CHEATED SEASON 2 : EPISODE 1 – 20
EPISODE 6
“Honey where are you going this early?” Rachel asked on seeing her husband dressed way too earlier than usual.
“Oh…I’m off to work, dear. I want to be at work earlier than my usual time today.” He responded as she giggled.
“Do you think I’ve been unconscious for too long to not know this is weird of you?” She said in giggles after which she wore a serious look.
“George you’ve not been yourself lately. Am I scary to you now or I’ve been away for too long that you’ve gotten used to not having me around and don’t have any plans to spend ample time with me?” She said, trying to figure out the sudden change in her husband whom she knew to be caring, loving, and seemed not to have enough of her.
“No, that’s not it. It’s not what you’re thinking.” He said in a low tone, drawing closer to her and stroking her hair.
She had wanted to resist his touch but broke down as a woman.
It was obvious there was no anger in her heart for him, she only felt hurt.
“I need you, George. This is the point in my life where I really need you the most in getting back on my feet and having a life again. But sometimes it feels like……” She said but Mr. Folawe cut in.
“It feels like nothing love….the feeling is wrong. I know my actions lately has triggered this assumption and suspicion and I’m sorry.
I’m so sorry for making you feel this way.” He said lovingly as he looked deep into her eyes.
“Prove it to me.” She said.
“Prove what?”
“Prove that you’re sorry. Spend time with me again. Let’s resume going out together. I mean the doctor said I’m fine now and can live like any other human being so there’s nothing holding us anymore.” She said, searching his eyes for answers.
“Okay, when?” He asked to the excitement of his wife.
“Weekend is okay. We can go out with or without the kids. I prefer without though, I’ve really missed you alot.” She said as she mentioned places she’d love to see again. George watched as his wife talked and mentioned places she’s missed in excitement.
Mr. Folawe loved that his wife was back and becoming her usual self fast, but was still skeptical of certain things.
“So what do you say?” Rachel asked, bringing him back to reality.
“You have a nice idea but outing wouldn’t be anytime soon because I’d be very busy for sometime. I have alot of things to cover in the office and…..” He said as Rachel slapped his hand away from his face.
“Are you seeing someone else?” She asked with a frown.
“What?”
“I said are you seeing another woman? Do you have someone else? Is that it?” She asked with no breathing space.
“I don’t…..”
“Oh please answer me this minute before I do something stupid!” She said with a raised voice, frustrated her husband wasn’t interested in doing anything with her.
“Rachel it is not like that.” Mr. Folawe said, trying to calm his pissed wife.
“It’s not like that? Okay now. Explain how or what it is like, I’m listening.” She said standing akimbo as George searched for the right words.
“You’ve suddenly gone speechless abi? No problem. You can go to work.” She said as she made her way to the bathroom. George tried to follow but she slammed the door behind her.
“I’m so sorry for the pains I’ve caused and I’m still causing you.
Believe or not, it’s not intentional to distance myself from you since your recovery.
I’ve missed you as well but…….” He said with a sigh.
“I’d be running along now. I’m late for work already.
Take care of yourself and the kids for me.” He said and waited for a reply but got disappointed with the silence that followed.
When she heard the gate close to indicate he was gone, she came out and crashed on her matrimonial bed.
“God! Why would you bring me back to life if what was in store for was neglect from the one I love?” She lamented as she screamed into the pillow like a child.
“Thank goodness! I have something to catch up with.” K said beneath his breath as they shared the grace in Church.
As soon as the congregation was done shouting Hallelujah, K immediately dashed out in a hurry but bumped into someone in the process.
“Oh, I’m so sorry Miss.” He said as the lady picked up her purse.
“That’s okay, it’s……” She had replied and stopped halfway.
“You….you look familiar. Have we met?” She asked as she tried recalling where he had seen him.
“I doubt that. I don’t remember seeing……”
“Oh yes, I remember now. We met at the ATM in City Bank sometime.”
“Oh really?” K asked as he tried recalling as well.
“Yes. Remember the lady who called your attention when your ATM slipped from your wallet?”
“Oh oh oh……OMG. I didn’t know it was you. Thank you so much for that day.
I can’t even imagine going through bank stress if I happened to lose my ATM card that day.
You really did me a huge favour I must confess. Thank you so much. I owe you one.” K said in gratitude as the said lady smiled in response.
“Speaking of owing me one, I think that’d be your phone number.”
“Oh yeah? That’s not a problem.” He said as they exchanged contacts.
“Saved.” She said in smiles.
“Great. I’m sorry Miss, but I have to run along now. I’ve got something really important to catch up with.” K said in a bid to excuse himself.
“Yeah sure, okay. Nice to meet you, Kingsley.” She said in smiles.
“The pleasure is all……wait, Kingsley?”
“Yeah, a document fell alongside your card that day. Managed to get the name from there.”
“Oh….. because I was wondering……okay, later then.” He said and dashed off without waiting for a response.
The said lady watched him in admiration till he was out of sight, before focusing on who she had come looking for.
“Where is that girl? For goodness’ sake must someone be this churchy?” She muttered beneath her breath as she searched for her friend.
“Finally, I found you.”
“Ah ah…..Esther you scared me.”
