Chapter 9 THE BIG REVEAL

E V E

He is definitely coming down with something.

I can see it from the way he's walking. That aimless - kind - of walk that screams 'what the fuck is going on with my life.'

Yup!

Aureliano's definitely coming down with something, not good.

That something closely resembles an existential crisis.

You know, two big words that can simply be broken down to mean another big word --- depression.

We've all gone through depression at different times in our lives.

I wouldn't say I've experienced it, per say, but when you nurture the growth of your nails for the better part of six months and you finally see it growing an inch above your cuticle, but then a demon in the person of your best friend, whom by the way I haven't heard from since I got back to Lagos, mistakenly jams your fingers against the door, clipping off your hard-earned nail growth, you start to question whether there really is a god, seeing as your best friend's nails are perfectly long, without any effort on her part.

In Aureliano's case, though, I'm guessing he's not new to depression, judging by the story of his past.

Yeah, but who the heck walks off, leaving his girlfriend of roughly two weeks after having heard shit being talked about his dad?

Many men, maybe, but that's not the point right now.

I watch as he fast - walks away from me in leaps and bounds, leaving me staring holes in his broad back.

I decide not to follow him, choosing instead to call him back to his senses. "Aureliano, stop!"

He halts in his strides immediately, and I marvel at how two words are able to stop him from moving an inch further.

As I walk towards him, I note his hands are clamped into fists on either side of him.

"Is that it, then?" I begin, my voice calm, as I get near him. "You just up and leave when you get angry; when you feel challenged, or when you're faced with something you think is bigger than you?" As I come face to face with him, he doesn't acknowledge my presence, he chooses instead, to stare into the far distance, his jaw clenching tightly. I'm sure his teeth are being ground to almost a pulp from the grinding noise I hear coming from him.

I know he's angry, heck, so am I. It's not everyday you get to find out that your boyfriend has a daughter who by the way, is supposed to be his best friend's daughter, but is actually . . .

That's a real thought twister right there.

Guess who gets caught up in the whole melee --- poor me.

That's right, the girlfriend whose past seems quite squeaky clean in relation to her boyfriend's sordid one.

Suddenly I'm livid.

I shouldn't be in this mess so early on in my relationship.

I should be in post - coital bliss, shacked up somewhere on the beach, in a room, on the roof, in a hammock --- geez, anywhere with him, limbs entangled, not knowing where the other starts or stops, living it up, not thinking of the world and it's problems, but definitely not having to ward off doubts and issues from all and sundry from the get - go.

As if he senses my anger, he reaches out a hand and swipes away a tear I didn't even know had fallen from my eyes and slipped onto my cheek. "Don't cry, baby, please." He draws me none too gently to his body, wrapping me up in a tight embrace.

We remain this way for some seconds which slips into a minute; me, with my eyes closed, cushioned against his chest revelling in his warmth, feeling peace flow through me with his hand buried inside my shock of full hair. The wind picks up feverishly, whipping up dust particles all around us. Suddenly the situation we're in comes crashing back into my mind and I tug against him, silently willing him to free me.

More tugging and muffled speech from me, see's him releasing me reluctantly. "Why didn't you tell me?" I spit out, the anger seeping into my veins once again.

He looks taken aback at my outburst, as his mouth opens to say something, but closes once more. Shaking his head, he lets out a sigh that's got me feeling bad about my outburst. But I've got to get to the bottom of this. "So? You're just going to remain silent without explaining if Stacy is really your daug ----"

"She's not mine, okay." He says vehemently. "She can't be. I don't trust the dna test, I . . . "

I stumble back from him like I've just been slapped. "DNA?" I repeat, feeling betrayed. "You already had a DNA test done?"

Realising the enormity of his utterances, his eyes widen as he fixes me with a surprised gaze. "No! It's . . . I didn't . . . "He struggles to get the words out, and so with another sigh, he continues, this time more clearly.”Roxy and mama concocted a fake DNA test to foist Roxy's kid on me." When he finishes, I'm in even more of a confused state.

He notices this and leads me to the car. When we're both seated, he launches into a tirade of what transpired at his place some days ago. "That's why I couldn't come see you. I've been trying to get this shit sorted." He looks at me with a stricken look on his face.

