Fifty two

How would you react if someone comes to you and announces something so absurd, something like the moon is green?

You'll probably laugh in their face and ask for proof right?

That's exactly what I did.

Well, I didn't only laugh at Bernard's face and ask him for proof, I also started gathering my things, preparing to leave because this whole thing had just been a fucking waste of my time. I shouldn't have even agreed to meet with Bernard in the first place. I should have known that nothing good would come out of this meeting. How dare he say that Dr Mary connived with Bobby to ruin not only my life but also Mene's life. This just proved that he was on drugs.

"What are you doing?" Bernard asked when I stood up with my bag, purse and phone in my hands.

"What does it look like? I'm leaving. It's clear that this whole thing was a waste of my time".

Confusion distorted his features. "I don't understand. Did I say anything to offend you?"

"Yes. It's clear that you just came here to bring me back to Eden. You want me to be scared of my new boss and then quit the job and come back to Eden so you can continue seeing me half naked".

"Jesus Christ". He reached over to pull me back down to my seat. "How on earth did you possibly come to such a conclusion? That's far from what's going on here". I huffed but still dropped my things back on the table and folded my hands on my chest, listening to his explanation. "I swear I've never thought of you coming back to The Eden. Yes, you're hot as fuck but don't overrate yourself, they're tons of girls as hot as you who come to The Eden every night".

He had a point with that one. It's been months since I resigned. He must have moved on by now.

"I'm telling you all of this because there's still a part of me that cares about you. We were friends before we fell out, Tarila. What do you take me for?"

I cleared my throat, avoiding his gaze as guilt flooded me. "I'm sorry. I just can't believe what you said".

"About Bobby?"

"About Dr. Mary. That woman is the nicest woman I've ever met. Do you know she gave me a room in her house that's almost like her sons'? I eat with them at the same table. She's like the mother I never had. There's no way she'll do something as despicable as what you're accusing her of".

He relaxed in his seat, rubbing his hand on his mustache with his eyes on me. "What do you know about her?"

"Exactly what I just told you. She's kind, loving, caring, intelligent, smart, a good person, a good mother and a good wife".

Bernard threw his head back, his chest shaking with laughter. "Did you just say, good wife? Good wife? That gold-digging whore?"

"You didn't just..."

He cut me off with a tsk. "That woman is a fucking cheat. Do you know the number of times I've seen her with Bobby? There's so much you don't know, Tarila. So much you don't know but that's not the bone of contention right here. We need to find a solution to all of these".

I couldn't utter a word. The only thing I could do was stare blankly at him.

"Say something".

"I...I don't know what to say. I want to say I don't believe you but right now, I don't even know what to believe".

"Whether you believe me or not, it's true. Dr Mary and Bobby have a lot of skeletons in their cupboard. A whole lot and they're working together".

I clasped my hands which were rattling on the table. Memories of how well Dr Mary treated me played in my mind; how she wished that I was her daughter, getting me clothes and food, and introducing me to her influential friends. It was so hard to digest this information. Is this really how human beings are? Geez, no wonder God said the heart of man is desperately wicked. How could she treat me like that when she was plotting my downfall? How could she even do that her son?

"I just want to understand something. Why would both of them plot to kill me? What did I do to offend them?"

"You don't have to offend people for them to hate you, Tarila. Some people are just wicked like that. What I don't understand is why Dr Mary wants her son's downfall?"

"Temitope doesn't know the reason why?" I inquired and he shook his head in reply.

"She doesn't". He sat up and leaned closer to me as he whispered. "But there's something she found. Have you ever wondered what Bobby wanted you to find out?"

"No". I stopped caring about the moment I fell in love with Mene but now that we were in the spirit of spilling things, well him not we, it wouldn't be bad if I also knew about that.

He looked out and around the restaurant, probably wanting to know if anyone was spying on us and when he was satisfied that no one was, he pushed his hands inside his pocket fished out a page of an old newspaper and handed it towards me.

"The Afeelos paid all the media houses and bloggers to not only take down the information but also twist..." He explained as I straightened out the rumpled newspaper to look at it. "...but these particular guys stubbornly refused".

