldn’t be seen with a retired soldier’s daughter, not to talk of impregnating her.

“Okay. Here we are. Brace yourself for the worst, Max.” she said and forced a smiled. A smile devoid of the happiness I saw in her when I bumped into her in the library, a year ago. Standing in front of the big black gate suddenly turned to a grim task. Brace myself? Hell no! My knees were doing the exact opposite. I could feel them shake and vibrate, like they wanted to voice out their fears.

There and then, I stood beside her like a warrior, who knew he was no match for his enemy but still went to war to prove his love for his people. Well, it was meant to be my cross. She wanted to abort the baby out of fear, but I refused; she wanted us to elope, but I refused. Since all pleas fell on her father’s deaf ears, I saw the need to plead on our behalf in person, and perhaps, sweet-talk him into accepting his disowned daughter again. She placed her finger on the button attached to the gate and looked into my eyes like she needed confirmation.

“It’s okay” I found myself saying, with an embarrassing sad smile plastering my face. Deep down there, I knew that my state of wellness was far from okay, and I’m sure she was aware of that too. She pushed the button and positioned herself in front of the camera. It scanned her face and later opened the gate automatically. I should be amused for seeing something like this for the first time in my life, but I wasn’t. Fear, one would wonder how far its root can go, when creeping into a man’s heart. My heart skipped a beat and I could feel my throat go dry. We walked beside the well-trimmed lawn, towards the main building. Just behind the car park that accommodated four cars, was a cage. I could see the big dogs jumping up and down, with their deafening noise. She stopped moving few yards away from the door; I could sense the heightened fear in her. I acted like the dumb lover-boy I was and took her hand, leading her to her father’s door, like it was an altar.

The man, who seemed eager to meet us, stepped outside, followed by two well-built men cladded in military uniform. He looked better on Mary’s tablet than what was standing before me; the scowl on his face was enough to shut my intentions of ever speaking.

“Young man, how can I help you?” he asked, refusing to acknowledge his daughter’s presence.

“I-I-I am Maxwell Oluwole” I stammered and checked the gate again. Mary left it ajar and that would be a plus for us, in case we need to run for our lives. He looked at me intently, and then smirked.

“Young man, how can I be of help to you?” he asked again raising his voice. I took a step backward to avoid getting a slap from the man, but he had something else to offer.

I scratched my head as I struggle to find the answers. I knew he was aware of the apology letter I sent the day before, and even the one Mary delivered through her friend. “I’m sincerely sorry for any pain I might have caused through your daughter, sir.” Mary nodded and urged me to continue. I raised a brow and she nodded again, practically drawing invisible words out of her mouth “I really love her sir, and I’m willing to do anything, so that you’ll take her as your daughter again” my words had the desired effect as I noticed the disappearance of the scowl registered on his face moments ago. He looked at his daughter and beamed a forgiving smile.

“What more can I say? I can see clearly that you love my daughter.” He pulled Mary to himself and gave her a side-hug. He disengaged from his daughter and wiped a drop of tear off her eye.

“Just a moment” he said as he returned into the house. I quickly hugged Mary tightly.” It wasn’t as difficult as we planned” I whispered to her ears. He came out some minutes later with two letters in his hands. “You can have the letter, I’ve forgiven you the moment I read it, and the love between you two is obvious. Max?” I smiled and Mary shyly turned her face away from her father.

“Yes sir. Maxwell” I `said and moved closer to collect the letters. No sooner had I stretched my hand that I felt something flash across my head. Its stinging effect blurred my vision for seconds before I realised what it was: a koboko (a long flexible whip made of cow skin or horse tail). From the corner of my eyes, I could see the two men beside him drawing something similar out from their belts. In an instance Mary and I were on the run, hoping to get through the open gate and probably out of this town. I looked back to see the soldiers jogging after us and her father pointing a remote control at the gate.

Automatically, the giant gate began sliding slowly on the metal rail, to the other side of the fence. Seeing this, I pulled Mary faster and made a costly mistake, she fell. I stood clueless, with the gate’s cranking sound begging me to choose my escape or go back and lift Mary up.
TBC

The sky sprayed the earth with drops of water, like it was going to cry for my forthcoming doom. I stopped and watched keenly as the gate closed, with Mary behind me. “This can’t be good” I thought as the rain, which is now heavy, splattered against the giant black gate. Slowly we turned back to face our trouble. The two soldiers were now drenched in rain like us. They brandished two kobokos each and the sight of that even made me shiver, aside cold.


Slowly, we all returned back to the front of the house. The two soldiers flanked us, maintaining a stone-cold face. Mary was feeling the rain’s impact directly; it was beating against her bare skin as the pink armless gown she wore turned to a second skin. I removed my shirt and placed it carefully on her shoulders, awaiting judgement from the man who seemed to care less about my act of charity towards his daughter.


