TWO
It was very large and beautiful mansion with beautiful sculpture designs and British and American furniture set that could never be out of vogue no matter how old it was. Her parents’ frames and important figures in the country and outside, filled the walls. Photo of her parents dining with the Nigerian president, photo of her father and the United State President laughing seriously while holding hands, photo of her mother with the Saudi prince and his wife talking and many other frames. The furniture were from best manufacturers from Capital to Rhino, Paolo Marchetti, Aspen Home, even Bakers. But since the Murrays had distinctive taste for British designs, they made most of the furniture British designs, especially the part of the mansion that was easily accessible to visitors. The living rooms sofas were made by Strachan, shelves by Sandbone. The curved doors wardrobe and bed in the bedrooms were Capital Bedroom’s, the kitchen furniture by Bakers and each department in the house with its own designer.
It was obvious at the first sight and step into the house with the cool centered air conditioned and heavenly-like floor designs without mincing words that, it couldn’t be but owned by a multibillionaire. It was owned by Diane’s parents until they passed. It was a kind of house you get to, and forget all your worries but this was nothing compared to other houses they had in other countries. Her parents made sure they had a house in every country they had a company for their own best reasons.
Diane and Rick relaxed on a sofa in Diane’s personal living room, the one close to her room. There was another one known as the main living room downstairs where they received visitors and also one, known as her parents’ personal living room, but Rick and Diane were always in her personal living room when not receiving visitors.
Rick’s head was on her laps while he went through a magazine and she watched TV.
Rick saw a tiny sexy lady in the magazine.
‘Wow, see this,’ Rick admired and Diane looked at it. ‘Jeez, I love tiny ladies,’ he said without thinking.
‘Diane is not tiny you know,’ Diane said, bringing it to his notice.
Rick smiled. ‘And Rick cannot dance, yet Diane loves him,’ he looked up at her. ‘Common Diane, you think I love you for a reason? No; I love you and I can’t even say why. All I know is, I love you the way you are; whether you are fat, thin or— green, I will continue to love you.’
Diane raised her brows at him at that and he nodded and chuckled and then continued with his magazine. Seconds later, he dropped the magazine and picked his phone and pressed as he talked.
‘So is the mansion still missing me?’
‘No, but the woman in it is.’
He looked at her in surprise and laughed.
‘Baby, don’t tell me you still miss me even when I’m here with you.’
Diane smiled and gently put his head on the sofa. She stood up and made her way towards the dining room. The dining room and the living room were both enclosed on a large spacious floor.
‘Tell me; you know you love me so much, you just won’t accept it,’ Rick pressed on.
Diane smiled to herself as she walked to the refrigerator.
‘Do you accept it?’ she brought out a bowl of fruit from the refrigerator.
‘Of course, I love you more than life itself and I’ve never disputed that fact.’
‘Apple or orange?’
Rick lifted himself up over the sofa and peeped at what she was doing and then slipped back.
‘Apple.’
His phone started ringing. He checked the caller and dropped the phone on the stool beside him. It kept on ringing.
Diane put some apples and oranges in a tray.
‘Who’s that?’
‘Mother,’ Rick said.
Diane looked at his direction in surprise but she could only see the back of the sofa.
The ring stopped.
‘And you didn’t pick?’
‘We just talked like few hours back.’
‘And you don’t see any reason talking to her again?’ she put a small knife in the tray and started walking back to the living room with the tray of fruit in her hand. ‘What if she’s calling for something important?’
‘I’m tired of her every minute calls. Was there a time she didn’t call for something important?’
Diane kept mute at that and Rick grew angry. Her silence in such situations made him feel stupid and he hated that.
He snapped, ‘then she should call you, if you are so anxious to receive a call.’
Diane sat beside him and put the tray on the stool.
‘I would be glad if she did actually.’
She picked an orange, sliced it and started squeezing it with force in her mouth in a bid to suppress her rising anger.
Diane lost both her parents in a plane crash six years ago when she was in high school, Carnegie Vanguard High School, Houston Texas, USA, leaving her with multibillion dollar properties; companies in more than ten countries which the loyal manager of her dead parents Mr. Hughes handled and houses all over the countries. She was forced to know about responsibility at a jet age being the only child. She had to assume the huge responsibility of the companies. She felt bitter and blamed herself for spending her life away abroad and not getting to know her parents well even though she was hardly to blame. She was fourteen when her parents died and she had spent most of her life schooling abroad. Though she had suggested she moved; stayed with her parents in Nigeria where they mostly were but they refused. Only if she had insisted. She only got to see them when they visited the United States and the few times she visited Nigeria. And even when they visited her in the United States, she was always busy with one thing or the other; with school or with her friends. She really didn’t get to spend time with them or know them well. And so, she blamed herself. This made her sentimental when it came to any parent or any older one. And what Rick just did to his mother really got on her nerves but she tried not to show it even though her countenance betrayed her.
She continued, ‘after all, I’m the one who needs a mother but have not.’
Rick looked at her and became sober.
