Chapter Eleven
I start at the doorway when I see that Mr. Abiwu has inserted himself at the head of the dining table. The large room suddenly seem small with his presence combined with Taylor’s. No one else is there. Hannah had to go on an undercover date with Luther and now I am thinking she was avoiding this.
The scene before me however takes me back to the day I first met Mr. Abiwu at the farmhouse several months ago. I swallow the lump in my throat as I fully enter the room after Gertrude casts me a strange feverish look. Why is she nervous? I am the one who is about to deal with both father and son head on during dinner of all times.
Hearing me enter, both men raise their heads to look at me and—should I say whoa, flash me similar smiles I almost turn back and make a bolt for it. Taylor, like the true loving husband that he is gets up and pulls a chair for me beside him giving me a smile I do not return.
Mr. Abiwu noticing our exchange chuckles and says, ‘Taylor didn’t manage to charm himself back into your good graces I see!’
I avoid meeting the man’s gaze as I sink stiffly in the chair. How I wish to fast forward this moment. And after everything I have learned from Hannah, I see these people with a different air. All the mystery is gone—now there is just the facts and ideologies surrounding their existence.
‘Apparently there are some things you have to work for son.’ Mr. Abiwu continues with his wicked teasing, ‘but I hope you fix whatever qualms you have between you, I don’t want my granddaughter to be raised by a pair of bitter parents.’
Seriously? I suppress a scoff the same moment Taylor tenses and glares at his father.
‘Is that what you intent to be?’ the words rush out of my mouth before I could stop them, ‘a warm loving grandfather?’
Mr. Abiwu settles his gaze on me which I should say is unnerving. I am sure he plans his most ruthless activities with that look. But I refuse to back down. Somehow I have decided that the days of cowering over this man are over. I can’t say that my life has been an easy kumbaya since I met him. So yeah I have reached the breaking point. Just like with everything else.
‘You must have your mind decided.’ I say again surprising both of us because well the man had long qualified himself as the only one who does the talking, ‘one minute you want to kill me and the next you want to loom your presence in the life of my child.’
An amused smile plays on his lips, while Taylor turns into a stony expression his eyes warningly locked on his father. I’m probably stirring trouble but I am too far gone to fix that now. And what’s with the little smile like he is not taking me seriously? That just rattles me even more.
‘Why Heather dear it seems you have qualms with me as well.’
I raise an eyebrow, ‘well what did you expect? You can’t just plant your existence in every generation.’
I swear tension drops into the room like a grenade as something flashes in Mr. Abiwu’s eyes. I hold his serious gaze. I will not cower and bow out when it comes to my child. I can’t believe the overwhelming protectiveness that has suddenly come over me at the thought of the horrible things this man could take my child through. Well it’s not in my plan book.
Way to go Heather—poke the bear now you are dead. Wild mind rolls her eyes unconcerned. Couldn’t you just stay invisible in this place at least? My logic and sense plead with me, the man looks like he is planning all the ways he can make you submissive.
Ugh seriously? That’s emotion. I will not let anyone hurt my child, the mother in me raises her chin challengingly, I will fight him if it’s the last thing I do.
‘It seems I’m going to have to earn my presence in my granddaughter’s life.’ He wears a somber expression. I’m not sure whether it’s genuine or I am still in the middle of not believing my ears. The great Mr. Abiwu talking about compromising like it’s his everyday hobby?
‘Father.’ Taylor says taking my hand under the table and squeezing it, ‘it doesn’t have to come to that.’
‘I haven’t really been going in your good books have I Heather? I know I have been a terrible father figure, and I brought you here as one step to set things right.’
Who is he and what has he done to Mr. Abiwu? And I have been rendered speechless.
‘So you only know when to fight—not when to reconcile.’ He mutters and starts taking care of his dinner. Okay I really want to bolt out of this room and hide somewhere away from this madness. But I decide to be civil tonight. After all I did promise Hannah I would work us out of this situation and I also want out of this mess. I have to adopt a few of Hannah’s acting skills.
I pull my hand from Taylor’s and start eating without looking at him.
I almost scoff at the picture of Mr. Abiwu as a father figure. It’s laughable. I didn’t know he has any real feelings that could put him in the fatherhood radar. But you can’t judge a book by its cover I guess.
When is he going back to Ghana like he always did all these years before I met him? He is now lingering around here like he has important things to take care of. If he wanted to control his son and kill me he can still do so using his phone since he won’t be doing it himself.
So maybe Hannah’s story is more believable. He has other reasons to be here and in a nutshell I don’t even have to be going through this.
‘Heather and I are going on a trip.’ Taylor says suddenly and I almost choke on a piece of chicken I manage to swallow whole.
Mr. Abiwu doesn’t even look half fazed, ‘I guess you earned it.’
‘I wasn’t asking.’
Mr. Abiwu looks at Taylor with amused eyes, obviously enjoying his son’s frustration. ‘I was going to suggest a vacation anyway, I am serious about you two working things out.’
My jaw drops on the table while I narrow my eyes at him.
‘Your concern is really touching.’ Taylor gives him a look that says the opposite.
‘Thank you.’ Mr. Abiwu flashes a smile before standing up and excusing himself from the table.
A silence falls between us for a moment after Mr. Abiwu’s leave.
‘You didn’t tell me that I was going on a trip.’ I say turning to look at him and of course he is wearing that infuriating expression—that it’s decided and I won’t say anything to change it. ‘Why am I going on a trip?’
‘You loved it in Kasane last time, I think the place will do you good.’
My eyes bulge out, ‘no I will not—I am not going anywhere—you can’t just pop out of the blue and send me on a trip.’
