COMING HOME

Chapter 13

~~Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.
                            Romans 4:8(NKJV)~~

Her mother calling her to give her bad news ruined the rest of her day. It was enough that Caleb had cheated on her and broken her heart but for him to be getting married this early after professing undying love for her less than two months ago was the biggest blow.

Her eyes itched to pour out tears, her hands wobbled as she unlocked her phone to check social media for the pre-wedding party. It was huge, outrageously big for an engagement party. One might have thought they'd gone that big to spite her.

Her Family Law textbook suffered the burst of her rage. She took the textbook and threw it against the wall. Dissatisfied, she stood up, walked as the speed of light to where the book was and picked it up. She didn't stop hitting it against the wall until her fingers pumped as loudly as her heartbeat.

She sat on the bare floor and folded her knees. Anger surged through her body mingling with her oxygen. Her long fingernails dug into her palm until blood clouts forms but she was still not satisfied. Less than two months and her life changed.

"My angel, I wanted to strangle the man that brought the invitation." Her mother's voice had resonated through the phone. Tobi hadn't needed to put it on loud speaker, her mother's voice was loud enough to wake the dead.

A tear escaped Tobi's eye dissolving her resolution to remain unshaken by whatever happened. After two minutes, she gave up pretending and bowed her head in tears.

'Bro, where's Chris?' Sean left the football game he was pretending to watch, got up from the couch and went to stand by the window for the tenth time in last one hour.

'I don't know. He's not picking his calls. Lizzy isn't either. I'm worried what I said this morning affected him badly.' Sammy reached for the remote and changed the channel to a movie.' Sometimes I forget that Chris is a baby.'

Sean let the remark pass and continued to stare into thin air. 'Tobi didn't even show up for today's study session. I hope she's doing okay.'

'Me too.' Sammy changed the channel again and continued until he'd checked all of them in three minutes. 'I'm going to school.' He said standing.

'Why?' Sean turned to face Sammy.

'Something's not right Sean, something might have happened.'

Sean scratched his head. He walked to the front door and stopped. 'I'll come with you.'

'You can do this Chris, it's easy. Knock on her door and tell her how you feel.' Walking few steps forward, he saw light come on from her neighbour's house and flew back to the tree he'd been hiding behind. 'Oh no, I can't do this.' His housemates might become worried. He left home in the morning with the intention of going to read with Lizzy but he'd suddenly wanted to tell Tobi how he was feeling. His phone remained on flight mood making it difficult for anybody to reach him. Lizzy and his friends would want to reach him.

Surprisingly, Tobi hadn't left her apartment to go anywhere. Today was definitely a bad day for everybody.

Thirty more minutes and he was still indecisive about making his go ahead. His eyelids betrayed him in the middle of one of his many failed attempts of planning and strategizing and closed. He felt the hard yank of his hoodie sending him into a fright.

'Wetin you dey find for this area by this time?' His eyes swung open and he was faced with tall, musculine and outraged group of seven surrounding him. Their hands were filled with objects that could put an end to his life in one snap.

'Nothing ó, I came to see someone!' One of them filled the air with his laughter before sending his fist to Chris' jaw. His neuro system became too shocked to send a signal to his brain. He felt some set of teeth fall on his tongue and his mouth filled with metallic taste.

'I say wetin you dey do here?' Christopher winced in pain as they passed him from one fist to another.

Unable to talk, he raised his weak hand and pointed to Tobi's apartment. 'Oh, na that house you be wan go thief from àbi?' He moved his head side to side.

'Talk na. Abi you be Indian?' He had recently been passed to the person that asked him the question and the man held onto his throat.

'Osas release your hand, you dey hold im neck.' He released him to the ground.

'She's my friend. I came to see my friend.' Chris spoke between spitting out blood and trying to breath in oxygen.

'You sure? We wan go ask her if she know you. Better pray.' Two men held onto each arm dragging him till they got to the front of Tobi's house.

Gratefully, she didn't take time in answering the door.

'Yes?' She opened her door and cried out with a loud and high voice. 'Chris?' She called without moving a step.

'Ah, good evening ọ. We see am dey hide behind tree just now. You sure say you know am? If not, as the vigilante we get right to beat am before we go station.'

She took the steps two at a time. Touching his face softly, she bent until they could see eye to eye. 'Why were you hiding behind a tree?'

He moved his swollen lips to a side. She tipped his head and used her hand to wipe the blood in the side of his mouth. 'I wanted to see you.'

Her eyes told him she didn't believe him. 'Thank you Osas, I'll take him inside now.' She let him lean into her as they walked inside.

'What are you doing here Chris?' Placing him on the sofa, she walked quickly to get water and her first aid kit. 'I'm boiling water to press your face.' Her slight back bent behind him as she arranged her painkillers. 'I hope your getting beat up was worth it.' When she turned back, he was sleeping. Sighing, she went to put off the heater.

'Arise and shine sleepy head.' The scent of a familiar rosy shower gel filled his nostrils. He smiled and inhaled enough to choke him. 'Wake up Chris. Sammy and Sean will be here soon.' His eyes shone and the rays from the sun blasted into his face. His brain sent signals that catapulted pain to his ribs.

'Careful Chris, here.' He took the tablets from her and threw them into his mouth before she handed him the water.

'I'm sorry for the stress Tobi.'

'It's nothing Chris.' Her back was against his face. She took the cup to the kitchen and returned with a cup of milk. 'What did you want at nine o'clock Chris?'

Chris turned his head to the blank TV. 'I wanted to tell you something.'

'Was it worth being beaten up?' He forced saliva down his throat pressing his lips against each other.

'To me, yes.'

'What was it?'

He battled between wrong and right. Telling her and getting over his obsession would bring him freedom and he could begin his journey to healing. Ignoring the voice that told him not to, he blurted out. 'I've loved you for five years Tobi.' He gained confidence and faced her. She was looking at him but he knew she was obviously not seeing him. He quickly diverted his eyes to her rug. 'I know it isn't the right time for you, but it has been rely hard for me too. I love you Tobi. I don't know if it's ever going to die but at least now, I can accept my fate and move on with life. I wanted you to know.'

When he raised his head again, he saw tears in her eyes. Getting up, she moved three steps away from him. He tried to get up and go to her but he slumped back on the sofa. Tobi continued taking steps away from him. She stopped suddenly, used her index finger to rub her eyes. 'Sean and Sammy are on their way to see you. Don't bother about the door, I'd lock it later when I come out.' The words stuck in her throat, she had to draw in air to be audible. If she wasn't throwing the words slowly, she might have forgotten herself and wept openly. She ran into her passage and locked the door.

What had he done? He threw his head back in exhaustion. Guilt was creeping into his heart, he had to leave. He winced in pain as he got up. Managing to take careful steps to the door and out of her house.