I stare into the distance, noticing the fog that's begun to get thicker and closer. Shaking my head, I turn to him. "And did you?"

"Sort of, you'll see." He replies mysteriously, not bothering to go into it.

He doesn't get it yet, but I'll make him understand. With a sigh and a shake of my head, I tell him exactly what's on my mind. "Save yourself the trouble, because you won't need a DNA test."

A frown creeps up on his handsome face as he stares at me incredulously. "You too, princess?"

I nod my head as I lift sad eyes to look at him. "I'm sorry to give it to you straight, Aurey, but, it's the truth. How do you think I knew she was your daughter? She's got the same mannnersims as you, and when you get angry, your eyes turn into slits and there's this way your bottom lip curls up in a sneer. I saw the same expression on Stacy's face as well. It felt like I was looking at your twin -- a mini you." I finish, whispering the last words.

Aureliano's eyes widen beyond belief and his mouth opens wide. He looks like he's about to have a heart attack. I feel really bad for him right now, so I try to soothe the emotional pain my words are causing him as I put a hand on his shoulder and draw him close - as close as can be - seeing that the console is in-between us. "Please take it easy, you really need to get a grip right now. You can't afford to fall to pieces." When he doesn't say anything except to stare at me, wide - eyed, I continue speaking. "I need you to know that I'll be here with you on this journey through thick and thin." My last words sound reminiscent of the vows I took at the alter with Femi. To love and to hold, in sickness and in health, through thick and thin, till death do us part.

Thankfully . . . those last words never came true.

I snap out of the distateful memory and fix my eyes on Aureliano. He stares back at me, moisture shining in his eyes. "I must have done something good earlier on in my life, because why would I even be gifted with a beautiful human being like you? You said earlier on that it's my heart you love the most, but I'm telling you categorically, emphatically, absolutely, that you, are gold, diamonds and pearls all rolled into one. I know this may sound cliche, but you're an inestimable jewel, you're the rarest gift I've got in my life and I hope to God, it remains this way." He crushes me to him, sealing his words with a kiss. I feel his emotions as the heat of his lips sear into mine, and I know that if he so much as tells me to take an expedition to the sun, regardless of the fact that it's physically impossible to, I would do it in a heartbeat.

We move apart and I see the sadness clouding his eyes once more. I know the situation in his life won't go away unless we face it head on. "Let's go do that DNA test now, at least to be sure and get everything out in the open." I look at him and nod, hoping he understands that this is something he needs to do.

"Yeah, you're right, but first, I need to see mama and ask her about my father. I always wondered if my father was my real dad, and now Dipo is inferring that he isn't . . . " His voice peters off and his eyes take on a faraway look, as though he's mentally going back in time. Suddenly he shakes his head as if ridding himself of the memories.

And that right there is another subject that needs re - visiting; his father.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" I'm worried for him. Beneath his strong, non - crackeable armour, lies an emotional young man that just wants to be loved and accepted.

"Positive! And I'd like for you to be there with me, if that's not too much for me to ask." He stares straight ahead as he says this, most probably scared I'll refuse to go.

"Of course, Aurey, I wouldn't want it any other way." I finish with a smile.

He nods and hops out, going to the back of the car. I hear him opening the boot and rummaging through it, making crinkly noises in the process. Coming back, he plops into the seat and hands me a large bag. "I know you've not eaten a thing today and I'm so sorry about that. It's already mid-day now and . . ." He looks me over, scorching me with his eyes. "You need some fattening up, baby, so kindly snack on something in this bag while on the journey to my place."

"I need fattening up, seriously?" I echo incredulously. "How can you say that, though? Look at my large hips."

With his arm on the steering, he reverses the car as he mouths. "I wouldn't change that for a thing, you're beautiful through and through, and besides . . ." As he turns the car in the direction he wants it to go, he smirks and looks at me. "It gives me something to hold onto."

_@_

S e g u n

. . . the fuck does she think her hips are big?

Those hips have virtually saved my life.

When I hold onto them, the peace that engulfs me is out of this world unexplainable. Better believe it.

You'd think I'd be woman-shy by now, what with all the shit Roxy put me through, and that's something to be said, especially how I began to treat all other women after dating her.

She fucking ruined it for me.

