Tobi clinches on to the small Doll and it feels like he’s holding on to his daughter, he smells the Doll’s hair for a moment it feels as if his Mira is there….. he realises this is not helping him out so he gets up, he drops the Doll on the bed and walks over to her nightstand where she normally keeps her story books….the books she will pick every night her Dad comes to he room so he can tell her a story……Tobi is running mad, he’s hearing voices like Mira is calling him but her voice is coming from his bedroom…..he leaves the nightstand at once and walks over to his room
“Could it be she’s there with Mel…..” his heart is racing fast as he walks, he opens the door wide and he’s met with darkness all around
“Mira……are you there….. sweetheart, talk to Daddy are you there” there is no reply and he switches on the light……. and the room has remained just as they had left it earlier…..his eyes land on Mel’s sandals at the foot of the bed, he remembers how she always walks in, around and out of the room…..he’s not crying but he takes one step towards the bed, slowly like she was sleeping and he doesn’t want to wake her up…..he sits down and accidentally sees himself in the dressing mirror….. it’s like he’s looking at someone else, a stranger to be precise, he quickly takes his eyes away from the mirror……..the room is filled up with Mel’s smell all over, her perfume is still fresh like she was here a minute ago, everything in the room is still the way she had left them he looks so longingly at her pillow and picks it up holding it to his chest…..he lies down fixing the pillow in his thighs and clutching one so tight
“Please please Melanie…. come back, my love please come back….don’t leave me because I will only die” he turns from left to right and there is no consolation or whatsoever……. he sits up
“I can’t do this…..I can’t…. where is my damn phone” he’s still in what he had put on and he hasn’t changed at all…..he finds his phone and dials Mac who is already in bed with Jane wrapped around his arms
“What’s it now Tobi”
“I can’t do it Mac….. brother I can’t, I can’t tell me where my wife is”
“Calm down and don’t do anything stupid please….. I know how this is not easy for you but do you think it is for Melanie”
“Yes…
it’s easy for her because she doesn’t want to see me…..it is easy because it was so easy for her to end all this we have built in a day…..” he’s broken down completely
“Let me come right away, you’re not doing fine at all”
“No….you have done enough for me already….. I don’t want to burden you…. I can’t do anything stupid but I also can’t Deny it’s not easy to tolerate this pain”
“Mel loves you….she loves you Tobi, and I’m very sure her love for you will win over….I’m sure she only feels betrayed and so hurt but give her some days, she will come around”
“But after how long……how long will she take….I’m dying…… just help me tell her, if she doesn’t want me anymore, she should do me a favour and come to end all of this, she should kill me….. I can’t live without her love…. I can’t” Tobi ends the call and falls down on the bed
“I’m not saying what my boss did was justifiable but I think Mel is taking this extremely far” Jane, Mac thought was sleeping let’s her opinion known
“Aaauch baby….you’re judging her rather too harshly”
“No sweetheart…. I’m not, wouldn’t it be the right thing to do if she let’s him explain what really happened….. then after that she can make a decision because right now what she does is just keeping him in the dark…..I need to put some sense in her head tomorrow” Mac sees point in what Jane is saying but he thinks she shouldn’t meddle but Jane is not listening……..
After so many attempts to sleep that all doesn’t seem to work……Mel finally gets out of bed and heads out to the shower……she sits in the bathtub and puts so much effort in trying so hard to wipe her skin like she wants it to peel off…..she feels Tobi’s touches all over and surprisingly she feels touches of love and affection not the touches of horror like the day he raped her
“Did you really do it …….how come I find it so hard to accept this and believe it…. you’re too gentle, too loving and so peaceful to be labeled a rapist…..I fell for you genuinely, why didn’t you tell me…..why did you choose to keep quiet all these years, what do I do……how do I deal with this…..I’m so confused….. should I meet up with you and let you explain” she doesn’t know how long she’s been there but she can’t even think of any bad side of Tobi no matter how much she tries to picture him as s bad boy……….
Tobi sits up and he realises Mac will never tell him where Mel is but he can’t just let this be……
“Her phone….yes I should call her,why didn’t I even think about it earlier” he fidgets with his phone and calls her right away…..the phone surprisingly is ringing next to him
“What?……..your phone even remained behind” he pick it up and sees it’s already coming to 2am she has been called many times by a strange number that is not saved in her phone book
“I’m sure it’s either Ronald or those bastards” he has never gone through her phone checking it before because he trusts her but today he finds himself going through her phone, checking messages and try to see if there is something odd but he finds nothing…. He’s relived, he lies back on bed and doesn’t know how he did it but he finally falls asleep………..
Early the next day…..Ofelia walks in to Mel’s room and finds her still cuddled with Mira, they are still sleeping….she sighs in relief….. she walks over to the kitchen and finds Jessy already preparing something for breakfast
“Good morning sister”
“Morning….. you took long to wake up”
“I had so much on my mind and I slept late but when I finally did, I didn’t realise it was already morning”
“Some days are like that”
“How did you get all the food stuff”
“I had some money on me and there is a market across the street…..have you checkup with Melanie”
“She’s still sleeping…. she must have slept pretty late….I wonder how difficult this must be for her……I can only imagine” Jessy didn’t respond but she leaves the kitchen to go see her with her own eyes…..Ofelia finally gets out her phone and looks longingly at it
“Forgive me daughter… but I need to do this…..I need to know what happened”……..
Tobi who is still sleeping after a very difficult night is suddenly woken up by the vibration coming from his phone that’s under the bedcover
” No no no…..not today…. I’m not going to that office….I don’t want to see anyone” he sleepily mutters to himself , the phone continues to vibrate and without looking at it he decides to pick, he is not really moved that much because the only call he’s interested in is from his wife whose phone is also with him
“Hello” he answers
“Hello son” he sits up immediately
“Mum….is that you” he removes the phone from his ears and looks at the screen just to be sure he’s indeed talking to his mother in-law
“Yes it’s me….”
“How is Mel…. my wife, how is Mira…. where are you people my God I was worried…..tell me you’re all fine” Ofelia is more convinced she was never wrong about him
“Calm down son…..I want to meet you”
“Where…at what time”
“I’m ready…. I just don’t know where to meet you but we have to talk it’s important we do it today”
“Right away, let me get Ready and I give you a Call” he didn’t wait for her reply but drops the phone down, he runs to the shower to get Ready………
Ofelia turns to find Jessy standing behind her and smiling
“Good job sister…..go, go before Mel wakes up and I will cover up for you…..you can count on me for this…. I got your back”
“I will go but you might change the way you think and feel about Tobi when you get to know what this latest fight is all about” she walks out an Jessy looks puzzled and disturbed a bit but not entirely……
To be continued…
