WHEN LOVE JUST HAPPENS 2 : EPISODE 21 – 30
EPISODE 22
“You can’t do that, you can’t keep me away from my son”
“You have no idea whom you are dealing with, you think it’s the same little Lauretha back then in high school, that you can tell to jump and she will ask how high? This is a changed Lauretha, it’s either my way or no way” Lauretha had a very stern look on her face. Jeffery was at loss, he didn’t know what to say to her.
“If you want to be a part of your son’s life, then you would have to get married to his mother. I won’t have my son raised in two different homes. Not especially when you are planning on marrying someone else, who might not even like him, and might end up maltreating him, whenever he comes visiting. I’m not going to have any of that”
Jeffery sat there staring at her, not knowing what to make of her outrageous demand. First, she waited for thirteen whole years, before telling him they have a son together. And now, she walks in here asking him to marry her, if he wanted to be a part of his son’s life. As if marriage was some sort of a business bargain.
He drank the remaining water left in his glass, and stood up to leave.
“What are you doing?” Lauretha asked in disbelief.
“What does it look like? I’m leaving of course”
“Are you walking out on me? You do know what that means, don’t you? You might never get to see your son, or be a part of his life, if you walk out of this place”
“Lauretha, you have kept the boy away from me all these while, and if you choose to continue doing that, simply because I refuse to marry you, then you can do what suits you. I’m not about to start dragging the boy with you. If he is truly my son, when he comes of age, he would look for his father”
“It’s because of Jane isn’t it? What does she have that I don’t? We used to be very much in love Jeffery, why can’t we just go back to how we used to be? Please”
Jeffery came back and sat down. “Yes it is because of Jane, and no, we can’t go back to how we used to be. Whatever we had together, is all in the past now. The earlier you accept it, the better for us”
“Jeffery, whatever you think you are getting from Jane, I can give it to you double, even more” She pleaded with desperation.
“Well.. maybe you can. But you should know I have chosen to stick to Jane. Do you know what that means?” Jeffery asked Lauretha who was too dumbfounded to speak.
“I will tell you, it means that; even if I see another lady who is more beautiful or has more to offer me than her, I’m still going to stick to her. That’s what love and commitment is all about”
“Just give us a chance I beg you, at least for the sake of our son”
“Lauretha please stop, just stop already, why are you using the poor boy, as a bait to lure me into marriage? Are you that desperate?”
“Jeffery, I advise you think this through, don’t make any hasty decision”
“I’m sorry, but you are preaching to the wrong man, I have made my decision already”
Jeffery stood up, and left the cafeteria. This time, not looking back. He has a lot on his plate already, the last thing he needed, was for Lauretha to come add to it. The only thing on his mind right now, was for Jane and his sister to get better. Every other thing was secondary.
He went back to Jane’s ward, and checked on her, before going to see his sister in her own ward.
“I was beginning to think you weren’t going to come see me, before I leave for my trip tomorrow” Erica was seated on her bed watching the TV in her room, she had a wide smile on her face.
“You should know, I would never do that” Jeffery bent and kissed her on the forehead, before seating down on one of the chairs in the room.
“How are you?” She asked him with concern.
“I’m doing okay, I should be the one asking you that”
“I’m fine, as you can see. I have decided to stop feeling sorry for myself, and embrace my situation. After all, life is too short for me to be wasting the precious little moments I have on worry”
“Hmmmm, sounds like someone has gotten a mind shift or something?”
“Yes I have. You know, I was reading a part of the scripture that was talking about gratitude, and it said; when we are grateful for the little that we have, then we are definitely going to have more”
“Okay?” Jeffery wasn’t quite sure how that applies to her health.
“So, I have decided to focus and be grateful for other parts of my body that are working perfectly, instead of focusing on the part that isn’t”
“Wow, that sounds really like faith”
“It works, you should try it. Ever since I started practicing the act of gratitude, and focusing my attention on the things that are working, I sometimes forget I have breast cancer”
“I’m sure going to start trying it” Jeffery smiled at her.
