Delayed Diagnosis {Book 1 of the Rex Obasi Trilogy}

chapter 35

Downstairs, I met Olivia laughing.

"What's up?" I asked her as I rounded the stairs.

She pointed at Andy in response.

My guy was drinking soup from the pot like it was water. He put the pot down and smiled at me with his oil smeared lips.

"Oba your mum can cook. Fuck! This soup is sweet, But the hunger isn’t reducing o"

He continued drinking from the pot again and I had to laugh.

"Garri is the key..once you drink garri with no sugar your head would come down"

"You're right! I should turn garri and eat it with the soup," He hurried to the kitchen with the pot in his hands.

Olivia was cracking up. "I think he's going to make EBA o"

"That’s his problem.." I wheeled her into the parlour.

The a/c was still switched on.

"What would you like to drink?"

She looked around, "I thought this wasn't your house?"

"Its mine for the weekend. And I have a fully loaded fridge"

She smiled. "This still feels like a movie…if you have any energy drink that would be very nice"

I got one from the fridge and checked Andy in the kitchen.

He was boiling water on the gas cooker.

I switched it off.

He looked at me accusingly with red eyes. He was chewing a piece of chicken and I saw the pot he still held was empty.

"What are you boiling water for? You've licked all the soup na!"

He burst out laughing

"Omo..what will your mum say?"

I poured garri in a plate, opened the fridge and emptied a tin of milk in it.

"You got high to save her son’s life. I'm not sure she would not mind the soup is finished."

I set the plate in his front. "Mix cold water and drink it. I want to brief Olivia about the widows initiative...we would be in the parlour"

"I'd be with you shortly..." he hadn't taken his eyes of the plate.

Back in the parlour I handed Olivia the can drink and switched on the TV but muted it. The colours danced in the background and gave the parlour a homely feel.

She sipped from her drink and seemed relaxed. "So Mr Rex. What have you gotten me into?"

I paced round the parlour, looking at the paintings for a while. (Ariyo was an Art freak) and different paintings hung on the walls.

Finally I sat down on the chair closest to her and took a deep breath. "I used to be engaged to this woman...and my friend ( I pointed towards the kitchen) used to be married to her sister. We never knew they were siblings. Everything started three weeks ago..."

Andy came into the parlour.

"How could you start without me?" he accused me

"Jesus Andy, why's your plate steaming?"

He looked down and shrugged.

He sat down and I saw his plate wasn't garri anymore at least not the drinkable type. He must have mixed it with the water he had been boiling.

I couldn't even laugh.

I ignored him and faced Olivia. "Everything started three weeks ago Or four weeks to be precise, my fiance had previously introduced me to a man who she said was a father figure in her life. His name is Amunike, chief Amunike but we call him Chief"