The drive back home for Melanie and Tobi was unusually quiet, she was starring outside absent mindedly and Tobi couldn’t help but wonder what she must be thinking about, he wonders if she’s regretting the fact that she’s his wife or she’s actually hoping there was still a possibility she can get back with Ronald, he didn’t see much but if whatever he saw was something to go by, Mel is indeed in love with Ronald still, he keeps on stealing glances at her without her noticing it because she’s not there with him…..his jealousy is almost getting the better part of him……good enoughMira is sleeping in the car other wise she would know something is up, the excitement and and all that they felt has evaporated, he continues to drive in silence till when they get home, he packs the car and does what he always does, he comes down to open the car for Melanie, that’s when she came to realize that they were already home “Thank you” she thanks him and collects the bags, she didn’t even wait for him but walks in to the House, Tobi looks longingly after her thinking she Might turn her head and look his way but that never happened, he picks up Mira and heads inside, they arrive inside almost at the same time “Welcome back children, you came just at the right time” just when Tobi thought no more bad news, his mother is in the house “Mother…. I didn’t know you were coming” “That’s because I never wanted to let you guys know, I just wanted to surprise you” “Indeed you have” adds Melanie “Daughter in-law, how are you doing” she flashes her widest smiles at Mel who responds “You don’t look happy, what’s up….are you sick” Mel realises it’s not only her mother in-law who has realised this but good enough Tobi came to her rescue “She’s having some slight headache, that’s why she’s pale…..Excuse me I need to put Mira to bed” “No no no….don’t bother, she’s actually the real reason why I’m here, I wanted to see her…. so hand her over here, let me watch my grandchild sleep in my arms” Tobi put the now big girl in his mother’s arms, he looks up and Mel’s mood is not getting any better “Babe….I think it’s best if you get some rest….I can keep Mum company” Mel tries to say she’s fine but Tobi is not having it, she climbs up with the bags in hand and Tobi watches till when she disappears……….. The shopping for Ron and his crew didn’t go as planned because after running into Mel and her husband, he feels impotent, he would have taken it lightly had it not been Tobias Akankwasa the young billionaire in town who is too gentle to lead a reckless lifestyle, he wonders if Tobias turned into a stalker and was always stalking him with Melanie, he wonders if he was the man who defended her honor and dignity on the day of their wedding….. he doesn’t know much about Tobias but he intends to find more once he gets home, Mel looked too beautiful and she’s not supposed to be for any other man, Ron together with the help of Perry covered up so well thatBecky could not find out more or suspect something, they did their shopping and left hurriedly……. they arrive home and Ron is already in a foul mood, his mother suspects there is a problem especially after he him running to his room immediately after coming in, he had found his friends with whom they had been together here five years back waiting for him but he didn’t care he just runs up “What’s up with him” Lillian asks Perry who says she has no idea but runs after him immediately “Did you guys have a fight” she turns to Becky ” “No…..we only bumped on some lady who was with her husband and daughter, and after that, he was a different person all together” Lillian gives patience a knowing look with both wondering if it was Melanie……….. Perry pushes open Ron’s door and finds him busy on his laptop ” “What has gotten into you Ronald….. why all of a sudden you’re behaving strangely……” he ignores her “Look here I never said anything back there because of your girlfriend” that word finally gets his attention “The last thing I want right now is to refer to her as my girlfriend” “Oh I’m sorry… your fiancé” “Stop it Perry, stop….can’t you see I’m hurting….I’m trying to find more about that man….that man” “Shhhhhh!….. walls have ears…. this isn’t the right time for this discussion but whatever it is, I don’t agree with you….you have no right” “I have every right…. every right Perry, she was almost my wife remember” “Almost but never your wife….she was never your wife so stop this madness because I will not let you hurt Mel again….. never” she storms off and Ron kicks the things he had scattered in in his room “I don’t need your help…..I don’t need it Perry, I will fix this alone and I will” he goes back to his laptop and he starts crawling through the people named Tobias Akankwasa, he checks one by one until when he finds the one he was looking for, he was able to tell because the profile picture there is that of Melanie…. he zooms it and he stares at Her smiley face, beaming so happily, she was definitely somewhere for a vacation or something, he can’t even tell where this place is but it’s definitely out of this country…… he continues to go through the picture and he can tell these people hooked up immediately after his separation with Mel, he knows because some of the pictures were few months after their failed wedding…… He’s losing his head, he gets out of Facebook and googles, he needed more information about Tobi and there he gets it….his profile picture there is a picture he took together with Mel and their little daughter, it’s probably in a conference somewhere…. “This should have been us Melanie…… it should be us not you and someone else…not him…not him, his money couldn’t have been the reason because I know you too well, you’re not money minded” he’s crashed down and weeps………….. Melanie after going to their room didn’t come back downstairs for dinner because immediately when she got to her bed, a lot of things were running in her head, things she couldn’t even understand, she wasn’t sure she was understanding her feelings, she needed to talk to someone but who can she even talk to about this, she went straight to bed and just lies there starring at the ceiling…..she didn’t know for how long till when her husband came in with a tray in hand, she sees him and immediately sits up “Hi….” she trembles like someone who has been caught in doing something bad “Hello” Tobi responds with no difference in his voice but his actions so unusual, Mel realises but she can’t ask knowing she’s the reason why “I’m so sorry I didn’t stay back with Mum” she tries to engage him in a talk “She understood, she’s gone….and Mira already had her meals, she’s in her room now I brought you something to eat since you couldn’t come down for food” he hands her the tray in bed but goes to sit on his reading table….she’s hurt, it’s usually not like this, on other normal occasions, he would sit and feed her to the end but today he’s turning her his back, she tries to eat but fails…..she clears her throat “About today….” she starts “Eat your food…..we have got plenty of time to talk this over” “No Tobi” this is the first time she’s calling him by names ever since they started this relationship, and he couldn’t miss this…. there was some awkward silence between them “My loveYou don’t have to force it” “Do you think I’m really forging this?…. well I’m not…you’re my love and I owe you some explanation” “You don’t owe me anything…… the situation was understandable, you had no idea you would run into each other…. it has been five years yes but we don’t normally forget people who have been part of us like that…it was abrupt, maybe you never thought you would ever see him again after all these years…..don’t worry yourself, eat you meal and forget this even happened….but please, don’t let Mira see you like this” he walks out of the room leaving Mel in the middle of a sentence……
To be continued…