*COMMISSIONER DISQUALIFIED FROM THE GUBERNATORIAL ELECTIONS FOLLOWING THE CONSPIRACY SURROUNDING SON*

The earth started spinning as I read the contents of the newspaper. They were saying something about Mene murdering his friends in a hotel room in the UK and claiming to have lost his memory after the incident. I tried to picture the man who was still kind in anger to the man they were talking about, a man who stabbed his four friends in their throats. The image couldn't be formed at all.

"No". I could barely hear my voice from how loud my heart was beating. I could believe that Bobby and Dr Mary ganged up on me but Mene committing murder? That was imposed. Mene couldn't even hurt a fly.

I was tearing up the paper before I even knew what was happening, ignoring Bernard's attempts to stop me. When I had succeeded in shattering the paper to pieces, I got out of the chair and dashed out of the restaurant. My vision was hampered by the contents of the newspaper and there was a shrill voice that kept ringing the words "you're in love with a murderer" at a corner in my mind. It was cruel and heartless. The voice didn't care that I was currently stuttering and bumping into people. It didn't also care about the attention I was garnering. It just grew louder and louder, not even stopping when I placed my hands to my ears to try to drown the voice.

"Stop!" I screamed at it but it still didn't stop. Tears were gushing down my eyes as I started slamming my hands on my ears. I needed the voice to stop. I needed it to stop.

"Tarila, stop it. You're hurting yourself". My hands were grabbed from my ears and held firmly to my side.

"He can't do what they're saying he did. He didn't do it". I vehemently shook my head, half-blinded by tears. Bernard replied by pushing me into his chest and I was too weak to protest. I accepted the comfort as I bawled ruefully.

"You're really in love with him". He stated it out like he couldn't believe that I was but I was in too much despair to care about that. My heart was bleeding and until it stopped, everyone else could go to hell.

*****

I wasn't sure how long I stood there, crying in Bernard's arms but I was forced to put an end to my wails and separate myself from him when my phone rang for the umpteenth time. It had been ringing continuously in my bag and I'd been ignoring it cause I didn't even have the energy to open up my bag but it was high time I checked it.

I had five missed calls from Chinwe, three from Suka and fifteen from Mene. I started replacing my phone in my bag but Bernard stopped me.

"Return the calls".

"What?" My voice was unrecognizable as I fought back the tears which were threatening to continue spilling.

"There's only one way for you to find out if whatever you saw in that newspaper was the truth. You're in love with him". I didn't miss the way he flinched as he said those words. "And I believe he's in love with you. Ask him. Go and see him and ask him".

"So you're telling me to go on with all of this?"

"Of course not. There's no reason I'll ever want you to do that but I want you to do your heart a favor before you quit. Find out the truth about your lover".

He was right. Mene wouldn't lie to me about anything. He would surely tell me if I asked him.

I unlocked my phone screen and clicked on Mene's number, returning his call. He answered almost immediately.

"Dogo is right behind you". My head whirled around at that and I almost jumped out of my skin when I spotted Dogo beside Mene's blue range over, his eyes fully trimmed on us. My heart tripped up in shock, fear and anger. Shock at how this man managed to find me, fear because I'd been hugging and crying in Bernard's chest and anger at the fact that Mene was too fucking stubborn and controlling.

I sent my eyes back to Bernard as Mene continued dishing out instructions. "Follow him home once you're done with whatever you're doing. Don't cause any scene and don't make me come there myself". He said and then the line went dead.

He was pissed? Good. That made two of us!

"What did he say?"

"Nothing important". I told Bernard as I threw my phone back in my bag. I knew Mene was the reason Chinwe and Suka also called me so I'd call them later.

My eyes fell on the chest area of his sky-blue shirt which was tainted with tears and I cringed inwardly at the sight. His eyes followed mine and he waved me off once he saw it. "Don't worry about it. It's just a shirt". He gave me a warm smile and rubbed my shoulder in comfort. "Take care of yourself, Tarila. I'll see you later".

Maybe it's because I just spent the last few minutes learning the hard truth that no one can be trusted and everyone has a version of them that they don't want anyone to see but suspicion trickled within me as I considered Bernard. Why was he doing all of this? I rejected him when he asked me out and also treated him like shit. Why was he helping me out?

"Why are you doing this?" My question pulled him to a halt and he paused for a split second before turning to face me. "There's nothing you're gaining from this so why are you helping me?"

"Because you'll do the same for me".