SHADOW OF THE PAST

21 The Missing Phone

Shadow Of The Past 
©Golden Vessel

Episode 21

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“Lanre…why?” he repeated and tears flowed down freely from his eyes. “Why did you and the entire family left me in the dark?” he asked amid tears and Olanrewaju could comprehend what he was referring to instantly.

He silently heaved a sigh of relief. He thought Femi had found out about the abandoned factory incident. It finally dawned on him that he was referring to his wife's death years back, which is now giving him serious problem.

“For almost FIVE years…” He emphasized the word five by using his fingers to demonstrate the figure 5. “i didn't know that Tomisin was gone… Why are we calling ourselves family, when we are keeping secrets from each other?”

“My dear brother…”

“Point of correction, I am not your dear brother…” Femi shunned his brother off angrily. “If am so dear to you, you ought to have told me on phone what happened to my wife.” Did Femi just referred to Tomisin as ‘WIFE’ and not ‘EX-WIFE’?

“I should be blamed for this… But sincerely, I personally instructed everyone to keep the news away from you. And I have my reasons for keeping Tomisin's death away from you.” Olanrewaju apologized.

“What stupid reasons do you have for keeping such news from me?” Femi growled at him in a fierce tone.

“I know how you were down emotionally when Nifemi died years back, and you are just recovering from that… Only God knows what might happen if we break such news to you back then.”

“Lanre…you don't have a point… Just shut your filthy mouth up.” Femi screamed aloud enough for everyone in the building to hear his voice. Lucia and Felicia who were in their separate rooms, and was unaware of the ongoing argument, came running downstairs when they heard Femi screamed.

Olamide Martins who was laying on his bed, seriously weak, couldn't step out of his room. He had been seriously weak for some couple of months and the family doctor had tried his best in making sure he recovered, but his efforts were futile. The doctor had informed Femi, when he had asked about his father's cause of illness, that moving Olamide down to a specialist hospital would be the best solution. They were able to fix an appointment for the following week, with their family doctor's friend who works in a specialist hospital. The day of the appointment happened to be the day Femi found out about his ex-wife's death.

“Femi, I can't hurt you… I can't also watch you suffer…”

“You've hurt me more than enough. It would have been better if you had told me back then…” Femi said and stormed out of the house angrily.

“Femi…” his mother who had been standing by the rails of the stairs, tried calling him back, but he ignored her.

••• ••• ••• •••

Tomisin had been discharged from the hospital, and was given two weeks off by Banji and Udoh to rest. Though, she insisted on coming to work, asserting that she's physically fit to work.

During that period of two weeks that Tomisin was at home resting, Femi remained in his matrimonial home. He had gone there when he had left his father's house in anger. He had also refused to go to work, he was just indoor mourning his late ex-wife. He regretted threatening Tomisin to sign those papers back then.

‘If she had not sign those papers, there's certainty that my wife would still be alive.’ he had thought taking the blame of Tomisin’s death.

He had noticed that there was no changes in the house. The house was just as he left it almost five years ago. He had bitterly dusted and mopped the entire building the day he had arrived the house. He had also been sleeping in Tomisin's room since he arrived, and had also noticed that none of her belongings were touched.