Ofelia who is still unsure of what to do or how to react comes back into the hospital room looking so down and she’s trembling, she doesn’t know what to do about this development or even act about this whole news, she looks so down but fights to put up a brave act in front of everyone, the last thing she wants right now is to make any one suspect she already knows something…… she’s relived to find Mel has calmed down a bit talking to Mac, she has no idea what they are talking about but she’s so thankful for that….she walks up to them
“Excuse me Dr Mac, can I talk to you please” Ofelia asks Mac
“Sure… we can do it from my office” he leads her to his office, it’s the first time she’s entering his office and she feels a little awkward
“Thank you”
“Sit…..go ahead and sit” Ofelia does and she looks him in the eyes
“I’m here to ask you a few questions and I want honest answers from you Dr Mac” Mac saw this coming
“So you already know”
“Yes I do Mac….. I already know and I want to know if you knew about this…… did you know about this from the beginning” he looks aside
“Don’t lie to me please…. for how long have you known about this”
“I wouldn’t say that I don’t know about it because I would be lying to you but believe me……the only person who can explain things clearly is Tobi…. I’m not justifying his actions or anything because he’s my brother or for the fact that he’s more like my brother but please, I beg of you don’t judge Tobi before listening to his explanations” Ofelia gets up and starts to pace
“I’m confused, I’m so confused and I don’t know what to do…. what really happened, how did this all happen”
“Calm down…..I can assure you, Tobi had no intentions of hurting Mel, he….”
“What????….. are you justifying his actions…. is that it”
“Not at all mother…..I have known Tobi all my life and we have been more than just friends….we have been to the same primary school, highschool and it was only during our university days we were apart because he moved out of the country….. but he came back, he was the same Tobi I knew years before, nothing changed”
“Then how will you explain…. how and why did he do this to us”
“That’s why I said you should talk to him, let him explain and you understand…… you have lived for five years with him in the same house, you know what he’s capable of, you know how he gets when his loved ones are involved especially Melanie and Mira….. you see how much he has done for Melanie and he even went as far as forsaking his own mother in order to be with her” he walks up to her and holds her hands
“Sit down please mum….. don’t get yourself all worked up……I know Melanie right now may not want anything to do with him…. I know she will not want to hear anything from him but don’t you think that will be so unfair to him after all this while…..after everything, do you think this will be fair to him” Ofelia looks so confused
“I don’t know my son…..I don’t know, I have failed to accept that Tobi truly did this to my daughter”
“But she did….she did and he’s not proud of what he did,he is ashamed of himself and he has not been able to forgive himself after all this while” she gets up again and walks to the window
“Could it be that he never loved her,he was only with her because he was only feeling guilty or because of his daughter”
“No no no mother…. don’t think so little of him, I admit he got close to her at first because he was feeling guilty and could not forgive himself for everything but that all changed, he genuinely fell in love and so he wanted to be with her…..I’m not lying about that I swear” she starts to weep
“Tobi my son…..my child, why didn’t you tell me…..why did you keep all this from me”
“Don’t work up your Brain….. like I told you, all Tobi ever wanted was the best for all of you…..he’s a good person, a beautiful soul and a peace Maker….. He’s a quiet man, have you Ever seen him raise a hand on your daughter all this while?…. has he ever given you a reason to doubt his love for Melanie?…. has she ever complained about him to you in all these years”
“I know….I find it so hard to believe…. there is something wrong somewhere that I need to find out but Melanie wants us to go away” he goes to her again
“Where do you plan on going from here” she looks at him and sits down
“I wish I knew…..I just wish I knew but I have no idea, all my life I have been a very unlucky woman and it has all transfered on my daughter”
“Please don’t say that…..you’re not unlucky and neither is your daughter Melanie….. if you let me, I can be of help”
“How…..how can you possibly be of help to me”
“Look….just a little Patience, I have called my wife, she’s on her way here….. we can help find a place for you so you can move in to until Mel is sound enough to make any decision”
“No….that won’t be necessary, I don’t want to owe any one anything anymore”
“I know that’s what you want but this is not some favour I expect you to pay back, Tobi is my brother and you’re all like a family to me because you’re his family….he will not forgive me if I don’t help you people out, he would do the same to me I swear if I was the one in this situation” Ofelia looks like she’s going to give in but she still has some doubt in her eyes
“You can trust me Mum…. as much as he’s my friend, I will not tell him where you guys are if you don’t want him to know”
” Trust me…..we have no choice because it’s true we have no where to go, Mel will not want any financial assistance from Tobi and we even don’t know where to start from…..I blame myself for being a poor mother”
“Don’t say that” he goes on to hug her
“You can never be poor, you’re rich at heart and you have a beautiful soul too…..your daughter is not any different from you”
“Thank you very much Dr”
“Please just call me Mac or even better son” she this time embraces him tightly
“With you and Tobi I surely won a lottery and it breaks my heart that he….” he cuts her short
“Don’t judge him before hearing his whole story please…… I’m sure you will not change the way you think of him”
“I hope so…” she starts to walk out
“Mum….” she stops
“Please, if possible…. you should be careful with who visits Mel or when….I’m sure some people are going to want to take advantage of this situation to confuse her the more…..I know on the right sense, police would be the immediate person you run to but please it should be maybe after you have talked to Tobi and you are convinced that’s what you wish to do…..remember a child is involved in this…..a child who looks at her father as a hero, as a perfect father…..I’m not blackmailing you but I hope you get my point….you all love Mira and want the best for her”
“Don’t worry…..I understand…..” they walk out together…….they get to the waiting area and find Jane has already arrived and and she’s seated with Mel her aunt and Mira……
“Thank goodness you’re here baby can we talk” Mac says to Jane who gets up immediately, they walk aside
“What’s going on baby…I’m confused, no one is talking”
“How is Tobi… where is he”
“He’s down… he totally down and doesn’t want to talk….I’m so confused….what happened, did they fight”
“I will explain everything to you baby but right now we have to get these people out of here….”
“What are you saying”
“We are taking them to Niva”
“Niva???….. what’s going on”
“Hurry…let’s get going I don’t want people to start talking…..and after here you will help me pick up their things from Tobi’s and bring over”…… Mel still doesn’t know what’s going on when her mother asks her to get up and they go, she has no idea where they are even going
” Mummy…are we going to Daddy now” Mira is hopeful and Mel kneels down
“Sweetheart…… stop asking too many questions let’s go”
“But i need to see my Daddy”
“You will see him Darling” Ofelia comes to the little girl’s side
“Let’s go” she looks at Mel and they leave and unknown to them Ron who packed outside the hospital has been waiting for them to get out, the moment he sees Mac’s car leave, he starts the car and follows them….he swears he’s not going to leave till when he speaks yo Mel and take her away with him…..
To be continued…
