Marked ( Nigerian) #4

CHAPTER 34

Remi walked off to her room and sat on her bed. She laid down and stared at the ceiling as her mind raced through everything she had discussed with Ophelia. She closed her eyes and a tear rolled down the side of her face.

She woke up a few hours later and reached out to the empty side of her bed, she had dreamt he was there with her but he wasn't. Her hand touched her phone and she switched it on to go through her messages.

'Your parents are heading home from the airport' a text from Tobi, an hour ago. She sat up quickly and ran out of bed dialling his number to request for an update.

She headed for her closest and opened the door to see her sister trying out a dress in the mirror. She clicked on the red button on her screen ending the call to Tobi as her question was already answered. They had arrived and didn't just want to wake her up.

'You are awake' she yelled before struggling to walk towards her due to the tightness of the dress. She reached Remi and wrapped her hand around her neck 'I have missed you so much and omg your house.....amazing!'

'where is mom and dad'

'In your huge living room' she said with more fascination about the way the dress carved out her bum than the size of Remi's house.

She grabbed her rope and threw it over herself and left for the living room. She walked past several maids who greeted her and she acknowledged by raising her hand each time she walked by.

She paused at the door and took a deep breathe before walking in. Her parents backed her as they watched a movie. She looked away to see her brothers on the patio admiring the landscape and taking pictures. They looked so cute in their Ralph Lauren shirts. Like posh spoilt kids. The personal shopper must have done a number on their closest. She never thanked Tobi. The pictures her family sent her daily, showed how much work he put into making them comfortable where they now lived.

Her mom had told her about the monthly date nights they had to have because it was fixed into their itinerary, they lived like retired couples as her father had taken up gardening to maintain the large garden in front and behind a house Remi had never been too. A 5 bedroom house in Kensington. He has made her family happy and it made her soft towards him each picture, each gist about how a gift was sent to the house or their hostels, each surprise trip to somewhere they've never been to before.

'Mommy, daddy' she said softly before they turned to look at her. Tears rushed to her eyes as they tried to stand up. She rushed over and slid to her kneels like footballers did to show her respect.

They sat back and patted her back 'Remilekunmi, Ajokeade' her father said as he started to praise her in Yoruba. Remi cried the more he sang on.

Her mom stared to cry as well as she held on to Remi.

'God will continue to protect you' her mom said as she cleaned Remi's tears away

'Remi, I don't know if your husband has told you but I have told your mother why I agreed to everything. It was a tough decision for me to make but I am your father and I had to protect you...' he said with tears gathering in his eyes

He went on about his conversation with Tobi, the day he had called her father to the side and they returned to tell her she had to go with him. Tobi had shown him proof of her uncle meeting with an Islander henchman. Her uncle had sold off the deed to their home resulting in their sudden evacuation.

'If my brother could do that to me who else could I trust to keep you safe?' He asked Remi 'then the attacks, Remi you are stubborn and telling you wouldn't have made you comply to the plan he had to keep you safe...'