Clandestine – Episode 8

Happy December, everybody. Enjoy Episode 8.

Alex lingered by the door as he watched Lola gather her clothes into a bag. He took deep breaths intermittently as he watched her hurry while packing the bags. His father-in-law might be one of the wisest men he knew, but he had started to doubt the efficiency of this new strategy. Lola was packing and she wasn’t looking back. She had shed a few tears downstairs moments earlier and run up immediately to gather her things. He had chased after her immediately only to stop at the door and watch her do the packing. Alex was emotionally drained. He knew it…but he was also responsible for the situation in which they had found themselves and maybe all he could do was to make things right between them. He swallowed painfully as he watched Lola zip the bag. She was done.
Lola took a deep breath and stared at the divorce papers. Her fairy tale marriage and love story was over in no time. Was she at fault for staying mad at Alex? He had hurt her! Why wasn’t he fighting anymore? She swallowed and picked the papers up. “This is it, right?”
“Lola…”
She took a deep breath. “You swore that you were going to love me. You were going to protect me. You were going to make me happy, but all you have done is destroy me. Break me. Make a fool out of me and make me cry.” She started and dropped her bag from the bed to the floor. “Where did those good days go, Alex?” she asked with a faint smile. “Just look at us, Alex. Just look at us. You’ve ruined everything. You’ve destroyed us. You’ve-”
“-WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?” Alex yelled. “WHAT???” He asked as tear drops rolled down his eyes. “You don’t want me to fight for you, Lola. You want out. I am tired. I am sorry. I am drenched and I am tired. I am really tired. I can’t focus anymore, Lola. Every time I see you, I just want to be with you, but I can’t. I broke your heart and I am deeply sorry for it, but I can’t keep fighting a lost cause.”
“Lost cause?” Lola asked.
He nodded. “You don’t want to talk. You don’t want to listen. You don’t want to try.” He said. “Then there is George.”
“George?” Lola quizzed.
Alex looked away.
“You have got to be kidding me, Alex Ojo. George?”
He took a deep breath. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“So what did you mean?” she asked. “Alex, that is so low.”
Alex swallowed. “Maybe you think of him now, right?”
“What?” Lola asked. “You are unbelievable.”
Alex sighed. “Do you still love me?”
Lola was silent.
“Say something, Lola. Please.”
Lola stayed silent.
“Lola, I am giving up on you. Say something, please.”
She took a deep breath and looked away.
“Lola, Say something!” Alex yelled.
“I have a right to be angry!” Lola screamed. “I have every right to be angry. You are responsible for everything.”
He nodded. “I know and I take the blame for it, but we can’t continue like this. You are not coming around. You hate me so much and you can’t heal here.” He said. He swallowed as he watched Lola wipe her tears. “Lola, I am sorry. I don’t know what to do anymore. I never saw this happening.”
Lola gaped as she pulled her bag. “There’s no need to talk about it anymore. We must have rushed things. I’ll just go. Maybe we were just a mistake.”
“No, Lola. You are my life. You are not my mistake.” Alex replied.
She nodded. “I know. You are my mistake.”
Alex’s heart ached.
Lola pulled her bag and walked up to him. “You were too good to be true, Alex Ojo.” She said. She then chuckled. “I should have known you were trouble, Alex. I should have known.”
Tears rolled down Alex’s eyes as he lifted his face to avoid her.
Lola placed a box in his hand. “That’s us, Alex.”
Alex squeezed the tiffany box with her ring painfully and stared at her. “Lola…”
Lola couldn’t hold back her tears as she crashed into Alex’s arms. “Alex, please…” she cried.
He hugged her till they slid onto the floor. “Lola, I am sorry.”
Lola took a deep breath and pulled away from him slowly. “Alex…”
“Lola…” he called back.
Lola leaned closely to him and kissed his forehead. She took a deep breath and rose to her feet. “I’ll send someone to get the rest of my stuff. We can meet with the lawyers on Monday to finalise everything.” She said and pulled her bag.
Alex held the bag back. “Please.”
Lola shook her head sadly. “No, this is goodbye. Take care of yourself.”
“Lola, I am sorry.” Alex said.
She nodded. “I am sorry too. I am still hopelessly in love with you.” She replied. “But, I’ll be fine.” She said and walked out, closing the door after her.
***
“What do you think you are doing?”
Mr David turned around as the Television went off. “I was trying to watch the game.”
“What game? Why were you at the gym with that guy?” she asked.
He stared at her. “What guy?”
“Alex.”
He smiled. “How did you know that I went to the gym with Alex? You were sleeping when he came by this morning.” He replied. “Come and sit with me.”
She took her seat with a frown. “That man hurt Lola and the next thing you do is go about throwing punches with him? Not fair.”
“Dear, Lola is too hurt to reason properly right now, all I am doing is trying to help her.” He said.
She stared at him. “And how are you doing that if I may ask?”
“It is top secret.” He replied and reached for the Television’s control. “May I please continue the game?”
“No. Not until you tell me what is going on.” She replied, keeping the control away.
“I can’t tell you else you are just going to blow it out of proportion.” He replied.
She stared at him. “What is going on, Mr David?”
“Mrs David…” he started with a smile. “It’s nothing we should worry our heads over.”
She took a deep breath. “Something isn’t very right here and I don’t like the smell of it.”
“It must be the food in the kitchen. Maybe it’s burnt.” He replied with a corny smile.
She jabbed him in the waist. “Come on, don’t be silly.”
He pulled her close as they chuckled. “My Lady, how did we make it this far? We are still so crazy about each other?”
“I missed all the better guys so I had to settle for you.” She replied with a soft laugh.
He smiled at her humour. “I have always loved your sense of humour.” He replied and pecked her forehead. “We made it here together because we are a team, because we know what it is like to hold something down. I have hurt you, you have hurt me and maybe not the way our baby girl is hurting, but we didn’t throw it all away. We fixed it and we are fine, darling. I know Lola is hurt, but she is also very strong and she is going to get through this.”
“I don’t know about it. This is too much for her. She didn’t bargain for it.”
He nodded. “But it has happened and we have to let life run its due course that we might be complete, lacking nothing.”
His wife stared at him bemused. “Did you just join a line from the bible to your motivating talk?”
He shrugged. “I might have. But that is not the point. We need to let Lola fix this. She knows the right thing to do and it certainly isn’t giving up now.”
“Alex just messed everything up.” She replied, sadly.
Mr David nodded. “You are right and I wish he had not done this, but we have to move on from it.”
The doorbell chimed. Mrs David stared at him. “Who are we expecting?”
“I…I don’t know.” He replied.
“I’ll go get it.” She replied and walked over to the door.
Mr David knew that if Alex had done everything according to a new plan, it would be Lola at the door.
Mrs David stared at her daughter and pulled her close for a tight hug. “It’s okay, my love. It’s okay.” She repeated as she took a crying Lola into the house.
Mr David looked away as he watched them go upstairs. He couldn’t bear to see his daughter in pain and he started to second guess his genius idea. Maybe he had just ruined her life with his ‘not-so-genius-plan’.
He hurried upstairs to meet them.
“Mom, he just signed them. He let me go.” Lola muffled amongst tears.
Her Mom hugged her tight. “Lola, let it go. You’ll be fine.”
Mr David cleared his throat. “This is what you wanted, right?”
“What I wanted? I wanted Alex to love me! To be faithful as I was. To take care of me! Not to cheat on me! I didn’t bargain for any of these, Dad!” she yelled.
“Watch your tone with me, young lady.” Mr David replied.
His wife turned to him in a flash. “This is not the time or place for any of this and you know it.” She rushed through clenched teeth.
He nodded as he took a deep breath. “I’ll be in the living room. Give her time to rest. We would talk about this over dinner.”
“There is nothing to say!” Lola yelled. “It’s all over for me.”
Her father swallowed and walked out.
“That is no way to talk to your Dad, Lola.” Her Mother started.
Lola wiped her eyes. “Mom, I don’t know what to do anymore. I can’t go on without Alex. I’ll die.”
“Of course, you can! Don’t allow your happiness to be hinged on anyone.” She said as she adjusted the pillows in the bed. “Now, you will go into the bathroom and have a nice shower, when you are out of the bathroom, take a good nap and we would talk when you have rested.”
“Mom! You can’t hear me.” Lola started as her tears rolled down. “I am not fine! I can’t take this.”
Her mother stroked her hair. “Take a shower, Lola and we would talk.” She said and walked out.
***
“What did you do that for?”
Mr David turned to his wife. “What…what do you mean?”
