When lunch ended, everyone went into the sitting room to watch Tv, Tiwa followed Femi, who had gone to clear the dishes into the kitchen.
“What’s with the attitude today?” She asked Femi angrily without preamble.
“What attitude?” Femi asked her calmly without taking her eyes off her Aunty’s precious china as she washed it.
“What do you mean what attitude? Did you greet me when I came in?”
“No, I didn’t since you didn’t greet me either.”
“Ehn? What does that even mean? When have I ever greeted you?”
“Exactly!” Femi said as she returned the plates. “Since you don’t greet me, I have decided to stop greeting you. I don’t have spit to waste.”
Tiwa was taken aback, Femi had never spoken to her that way before. And the confidence she exuded, where did that come from. Tiwa felt unnerved and this made her angrier.
“I’m thinking you don’t know your place anymore. I am the daughter in this house, you’re the borrowed child! If you dare tr….”
“Tiwa, please shut up!” Femi told her calmly, facing her properly to see Tiwa’s eyes grow double their size. “I have heard this story too often already, you sound like a broken record. Go and find something new!!”
“Me, Femi?” Tiwa choked out. Fiyin must have told her about last night, he must! Femi would never talk to her like that otherwise. “So Fiyin told you what happened abi? You think you have won because I could not seduce him? It is tempor…..! What?” She screamed as Femi grabbed her shirt with angry, wet hands.
“What did you try with Fiyin? The same thing you tried with Lanre?” She shook Tiwa until her teeth rattled.
“Let go off me, you stupid b—h, let me go! Are you mad?!!”
“No but you are! You are mad and you are the b—h! Sleeping with other people’s men!” Femi screamed back at Tiwa, angry and shaking.
The rest of the family heard and rushed into the kitchen to see Tiwa slap Femi, before they could shout about that, Femi followed it with two slaps of her own.
Their mother started screaming as Femi pushed Tiwa’s slim body down and started pummelling her. Demola rushed in and grabbed Femi who kept kicking at Tiwa, Kunle pulled Tiwa up and she rushed toward Femi. Releasing themselves from their keepers, they came together again. Tiwa with a slap for Femi and Femi with a kick that sent Tiwa into the stools in the kitchen.
Her uncle’s voice finally penetrated Femi’s anger and she saw that her cousin was lying weakly against Kunle, bleeding from her mouth and nose.
“How could you? In my house? How dare the two of you?” Her uncle shouted, very displeased at both of them.
She saw Anita with her hand over her mouth and her aunty shaking her head. Her brothers were both shocked and she felt deeply ashamed of her conduct and soon, tears started finding their way to her eyes.
“I’m sorry uncle, there is no excuse for what we did. I’m sorry, everyone.” She told them.
Kunle took a miserably crying Tiwa to the toilet to treat her face while the rest of them went into the sitting room.
“What happened?” Her Aunt asked “I have never seen you violent before, no matter what Tiwa did to you.”
That was when she tearfully told the story as Lanre had told her and also mentioned Tiwa’s problem with her relationship with Fiyin and that she thought Tiwa had tried the same seduction routine with Fiyin.
Her Uncle could not believe his ears and immediately called Tiwa out to come defend herself. When Tiwa tearfully admitted it, he looked shattered. Anita stared, in shock. Both brothers were dumbfounded while her Aunt sighed and looked at the ceiling.
“Tiwalola, why? Why would you do this to your cousin? Didn’t you see how much pain you caused Femi over the Lanre incident? How could you be so callous and unfeeling?” Her uncle asked Tiwa, utterly disappointed in her.
Tiwa sat down quietly as tears flowed from her eyes.
“Tiwa!!” Demola shouted “Will you answer Daddy’s questions? I want to hear your answer because I want to know if you are just cold and unfeeling to Femi alone or to all of us? After this, I’m going to totally avoid you!!”
“Tiwa, I have often warned you about your attitude to Femi but you wouldn’t listen! You have always thought that your brains and beauty would get you everything you wanted! How many times did I warn you?” Her mother asked, her voice shrill. “Character, respect for others, humility, these are the things people want to see in other! What a man wants to see in a woman! If you are as beautiful as Miss World and yet have no character, no one would want to have anything to do with you.”
“I’m sorry, Tiwa said, her voice thick and choked. “I am so sorry! Please forgive me! I just always felt insecure since Femi came here and you always seemed to like Femi more than me. To you, she was the perfect daughter! It wasn’t my fault.”
“Femi was not the perfect daughter. She is flawed like you! There is no such thing as a perfect daughter anywhere. You tried your best and I loved you, I gave birth to you, you were and are still my Princess but if you had only tried a little, you would have made Femi your sister instead of your enemy.” Her mother told her.
Femi, who had since stopped crying started getting emotional again when she saw her aunt crying and stood up to go embrace the older woman in her seat. “Aunty, it’s okay” she whispered in her ears.
Her Aunt’s silence allowed the brothers to express their disappointment at Tiwa. Kunle didn’t say much, just gave his sister dirty and pitiful looks, Demola however had a lot to say, wondering why Tiwa hadn’t matured along with everybody else. He admitted that initially he and Kunle hadn’t liked Femi too but they had gotten to know and cherish her for the amazing person she was but Tiwa had decided to remain enemies with her which was her loss.
After the talks, Tiwa, her face swollen and her eyes red felt very sorry, realising how wrong she had been, she knelt down to apologise to every member of her family. After which she crawled over to where Femi sat close to her mother. “Femi, I’m sorry for everything I have ever done to hurt you. I acted out of insecurity and fear. I made your life which was already tough, tougher and I was arrogant, stupid and selfish.”
“Sorry cannot undo and we might never be friends but I hope you can forgive me so that I don’t hate myself more than I do now. I was envious and I thought I was better than you and I was wrong, I am not better than you or anybody else. You are a good person and you deserve to be happy, I am so sorry. Please forgive, I beg you.” She told Femi earnestly.
Femi stood and pulled her up, she embraced her and let her know she had forgiven her for everything. “You are my sister, Tiwa and I don’t have a choice but to forgive and love you. I’m sorry we didn’t understand each other better but I hope we can be close in the near future, okay?” They embraced again as Tiwa nodded.
************
That night as Fiyin came to pick Femi up at home, she brought him inside to introduce him to everyone. He was pretty excited as he had begged Femi to introduce him to her Aunty before that day. Anita told him she could see how both Femi and Tiwa would be fighting over him since he was very handsome. He blushed then looked questioningly at Femi since he had heard nothing about the fight before.
Initially, she hadn’t wanted to tell him about the fight since she and Tiwa had made their peace but since he heard from Anita, he started disturbing her to tell him what happened. She then told him about meeting Lanre whilst in Abuja and him telling her what had caused their relationship to end.
Naturally, he was jealous when he heard she had met her ex-fiancee and had given her funny looks. When he heard what Tiwa had done, he was shocked and then quite upset as she had also tried the same trick on him.
Nonetheless, he was grateful that Tiwa had ended Femi’s relationship with the wonderful Lanre guy as that had given him the perfect grounds to meet and keep the special person Femi was. He explained what he had also experienced with Tiwa.
“He didn’t love you enough, Femi. If he did, he would never have had anything to do with Tiwa.” He told Femi who could only laugh and agree.
Question: Will Femi’s friendship with Tiwa last?
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Click 31 below to read episode 15,the final episode.
