CAN’T HOLD MY TEARS SEASON 2
EPISODE 25
Even though it had been hard to leave Sam even for a minute, she had to step out of the house for the first time in three days. Sam was at home with his grandparents – Mr and Mrs Peters, who couldn’t let him out of their sight for even a second. Amara on the other hand, drove to Reliance, feeling anxiety eat away at her. She was putting her past behind her. Now, looking at the positive side of all that had befallen her, she could boldly say that ‘all things had worked together for her good’. If she hadn’t met Alex and gotten pregnant, she would probably still be in the village, since her parents were not even rich enough to sponsor her university education. Everything that happens in a human’s life is for a divine reason, one that cannot be easily deciphered by the feeble minds of men. Now she appreciated the mistakes she had made in life, for those mistakes have crafted a brand new woman from the naive village innocent that she once was. Now, she had become a force to be reckoned with in the society; a woman that cannot be easily deceived by minute things. She had become wiser, better and stronger, all thanks to the past she had once seen as the bane of her existence. Now she had reasons to thank Alex, because, he had unknowingly led her to becoming a better and happier person.
With a sigh, Amara parked her car and alighted. She craned her head to the back to look at the building that towered over her. Reliance! Never had the name of a company suited its owner so well. Closing her eyes briefly to muster enough courage, she walked into the company. The company radiated Kelvin’s essence and strength and she smiled happily, proud of the man she had fallen in love with. Her heart pounded wildly. She was relying on the hope that Kelvin was here. She had been to his house and called him several times; she couldn’t begin to think of what she would do if he wasn’t here. She approached the receptionist with a shaky smile on her face. “Hello miss, how may I help you?” The lady asked.
“Errrr… I am here to see Mr Kelvin Johnson” her heart pounded loudly in her ears.
“I am sorry Ma’am, he is not here at the moment”
Amara deflated and her knees almost gave way beneath her. She felt the overwhelming urge to cry. “When would he be here, maybe I can wait” she squeaked.
“Actually, I think he is out of town, he is not always in Lagos for long.” the lady confided.
“Do you have any idea where he might be or when he would be back?”
“Mr Johnson never tells us about his movements ma’am, I am sorry. He usually is at our other branch in Abuja but he is not there currently.”
Amara left the place dejected. She had never felt such pain and emptiness. She was worried, nervous and scared. She didn’t even want to imagine anything bad happening to Kelvin. How would she live without him? How would she contain the fact that she might never see Kelvin again? No! She refused to give up. She would find Kelvin no matter the cost. Blinking back unshed tears, she drove away from Reliance.
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Senator Bello followed the doctor into his office with a grave look on his face. It had been several days of turmoil. It seemed his life had suddenly turned into a world-class circus display centre. First, it was the issue of Alex’s parentage, now this! He swallowed hard as he settled in the chair facing the doctor. “Just tell me my son is going to live doctor” he said instantly without preamble. He couldn’t lose everything in his life all at once! First his family, his wife, now his son? How could he live on when he had literarily nothing to live for?
The doctor looked down and sighed. “He would live sir”
Senator Bello released the breath that he had unconsciously been holding. “Oh thank God! Thank God!” He looked up like he was gazing directly at God.
“But…”
The Senator froze. “But what?” His voice rang out loud and clear, panic clinging to his every muscle.
The doctor looked around again before his gaze finally settled on the Senator. “Sir… I am afraid the accident affected his spinal cord”
“What? So… i mean… what is the effect?” He asked dreadfully.
“Due to the examinations carried out on him, I fear he has partial paralysis” he declared.
“What?” The Senator jumped up. “You can’t be serious! How can my son be paralysed?”
The doctor shifted. “Not complete paralysis, only partial. Some parts of his body have gone numb and would not respond to command, however, there are some parts of his body which are still functioning to capacity.”
Senator Bello racked his fingers through his hair, then, drew in a deep breath. “How long will this last?”
“With due therapy, we might be able to bring his body back to its full capacity in the long run, but I can’t promise anything”
The Senator walked out of the doctor’s office with sagging shoulders. He couldn’t come to terms with what he had just heard. It was so disheartening! How would Alex take this news? How would he be able to bear this state he now found himself? Mr Bello entered the waiting room and three women jumped up. His wife, Alex’s mother and Alex’s wife. They all looked at him with grave expressions on their faces. How could he tell them that Alex would be confined to a wheelchair, reduced to nothing more than a liability on everyone? The news was more than he could handle himself.
