HUMAN UNFULFILLED PROMISES Episode 49 When they got to their estate, she and Dave parted ways. Oleng marveled at the changes in the estate, after all it had been six whole years since she last saw the place. She almost didn’t remember her house. The taxi had passed the house before she told the driver to stop. She couldn’t help the smile that came to her face when she alighted. It felt good to be home. She tried real hard to forget the circumstances in which she had left the place. It was a new beginning for her so she really didn’t want to start thinking of the past. She was surprised to see a new gate man when the gate was opened after she had knocked. She introduced herself and rolled her box into the compound. The gate man didn’t even offer to help her with it. She wondered what happened to Mr. Andrew. He would have rushed to help her had he been the one. She shrugged and rolled her box towards the house and noticed that her mum’s car, a peuguot 406 was in the garage and two other cars, a lexus jeep and a Honda civic. She hoped her mum didn’t have visitors ’cause she wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries. On impulse, Oleng opened the door. She didn’t even think of knocking first. What she saw when she went inside rocked her to her bones. The living room door was ajar so from the lobby, she could see inside. There, she saw her mum and a man smooching on the sofa. Oleng slowly walked into the living room as if in a trance. She wanted to make sure it was her mum she was seeing. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” She finally said when she found her voice. Her mum and the man sprang apart. Guilt was written all over their faces. They both spontaneously stood up and righted their clothes while she just crossed her arms at her chest, watching them in disgust. “Oleng! I wasn’t expecting you.” Her mum finally said smiling sheepishly. “Obviously.” she replied coldly. “Vivien told me you would be coming either today or tomorrow. I assumed tomorrow.” “Well, you assumed wrong.” she said in concealed anger and fixed her stare on the man. “Yes.” Her mum quietly said and when she saw her looking at the man who was standing beside her, she turned towards him. “This is a friend of mine, Mr. Akinyele. Wale, meet my daughter.” The man sprang forward. “How are you? I’ve heard so much about you. What’s your name?” Oleng sized him up, hissed and left the room. She went to get her box and rolled it to her room. She was glad the door was opened. She went into the room and noticed everything was just as she had left it. It would require a lot of cleaning though. O well, she didn’t have anything doing at present so she was equal to the task. She walked around the room like a stranger. “What was the meaning of that?” Her mum angrily asked her as she came into the room. “Where are my phone and laptop? I need them.” she informed her, not even sparing her a glance. “I’ll not take any form of insolence while you are here!” Mrs. Akpan fumed. “Then I better leave. Don’t you think so?” she threw at her. Air seemed to leave her mother at that instant like a deflated balloon. She was silent for a while. “How was your trip?” she enquired. “Fine, thank you.” she answered albeit coldly. “Congratulations. I wasn’t in the country that very day else I would have sent you congratulatory messages.” “Thank you. Where’re my phone and laptop?” she inquired again. “Have you forgotten you spoilt your laptop when you smashed it against the wall? I threw it away. What about the one I sent to you? You have a phone now so what do you want with the old one? Moreover, your sim would be blocked by now.” “I need the phone numbers inside it.” “To call Eric? Don’t tell me you still haven’t forgotten him?” her mum sneered. Oleng counted to ten because she felt like slapping her mother for the question she just asked. “I need to get in touch with my friends who I left behind.” “It’s been what…six years and you still want to contact them? I would have thought you would have moved on by now. Why don’t you forget about them and start a new life? Who knows, they’ve probably forgotten about you.” She looked at her mum in bewilderment. “Forget about the people who stood by me through thick and thin? The people who knew about my condition six years ago yet accepted me as their friend? True friends who have never stopped asking of me?…when I need your advice about friends, I’ll inform you but for now, please just get me my phone. Please.” she told her mum with barely controlled anger. Mrs. Akpan wanted to say something but thought against it and quietly walked out of the room. She returned with the phone. “Here you are.” “Thanks.” she replied and continued sorting through the contents of her box so her mum had to drop the phone on the bed. “I didn’t know you were going to come today. I intended hiring someone to clean up your room tomorrow because I’ve been so busy. Just tidy up a few things. I’ll call the person tomorrow.” “No need for that. I’ll clean it myself. I don’t have anything doing so I might as well do it myself.” She continued checking out the contents of her box. “I’ll be in the living room if you need me for anything.” “Don’t worry, I won’t.” Mrs. Akpan looked amazed then. She walked to the door and came back. “Oleng?” “Yes?” She still didn’t look up. “Believe it or not, I’m happy you’ve come home. I’m happy to see you.” With that, she walked away. Oleng sat on the floor and burst into tears. She cried profusely yet she didn’t know why. She wished things had been different between her and her mum. She wept for the lack of a mother’s love. She wept for the two Erics she had lost. She couldn’t bring herself to stop weeping. When she was spent, she laid on the bed and slept off. It was her mum who woke her up to tell her dinner was ready. She thanked her but told her she wasn’t hungry. She got up and tried the numbers of Zinny and Marvy she found in her former phone after changing the battery but they were no longer in use. She decided to go over to their houses the following day. To be continued tomorrow at 10am.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 19:40:55 +0000
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