‘My mother would say to my father anytime they had an argument; “when you have something, you don’t know the worth until you lose it,” and I always wondered what she meant,’ she squeezed on, ‘I never knew that was actually meant for me until I lost them. Now I wish I had taken them serious when they were alive—’
Rick picked his phone and started dialing,
‘—spend more time with them instead of staying away my life abroad, occupied with school activities and friends then I would be able to say one thing or another about my father and my mother,’ she said sadly.
‘That wasn’t your fault baby, they sent you abroad, no one knew that would happen, not even them,’ he said pressing his phone and then listened. The number you dialed cannot be reached at this moment, please try again later. ‘Shit!’ he shot in an undertone.
Diane stopped squeezing her orange and looked at him and the phone in his hand consecutively.
‘Not reachable,’ Rick talked to himself and continued dialing in worry.
Diane put the squeezed orange in the tray and stood up to leave but Rick held back her hand. She stopped and looked at him, feeling so pissed but trying to conserve her feelings. Rick gently pulled on her arm back to her seat with pleading eyes.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said and Diane abased her eyes, calming. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt you.’
‘No Rick, you didn’t hurt me but yourself,’ she looked at the phone in his hand, ‘I’m only saying all these because I don’t want you to ever regret doing this. I know you Rick, if anything should happen I know how you can be. You will never forgive yourself and I can’t live with that.’
Rick wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer looking into her eyes.
‘I’m sorry, I promise you this will never repeat itself again and I swear to always appreciate my mother, huh?’
She nodded and smiled.
‘I love you— from deep down my heart,’ he continued, ‘and I will always be here for you as long as you want. I will be your mother, your father, your brother and your man as I’ve always been, hmm? I love you so much.’
Diane nodded feeling emotional and he hugged her, the assurance hug.
Diane’s nerves calmed and she beamed with emotions and joy.
Since they started living together, they spent more time together now. When they were not in school, they were home chilling together or out catching fun. They walked into Stop and Fork eatery, arm in arm, and made their way straight to the counter to make an order. The eatery was a bit full that day and there was a queue so they had to wait for their turn, and they chatted while they waited.
‘Oh c’mon you don’t have to do that, you know he’s a nice guy,’ Diane said.
‘Umm my love, don’t tell me you like my friend ‘cos you’re sounding too defensive right now. He’s a nice guy,’ he mimicked, ‘that sounded too sweet,’ Rick was green.
‘Come off it darling, of course I like him.’
‘What!’
Diane rubbed her hands on her trouser pocket unconsciously as she talked. ‘What? I like him okay, but I love Mr. Stoneroller.’
A lady beside them smiled watching them.
‘Okay,’ Rick smiled.
It struck Diane suddenly. ‘My phone,’ she checked her pocket, ‘I can’t find my phone.’ She looked up thoughtful. ‘Oh I think I left it in the car.’
‘Maybe we should get the snacks somewhere else.’
‘Oh no no!’ Diane jumped, holding her hands out to stop him. She loved their snacks there, whenever she was home from abroad when her parents were still alive, they would always come here to have a bite. She and her parents loved their snacks and dishes and of course, the eatery lived up to justify their love; their dishes were none to others. And since they died, for her, that place was a knickknack, a sacred place, going there felt like her parents were still so close. Though she always wondered who gave the eatery its name; what was on the mind of the person when he was naming it but that doesn’t stop the fact that it’s hers and her parent’s favorite eatery. So Rick’s idea of leaving was like asking her to really lose her parents.
She noticed Rick felt confused by her sudden action, so she comported herself and tried to address the situation.
‘Err I mean— you know how much I love their snacks here. I will just get my phone; I’m expecting Mr. Hughes’ call.’
‘Okay,’ Rick nodded.
Diane pecked him and started pulling her hands from his slowly.
Rick was reluctant to leave her.
‘Be careful.’
Diane nodded and walked out through the glass door. Rick watched her walk to the road side and about to cross the road through the transparent glass wall, before he diverted his look to the queue.
Minutes later, people were gathered outside the eatery. Some people in the eatery watched through the glass wall and wondered what caused the crowd outside.
Two guys entered the eatery, a big guy and a thin guy. They queued behind Rick.
‘I can’t believe that just happened,’ the big guy said sadly. ‘Gosh, she just died like that?’
‘Dude, that’s life for you. People die in seconds,’ the thin guy responded.
‘Man, she was utterly beautiful.’
Rick saw the crowd outside and turned to the guys.
‘Excuse me guys, what’s going on outside?’
‘A lady just died from a hit and run while crossing the road,’ answered the big guy.
‘She died on the spot and man, she was damn beautiful,’ the thin guy added.
‘Oh pity,’ Rick said pitiful.
‘It’s indeed a pity.’
It struck Rick suddenly.
‘Diane!’ he shot in a whisper and half-heartedly with the fear of his thought being true wrapping him up. His heartbeat raced and he dashed out of the eatery.
The guys frowned and watched him through the glass wall as he hurried towards the crowd.
‘Diane? You think he knew the victim?’ the thin guy asked.
The big guy was thoughtful; and then looked at the thin guy, ‘I hope not.’
They stared at each other for the fear of what could happen and as if they had it in their mind together, they dashed out at the same time.