From the corner of his eyes, he watched his wife walk up to him. The one pleasant thing that Alex’s accident had achieved was that it had succeeded in bringing him closer to his wife. He couldn’t tell if she still wanted to go through with the divorce, but he would enjoy this time with Katherine, because despite knowing that Alex wasn’t her biological son, she had stayed put in the hospital throughout the waiting trauma. He turned to her just as she stood before him, eyes filled with compassion. Unable to hold back, he pulled her into a tight embrace. Just like a mother would console a grieving child, Mrs Bello offered what little consolation she could offer.
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Amara entered the church with her heart thudding wildly in her chest. Amara looked round the empty church, filled with only numerous chairs. It had been years, almost ages since she stepped foot into a church. She missed it. She missed that close intimacy she had once shared with her maker. Would God reject her? If he did, she knew she surely deserved it.
She walked until she finally found herself standing next to the altar. Sighing deeply, she knelt down before the altar, allowing silence to envelope her thoughts. Closing her eyes, she opened her mouth and – for the first time in years – prayed.
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Amara entered the eatery with an excited Sam clutching at her arm. Sam hadn’t stopped asking for a cup of ice cream all day and since Amara couldn’t deny him anything, they were at the eatery to buy the ice cream. She walked to the counter and smiled at the uniformed ladies. She opened her mouth to order for two cups of ice cream when suddenly, Sam’s high pitched scream caught her full attention.
“Daddy” Sam suddenly screamed and snatched his hand from hers.
Amara turned around so fast, she nearly lost her footing. It was like one those slow motions she had watched countless number of times, but now, it seemed like she was the cast in one of those movies. Her heart slammed wildly against her chest, almost breaking out of it as her eyes collided with Kelvin’s. Her breath caught in her throat and she grabbed the counter for support. Was it real? Was she really staring at Kelvin? His presence, despite the distance, enveloped her senses, leaving her completely and utterly breathless. Her eyes were as large as two huge doughnuts. Kelvin! Kelvin is here! She couldn’t believe it! Neither could she move a limb. She was practically glued to the ground, staring at Kelvin like an idiot as he stood, close to the entrance, also staring at her.
As Sam got closer to Kelvin, Kelvin had to take his eyes off Amara. His eyes brightened in an animated fashion and he scooped him up in the air, the way he used to. Sam squealed in delight, giggling happily. He had missed him so much. Lowering Sam, Kelvin squatted before him. “How have you been son? Your cheeks look bigger” He said, pulling Sam’s cheeks playfully.
Sam was smiling so widely, the smile engulfed his entire face. “Mummy has been giving me too much food.”
He glanced at Amara who had finally moved a bit closer, with a cunning smile. “I am sure she has. Have you been taking care of mummy?” He asked Sam with a raised eyebrow.
Sam grinned proudly. “Yes daddy, Sam has been a very good boy. Promise”
Kelvin chuckled. “I am sure you have.”
“We came to buy ice cream daddy” Sam said, looking longingly at the counter.
“Really? Which one are you buying for mummy?” He asked, with a mischievous glimmer that Amara knew too well.
“Chocolate ice cream. Mummy said it is her favourite”
Kelvin’s eyes slowly moved to Amara’s as his eyes heated. “Of course.” He whispered to Sam, still looking at Amara. “Chocolate ice cream is the sweetest I have tasted” his gaze lingered on her lips and Amara’s face turned red from embarrassment. This is not the scenario she had imagined when she thought of the time she would meet Kelvin. She swallowed as his gaze slid back to her face. “Ara” he whispered. How could Kelvin make her feel so alive by just whispering that?
“Kelvin… I…” she stammered.
“Kelvin” a high pitched woman’s voice pierced the tension between them and Amara looked up to see a stunningly beautiful woman walking towards Kelvin. Kelvin straightened to his full height as the woman got to his side and poked playfully at his side. “I told you to wait for me, how could you leave me behind?”
He smiled at her. “I am sorry baby”.
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