Actually, she made me ruin many women and their faith in men. That was wrong of me and most definitely wrong of her to make me do that to all those other women.

I'm sure now the big question on your mind is 'Am I sorry?'

No fuckin way!

It was an experience. Each one of those women took a piece of me and gave me a piece of themselves in return.

I felt nothing. They were pieces of meat that I needed to satiate myself with. Except I wasn't satiated. At all.

Because the more I fucked a woman, the more I wanted -- no craved . . . actually, the more I fucking yearned for more.

Got so fucking bad that I was changing them every single night.

Sad.

No one can change me.

You'd be crazy to think you could. Me, the unstoppable, irresistible ---

"Aurey?"

Who am I kidding?

She changed me. Annihilated me, broke me, and disintegrated me --- into pieces.

And now she's remolding me. And it fucking hurts, I'll tell you that for nothing.

Just two weeks in and I can't look at another woman the same way I used to. I miss that. But then again, I don't, 'cause when I look at her, shit . . .

It's like eating loads of ice cream without putting on weight and having to do any crippling work out.

You just want to indulge over and over again.

Please tell me I'm making sense here. . .

"Are you okay?" Her whispery feathery voice breaks through, making me pause my mental rantings.

Damn! I love this woman.

"I'm good, baby, don't worry about me. You enjoying the snacks?"

I glance at her briefly, only to see she hasn't even opened the nylon bag. It sits snugly on her hips, drawing my attention to them.

She's got on jean shorts that have tattered tassels at the edges, showcasing her shapely creamy laps to perfection. Even though she doesn't work out, she's got a full hour- glass figure that can only be gotten as a result of good genes. I skim my eyes over her shorts once more.

Edgy, daring and wayy too sexy for my liking.

"Princess . . . "I start, pursing my lips and wondering how I'm going to word this without coming across as a controlling caveman. "Don't you think you're showing too much skin?"

I raise a brow in question as I glance at her once more. Just then, we hit a patch of traffic and this gives me an opportunity to turn towards her fully.

She looks confused.

"The shorts you've got on is a bit too risqué for my liking." I continue.

"What! This old thing?" She protests, looking down at them. I've had it for a year now and I feel quite comfy wearing it." She finishes, threading her fingers through the tassels.

"Well I don't like it." I take a deep breath and plunge on. "You'd do well to please not dress so sexy when we go out together again."

I wait for an explosion, but it never comes. Thankfully.

Just peachy, princess. Keep this docile attitude up and we definitely wouldn't have a problem.

I see my familiar street sign some meters ahead and heave a sigh of relief. Almost home.

As I pull in through my gate some minutes later, I call out to the mutt. Cost an arm and a leg, but I was pleased to see the look of horror on Roxy's face as I got back home with it and immediately it snarled at her, baring it's sharp canine teeth as spittle dribbled from its jaws.

Good dog. It sure knows evil when it see's it.

She'd gone with all her bags, without a fuss thereafter. It was a relief, actually. Before then, it had been a struggle getting her out of the house. She'd kept on begging and pleading with me, saying we have a child together and shouldn't be apart from each other, now that we were a family.

I shake my head, disgusted at myself for falling for her years ago.

Once I tell Eve to sit still in the car, I go in search of Mutt.

Pretty ingenious of me, right? I mean it's a mutt and so I decided to name it Mutt.

He comes bounding at me from the back, an iron muffler around it's powerful jaws. Had to get that, because mama's still in the house, wouldn't want it to hurt her, nor Eve, either. I lead Mutt to the car, towards Eve, with a hand outstretched to her.

"It won't hurt you, I promise." I tell her as I see the rising fear on her face. "All I want is for him to smell your scent and get used to you so you won't have a problem when you come visiting on your own."

She nods, still clearly frightened as Mutt does a show of sniffing her up, but when he gets to her crotch area and begins to linger, I pull him away with the leash. "That's enough boy, now go!" I order. I watch as he bounds off in the direction of the back, where a makeshift kernel has been made for him.

I turn back around to see an incredulous look on Eve's face. "So this is what you meant by handling things?" There's an inflection in her voice as she gets to the word 'handling.'

