Scars (Romola 2)

92: Tethered

"Ajoke, what's the problem? Why did you drag me out like that?"

She didn't stop or answer him until they were further down the hallway, then she pushed him forward. Her force had no effect on his physical being but he knew she was pissed.

"Who has a problem? Or have you finally lost your mind like we all feared?" She made a show of screwing a finger into the side of her skull. "How dare you talk to mummy and daddy like that? You can't even be considerate of Yetunde and what she's passing through."

Olumide shrugged as he straightened his shirt.

Ajoke wasn't done with him. She grabbed his arm, yelling, "Wait until Dami hears about this?"

"He's aware that I love Romola."

"And?" Ajoke raised a brow.

What else was she waiting for? "He got over it."

"No." She shook her head. "That doesn't sound like the Dami I know. The Dami I know wouldn't let his best friend be wrapped around the dirty fingers of a little harlot."

Olumide pushed his sister's hand off. "Hold it right there. I'm saying this with the respect I have for you as my older sister, never in your life dare refer to Romola as a harlot again."

"Those pictures? You said you saw her in a hotel-"

"She was framed. She would never post pictures like that." He hesitated to tell her that he was the main reason that Romola's pictures graced the web. It would be hard to tell if she believed anyways. "As for the hotel, I'm sure there is an explanation for that."

Her looks and tones softened as she placed a hand on his biceps. "Mide, I know you think you love her but she's obviously playing you. She's turning you against us as her revenge and I'm willing to bet that she won't be satisfied until Modupe is dead. How can you let her do this?"

"Modupe will be fine."

"How do you know? Are you blind? What is she doing to you, Mide? I can't understand it?" She began to pace the entrance of the hallway, walking back and forth over the white tiles but refusing to look at him. "You have it worse than Muyiwa."

"And what was his offence?"

She stopped, then stared at him like he had demanded she should kill her son. "He was with a girl like her. She ruined him."

"He ruined himself." As he said those words he found the last chain that held him to the family drop. The chain of guilt. "No one else had the power to make him stop taking drugs. There's no one to say that if I hadn't given him those drugs, he wouldn't have found them by himself. I simply gave him what he asked for. How was I to know better? There's no day that I don't regret what I did but Muyiwa ruined himself. And there's nothing mom, dad, you or I could have done if he wasn't willing to get better."

Ajoke shook her head, folding her arms as she leaned on one leg. "I don't care what you think of Muyiwa. Why are you willing to throw away everything we've worked so hard on? It'd be a wonder if Yetunde's parents accept you after this and it'll be a miracle if Yetunde takes you back."

"Who needs a miracle when I'm sure of the woman I love."

"You do. You have a woman from a successful family who is making a name for herself. A smart young woman who is ready to marry you, has a clean history and hasn't been fooling around. A woman who is dedicated to making your life as sweet as possible and you want to throw it all away for a summer fling?"

"Are those the words mum used to convince you to marry Tomiwa?"

Ajoke's fist landed on his temple even before he could see her reaction. Almost like she had her punch ready as he formed the words in his mind.

She was shaking all over, purple with anger as she narrowed her eyes. "Don't talk about my husband like that."

"Was he the one who taught you to punch like that? After enduring his beatings for years, you are now becoming like him."

"Shut up, Mide." She tried to turn away.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her backwards. "I'm not done with you, Joke. I listened while you spoke. I expect the same. I'm not the little boy you used to push around. I'm a man. A full-bloodied man. Better than that fool you call a husband. What I cannot take from my mother, I will not take from you."

"Remember, I'm your elder sister."

"Trust me, I'll be taking the memory of your knocks to my grave but I won't be going tethered to you, mom or anyone else. It all makes sense. I think that girl you hate- the one Muyi liked, I think she loved him better than any of us could."

"That's nonsense, Mide." She struggled to pull her hands out of his. "Let me go."

"I remember how she cried at the gates because mummy wouldn't let her in to mourn with us. I think Dad was just sad to have lost a son, a successor to his empire. His legacy as he called it. And with my mental state, I was in no shape to bear the image of the family. So, they needed a saviour and how fortunate Tomiwa needed a desperate bride. Here comes Ajoke. The perfect match." Mide let his sister go, now that tears were streaming down her face. "They may have traded their daughter for gold but I will not trade my love for your approval."

Ajoke looked like she would rend him cartilage, ligament, tendon and bone apart but he caught a movement to the right before she could get a word in. He turned from her as he watched doctor Sammy enter the hallway with a worried look and hurry towards the room where Yetunde was.

Author's Note

Hello all,

So, I'm going to attempt a Wednesday posting schedule. I'm not sure of how well I'd be able to meet up but let's see how it goes.