“Whatever. Please babe abeg let’s go home now they’ve just closed service before you keep me waiting in the name of group meeting this, group meeting that.” She responded as her friend smiled.
“Today’s meeting won’t take too long, I promise you. Just fifteen minutes out of your time wouldn’t hurt, right?”
“Did you just call 15mins out of my darling time ‘just’? You and I know your fifteen minutes is times three of……..”
“Just fifteen, I promise.”
“Jane, fifteen minutes is fifteen minutes o…..ehen.” Esther said as she helped herself with a seat, impatiently monitoring her wristwatch at intervals.
Emma was heading towards the pool in their large compound but stopped in his tracks on sighting someone was there already.
He quietly moved closer to find out it was his dad.
“Thinking again.” Emma muttered with a sigh.
For sometime now, Emma has been noticing his dad’s change in social behaviour when it comes to relating with his family.
He has grown uncomfortable with the fact that his dad hardly interacts with anyone, which is so unlike him.
He was hardly even seen around the house, as leaving the house very early and returning as late as 7pm was becoming his new daily routine.
Emma was sure he’d would’ve loved to say out later than that time, if not that his integrity and sense of responsibility held him back.
As all these thoughts kept flashing through his mind, Emma saw this as an opportunity to have a talk to him, to at least find out what was wrong.
“Hello dad, good evening Sir.” Emma said from behind, his voice seeming to startle Mr. Folawe.
“Hello son, good to see you. How are you?” He responded as Emma sighed, wondering why he sounded so formal.
“I’m fine dad.” He said as he took his seat at a reasonable distance from his dad.
“Enjoying the cool breeze with me huh?” He said as he breathed in and out in relaxation.
“I initially came to have a swim.”
“Okay, swim then. The pool is clean.”
“No dad, I had a change of mind.”
“Oh really? And why’s that?”
“Because I feel we need to talk.” Emma replied to the amusement o George. He didn’t know why but just hearing such words from his son with a serious face made him want to burst out in laughter.
“You amuse me young man. What do you possibly want to talk about? I don’t have such time please.” Mr. Folawe said and faced his front, but Emma wasn’t giving up.
“But dad, it’s really important.” He insisted.
“Listen son, if it’s about what is going on with me, there’s nothing to discuss. It’s extremely personal and I appreciate you respect that.”
“Family issues is personal? I’m no stranger dad, I’m your son!” Emma said as he looked away.
“What’s going on dad? You’ve not been yourself lately.
What is bothering you this hard? If it’s workload you can take a break and rest.” Emma said, breaking the brief moment of silence as his dad sighed.
“You wouldn’t understand son, you wouldn’t. Let things be”
“Dad, I may be young, but I’m a man too.
We can talk about what you’re facing and come up with a solution, dad. You don’t need to fight this alone.
Problem shared is half solved, remember?” Emma urged but his dad did nothing but shake his head.
“You don’t know son, you don’t know. I’ve really messed up.”
“Messed up? How? I don’t underst……wait. Dad don’t tell me you’ve not been able to forgive yourself of your past.”
“Hmmm…” Mr. Folawe sighed.
“Dad I thought we’ve been through this before. When you do something terrible and God forgives you, the next step is to forgive yourself and move on with your life.” Emma advises politely.
“Son, there’s more to it than meets the eye.”
“I don’t understand you, Sir.”
“My wife, your mother, is the woman that stood by me in my time of lack. I can’t bear to face her each day without feeling guilty, knowing I was the one responsible for her predicament..
I really do love your mom, honestly….but my actions portray the exact opposite most times. The thought of being responsible for her purposeless meaning, the loss of her child and the pains she passed through at that time, coupled with the sickness that would’ve led to death if not for God…..all these just keep haunting me each time I look at her.” George said and for the first time, Emma saw his father in an emotional and remorseful state.
“Wow, okay. That’s new.” Emma thought aloud.
“The loss of child? You mean we were more than 2? Wow. There are really things I’m ignorant of here. The only ‘past’ I’m aware of is that of the health issues. I’m very much ignorant of the part of being responsible for her unfulfilled life and the loss of her……wait.
Okay this is crazy…..this is…..this is crazy.” Emma said as he combed his hair roughly.
Things were really more complicated than he thought.
“Before Angela, we had a baby girl who was birthed into this world via CS.”
“Wow….. really? We were seriously more than two? Damn!” Emma said in childish excitement.
“Okay so what happened to her then? Did she have complications or what?” Emma queried.
“No I……I gave her up for wealth.”
“Jesus Christ!” Emma screamed within.
“Hmmm….wow. Wow Wow Wow.” Emma thought aloud.
He couldn’t believe he had been priding in impure money all these while.
“I have a lot of skeleton in my cupboard, right? I know son, I know.” Mr. Folawe responded without facing him.
“But the problem now is I’m so confused. The guilt that tortures me whenever I set my eyes on my innocent wife is becoming unbearable as the day goes by. I’m the reason she……God!
I honestly don’t know what to do, I must confess.” He said, burying his head in his hands.
“You don’t know what to do about what?” The men heard Mrs. Folawe’s voice from behind, making them freeze on the spot.
“Oh no, oh no, oh no no no no no.” Emma sang within.
CHEATED SEASON 2 : EPISODE 1 – 20
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