“Don’t give me that innocent face! You told Alex to sign the divorce. How could you?” she shouted.
Mr David pulled her hand and led her out of the living room into kitchen. “Why are you screaming?”
“Why won’t I scream? What sort of a father helps to tear his own daughter’s marriage? I should have known that you never wanted her to get married.”
He took a deep breath. “Women!!!” he stressed.
“What about women? Why do that to our girl?” she asked.
He pulled one of the chairs. “Please sit.”
“I am not in the mood for any of your romantic games now. You have to tell me the meaning of this nonsense.” She replied, taking a seat.
He smiled as he watched her sit. “Yes, I told Alex to sign the papers. But, it is not what you think. I would not want to see Lola get hurt.”
“Oh really? Se erin lo n rin loke yen? (Is she having a laugh up there ?) Lola is weakened. I have never seen her break down like that. It is not funny!” she retorted.
He nodded. “I know it is hard to see her like that and trust me, it is harder for me. But, the Lola we raised is really angry at her husband and might not forgive him if she continues staying in that home.”
“The Lola we raised?” she questioned. “People change! Lola might be angry but she sure can handle this in that house, not here. People are going to start talking about her. You of all people should know that.” She added.
He took a deep breath.
“Now, we are going to be visited by our neighbours regularly just to confirm that Lola has moved back in with her parents. Do you know what is going to happen to us in church? And our club meetings?” She asked.
He groaned. “Is that our biggest concern right now?”
“It might seem irrelevant and maybe not our biggest concern at the moment, but it is going to fuel our worries. So, maybe, yes. It is our biggest concern.” She replied.
He nodded. “I agree with you.”
“So, what is this grand plan of yours?” she asked.
He blinked. “It is not really grand…and considering the fact that Alex was wrong, it might be a cheap plan, but I think reverse psychology might work best in this situation.”
“Reverse Psychology?! Do you think Lola isn’t smart enough to know what is going on around her?” she asked.
Mr David smiled. “That’s the beauty of Reverse Psychology. You know it is being used on you but you can’t help it, because it hurts.” He replied.
“This doesn’t feel right.” She replied.
He nodded. “Lola is going to be fine. She loves Alex and he loves her too. He made a mistake and he is sorry about it. That marriage is going to be pointless if Lola stays with him filled with so much rage, she has got to find it in her forgive him and learn to rebuild that trust. If she succeeds, then she has a marriage. If not, then their divorce might just be real.”
Mrs David exhaled. “I don’t want my daughter to be hurt by this.”
“We are here for her. But, we are not going to help her take the easy way out of this. Sometimes, you have got to fight for what is truly yours.”
***
TWO WEEKS GONE
“So, Mr Idahosa is considering firing you due to your inefficiency in the past weeks.” Jude started as he stared at Alex who laid face down on his bed. “Alex?”
Jude took a second look at the room. It was littered with food wraps, clothes, bottles, and of course pictures. “Lola has moved on, Alex.”
“Get out!” Alex said.
Jude sighed as he took a seat. “Bro, you have kicked me out regularly in the past week, but today I am going to stay.”
Alex rolled over in Jude’s direction. “You have my attention now. What is it?”
“Why did you sign the divorce? Were you drunk” Jude asked.
Alex shook his head. “I was hypnotized.”
“Hypnotized?” Jude asked, slightly confused by Alex.
Alex took a deep breath and sat up. “My father-in-law told me to sign it and that when I did, we were going to work the reverse psychology on Lola and I did.”
Jude stared at him. “Guy? You mad? And you signed it?”
“It seemed like the smart thing to do at the time.” Alex replied.
Jude sighed. “Why didn’t you come to me for advice?”
“You? You are the devil.” Alex replied.
Jude nodded. “Fine, but I never would have told you to work the reverse thing on Lola. She is too hurt to want to listen.”
“I have not seen her in two weeks. She has barred me off her phone and I can’t even go to her house because the guards won’t even let me in. Worse, she hasn’t been to the office in two weeks, so, she is in that house.” Alex rambled. “What am I going to do?”
“It’s obvious Mr David played you. He used his wisdom to get his daughter’s freedom for that singing bird, George.” Jude retorted.
Alex nodded. “You may be right.”
“Of course, I am right! And you are here wallowing in pity when you should be fighting the old man for doing this to you.” Jude replied.
“Fighting?” Alex asked.
Jude nodded slowly. “Maybe not physically-”
“Can you be serious, Jude? This is my life we are talking about.” Alex replied.
Jude sighed. “I am sorry, I was just trying to make you happy.”
“It is not working.” Alex replied.
Jude nodded. “Okay, we have to come up with a plan and really fast. I hired someone to find out about your rival, George and he has a pretty scanty resume.”
“Resume?” Alex asked. “Are we hiring him?”
“No. He sings at Clandestine on Thursdays, he runs shifts at a mall and he volunteers at a kid’s home.”
Alex jerked. “Is that what you call scanty? He already sings like Legend and now he volunteers? Do you know how sensitive Lola is? She is going to adore him for his impeccable kindness!”
Jude sighed. “Oh boy! You have such natural bad luck.”
“Has she seen him in this last couple of weeks?” Alex asked as he drew close to Jude.
Jude scoffed. “How am I supposed to know that?”
“I thought you hired someone to watch him.” Alex replied.
Jude took a deep breath. “Based on the report I got, your wife, sorry, your ex-wife has been a really good girl.”
“I want to see her. I need you to help me come up with a plan.” Alex replied.
Jude clenched his teeth. “If I were you, I’d be worried about fatso who is threatening to fire you from work.”
“Idahosa can’t run that place without me.” Alex replied.
Jude nodded. “He knows. He has offered me a huge salary bump to take your place.”
“What are you saying, Jude?” Alex asked.
Jude smiled. “I turned him down and promised to get you back in shape, which he considered a better offer than having me in your place.”
Alex took a deep breath. “I want to see Lola again. Do you have a plan?”
***
Doubra handed Lola a glass of water. “How long will you continue like this?”
Lola stayed silent.
“You don’t look well. Let’s go to the hospital.” Doubra started. “I am tired of seeing you this pale.”
Lola turned to her. “You can go away.”
“Lola, you won’t get rid of me so easily. You might have succeeded in keeping your parents out of here but it won’t work for me.” Doubra replied as she drew the curtains back. “So, I take it as you have resigned to dying in here?”
“I’ll be over him soon.” Lola replied, weakly.
Doubra sighed. “Soon? How soon is soon? Look at you. You are fading away.”
“These things take time, Doubra. Just be patient.” She replied and drank some more water.
Doubra took a seat beside her bed. “I was thinking of getting us two movie tickets.”
“I am not going.”
Doubra nodded. “I haven’t bought them yet. I was just thinking.”
“Quit thinking.” Lola retorted.
Doubra checked her wristwatch. “I have to be at the office at noon. What do you want me to tell Oga?”
“Same thing you have been telling him. Unavailable.” Lola said and rose to her feet. “Excuse me.” She added as she hurried into the bathroom.
Doubra followed her to the bathroom. “Unavailable again? I think the man is getting bored.”
Lola puked into the tub and ran some water over her face. She then turned to Doubra. “I already sent in a letter notifying him of my absence, if that is not good enough for him, then, I am sorry.”
Doubra stared at her. “Lola, are you pregnant?”
“Pregnant?” Lola asked. “Where would I have gotten it?” she asked as she returned into the room.
Doubra followed her. “It’s just that the rate at which you have been throwing up in the last days is quite disturbing.”
Lola shrugged. “It must be malaria.”
“Have you taken any test to affirm it?” Doubra asked.
Lola sighed. “You are bugging me. What do I need a test for? I am not pregnant. I can’t be.”
“Why not?” Doubra asked. “Were you not intimate with your husband?”
“Not for a long time now. Ever since I got a whiff of his cheating, I stayed away.” She replied in a rush. “But…”
“But what?” Doubra probed.
Lola gaped as she took a seat. “It can’t be.”
“What can’t be, Lola?”
Lola stared at her. “It was just once. Oh my God!” Loa rushed to her drawer and pulled out her pregstrips. “Pass me the bottle of water.”
Doubra watched her friend as she nervously gulped the water and hurried into the bathroom, shutting the door after her. She took a deep breath and waited as she called ‘Lola’ several times to no avail.
After a while, the door opened and Lola stepped out.
“Lola, what is it? Talk to me.”
Lola stayed silent as she sat on the edge of her bed.
“Lola, you do know that these tests are like ninety-nine percent correct and you can take it many times to erode the possibility of the one percent?” Doubra started.
“I took it four times already.” Lola spoke up. “I am pregnant.”
***************

