UNFORGIVENESS 2
As the doctor’s heartbreaking words echoed in the air, Ade and Lola were left in stunned and sombre silence. Their argument, fueled by anger and blame, had been abruptly halted by the tragic loss of their beloved daughter.
Reality had dealt them a devastating blow that transcended all their past grievances and misunderstandings. They were now united by an overwhelming sense of grief and loss that was too profound to put into words.
Amid their shared sorrow, Ade and Lola began to grasp the magnitude of their daughter’s pain and suffering. They realized that their years of conflict and the dissolution of their marriage had undoubtedly played a role in their child’s anguish. The guilt they felt was almost unbearable.
As they stood together in that quiet hospital corner, tears streaming down their faces, they forgot their grievances as they held onto each other for support. The doctor’s words hung heavily in the air, a harsh reminder of the irreplaceable life they had lost. Then Lola’s phone rang, she glanced at the screen and noticed the call was from her housekeeper. She picked up the call.
“Ma’am, you need to come back home now,” Uju urgently stated.
“What is going on, Uju?” Lola asked, her voice trembling with worry.
“Young Master is holding a gun to his dad’s head.”
“Oh no, please give him the phone. Let me talk to him.” After a brief silence, she returned to the line. “Ma’am, he says he doesn’t want to talk to you. Please get here as fast as you can.”
“What’s going on?” Ade inquired, panic creeping into his voice.
“Oh my God, Ade, Dele is holding a gun to Kolapo’s head.”
“What! Where did he get a gun from?”
“It’s Kolapo’s gun. Let’s go.” They rushed out of the hospital and into Ade’s car, and he drove recklessly to their house, their hearts p******g in their chests.
Upon arriving at the house, they discovered Kolapo on his knees, pleading for his life, with Dele pointing a gun at his head.
“Please, son, don’t do it. If you shoot him, you’ll go to jail. I’ve already lost Dunni; I can’t afford to lose you,” Lola implored.
“What Dunni is Dead? You killed her, you wicked man. You are going to pay for what you did to my sister. How could you? We called you father; you were the father she knew. I thought you loved us. I didn’t know you were a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Dele accused Kolapo, his voice filled with rage and betrayal as tears rolled down his face.
Kolapo couldn’t find the words to respond; shame weighed heavily upon him.
“Please, son, listen to me, let the law take care of this. You don’t have to do this, please” Ade pleaded.
“What do you care? You abandoned us, you left us to live your own life and left us at the mercy of predators like Kolapo. How does divorcing Mum lead to you abandoning us? Maybe if you had been in our lives, Dunni would have been able to confide in you. She wanted to tell Mum, you know, but she didn’t want to destroy Mum’s marriage; she didn’t want her divorced a second time.”
“I’m sorry,” Ade wept, the weight of his absence and mistakes crashing down upon him. “I’m sorry I failed you and your sister.”
“Please, Dele, I’m sorry. Your sister is gone. We have made so many mistakes. Please, we can choose differently this time,” his mum implored.
“I don’t care anymore,” Dele responded coldly, his emotions fenced off.
As Dele was momentarily distracted, Kolapo seized the opportunity to reach for the gun. A struggle ensued, and in the chaos, the gun discharged, sending both of them crashing to the floor and then a second shot was heard.
Time seemed to stand still as everyone present stared at the scene before them, their hearts filled with dread and uncertainty. The burning question in their minds were, who has been hit?
Jumie Naths
