Davis could not take his eyes off her when
she finally finished her story, but what kept
ringing in his heart was the fact that she was
married and she is the daughter of a very
powerful as well as a wealthy man in their
part of the country. His mind weighed each
question he would like to ask her but he just
could not voice them out.
“But you said you love him, right?”
“I liked him that much to know I could live
with him, I agreed to marry him, remember?”
“But did you ask him, as in did you confront
him with this accusation?”
“Clara is not just a random person; she could
not have made that up”
“I am not saying she made it up, I am just
saying does your guy know what his real sin
is?” Not wanting to say the husband.
“Why does he have to know, Clara swore he is
the one”
“Ebe… sorry Chinwe, I think you just made a
big mistake”
“Well, it is my mistake, but if your eyes are
actually working well, I would like you to
compare the pictures tomorrow, or wait, let’s
compare it now. Wait for me”
He watched as she stood up fast and went
back into the café, Davis does not know why
he is defending the guy, but he would love to
be given the benefit of doubt if he was found
in the same situation. He watched quietly as
Henry ran around the field, obviously
enjoying himself and totally unaware of the
happenings around him.
When she returned, she showed him a picture
of her with two men, probably from a chat
history with Clara; she handed the phone to
him and went to Henry, pulling the playful
boy with her till he was right in front of her.
“Look at him and point to who his father
could be in that picture”
Davis almost rolled his eyes but did as she
said, and he was almost shocked out of his
skin at the facial resemblance. The smile on
Henry’s face and that on the man in the
picture was 100% alike
“Well, I must admit that they look alike, but
we share resemblances with people we are
not even related with”
“Very good, look at the forehead of the man
in the picture and tell me what is there that
Henry also has?”
The birthmark was so obvious, a dark round
patch just above the forehead, almost
disappearing into his low cat hair, looking at
Henry, one could see the birthmark very
boldly as he has a lighter skin than the man
in the picture.
“Clara and Henry used to live in Lagos and I
watched him grow, we have tried everything
we possibly heard off to get the mark off his
forehead. I personally followed them to a
doctor to ask what could be done to get rid of
it, you know what he told us? He said it was
probably genetic. When I met Tokunbo, I
remembered asking him if he got the mark on
his forehead from an accident and he said he
was born with it. His mother testified to it
that he had it from birth. I did not really
connect the two, why would I, he was in the
USA and Henry and Clara here in Nigeria, but
it was not a random accusation, how come the
same man Clara pointed to has the same mark
as the son she has”
Her story sounded credible enough to Davis,
so he could not dig up any other defense in
the man’s favor.
“But, why did you not ask him still, I mean I
would have loved to be asked”
“Would he have said the truth?, well he
might, but does that make up for the damages
done? Would that wipe away the pains of 4
years?”
“He could have changed you know?”
“It does not matter now, a rapist is capable of
any other murderous act, believe me” the way
she said it almost scared him as if she had
been raped before, he almost asked he if she
had been raped before, but he kept quiet and
focused on the picture in his hand. He looked
at it and also at Henry and could not but
shakes his head.
They sat down there in silence for sometimes
and neither of them knowing what else to
say, Chinwe’s mind was torn again as if it
was healing and fresh wound was inflicted on
it again.
Her heart was heavy and she felt it in her
breadth, Davis handed the phone to her and
asked calmly…
“So what do you want to… you cannot hide
forever, you can’t, not with your father being
influential and not with the social media,
sooner or later, someone would identify you”
“Don’t you think I know that, I fear more for
Clara and her son, they don’t deserve to be
hurt again, and especially not by me”
“That is right”
“I have to just hold on for now, I would
handle it when I get found out, but I need a
low-key job to make me get some money and
move out of her house and being seen with
her as little as possible”
“A job is a good idea, but what type of low-
key job could you possibly be looking for”
“I don’t know, all I know is I have to start
looking for one”
“What are you guys doing out here, Henry,
drop that right now” Clara called from the
back door of the came and walked towards
them. She pulled her son from the insect he
was holding in his palms and came to where
they sat.
“We are just taking fresh air. Are you through
with what you are doing?”
Yea, I was able to download some materials
for the topic, but I will have to edit them on
my phone. Rabbi is having a moment with
one of his staff, so I had to leave the room for
them”
“What happened?” Davis asked curiously
“I don’t know what the guy did to get him so
angry, he was practically spitting fire. Thank
God there is a door separating the staff room
from the main cafe”
“Which of the… the tall fair one I guess?”
“Yeah, him”
“I pray that guy does not push Joseph to the
wall”
“Ehya, can we go back to the house now?,
that mister has not had a time off play today
at all”
“Ok, let’s go”
She stood up and looked at Davis who it was
obvious by the look on his face that he did not
want them to go, but he did not say anything,
he simply walked them back to the café,
where Rabbi was making a call, obviously still
angry. He helped them gather their stuff and
walked with them out of the café.
He motioned to him that he wanted to walk
them to the road where they would get a
tricycle to their house. They all walked
towards the road with Henry taking his hands
out of his mother’s so he could walk on his
own, which was very amusing to Davis.
He walked back alone to the café when he
saw them seated in a tricycle after bargaining
with the driver. His mind was filled with
different thoughts and he could not help but
go to the web to read about the story of her
flee.
He was surprised however when he saw
instead that the news claimed she was
kidnapped which sent a cold sensation down
his spine. As much as he would like to feel
protective of her, his common sense still told
him it would be dangerous for her to be
found near anyone with such news flying
around especially.