Let’s have the comments roll in… 😁

Clandestine – Episode 6

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EPISODE 6

Alex’s eyes ached as he saw Lola. There could only be one reason why she would be at the bar. It had to be George. He took a deep breath and gathered his steps with courage as he approached his wife. She didn’t take her gaze off him. She just stared. The Lola he knew would be slightly nervous. This one wasn’t. She just watched him as he took what might be the longest steps of his life towards her. “Hi.” He said lamely as he stared at her. Yes, ‘Hi’. They had now become the ‘Hello…Hi’ couple. It’s funny how a lot can change due to one person’s carelessness. “What…What do you want here?” he asked.
Lola raised an eyebrow. “The last time I checked, I was the music aficionado, not you.”
“On a Friday?” he probed as he slipped one hand into his pocket.
Lola sighed. “What do you want, Alex?”
What did he want? It was Lola he wanted. Could he have her? That…he didn’t know. Alex knew he didn’t have much to do at the bar anymore. He took one glance at Doubra and then walked out of the bar.
Lola’s heart skipped as though Alex had literally walked out of it. Her cold eyes held fear for a moment as she turned around after Alex. She took a deep breath as she watched him walk away and finally out of sight. She turned around as Jude cleared his throat. “Hi.”
“How are you doing, Ma’am?” Jude asked.
She stared at him with some disdain. “Good.”
“Of course, it was a pleasure running into you, here. Nice bar.” He added and walked out.
Doubra took a deep breath as Lola focused on the exit. Nothing had gone according to what they had planned. She reached for Lola’s shoulder. “Hey.”
“Huh?” Lola asked, probably stoned out by all that had just happened.
“I think we should leave.” Doubra said.
Lola nodded numbly and walked out with her friend.
George sighed as he freed himself from Bode’s grip. “Are you happy now?”
“What? You think I was going to let you go and meet her right there?” Bode asked.
George took a seat. “Maybe I just her lost her forever.”
“Maybe not…but, I think there is a lot of drama going on here and it sure is something that you do not want to be part of.” Bode replied.
George stared at him. “What drama?”
“They didn’t look very much like the happy couple, did they?” Bode asked. “I don’t think you want to be that guy.”
“What guy?” George asked.
Bode stared at her. “The guy who brings everything all crashing down.”
“Bode…”
Bode nodded. “I get it. She’s hot and you liked the lady before you knew who she was, but if there is any unhealthy drama between couples, back off. What would be would be.”
George blinked. Bode was right but his heart wouldn’t stop still. “I’d be a coward to give up.”
“And you’d be worthless to go after her.” Bode replied.
George stared at him. “Bode?”
“Maybe not worthless…but irresponsible.” Bode replied with a faint smile.
George wrestled with his thought as he drummed his fingers on the table.
“I get it…you like her, but brother, don’t go after her.” Bode added.
George stared at him. “She came here for a reason.”
“Yes…and don’t even start thinking that she came here for you.” Bode retorted.
George was confident that she did. “She came here for me, Bode. I believe it.”
“You know who I think came here for you?” Bode asked. “Her husband and his pal. They would have broken you into pieces if not for that little distraction. Take my advice, buddy. Run when you still have legs.” He concluded and poured himself a drink. “Free scotch?”
George stared at him. “Since when did it become your right to have free scotch?”
“I have one glass per day. We could share mine.” Bode added with a smile. “Think about what I have just told you. You don’t want to be that guy, man.”
George turned away as he sighed. “I want her.”
“Yes…we all want the best…but we all can’t have it.” Bode replied with a smirk.
George smiled. “I won’t settle for less.”
“Are you taking up a challenge with her husband? Be wise. There are a lot of things he knows about her that you would never know.” He replied.
“I saw her eyes that day…she was sad. Something is wrong with that marriage. She is hurt.” George protested.
“And it is not your place to step in. Besides, they will fix it.” Bode replied.
George relaxed in his seat. “I am not sure I can let her go easily.”
“Dude, she is not yours. You like her, but you can’t have her. Let’s do something, why don’t you treat it like a celebrity crush? You know? I am crazy about Genevieve Nnaji, but I am quite realistic that I won’t have her…so I am not going to kill myself over what I can’t have. Treat it like that.” Bode said with a smile.
George looked away. He wasn’t sure he could treat his feelings like that…it might have been a crush initially but it was blowing out of proportion and faster than he could hold it back in. The lady he cared about was also in his reach, why would he look away?
“George, I know it’s hard to look away but when the woman is not yours, she is not yours. You are just going to keep trying but you’d never own her and even if there’s drama in that marriage, it might be resolved or it may never be…but when you have to compete with a real man that wears suits like that, you need to bring something more than your heart to the table.” Bode said and chuckled.
George frowned. “Do you know how stupid the last part of your admonition sounded?”
Bode laughed. “I am sorry, but it’s the truth. Do you even have a car?”
“Is that what love is all about?” George asked.
Bode laughed mockingly. “See this one o! Love don enter the matter? It’s over for you!”
George clenched his teeth in disappointment.
***
Doubra stared at Lola. “I am sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?” Lola asked as she typed away on her laptop.
Doubra blinked. “You have not said a word to me since we left the bar. I made you go there and I am sorry.”
Lola chuckled. “Do I look like I am five to you?”
“I know you want to think that you made that choice solely on your own because it is typical of you to think like that but I just think that if I had not made us go to the bar we wouldn’t have run into Alex.” Doubra said.
Lola closed her laptop. “One question for you, Doubra. What if we had not run into Alex at the bar? Would you be saying this?”
Doubra blinked as Lola’s question pierced her. She had really not thought about the possibility from the positivity. “Lola, are you trying to spite me?”
Lola smiled. “No, darling, I am just saying that you shouldn’t feel bad for me. I don’t feel bad for myself.”
