Lola's Story✔️

Chapter Twenty two

Chapter Twenty two

*****

The uneasy feeling I had had within the last few days had hardly dissipated.

Seeing David at Tunji's congratulatory get together made it less boring, we had talked and laughed for a while before he went back to his friends. The committee of friends as I fondly called them soon started leaving with their dates after Tunji gave a short vote of thanks, he was still tipsy at the time though. And before we knew it, he was drunk out of his mind. Tana offered to drive him home as he was too inebriated to get behind the steering wheel.

I drove her car instead, I had never been to Tunji's place even when he lived few streets away from us. I guessed it was because he was always at his office.

She didn't come home that night and when I called,she told me she went over to her parents' house. I didn't question her further, knowing she was safe.

*****

"You're sure about this?" I asked for the umpteenth time. I was speaking to my sister, she had decided it was time to go on and address the matter that had been pending for weeks. We planned to go over to our parents' house, to see my dad. I dreaded the thought but I had promised to support her all through so I had to do it.

"Affirmative" She nodded with a tight smile. "Lola I understand that you're nervous, and if you don't want to come with me, I totally get it..." She started but I interjected before she could discourage me any further.

"Sis, It's fine, really. I'm doing this for you, nothing else matters right now" I held her hands in mine to show how supportive I was.

"Alright then" She let out a shaky breath, while I gave her a hug. We were going to be alright, I kept affirming myself. Our pastor had said to keep speaking positive things so that things would work out for our good. The tongue does have powers? Right?

Tana had left early for work, even before I could see her. So I just texted her when we were leaving. She replied with a 'Good luck B, kisses to Laila 😚' I replied with a smiley face as I locked the door and walked over to the Uber that awaited us.

The ride was faster than I thought, even with the usual traffic. But I think it seemed that way because I was a nervous wreck. Going back home after leaving, unceremoniously, might I add, had my thoughts swirling all over the place. I hardly said two words to my sister who was also in a world of her own, we exchanged glances occasionally, almost like we were communicating telepathically, reassuring ourselves. When she held my hand and squeezed it softly, I figured we were just swerving into the estate where my parents resided.

We stepped out and I gazed at the mansion, nothing had changed within the last five months that I had been away, apart from the fact that it felt emptier that it initially used to be. There wasn't any life there, the ambience of the place appeared gloomy, eerily quiet too. We trudged inside after the gateman saw us, and I caught a glimpse of Simeon who was outside cleaning one of the vehicles by the garage. He waved excitedly at us and we did the same, exchanging greetings.

I rang the door bell and a new face greeted us as we walked in. My mom had probably hired some new people to handle the chores, she must have fired some others, she changed staffs hastily too. Endurance, that was her name, she seemed like a bubbly person with the way she welcomed us like she knew us already, but surely she must have seen us in the family portrait hanging firmly in the living room.

"Make I go call mummy" She said in pidgin as she scrambled off in search of our mum. I felt like a stranger as I sat down on one of the fancy leather chairs.

Some seconds later, my mother came in from a different direction, I expected her to trail down the stairs gracefully as she always did but no, she came in from the guest room. She couldn't possibly have slept there, she had her own room upstairs which she slept in whenever she had issues with our dad. I didn't ponder on it too much as we stood up to greet her.