STRANGE NEIGHBOURS
EPISODE TEN
I felt the hurt in my heart again as I watched my father from the window as he washed his car in the compound.
I was going to challenge him, but for maturity sake, I waited for him to be alone first.
Immediately he walked into his study room, I followed him from behind.
He was surprised to see me walk in looking like that. “Are you alright Laura?”.
“Am I alright? I don’t think for twelve good years, I have ever been alright”.
“What are you talking about?”.
“You killed Nigel…”. I whispered bitterly.
He stifled as he watched me with disbelief in his eyes. “Did you kill Nigel?Yes or no?”.
He rushed to lock the door and moved closer to me. “Who gave you such information Laura?”.
“For crying out loud, it is not about who did it, it is about if you did it”.
He sighed and cleared his throat. “Nigel’s mother was a government spy. The government had used her to catch corrupt people like chief Harry but i had no other option than to protect chief Harry because he was a bosom friend. It all happened on that day that Nigel’s mother had stolen an evidence and because of that, we had kidnapped Nigel. We had to kidnap him to stop her from reaching the court with that evidence twelve years ago but surprisingly she ignored our threat and submitted the evidence. Chief Harry sent night walker in my presence to burn down the house that Nigel had been trapped in”.
I screamed. “How could you do this to me! You call yourself my father and you hurt me so much! How dare you!!!”.
My mother pushed forth the door and stepped in. “What is going on here?”.
I and my father remained silent, staring at each other.
I walked out of his study room, fuming to myself.
My father had a hand in the death of my first love.
Tears flowed down my cheeks as I walked out of the house.
My phone rang.
It was Raymond Smith.
I connected it. “Hello?”.
“What happened?why are you crying?”.
I looked around and saw him watching me from his window.
I wiped the tears with the back of my hand and forced a smile. “I am fine”.
He rushed out of his house and grabbed my hand as he pulled me into his car. “Where are taking me to?”. I asked impatiently.
“Let us remain in the car”.
I nodded thoughtfully.
“What happened? Tell me everything on your mind”.
I cleared my throat. “Your dad told me that my dad had a hand in the death of Nigel”. I sobbed. “I had felt that pain in my heart again. It hurt more when he couldn’t even deny it. It was true”.
“Why did my father tell you that kind of thing?”.
“He wants you to be serious with Annabelle”.
“Who is Annabelle?”
“Your fiancee”.
“How many times do I need to tell you guys that Annabelle is not my fiancee? She is just a family friend!”.
I shrugged and stared into space.
“I am sorry about the stress you had to face because of my father and your father”.
“Your father didn’t do anything to me”
Surprisingly Raymond Smith hugged me.
It was the first time.
I pulled off his gripse and stared at him. “What was the hug for?”.
He avoided my eyes. “To comfort you…”
“You are not in the position to comfort me, Raymond Smith”.
“Says who? Have you forgotten that I call you my friend?”
I nodded and smiled. “Thanks for being my friend. Actually right from when I was little, I had always longed for a geniune friend”.
He stared at me and held my hand but he didn’t say anything.
Someone knocked on the roof of his car.
Raymond kicked his car door open and his mother and Annabelle were standing right there.
My heart slipped at the sight of them and I tried to pull off his grip but he stubbornly held onto my hand.
Cassandra Smith fumed at me. “So after everything that my husband told you, you still had the guts to flirt with my son huh?”.
“I didn’t flirt with your son”. I defended.
Annabelle glared at me. “…if only I had listened to Sylvia earlier”.
“I was the one that forced myself on Laura. She didn’t even want to come with me in the first place”. He defended.
“Stop covering up for her!”. Annabelle snarled.
“Will you shut up!”. Raymond fired at her. “What right do you have to accuse other people on forcing themselves on people? Don’t you do the same to me? You know that I obviously don’t like you and you still throw yourself at me like an hopeless elephant”.
Cassandra passed a file to him. “Sign on this file as an agreement to the wedding with Annabelle which will only take place in a month’s time”.
Raymond smirked. “You already composed a file when I had outrightly told you and father that Annabelle was forever going to remain a friend?”.
“You don’t have a good reason to reject the marriage but we do. If mountain farm is merged with Delight, Delight will touch every field of the country’s economy”. Cassandra explained.
“I have a good enough reason”.
“What reason?”.
“The good reason is that I love Laura Johnson”.
We gasped at him.
My heart was beating so fast.
Was Raymond really confessing his feelings to me? Raymond Smith loved me? It felt so unbelievable.
Cassandra Smith was nearly out of breath. “You are pulling our legs right?”.
He chuckled. “I don’t say things that I don’t mean”.
I tried to pull off his gripse but his grip was firm.
“You can’t love me, Raymond. Stop deceiving them and be honest”. I fired at him.
“I am being honest, Laura. I love Laura Johnson and that is why I am here, to protect you”.
I was shocked at him. “How long has your feelings been?”
“…as long as I heard the name, Laura”.
“I am sorry I have to reject you”. I said calmly.
“You can’t reject me, Laura because you belong to me”. He said firmly.
I was surprised at him. “I don’t belong to you, Raymond”.
“You have belonged to me since the day you were born”.
“What about your brother, Nigel? You think you can end my memory with him because he is dead?”.
“I have not come to end your memory with him, I have come to become your memory”.
Before I could say a word again, Cassandra and Annabelle had already left us.
I glared at him. “What on earth is wrong with you?”.
He forcefully hugged me. “My heart will never change, Laura. I know your body reacts for me”.
“My body doesn’t react for you”.
He placed a hand on my heart. “This part of your body reacts for me, that is why it is beating so fast in here”.
“It is beating fast because I am scared of you”.
He shook his head disapprovingly. “It is beating fast because you can’t understand why you can love a man that you find strange”.
“I don’t love you, Raymond”.
“I give you a month to realize your feelings”. He kssed me on my forehead. “I am living because of you, Laura. I lived for you”.
I rushed out of his car and tried to catch my breath.
Raymond Smith had confessed his feelings to me.
I felt so awkward as I could still feel his lips on my forehead and his heavy stare and annoying presence.
The way he looked at me that always made me feel so awkward.
I walked on and repeated his words in my head again and again, “I love Laura Johnson”.
Raymond Smith loved me.
My heart danced at the thought.
My body was always on fire when I was with Raymond Smith.
Did it mean that his feelings for me was mutual?
Probably it was just a passing crush….
I heard something drop on my feet when I was just a few steps away from my house.
It was an envelope.
I picked it and looked up…
Cassandra Smith was standing before me and smiling devilishly. “Take a good look at the contents of the letter”.
I brought out the sheet from the envelope and read it.
It was a sack letter from Delight company…
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