“Alex seemed broken.” Doubra replied.
Lola stared at her. “He seemed?”
Doubra nodded. “I don’t know…I felt really bad seeing him there. He must have gone there to look for George too.”
Lola took a deep breath. “Doubra, let it rest.”
“What does your Mom think of this whole thing?” Doubra asked.
Lola sighed. “We had a long hard talk but I made myself clear to her. If he cheated on me once, maybe it could be a mistake. But these are several ladies, I can’t see it so simply. I am tired. My Mom is pissed at me and I am sure my Dad too is. They understand I am hurt, but they don’t think I should quit.” She replied as she ran her fingers through her hair. “I… am also very confused.”
“So, where do we go from here?” Doubra asked as she stared at a picture of Lola and Alex on the table.
Lola sat up. “I don’t know.”
“Do you really want the divorce?” Doubra asked.
Lola remained silent.
“You have your signature on it…it won’t take long before you get Alex mad enough to want to let you go…so, are we all in?” Doubra asked.
Lola stared at her. “Are we? Number one, I am the one married to Alex. So, the only person getting a divorce here is me.”
Doubra took a deep breath as she braced herself to hear Lola’s rant.
“Do you think I can let Alex go? Do you think I can live without him? Alex is my life. He is everything to me. My friend. My buddy. My partner. I’d take endless walks with Alex without going weary and even when I am tired, we are both in it. Alex is the only one who had given me a reason to understand how meaningless life could be alone. He gave meanings to a lot of silent things in my life. He is the only one I’d yell at and still be able to make love to…I love Alex. It is that hard to let him go. I can’t go on without Alex. I am mad at him but I don’t want to him to go.” Lola said as she tried to fight back welling tears.
Doubra swallowed painfully. Everything Lola had said to her had pierced her heart and shown her off as a bad friend. But she wasn’t bad. She just wanted her friend to be a little happier than she was. Her genius plan seemed to have worked until they ran into Alex at the bar. “I am sorry, Lola.” Doubra said.
“There is nothing to be sorry for.” Lola replied. “You tried to help me in your own way and I don’t resent you for it.” She continued and poured herself some water. “This is something I must make a decision about.”
Doubra watched her friend drink slowly. “Do you think you can ever forgive him? Maybe learn to trust him again?”
Lola stopped drinking her water and focused on Doubra.
“When he is on the phone making a business call, are you not going to be worried that it’s another woman? When he has to travel for a business meeting in Abuja, would you believe him or would you take the next flight to Abuja after him? Would you ever be able to trust him again? Because, if you decide to forget this and make your marriage work, you have to be able to trust him all over again. If you don’t think you can trust him, don’t waste your time, Lola.” Doubra said.
Lola stayed silent.
“I am going to my office, Lola. Take care of yourself. I’d check on you later.” Doubra said as she rose to her feet.
Lola waited for Doubra to shut the door before she let her tears roll down. She didn’t know if she’d be able to trust Alex again and that was indeed her greatest fear.
***
Jude passed Alex a bottle of beer. “Here you go.”
“Nah…not drinking.” Alex replied as he removed his tie.
Jude sat up. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know what I want to do.” Alex replied.
Jude took his seat beside Alex. “Look here, man, you have to know what you want to do. There has to be a reason why Lola was at that bar and if your guess is as good as mine, your wife was there because she was interested in George.”
“Jude.”
Jude scoffed. “Come on, man, be real. She wasn’t there because her company had become advisors to Clandestine bar overnight. She was there to do exactly the same thing we were interested in, finding out more about George.” He said. “The only difference is emotional attachment.” He added quickly.
Alex stomped his foot on the ground. “Oh God!”
“Lola went there for him.” Jude said.
Alex stared at him. “Why don’t I ask her before drawing conclusions?”
Jude groaned. “Guy, are you dumb? Your wife doesn’t owe you any explanation right now and trust me you won’t get any different answer from her than I have provided you.”
“You want me to believe you over my wife?” Alex asked calmly.
Jude smiled. “I know what you are trying to do and it won’t come out nice. I know it hurts to think that your wife might have subtle feelings for someone else and in this situation, it is not far from it, but what else could she want at Clandestine, Alex? Think. You know it. It is hard to admit, but I want you to accept it and hasten this denial phase so we can look for solutions.”
Alex sighed and picked up the bottle of beer. “I could use this now.” He said as he opened it and started to drink.
“Take it easy, man.” Jude cooed as he sipped his drink. “We just have to come up with a really good plan.”
Alex dropped his bottle. “What plan is going to be good enough for me? Lola has served me the papers already. She has probably made her move on the George guy, which means I am out of the picture.”
“Not yet, Alex. You can’t give up on her.” Jude replied and gulped his drink down. “She’s hurt but she’s yours. I don’t think you should let her go easily, besides, you were the one who said you won’t want her to play the revenge card so she doesn’t hurt herself, so, fight for her and don’t let this new guy in.” He added.
Alex stared at Jude. “Why have you stayed single?”
“Being married doesn’t change a man. It’s just a good place to show who he really is.” Jude replied. “No offence bro, but look at you.” He said and laughed. “I don’t want to be in this sort of mess that you are in when my wife finds out I have been screwing other women.”
“Why did I even let you talk me into this act?” Alex asked.
Jude smiled. “Well, scoring ladies had always been fun for us back then…and of course, we were quite stupid to let it get this far.”
“And I am more stupid knowing I am letting good love go to waste. Lola is everything.” Alex replied.
Jude sighed. “Maybe if I found myself a ‘Lola’ type of woman, I’d understand how you feel. Honestly, I don’t know how I can be so stuck up on someone.”
“Maybe if you fall in love someday, you’d understand. Till then, it would be as though I was talking gibberish to you and I don’t have the time to bring you up to speed on matters of the heart.” Alex replied.

