THE QUIRK OF FATE
Written by Lizzy Oyebola Yakubu
Episode 3
Edward stood arms akimbo at the window side, tears on his face. Sweat also laced his face in beads and he shook his head rhythmically.
My Dad on the other hand was seated on a cushion, his head buried in his cupped hands. His legs danced to no song in particular.
I was on the bare bed as I had removed the bedspread in a bid to hide my shame. My mum was beside me, tears on her face. She kept on slapping and punching her laps as she shook her head in deep regret.
My sisters, Emerald and Ruby were pacing to and fro the room, their hands on their head as they bit their tongues in anger.
Edward cleared his throat and everyone looked at him. His eyes were closed tightly and his lips wefe pursed. He ‘unpursed’ them and spoke.
“So, what else?” he asked and everyone looked clueless. My heart was beating furiously as if it was going to fall off its cage.
My dad stood up and adjusted his buba.
“Well, my son, I have personally handled the head of the gang and he would be charged to court soon” he said and Edward faced him.
“I am not asking about that sir” Edward said as he avoided my earnest eyes.
“So, what are you asking about my son?” my mother asked and Edward stood straight, looked at me briefly and away.
“What are you going to do to your daughter?” he asked and my heart broke finally. I started panting silently as my throat felt so dry immediately.
What is going to happen to me?
Now, I have become their daughter shae? No more his princess?
“Which daughter?” my mum asked, standing defiantly, walking towards him. My sisters stopped in their tracks and faced my mum sharply.
“Mum, please take some chill pills ma. Let him land first” Ruby said in a way that I looked up in pain.
What kind of a thing have I put my family into? Has it now become a fight?
God have mercy!
“No problem Edward. We shall go ahead with the ceremony tomorrow” my dad said and Edward chuckled, his eyebrows arched. He wiped his face, sniffed and then rubbed his hands together.
“Ma and sir, with all due respect, I might not have the grace to go on with this wedding again. I don’t have the grace.” He said with all courage and closed his eyes.
I was expecting this but I screamed out in a deafening way.
Where was the love we shared?
I growled like a wounded lion, stood up from the bed, picked two pillows, threw them at the door, trampled upon them on the floor, banged my head on the door before falling down with a great thud.
“Oluwa, oju o ma gbodo ti mi!” my mother cried out in Yoruba language as she ran towards me but I growled at her. She was scared as she stood up and cried out loud, her hands on her head.
“Princess, please don’t kill yourself o. let’s try and find a solution to the…” she was saying when my dad stood up to meet Edward. He placed his hand on his shoulder in a pleading manner.
“Edward, was it Princess you loved or her v!rginity?” he asked and Edward looked away, sighing aloud dejectedly.
“I loved Princess as equally as I loved her v!rginity. Since it’s gone, sincerely, I still love her as a friend but not as the mother of my children anymore. I will never be able to bear the…” he started saying when Emerald’s shout stopped him
“Excuse me mister! Are you a v!rgin yourself?” she asked and Edward shook his head in a somewhat infuriated manner.
“Excuse me everyone, put yourselves in my shoes. Why are you the only ones here? Why are my own parents and siblings not called here too for this discussion? Because, it’s shameful! General Sir, if you were in my shoes, would you have allowed your son to marry her again…someone defiled by an unknown assailant?” the more Edward spoke, the more I ran mad.
My head pounded the more. My mum fell on her knees to the bed as she cried.
“See Edward, there is no problem. Please just do the ceremony tomorrow first. You can afterwards…” My dad was saying when I shot him a bloody look as I growled out the more. He faced me sternly.
“See, this is not the time to still hold your shoulders high my princess. He that humbles himself would be …” my dad was saying when I ran towards him, picked his right hand and inserted the injection of my teeth. I bit him so hard till he cried out. The effort of my sisters to pull me off him was futile.
After I had drawn blood from his wrist, I let go and growled the more, leaving him to nurse his pain.
“Princess, are you mad?” he cried out
“Yes dad, I am!” I replied as I walked towards Edwards who remained on a spot, unshaken
“You drew blood from my hand” my dad cried out again and I hissed as I looked at him.
I had lost my manners!
Things were not the same anymore!
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