“Take her to the torture room” the man said. My ears rang as I heard the torture room; Mary already told me the sort of punishment she passed through as a kid, whenever her father lock her in the tiny room located behind the main building, and I won’t allow anyone put a finger on her, not when I’m around. I moved immediately to block their path.


“No one is touching her!” I shouted, spreading my hands to provide a defensive cover, like a goal keeper who wouldn’t allow the ball cross into his net. “How could you be so mean? You punished your only daughter in that room throughout her childhood. You’ll have to go through me if you’ll ever touch her again.” I said, neglecting the ache in my head.
One of them tried moving me but I reacted and pushed him backward. I must have been really stupid to pull that stunt. They got angry and in an instance, four kobokos were flying in the air, towards my head. I quickly turned to receive the gift on my back, a back covered by an ordinary singlet. The pain was so much that I never felt it. I only heard Mary scream. I turned back and faced the men, with my singlet torn at the back. They were about serving me another stoke when I heard the crooked voice. “Hold it! Bring him in” her father said and entered the house.


The three of us glanced at each other in silence. Mary had earlier applied balm on my back and it was feeling better now, though still swollen. She had changed her cloths, with her long dark hair resting on the shoulders that bore an oversized sweater. I pretended like I wasn’t wearing one of her father’s shirts. I drew back my lips as soon as it touched the hot tea. Mary collected it, blowing away its steam as she stirred. She returned it to me and I took a sip, it was much better. I dropped the tea and smiled at her. “Thank you” I said, trying not to look in her father’s direction. Even as we sat down, my eyes roamed the room carefully, for an escape plan, in case the man is trying to play another prank on me.


He approached me; I shifted in the seat uncomfortably. He saw my distress and beamed a smiled, with that he patted my back and said “I hate cowards.” I looked up and met his burning gaze. “I think I have fulfilled her dead mother’s wish.” With this, he left the sitting room.




Right here, under the big tree in the garden. The garden that my friend, choi wei, referred to as a “nurtured green wonder”. I never believed his exaggerations though, and to some extent He’s still better than my P.A, Maje, who always find means to give me high blood pressure. We sit on the cool well-tended grasses. The ball bounces towards us and hit Mary’s leg. I turn to Bryan and yell “hey kid, that ball comes here one more time and I’ll seize it” he picks the ball and dashes off to meet Brainerd, his brother, who seem to be too engrossed in his drone than the ball.
“Father is visiting tomorrow” Mary says. She picks an apple from the tray and draws it close to my mouth.
“Just a moment?” I scoff. “When will he arrive?” I ask, opening my mouth to take the bite. She frowns and hit the apple on my nose instead.
“If you call my father ‘just a moment’ again, I’ll report you to him personally” she says playfully, stressing the ‘personally’. Even after seven years of our marriage, I still find it difficult not to call my father-in-law “just a moment”. I draw her closer to myself and place her head on my chest, staring right into her eyes as she looks up at me. Her beautiful glowing eyes; they are so beautiful and blue, like a window into her world, our world.

Hmmmm, so u can write.. NYC stowi u gat

joanee20:
Hmmmm, so u can write.. NYC stowi u gat

lol. Well.... Thanks.

GSteve001:
lol.... Thanks.

Uwc, and plz stop blushing...I c u

joanee20:


Uwc, and plz stop blushing...I c u

are you telling to start scraping my ceiling for hidden cameras? Better still, i'll dig my face in a pillow. That way, you'll see nothing

GSteve001:
are you telling to start scraping my ceiling for hidden cameras? Better still, i'll dig my face in a pillow. That way, you'll see nothing

No mata what u do...I c U

joanee20:


No mata what u do...I c U

hmmn....i told chika that supernatural powers still exist, but the dude won't believe...i wish he witnessd this...i can see eyes roaming the room already

GSteve001:
hmmn....i told chika that supernatural powers still exist, but the dude won't believe...i wish he witnessd this...i can see eyes roaming the room already

I c chika too but.. just forget it. when next are u going to update

joanee20:


I c chika too but.. just forget it. when next are u going to update

this story ends here. I'm opening another thread for other short stories. Don't worry, you'll get a free reading kit +front seat when i start uploading a complete novel

GSteve001:
this story ends here. I'm opening another thread for other short stories. Don't worry, you'll get a free reading kit +front seat when i start uploading a complete novel

Alright.. but that's not a good enough bribe for me to stop Watching u..cos I will alwaz c U.

joanee20:


Alright.. but that's not a good enough bribe for me to stop Watching u..cos I will alwaz c U.

lol.

Nice one.