“Why don’t you do something romantic for her? You could just show up at her office and take her home or maybe you can make her dinner or just do something special for her?” Jude probed. “There has to be something that ticks for her, right?”

Alex shrugged. “Do you think it’ll matter to her?”

“Yes, it should matter to her. Alex you have got to try harder than you already are.” Jude replied. “And if she still comes at you with the divorce papers, then maybe…just maybe it’s time to let go.”

Alex blinked. “Are you sure?”

“Alex, I am not sure. But, you have got to try.” Jude replied. “Let me see, do you guys still talk at home?”

“No. But, she makes my breakfast and dinner before leaving for work. At night, she warms my food and serves me and walks away without saying a word, if she is still awake. Otherwise, I warm my food myself.” Alex replied.

Jude smiled. “Dude, you are guys are still practically married. You haven’t lost anything.” He said with a grin.

“You are wrong. I have lost my friend and confidant. I just have a timed house mate who would leave the minute I sign the papers.” Alex replied and looked away.

***
Lola turned the door knob and walked into a dark living room. She reached for the light switch but the bulbs wouldn’t come on. She could have sworn that she had seen their neighbour’s front lamp on. Why didn’t they have electricity? Maybe it was his generator. She picked her steps as she turned to her right and a dim lamp beamed in the corner. She gasped as Alex’s frame stepped in from the shadows. “What did you do that for?”

“I am sorry.” He replied.

She nodded. “Have you had dinner?”

“No.” He replied.

She nodded. “I’ll go warm your meal.” She said and tried to step away. Alex took her hand. “What is it?”

“I made us dinner.” Alex said. “Come with me.” He said and led her to the dining room.

The dining table was candle lit. Lola took a deep breath as she stared at Alex. “What is this?”

“It’s time to eat.” He replied and drew her chair back. “I know you have not eaten with me in a long time, but please just sit.”

Lola blinked and took her seat. “Thank you.”

