HEART ROBBER : CHAPTER 1 - 10 - Page 10 of 10

HEART ROBBER : CHAPTER 1 – 10

CHAPTER 10

“Paula What are you doing here?” Philip asked looking stunt

“What a question! Am also very curious Philip. Where are you coming from?”

As soon as Diana hops down from the car she lost it

“Ohh I see. Am I interrupting something here, because it looks like am ruining a family outing or is it a family picnic.”

“What are you saying Paula?”

“Am not speaking Latin Philip, you know exactly what am talking about”

“Hi Pauline ” Jimi interrupted softly announcing their presence

“Hi to you too Jimi, you were saying what Philip. ”

“We just went out to the beach, thats it”

“Oh and I was uninvited, do you know how long I have been standing here waiting for you. I tried to reach you all day but your phone wasn’t reachable”

“My battery went flat. Besides you didn’t tell me earlier that you are coming”

“Do I need to make an appointment to see my boyfriend before coming”

“Am just saying if you had told me earlier that you were coming, I would be aware”

“And what…invite to your family outing that I can obviously do not belong in”

“There you go with the assumption”

“What assumption Philip? It is only an assumption when you have something to back yourself up, but you don’t have anything to back up. Prove me wrong at least tell me how I matter in your life if you go about your daily life like I don’t exist”

” we are not.. Kids Paula, I understand that you are upset that I left you out of this but it already too late to grumble over that. I promise to make amends next time now can we just go inside and talk calmly”

“I don’t think you understand the gravity of what you are doing to me Philip,to us. You do not take me seriously and am just suppose to go inside and talk calmly”

“So you want to start out and yell at me all night”

“That’s no where near enough but I will not let you shut me out this time you pay more attention to your neighbor than to our relationship as a whole”

“Oh please there you go again”

“There I go with what, all the time you don’t have for me, you have for your neighbor and her daughter. Are you her husband? Are you her child’s father? Then where is all these commitments and fatherly duties coming from?”

“We are going down this lane again, am not explaining myself again”

“And why not?”

“Because you never listen, it’s the same old crap all the time. What do you want me to tell you?”

“You need to put an end to this nonsense.”

Jimi stared at them as they argue endlessly, then he turned to see Diana struggling to carry Abby after pulling out the rest of the stuff from the booth.

Jimi hurried to help her and they just walk passed the angry couple yelling at each other. Jimi couldn’t even remember the last time he had seen Pauline,

He didn’t know she is still Philips girlfriend. As they approach Diana’s apartment they could hear Paula yelled Diana’s name

“Well that’s awkward ‘
Jimi muttered to himself once she got inside the apartment but Diana heard

“It actually is” she went inside and lay Abby on her bed then came back out to sort out their stuff from the beach

“I never knew Pauline was this kinda girl because she was always very reserved and quiet just like the female version of Philip”

“Yeah part of it is my fault ”

“How is it your fault”

“I don’t know, the other day she came Philip was here having lunch with us like we do every Sunday after church”

“That’s because you are a great cook”

“And before then, when we didn’t have electricity here, we went to Phil’s apartment to watch scorpion king. She gave us another surprise visit and its like that whenever she comes around am always there.

I get how it looks but Philip and I have just been really good friends. I hate that it creating such a rift between them”

“Don’t say that, it’s not your fault, am sure they’ll sort it soon you don’t have to worry. I mean I had that impression when I just got here but now I know better”

She sighed heavily

“I think I need to talk to her ”

“And tell her what….it’s not what it looks like”

“I have to at least try, I don’t like how this makes me look. It almost as if”

“Almost as if someone is spying on you for her”

“Yeah, I mean there are days Philip and I don’t even cross paths, why can’t she come on those days. I mean am not trying to justify anything but it sure wouldn’t be so messed up”

“Don’t beat yourself up, sht like this happens all the time in relationship. It’s why it so complicated to be committed to one person”

Diana didn’t like the direction the conversation was going so she stopped it.

“It’s getting really late..you should go now.. Philip might need you”

“Me what for”
Jimi wasn’t ready to go anywhere, more or less get tangled in couples argument

“You know, to do what guys do in situations like this”

“I still don’t understand”

“Do I have to spell it out for you,? Go put in good words for your friend”

“It’s pointless I mean Paula doesn’t even like me”

Diana raised a brow.
When is he going to get that is presence is very disturbing.

“I really don’t know what am going to say or do, but fine I will go”

He paced round and took a good look at the apartment, this is actually his first time in Diana’s apartment and it looked really cozy. He wanted to stay a little longer but..

“Goodnight Jimi”

“Night Didi . ”he turned to leave

Did he just call her Didi, Diana froze as she stare blankly at his backside.
But why would he call her Didi out of the blue? Is he now so familiar with her now that he can just call her the nickname that was unique to her sister,

She wanted to question him, figure out if he already knew who she was but it was just going to blow off so much steam. So she let it slide even though it was eating her up

Even after putting Abby to sleep, and after answering Martha’s phone call, she tries to occupy her mind with Philip and his girlfriend but that didn’t work,

She was still restless whatever it is that is going on with Jimi, whether friendship or not she didn’t like it one bit. Even having him around was too much burden for her. She sat in the living and gazed at the ceiling.

HEART ROBBER : CHAPTER 1 – 10

*******flashback **

Diana :
I was so happy when my parents left the house to pick up Dorcas from school. I would have loved to go with them but I had my final exams that same day. Finally I was done with secondary school and I could only look forward to joining my sister at the university of Lagos.

They had left very early before dawn to Lagos so I wasn’t surprised when I got back to the house after my final papers to find dad’s car parked outside. As I rushed inside, my mom was already setting the table for dinner,

I hurried to the room immediately to see her, I had really missed her,the house wasn’t the same without my big sister.

After dinner, we were both in the kitchen sorting out the dishes when I brushed my arm with hers and winked at her

“What, ”she asked ”” I winked again
” what is it Didi”

“Oh don’t tell me you don’t understand”

“I actually don’t, I just see you batting your lashes like it about to fall off”

“Oh geez DC, you are not on point at all, that’s my way of asking you how far”

“Well you could have just used words”
instead of battling your lashes like crazy

‘I slamped my hand on my fore head
“Yeah whatever so how far… With your boyfriend ” I whispered

“What boyfriend”

“Are we really playing this game”

“What game”

“Then I don’t know what you are talking about kinda game”

“That because I don’t know what you are talking about”

“Really now”

“Really, look Didi am not up for all your childish games”

“It’s not childish. Come on tell me how’s Jimi Benson”

‘her face wore an unusual frown and so did her voice the moment she heard his namè

” why are you asking me about that”

“Is he not your crush”

“No he is not”

“Then he is your boyfriend”

“He’s not that either, enough with these blabbing already. One little secret and you can’t keep your mouth shut”

“Yeah whatever but you need to stop treating me like a child am a graduate now”

“Still doesn’t make you an adult”

“You said you would introduce him to me as soon as I get into the school, a promise is a promise”

“You are not even serious, how can you be filling your head with this kind of things, are you going to school to study or because of some silly self centered egocentric ?poilt brat”

“Woah!Wait! Who is the silly self centered brat”

“You are not listening Didi, you still have a lot ahead of you. You still have post utme and if you make the cut off, you still have to meet up the requirements and you are even yet to see your waec results, and all you can think of is a guy”

“Are you praying that I don’t make my results”

“I never said that”

“Then what are you saying, why are you suddenly shutting me out. If you don’t want to talk about your boyfriend you don’t have to make me feel bad”