VILE

Chapter 32: The Present

"Can you not raise your voice at me young man, I'm still your mother" Tomike was trying her best to suppress the rage that was about to burst out from her chest.

"I'm not raising my voice ma! I'm just stating it clearly so you can hear me better since you never pay attention these days" Dayo spat back, his voice raised.

Tomike let out an angry chuckle.

"I won't do this with you today, I won't. I have too much work to deal with, just take your sorry self into your room. I don't want to see your face"

"Of course mum, all you care about is work. And why would you want to see my face, it reminds you of my father after all. I can imagine how much you hated him"

Dayo was now sailing stormy waters, and Tomike was not having it. She stepped up to him. He was a little taller so she looked up to meet his gaze.

"You know what Dayo? You are right, I hated your father. I hated him! Are you satisfied?"

Tomike watched as Dayo's smug face doused into a tight frown. She felt some satisfaction because her words obviously got to him. She stepped back, walked to a couch in the living room and sat.

"It was probably your hate that killed him, your bitterness and the poisonous venom that you exude"

"I could care less" she said looking straight into his angry eyes.

"I hate you" he muttered to himself. Tomike got wind of it, but didn't want to believe her son would say such a thing to her.

"What did you say?" She now dropped the document she had been pretending to read and got on her feet.

"I said I hate you!"

Right after Tomike had processed what had just come out of her son's mouth, she slapped him.

"You will not speak to your mother like that, understand?"

Dayo looked unfazed by the slap. In fact he looked like he was expecting it.

"Slap me all you want, but it won't change how I feel about you. If anything, it'll only convince me more about how I feel"

He turned away and headed to the door that was the exit of the apartment.

"And where do you think you are going!"

"None of your business" Dayo said as he grabbed his coat and slammed the door behind him, not looking back even once.

Tomike let out a scream as she punched the air. Living with Dayo was tedious to say the least. She grabbed her phone on a short coffee table beside her couch and dialed Todd's number.

"What's up partner?"

"Hey, where are you?"

"Just around the corner from your house actually. Why?"

"Dayo and I...."

"Let me guess, had a fight, again"

Tomike took a deep breath, "Yes"

Todd sighed heavily. "Tomi, you need to stop doing this. These fights are becoming way too common. You need to see someone about this, a professional maybe"

"Todd please don't start again with this"

"I have to Tomi. I hate that you pick fights with him all the time and the poor dude doesn't even know why"

"Wait, what? I, I pick fights with Dayo? Please Todd don't get on my nerves. Dayo is a difficult person and you know it"

"Well I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree right?"

"Meaning?"

"Dayo is not hard to deal with Tomike, you just find it hard to deal with him"

"Jeez Todd, that's what you're going to say? I... "

"I'll call you back, Dayo's calling. I'll call you back once I pick him up. Bye"

Todd ended the call. Tomike was livid. She hated herself, she hated Todd and she hated Dayo. At least that was how she felt. The weather report said it was twenty-nine degrees Fahrenheit, but she felt hot. There was a hot sensation climbing up her chest, erupting in her head. She couldn't take it anymore.

She took off her mustard yellow sweater, revealing the grey sports bra she wore underneath. She headed to the kitchen and dug out her precious bottle of Belvedere vodka from where she had hidden it. She poured herself a glass and gulped it all down at a go. She felt good. She hadn't had alcohol in a long time because she was trying to play 'good mum'.

She lit a cigarette stick and surrounded herself in the comforting vapour that was the smoke she exhaled. At this point she felt she needed something stronger than tobacco, marijuana perhaps? Or maybe something even stronger, because the cigarette and alcohol just weren't cutting it one bit.

                      **********

Minutes turned to hours and not a word from Todd or Dayo. Tomike felt herself losing her sanity. Just then she heard a knock on the door. She hastily headed for the door and opened it.

"Where in God's name have you guys been, I've been going crazy thinking....."

She was suprised it wasn't Dayo or Todd. She was even more suprised when she realised who it was.

"Hi there senorita"

"King?"

                      **********
Guyssssss! I know I've been away too long, forgive me, I sincerely apologize. Now I'm back and I hope to stick to my Friday updates. I'm excited to round up with this story as the end is still a bit far, but drawing closer. Have an awesome weekend.
Xoxo ❤
Val ❤❤