Alex took a deep breath and poured her wine. “Do I serve your soup?”

“Alex.” Lola called.

He stopped and stared at her. “Yeah?”

“I understand what you are trying to do and I…I think you are making efforts but I…I don’t know if I still want this marriage. I can’t sleep without thinking of it and it eats me up so much. We are going to have lots of issues. It’s hard for me to comprehend this whole scenery, I don’t know if I’d be able to trust you again…or love you again…or-”

“-Lola, please have dinner.” Alex said, acting unnerved by her statements.

She stared at him.

“Just eat. It’s just food. Don’t worry about my efforts. This is all about you. I am going to respect your decision. Just eat.” He replied and served the food.

He took his seat and dug his fork into his meal.

“Are you going to sign the divorce papers?” Lola asked.

Alex stared at her. “Do you want a divorce from me, Lola?” he asked.

Lola didn’t know what her next response would be. Alex didn’t look sad or worried anymore and at the same time, he didn’t see excited. He just held indifferent emotions. This seemed like another of his facades, but she didn’t know if it was worth a gamble. She stayed quiet.

“Lola?” Alex probed. “Do you want a divorce?”

Lola stared at him and then blinked. “I don’t want to talk.”

“Lola, let me know if I should start letting go…it’s going to take forever for me, so maybe you want me to start now.” Alex said.

Lola swallowed. “Do you think it is easy for me? Do you think I can just stop loving you? Do you think I want this?” she shouted.

Alex blinked. “I am sorry.”

“Too bad sorry can’t change how I feel right now.” She replied and rose to her feet. “In response to your question, Yes. Let’s break this thing up. It’s good we have no one to worry about but us.”

Alex felt the heaviness in his eyes. He raised his head to prevent any betrayal from his eyes. “Lola, what am I going to do without you?”

“I don’t know, Alex. I don’t know what I’d do either, but all I know is I don’t want to be here…I hate you so much for doing this to us, Alex.” She replied and walked away.

Alex blinked and let his tears flow.

***
It’s not every time that you have all the answers…most times, we never have most of the answers. Alex knew he was losing Lola. He had his fair share of the blame and maybe all of it, but he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. You don’t love a woman endlessly and just give up. He didn’t know if the choice he had just made was stupid but he was going to do it.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He had spent the early hours of the morning driving down here and he couldn’t turn back now…even though he could be in trouble.

“Good morning, Sir.” He said as the door opened.

Mr David stared at him.