I don’t want to say on a trip to the very place we had our honeymoon when I was still holding on to the threads of hope that things wouldn’t turn out like—well like they are now. And for how long are these people going to keep moving me around like a freaking grasshopper? I glare at him and fold my arms for a good measure.
‘I am not going anywhere—I won’t allow you to just drop me in another house with--.’I pause, ‘which one of the great uncles are you going to make babysit me?’
Keep me under house arrest is the correct term but I don’t want to go into that right now. Who knew I would be emotionally tangled about my capturers? Or drag my best friend into all this? And other people like Malcom. My chest clenches and I push the feeling away.
‘I don’t want you living here.’ He says easily flaring my anger even more. Like I wanted to be here in the first place. I know he now has responsibilities and roles to play but I don’t need him to tell me that he doesn’t want me here witnessing his flashy life or whatever they call it. Damned life is how I see it.
Was that why he kept me away from his family this whole time? I never cared about that. All I wanted was to be with him, none of this matters. But right now his picture in the family stands glaringly clear I just feel like the blot in the landscape. I don’t even need Mr. Abiwu to tell me that.
I don’t need him to keep me away from the picture because I can’t fit into his world, not that I want to. But the realisation hitches my desire to get out of this.
‘I know.’
He sighs, ‘its here I don’t want you I didn’t say whatever you think you heard.’
This is just frustrating. We used to communicate so well before he went off into the sunset and now he has reappeared and he wants to act like nothing happened. The bastard. And it’s even more annoying that I can’t just stand right now and bail out on dinner because this girl inside me will give me hell all night. Gertrude would be freaked out to find me plundering left over at twelve am midnight. And of course I don’t want to risk running into any of the uncles.
***
Of course Hannah finds my predicament very funny. She should be outraged along with me. I thought she considered me her partner in the road of no return by now. Who is going to help her with her mission when I leave? And so soon? I ignored him all through dinner and even afterwards and the man still found a way to tell me that we are leaving tomorrow.
‘Oh wow, that is so hot.’ Hannah actually fans herself. Maybe her crash on Taylor isn’t an act.
‘He is infuriating. I just want him gone like he had been—he just comes back and starts ordering me around. Touching me and holding my hand like its even normal.’
‘That is so hot,’
I cast her a glare, ‘yes you already said that.’
Hannah rolls her eyes, ‘listen honey—I know Taylor made a jerk ass moves on you and well he can’t help it – it runs in his blood.’
I scoff and start thinking how I could just lock her up somewhere, probably bind her together in a dark place with my annoying husband.
She raises a palm at me after seeing my murderous look, ‘the man cares for you and this could be the only way he can protect you from his father.’
I narrow my eyes at her, ‘why are you taking his side?’
I am actually in shock. I mean isn’t she on some revenge vendetta against the Abiwu family why does she have the highest regards for Taylor? Aka newest member of the family cult.
‘I am not taking sides.’ She sighs, ‘Taylor has very few liberating qualities lately- but no one is blind to miss how much he loves you. The way he is obsessed with you is every woman’s dream.’
‘Obsessed!”
‘Look I have been spying on these people remember? That includes knowing his whereabouts for the past four months since he left you—not that I was breathing down his neck every second but I have seen enough to know you have ruined him for any other woman.’
Oh my god this is not the picture I want in mind. A bunch of sleazy women like her act pawning after my husband. Taylor—just Taylor. I remind myself.
‘In conclusion, never doubt he loves you.’
She is definitely taking his side.
‘I don’t feel loved.’ I blurt out, maybe all this crap is finally weighing down on me, ‘I feel like a square box trying to be forced through a triangular doorway into a life I don’t fit in. this family is a closely linked freaky loyal powerful crazy gang.’
‘A lot of strong adjectives there.’ Hannah mumbles.
‘And I am just the little person who came from out of the blue and stuck where I am not supposed to be. I just wanted to reform my life, well I thought I was—that was before all of a sudden I am this.’ My voice raises with each word, ‘hiding from house to house just so that someone who doesn’t think my existence matches his preferences wants me dead.’
Hannah opens her mouth and doesn’t say anything. Well most first victims of my tantrums don’t. She is looking at me like she doesn’t know what to say because anything said wrong could just about make me explode.
‘I wish I never met him.’ My heart shutters as soon as the words come out of my mouth. Honestly, no matter the consequences I wouldn’t mind meeting Taylor again over and over in different lives. But I just want all this to be over. I want to be free. I want to feel normal again.
Tears spill down my cheeks and I swipe them off angrily. Damn hormones.
‘Heather!’ Hannah whispers, that sympathetic look in her eyes again. I shake my head at her. I don’t need comfort right now. I just want my baby to arrive in a normal world. Not where her mother is a prisoner in her in-laws house, her grandfather is a psychopath crime lord slash fake evangelist and her father his puppet. And oh god surrounded by the crazy great uncles as well.
Hannah is about to say something then she freezes for a moment. Somehow I know he is there standing behind me.
‘How long have you been here?’ Hannah asks panic in her eyes. Man have I longed to see any other feeling in her eyes other than lusting after my husband—but I can’t really bask into that right now. The woman is seconds away from a heart attack.
‘Well besides hearing my wife saying she wishes she’s never met me, I also got to confirm what I just found in your room could be true.’ Taylor’s cool voices sends shivers down my spine while Hannah visibly shakes.
I don’t turn around as he walks into the room and comes to stand where he can get a good look at us both. My gaze magnetically meets his and the hurt I see in his eyes shutters my already shuttered heart. He breaks our gaze and pins his eyes on Hannah who looks like she just want to disappear. That’s when I notice the papers in his hands. He raise them up and I recognize one the tattered files of Hannah’s research and recordings of her spying on the Abiwu family for the past three years.
Crap!