Sinners and Saints II

Chapter 30

The Restaurant was quiet, too quiet especially since no one was really coming to eat food at that time but that wasn't just it, if not anything, she was okay it was just the both of them sitting down in that little room, with plates of different dishes in front of them. She rose her head to his, wondering how he could be so comfortable eating the way he did after the event that had just taken place minutes ago at his house.

Olivia watched Rafael eat the food in front of him so hungrily and concentratively like he was trying to avoid a conversation with her. He had barely said a word to her all through the journey away from the house. He had barely said a word to her at all before he pulled her into the empty restaurant and requested for all that food. All her favorite dishes.

Olivia exhaled.

"You're not eating." She heard him remind her that he hadn't completely forgotten she had been sitting there all along staring at him. If only she had an appetite to eat now especially after what had happened....especially what she had witnessed. He was really bad at hiding it. He was really bad at hiding the fact that he wasn't entirely happy the way things went down at his fathers house. Not that she knew much but she knew just how much Sommadinah was so obsessed with her son. According to Benita, she adored him and never let anyone raise a finger on him talk more of hitting him herself. Compared to other African homes, it was the first she had ever heard of it. Even as a child, she could remember how Adaora was on time to spank her bum when ever she misbehaved. She could tell how annoyed and heartbroken they both must have been and it had to just be because of her again, giving Sommadinah yet another reason to hate her.

Why did she have to go ahead and act so dramatic in the first place?

Olivia exhaled again.
Now she regretted it.

"How is your lip?" She asked slowly reaching for her fork just as Rafael dabbed his lips with his napkin, now raising his eyes to hers as he watched her slice her plantain into tiny bits.

"It's fine. It's nothing you should worry about."

"Why did you do it Rafael?" Olivia dropped her fork hurriedly. She tried so hard, she tried so hard to let it go, to not talk about it but she just couldn't. She was just so worried about everything else to.

"Do what?" Now he was trying to act so ignorant.

"You know what I'm talking about."

"You're the one that kept it from me in the first place. I probably would have acted differently if you had just told me about it when I asked.  Now look at my lip. I got slapped by my mum for the first time because of you." He pouted his lips and then clicked his tongue, feigning disappointment. Olivia exhaled. She didn't take her eyes off him. She needed him to see she wasn't joking. She needed him to see how important she needed him to take their conversation.

"Can you take this seriously?" She asked him. "Please?"

Rafael exhaled and then frowned. He dropped his knife again and then shrugged his shoulders.

"This won't do." Olivia got up from her seat and then hurried to him. "At this point, your family might actually throw you away, your father." She grabbed his hand. "We have to go back and apologize." She pulled him, Rafael let her. He didn't try to stop her till he was standing on his feet.

"Apologize for what?"

"For everything. For what we did. I won't let you loose your father's trust and respect because of me."

Rafael scoffed.

"What are you talking about Olivia?" Olivia slowly turned to him. "My father threw me away a long time ago. He lost my respect when he disrespected my mum, and then you. I can barely care what he feels about me right now ." Rafael turned back to the table before she pulled him back.