Clandestine – Episode 4

Lola stepped hard on the brakes as she avoided crashing into a tree. She took a deep breath and thanked God in a second for sparing her life. She had been driving for the past three hours with no destination in mind. She just kept driving. She wanted to run away. She wanted to escape from the pain that had engulfed her soul. Her chest ached. She was hurting. Not many people could hurt her, but when she loved, she loved like a woman, and of course, she hurt like one. A hurt woman. She took a deep breath and finally allowed her tears flow. She had held back tears for months and held on to the belief that it was all a dream. She had hoped that for one reason or the other, her twitter informant had been wrong about Alex. She wished she had stepped up to Alex the first day she got the tip, but she didn’t want to hurt him. There was every tendency that her informant could be wrong, after all, she was a popular figure and most people would take interest in her personal life…and it wouldn’t be far-fetched for some to come up with very hurting lies. This, however, had turned out to be true. She had prayed silently, loudly and sometimes, out of words just to make it all go away…but some things would always hurt you. She had spent seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks and eventually months pondering on where she had gone wrong…maybe nothing did last forever. Where did those good days go?
It could be very painful when you have to console yourself, hug yourself, kiss yourself, cry with you and eventually wipe your own tears…but when you are all you have got, you have to be there for you. She finally stopped crying and opened the door. She looked down and noticed she had a flat tyre. She cursed her luck. The flat tyre must have contributed to the swerving of her car off the main road. That had to be the issue. Yes, her car tyre might have been flat, but her mind was off the road the moment she started driving. She walked over to the trunk and fetched her jack and a spare tyre and proceeded to fixing it herself. It can’t be overstated that channelling your hurt and anger into work could be pretty therapeutic. The only problem is that when that work is over, you might have nowhere to turn…but till then, exhaust yourself.
“Female mechanic?”
She turned and stared at the probably six-foot man that imposed on her frame from behind. After one glance at him, she was done. She returned to lifting the car with the jack when the stranger placed his hand on hers. She yanked out of it furiously and turned to him in one instant. “What do you want?”
He smiled at her arrogance. He was taken aback by her. She was clearly not struggling with the car but she shouldn’t have to refuse help. “I just want to help.” He said.
“Why? Are you a mechanic?” Lola retorted.
He shook his head. “No, I was just around the corner and I noticed you…I mean, you are a female and I noticed you doing this and I decided to help.”
“I don’t need your help.” She replied and bent down to remove the tyre and replace it with the spare.
“Why are you so angry?” he asked.
Lola ignored him and continued with the tyre.
He bent beside her. “You don’t have to be so angry. You could be happy.”
Lola stared at her hand. Her wedding ring was no longer there. At that moment, she did regret taking off her ring, if she had known that she would meet someone bugging her, she would have loved to have the ring with her, so she could flash it in his face and say the cliché word, “Married…” But who cared about those things these days? After all, Alex did cheat on her as a married man.
The man wasn’t going to go away. He watched her screw the nuts to the tyre with so much skill. She definitely wasn’t the average lady. “How do you know how to do this?” he asked.
She stared at him. “I drive a car. It’s common sense.” She emphasized coldly.
“You don’t have to be so rude.” He said as he slowly got up. “I was just trying to make a conversation.” He said.
She swallowed. “I am not interested.”
“Clearly.” He replied. “But you can try to be nice to people, we all have our battles.” He replied.
Lola felt bad for a second but her pain had to be more than his. She didn’t know what to say to him so she just removed the jack from the car and rolled the tyre off to the trunk. He followed her to the trunk. “So what’s your story? Did you get fired from work?” he asked with a raised eyebrow and a cheesy smile.
Lola acknowledged his effort in her heart for one reason. He had not said the cliché “Did he hurt you?” that she would have expected from most guys who had tried to take a conversation a little further. She dumped the tyre and closed the trunk and stared at him. “I have no story to tell you.” She replied and returned to the driver’s seat.
He lingered around her car door as he watched her turn the ignition and drive off.
***
Alex watched Lola as she walked into the house with her head down. “I made dinner.” He said, hoping that would be enough to stop her in tracks. He rarely cooked but when he did, Lola was in more in love with him. She didn’t stop walking, she just left for the bedroom.
Alex hurried after her. “Lola, please say something. Say anything.”
She stayed quiet as she pulled his pyjamas from the wardrobe and handed him a suit. “Goodnight.” She said.
Alex took a deep breath and walked out of the bedroom with his clothes.
***
A YEAR AGO
The best part of surprises is that they are unexpected…anyway, that’s why they are called surprises. He was going to make this one memorable. Alex pulled up at the seaport. He stepped out of the car in a hurry and opened her door. He knew he had to beat her to that. Lola didn’t mind opening her own door. He had gone out with many ladies who had commanded him to open their door as a sign of respect to a woman and he had obliged them, but that didn’t mean he gave them the respect. Lola had earned his respect from the first day and this day he made it a point of duty to beat her to opening the door tonight. This night was different. It was the most important night of his life and he hoped and prayed that it would mean the most important night of their lives.
Lola was worried. He had hurried to open her door before she could take off her seat belts. He was acting a little more like the conventional guy and that worried her, this wasn’t Alex. Actually, it was him, but just an excited one. She took his hand as he stretched them before her and led her out of the car. “Nice spot for dinner.” She said as she stared at the ships that stood in the dark waters. “Which bank did you have to rob to afford this place?” she asked.
“It’s my life savings.” Alex replied with a grin.
Lola smiled. “That leaves you a broke man.”
“Well, you’ll marry me a broke man.”
Lola laughed. “I can’t get married to you.”
Alex’s heart stopped for a second. Was she serious? He stared at her with the fakest smile he could muster amidst his fear or rejection. This would be a wise time to turn back…and prevent an epic turn down.
With the remaining courage in him, he took her hand to the sundeck of a beautiful ship. The decorators he had contracted had done a better job than he had envisaged.
“Wow!” Lola said as she climbed up to the sundeck. “This is beautiful.” She said as she revelled in the beauty of the atmosphere. The stars in the sky did make it a more perfect scenery as they lay in their impeccable light and beauty. “I’d understand if you are broke.” She said with a smile as Alex pulled her chair backward. “Thank you.”
Alex took his seat opposite her and prayed in his heart that he’d say everything right. He had rehearsed with Jude at home and his pal had made fun of him and promised him that he’d flop while proposing to her. The waiter joined them almost immediately they settled into their seats and took their orders and then hurried away.
“What are you doing, Alex?” Lola asked.
He took a deep breath. This was his moment. “I am treating you to fine dinner. Exquisite stuff.”
She nodded with a smile. “I can see that.”
“Every girl deserves to be a princess, and you deserve all that and more.” Alex started. Lola nodded slowly with an awkward smile as he continued. “Now, most importantly, every man who aspires to be a King needs his Queen and I want to be a King…maybe not the traditional King that everyone knows, but you know what I mean and I need you by my side, Lola. I want you to make me a proud man. Forever is a long time and I want to spend it by your side.” He said.
By this time, Lola was attentive and her heart thumped faster than it ever had. It was getting serious and pretty intense.
Alex got on one knee and lifted the Tiffany box before her, “Omolola Danielle David, would you please marry me?”
Lola was stoned. Alex looked assured and at the same time scared. She could see it in his eyes. She meant everything to him. She knew it. This was real. She was home.