"Uh! Yeah, pretty crafty of me, right?!" She looks at me like I've just lost my mind. I can see she's trying to refrain from saying something. Thinking the better of it, she shrugs and looks down at her phone instead. She's been toying with that phone on the drive back, tapping on it like it's an extension of her hand. I didn't want to be nosy, that's why I didn't ask who she was texting or chatting with, but it still irks me that she chats with other people I know nothing about.

Could she be chatting with a guy?

Fear tumbles through me. Hot and sharp. I mentally shake it off and force my mind to the situation at hand.

I need to get the truth out of mama. That in itself is going to be a feat, but even if I have to threaten it out of her, I will. She was against me telling Roxy to leave. I know she'll definitely be against me bringing Eve too, but she's going to have to get used to seeing her here regularly.

I notice Eve is still seated and tapping erratically on her damn phone. "Aren't you coming out?" I didn't intend for my voice to come out this way, but it's out before I know it.

I sound needy. Desperate.

She looks up at me and frowns. It's almost indescernible, but I've studied the lines and planes of her face for a week now, so I know when she's trying to hide it. "I'm sorry Aurey, but I'll wait here for you in the car. The discussion about your dad is something you have to do without an outside party."

I want to argue, and tell her she's not an outsider but my girlfriend, but I know she's right. This is something I need to do one on one with mama.

I sigh and nod as I turn around to the other side of the car. I twist the key that's still in the ignition and the engine roars silently to life. Once I put the air conditioner on full blast, I tell her to lock the doors from within and not open them unless I tell her to.

She gifts me with a sweet smile and thereafter directs her attention back to her phone.

I've really got to find out who she's chatting with. But that will have to wait until later.

I square my shoulders and make the short walk into my bungalow.

Once I step into the sitting room, I feel it.

The atmosphere feels different. Strange. Off.

There's no one in here. It's silent. The kind of eerie silence that's suddenly sending shivers down my spine.

The very air is heavy with something ominous.

I'm about opening my mouth to bellow 'holla,' when I hear voices. Muffled voices that filter out to me in snatches.

They're coming from the kitchen.

" ---- deserves to know."

" ---- tell him in my own time."

" ----- to wait any longer."

Mama's voice I know, but the other voice sounds familiar, yet I'm not sure if I'm hearing correctly.

Only one way to find out.

I stride determinedly towards the kitchen, yanking the door open so as to take them by surprise.

A scene so out of place, so cringe - worthy, assails my eyes that I'm immediately turned into a blubbering fool.

His arm is around mama and his face is close to her ear, mouthing sweet words to her. At least that's what I tell myself.

When he see's me, he straightens up to his full height.

"Segun, you're back!" He moves away from her and comes to stand in front of me with his arms outstretched.

Mr. Faseun beams at me with a sick-looking smile on his face. Last time we parted, he was staring daggers at me, like he wanted to murder me.

Now he wants to hug me?

What changed?

"I'm so glad you're here. Sit down, sit down." He pulls me to a stool, and orders me to sit, as if we're in his own house.

I'm still in shock on seeing him here so I say nothing -- do nothing, except to obey him. As I slide onto a stool, I hear mama heaving a sigh of relief.

I throw a sharp look at her and she smiles at me somewhat shakily. Her eyes are red - rimmed and her lips are quivering slightly.

"Why are you crying?" I demand, as a sick feeling of dread crawls it's way up my spine.

Her smile wobbles and then she lets out a sniffle and another one - yet another one, until she totally breaks down before my very eyes into racking sobs.

Shock makes me stand up, but I can't go to her. I feel frozen. Rooted to the spot. Shocked --- into immobility.

"It's alright. She'll be fine, don't worry about mama." Mr. Faseun pipes up.

"CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!" I roar, facing him fully with my fists balled, ready to lash out.

"Tsk tsk! I see you haven't gotten that anger of yours under control, yet. But it's okay, I understand. After all you must take after me in something. I was like this at your age, always fighting to stake my claim, but when you get to my age, you'll think more logically and use less of your fists. Not to worry, I'll teach you."

I stare at him incredulously, his words not registering.

What does he mean by take after me in something?

Mama's cries have reduced to soft sniffles now.

Shaking his head in recrimination like you'd do to a recalcitrant child, he sighs and gets up, once more coming to stand in front of me.

"I see you haven't yet figured it out." With a snake-like smile, he mouths. "Son! I'm your father."