SHADOW OF THE PAST

16 Is The Dead Truly Alive?

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Zoe looked up at who was greeting Femi and was shocked to see the dead alive. She shrieked with fear and was sweating profusely as Tomisin approached them smiling.

‘Oh my God! What is going on? Did she arise from the dead? Or, am I seeing things in another dimension?’ these questions and many other thoughts ran through Zoe's mind as Tomisin approached.

The fork she had used to pick up the meat from the plate before she fell off to the ground with the meat as her hands were shivering over the shock.

Still in shock, she watched as Femi offered the ghost a handshake.

“Hey beautiful Sis, you are most welcome to FOOD&MORE.” Tomisin greeted with a smile facing Zoe whose jaw dropped over her not recognizing who she was. “Is she the lucky one?” she asked and Zoe was perplexed.

‘What exactly is going on? Is this not Tomisin? Or am I the only one this figure is appearing to as his ex-wife?’ she thought deeply.

“Diana, meet Zoe. Zoe…” Femi paused when he noticed the shock on Zoe's face. He smiled as she saw how she was shivering. He thought she was shivering with fear because she knew the kind of person Tomisin was. He thought she was scared of her seeing her with him ‘her ex-husband’. He doesn't know what was running through her mind at the moment. He doesn't know she was shocked because she knew Tomisin was dead.

“I have also mistaken Diana for Tomisin the first time I set my eyes on her. Isn't God so amazing? I couldn't believe that God could create a striking resemblance of someone as much as this. I only hear about such, but now I have witnessed it. God is wonderful.” he said trying to calm Zoe down never to be afraid of the figure before her.

With Femi's closeness with Banji, Udoh, and Tomisin, he had narrated to them about his past. Though, he only told them the part that he is a divorced man. And how Diana had looked so much like his ex-wife when they first met.

So, Tomisin who is living as Diana already knew little about Femi's marital life. But, was not aware that Femi once had a daughter who is now late.

After the brief introduction between the two ladies, Tomisin left Zoe and Femi, she head straight to the counter where Udoh stood receiving orders from Banji who was in charge of serving the dishes to customers.

••• ••• ••• •••

As Femi drove back to his office alongside Zoe, he noticed that she was still in shock over whom she saw earlier.

She couldn't utter a word of statement all through the fifteen minutes journey from FOOD&MORE to Femi's office. She finds it so hard to believe that the lady she saw wasn't Tomisin.

As Femi pulled over at the company's parking lot, Zoe finally said, “I need to take my leave now.”

“Why are you leaving all of a sudden?” Femi asked worriedly, “I thought you came here to visit me?”

“I just remembered that I had to stop over at my friend's place earlier. She sent me a message a while ago that she had somewhere important to go with me.” she lied and Femi believed her. “I will come to check up on you once am done,” she said and alighted from Femi’s car.

••• ••• ••• •••

Zoe alighted from the cab she had taken from Femi's office down to Mr. Martins' (Femi's father's) residence. She couldn't keep what she had seen to herself. She needed to see Lucia and inform her about it.

She met Lucia in the living room, watching her favorite program on the TV, and munching Chin-chin as she enjoyed the show. She also had a glass of water on the center table.