Lola always wondered why most ladies did shed a tear when they got proposed to, but tonight it was evident. You could either be stunned by the diamond on your ring that your eyes would hurt so much and a tear drop might fall or you could be swooned by the fact that you actually own two hearts – yours and his. And yes, tear drops rolled down her eyes. “Yes, Alex.”
“You’ll marry me?” Alex asked with his eyes popped out.
Lola nodded with a smile. “I’ll marry you over and over again, Alexander.” She said.
He slipped the ring onto her finger and pulled her close for a kiss.
***
Lola strolled into the living room. Alex stared at her. “Good morning.” She said.
“I made breakfast.” Alex replied.
Lola sighed. “Alex, you are late for work.”
“What do you care?” he asked.
“Reverse psychology won’t work on me, Alex.” She replied as she searched through the key rack for her car keys.
Alex took a deep breath. “Lola, I can’t go to work in this state. I was a mess at work yesterday and I really want us to talk about this.”
“Alex, where are my keys?” she asked.
He blinked and stayed quiet.
“Alex, give me my car keys.” She said.
“I was trying to talk to you yesterday and you just walked out on me, you can’t do that to me today.” He replied.
Lola sighed. “Alex, I just want you to sign my divorce papers. Is that too much to ask?”
He nodded. “It is too much to ask, Lola. I am not giving up on us.”
“There is no us, Alex.” She shouted through clenched teeth. “You threw it all away and I want to be in peace. Can I at least have that?” she asked.
Alex walked up to her and knelt down. “Lola, please give me a chance to fight for us. Please. I am sorry.”
“I don’t know.” Lola replied as she looked away.
He blinked. “Tomorrow is Thursday, I want to take you to Clandestine.”
Lola stared at him. She loved that bar. It held a lot of special memories for her.
Alex took her hand. “Lola, please. Tomorrow night. I’ll come home from work and I’ll take you there.”
“No.” she replied.
He blinked.
“If I’ll come. I’ll meet you there.” She replied.
He nodded. “That’s fine by me.” He replied.
“Can I have my keys?” she asked.
He pulled out the keys from his pocket and gave them to her. “Lola, I am sorry.”
“Don’t apologize to me anymore, Alex. I am tired of hearing it.” She said amidst the tears she tried to hold back. “You-don’t-hurt-those-you-love.” Alex took her hand. She said as tears rolled down her eyes and she hurried out of the house.
***
“What’s up, bro?” Jude asked as he walked into Alex’s office.
Alex ignored Jude as he focused on his laptop.
“Come on, man. I already said I was sorry.” Jude said with a smile. “Guy, you enjoyed this thing o! I don’t know why you dey vex for me!”
Alex remained silent.
“Okay. Any luck with her?”
Alex closed the laptop. “What do you want?”
“Alex, you are my guy. Why you dey do like this na? Because of a woman?”
Alex took a deep breath. “Lola is my wife. Lola is my life. Get it!”
Jude nodded. “But why hasn’t she forgiven you? I mean…this hot love you guys have…she should have forgiven you by now.”
“Get out of my office.” Alex replied.
Jude sighed. “Look man, I am saying it so spite you or her, I am just being honest. This is why I never got married, I can’t be tied down.”
“You can’t be responsible. That’s your issue.” Alex replied and walked over to the door.
Jude chuckled. “And you are the responsible guy? Dude, as a married man, you have scored well.”
“You might leave now. I have work to do.” Alex said.
Jude remained on his seat. “I am not going anywhere. Sit down and let’s talk about this.” He said in defiance.
Alex clenched his teeth and shut the door.
“Bro, you have got to stop acting like this with me. I am doing everything I can to support you.”
“Maybe I don’t need your support anymore. You have done me more harm than good.” Alex said.
Jude turned in his direction. “Alex, I want you to get back with your wife. I also want you to understand that you have some fault in this matter.”
“I understand. But, if I want to thread on the right path, some things have to change from now…and you are one of them.”
Jude sighed. “So you are cutting me off? Just like that?”
“I haven’t said anything yet…but it is a possibility.” Alex replied. “I don’t want to ever stray again.”
“Address your own personal issues.” Jude replied as he rose to his feet.
The door opened and Mr Idahosa walked in. “There is a good chance for you to redeem your image and that of this bank, Mr Alex. I got us into an impromptu pitch and it starts in two hours.” He started. “This is your opportunity, if you mess it up, you are out!” he added. He then turned to Jude. “Prepare the pitch book. We don’t have time to waste. Let’s go make this money.” He added.
Alex pulled his sleeves back to check the time as Mr Idahosa made his exit from the office.
Jude turned towards him. “You can’t get rid of me easily, bro. We have to work this pitch together.” He said and walked out of the office.
Alex took a deep breath and returned to his chair.
***
Doubra joined Lola at her desk as she walked into her office. “Hey! You missed lunch, where were you?”
Lola stared at Doubra’s empty hand. “Did you get me anything from lunch?”
“Actually, no.” Doubra replied.
Lola shrugged. “See…it doesn’t matter.”
Doubra sighed. “Are you trying to guilt trip me? It’s not working.”
Lola smiled. “I had to finish some work so I decided to skip lunch.”
“Hmm…I see. Anyway, I have a question. I hope it doesn’t sound spooky.” Doubra started as she pulled a seat. “Where is your wedding ring?”
Lola relaxed in her chair. “I am not wearing it.”
“Lola, I am your friend, right? Why don’t you tell me what’s going on? You can’t keep bottling everything up and expecting answers to come for you.”
Lola smiled faintly. “Doubra, you are exaggerating the matter. This is just me not wearing my ring.”
“Newly wedded females don’t just not wear their wedding rings for two days consecutively.” Her friend replied with a smile. “Whenever you are ready to talk, you can talk to me.” She added and picked up a file from the table. “This is the file for the case we are working on, right?”
Lola nodded. “Yes.”
Doubra flipped through the file briskly. “Alright then. I’ll complete my own part in it, and I advise that you talk to me when you are ready to.”
Lola smiled. “I am fine, Doubra.”
“No one is ever really fine.” She replied.
Lola sat up. “Doubra, I am fine.”
“Whatever makes you happy.” She replied. “How’s Alex?”
Lola stared at her. “Alex is okay.”
“Good. You guys look good together.” She replied and walked out.
***
THURSDAY NIGHT
Alex stared at his wristwatch as sipped his drink. Lola had told him that she might come and he hoped that she would. It wasn’t time for music yet and so he was still optimistic that she’d show up before the music performances started.
He kept turning his head over at the  opening of the main door to disappointments and sighs…maybe she wasn’t coming after all. But then, he was still optimistic. He dialled Lola’s phone but it kept going into her voice mail. It was time to leave, but he had made up his mind that he was going to stay till the end…if she showed up, fine. If she didn’t, he knew he deserved the treatments he had been receiving from her lately.
He took off his jacket and relaxed as the moderator announced that the musicals would start in the next couple of minutes. He would try to listen to the sound today and maybe he’d see what actually fascinated Lola in listening to music. He listened to songs, but she was astute with them. She knew how to listen.
“Hi.”
Lola came. Alex almost sprang to his feet to receive her. “Hi. Hi. Erm…you came.” He said with a smile.
Lola smiled faintly as she took her seat. “Sorry I kept you late.”
“It’s fine…it’s fine. They are just about to start the first song. Fruit punch is good, right?” he asked.
She nodded.
Alex hurried to get the punch almost immediately and returned to her in a flash. “Here you go.” He said as he placed the glass on the table.
“Thank you.” Lola said.
He smiled. He was making progress.
“My name is George. This song is titled “SHE”. I ran into this gorgeous lady some days ago while she fixed her car tyre and she totally inspired this song in my heart. I have not seen her since then, but, I’ll always have this song for her.” The vocalist said and then strung his guitar.
Lola lifted her head to the podium. She knew him. He was the guy she was rude to while changing her tyre some days ago. Lola focused her gaze on him as he sang with so much depth and passion. Everything he said could be traced to her. Her eyes. Her sorrow. Her pain. All what he had perceived from a distance, he had carefully scripted it into words and into a song. It was beautiful.
Alex stared at Lola. She was lost. She was obviously happy where she was. Maybe he could bring her here every day and maybe that would make her happier and just forgive him. Just maybe.
Finally George stopped singing and smiled. “She is here.” He said as he stared at Lola.
The audience cheered…except Lola.
Alex stared at Lola. “Lola?” No response. He stared at her eyes which were fixed on George. He then turned towards him. George was smiling. He was smiling at Lola and Alex knew it.
Lola was SHE.