“Yeah you should, but on a serious note, Jeffery how are you? I know this period has really been crazy for you, with Jane’s kidnap and all. And you must be trying really hard to be strong. Sometimes it’s good you talk to someone, about how you feel, don’t always bottle things up”
Jeffery gave Erica a weak smile, and stood up. He knew she was trying to use her psychology skills on him.
“I’m doing okay big sis, you don’t have to worry about me”
“Jeffery? You are avoiding the topic”
“I’m not, I need to leave now. I want to go check on Jonathan. I will come see you before your departure tomorrow”
Even if, he wanted to talk to someone about his problems, it’s definitely not Erica who has managed to get herself out of self-pity. Something he has been praying hard to happen ever since.
The only thing she needed around her right now, was good vibes, and not some sad tales about his unconscious fiancee, or his long lost son, or even his crazy ex lover.
When he got to Anita’s house, she was having a heated argument with her husband Michael, they didn’t even notice when he came in.
Jeffery ignored them, and went straight into the kitchen to see if there was any food for him to eat. For he was famished, he was hoping to get something to eat at the cafeteria, but lost his appetite when Lauretha came with her ridiculous demands.
He opened one of the pot, to find egusi soup and some freshly made semo in a plate. He suspected they were about to have dinner before the argument started.
He decided to serve himself some, if he was going to settle whatever dispute those two were having, then he was going to need some strength.
“It’s only a thief that will go into someone’s kitchen without the person’s permission”
Jeffery looked up from his plate, to find Anita standing at the door of the kitchen, with her arms folded.
“Hey… trouble” Jeffery spoke with his mouth full.
“Hey…. trouble” Anita mimicked him in a very funny way. “Look at you stealing from your sister’s kitchen”
“I’m sorry but I was very hungry. And this soup is dope” Jeffery knew the only way to soften her up, was to pay compliment to her cooking.
“Flattery will take you nowhere” Anita served out some food for her and Michael who was already seated at the dinning with a grumpy look on his face. Jeffery took his food, and joined them at the dinning table.
“What seems to be the problem anyway?” Jeffery asked after five minutes of them eating in complete silence.
“Your sister here, intentionally bashed someone’s car”
“What? Trouble is that true?”
“It was not intentional, I ..”
“Just before you deny, remember I have the video, someone made a video of you” Michael flashed his phone before Anita.
“Let me see that” Jeffery took the phone from Michael.
“Trouble? Why would you do such a thing
now?” He asked, after watching the video.
“The idiot that captured it, didn’t have the sense to also capture when she called me a wh®re”
“She called you a whore?” Jeffery asked her.
Anita went ahead to tell him of all that transpired between her and the woman. And how she later found out the woman was the doctor who was supposed to treat Jonathan.
“So, did she treat Jonathan?”
“Yes she did, it’s against her medical ethics not to”
“But Anita, I think you went a bit to the extreme. You shouldn’t have bashed her car”
“Exactly what I have been trying to tell her. And as if that wasn’t enough, she gave my card to the woman asking her to call me if she wants her car fixed. Was I the one who bashed her car?” Michael asked in anger.
“So it wasn’t even your card you gave her?” Jeffery asked laughing.
“I couldn’t find my card, and Michael’s card happened to be lying around in my purse”
“Well, for your information she says; it’s going to cost five hundred thousand naira to fix her car. So be ready to pay her or go to court and risk going to prison”
“God forbids, the whole car is not even worth up to that amount. Abi is it not that rickety Toyota? I don’t have that kind of money to give her o”
“That one is your own headache, and don’t even think I’m going to pay her, because I won’t”
“Ehn.. don’t worry keep your money. Jeffery my beloved brother here will pay for me” Anita rubbed Jeffery’s shoulders as she spoke.
The moment those words left her lips, the food Jeffery was eating, got stucked in his throat. Why didn’t he just go and eat in an eatry? At least it wouldn’t have cost him five hundred thousand naira, to eat just a plate of semo and egusi soup.
WHEN LOVE JUST HAPPENS 2 : EPISODE 21 – 30
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