Julian returned from school that afternoon with a dazzling smile on his face. What happened between him and Karen in the bathroom was still fresh in his memory. He couldn't help but whistle as he walked home.
" Johnny!" He called as he reached the gate of his house. A middle-aged man short and plump came running out of the boy's quarter.
" Oga welcome," He said as he opens the gate.
" Thank you. Is Jane in?" Julian asked as he entered.
" Ahh! Oga, Madam never come out since morning. Since you go school, madam never comes out." Jonney said in his usual Yoruba accent.
" Are you sure? You mean ever since I left the house this morning, Madam has come out?"
Said Julian.
" I swear oga, madam never comes out," Johnny replied. Julian paused for a while, he thought of something before he made for the entrance.
" Jane!" He called as he entered the house. But there was no answer. He called her several times but there was no answer. Immediately, unexplainable fear gripped his heart. Johnny had said she didn't leave the house since morning, where could she be and why isn't she responding? He thought and panicked. On second thought, he ran upstairs and checked her bedroom, his bedroom, and other rooms and bathrooms in the house. His heartbeat was beginning to rise. At that moment he remembered her phone. Yes, yes. I should call her. He thought. Julian brought out his phone and dialed her number. It rang. Julian could hear the phone ringing in the direction of the kitchen and he headed that way. When he entered the kitchen, He saw Jane lying unconscious on the floor. She was bleeding from a small cut on her head. The phone was a few distances from Jane's hand. It looked like she was trying to reach it before she fell. Upon seeing Jane, Julian rushed to her.
" Jane!" Julian screamed, shaking her roughly.
" Get up, Jane. Please tell me what happened. Jane, please get up!" He cried but there was no answer. He kept shaking, and after a while, Jane called Julian's name faintly.
" I'm here, I'm here." He answered and picked her up into his arms. " Hang on! I will take you to the hospital right away." He could barely get the words out, his handsome face looked pale at the moment. His eyes were filled with tears.
" Johnny!" He yelled. Minutes later, Johnny entered the kitchen.
" Oga, you call...Holy Mary!" He yelled when he saw Jane's condition. He placed both hands on his head and started pacing from one end of the kitchen to the other.
" Johnny! What the heck are you doing? Come here and help me carry her." Julian yelled. Started by his words, Johnny stopped and help him carry her out. Julian drove her to the hospital.
Back in the house, Johnny knelt praying with both hands stretched towards the above.
" My Father my God. Please protect my madam. If anything should happen to her, I will lose my job and go back to the village. And I don't want to go back there. My God, please protect her."
*
At the hospital, the doctor spent a long time with her in the emergency room.
" She is stable for now, but we'll have to admit her," He said after he came out from the emergency room." Thank God you brought her in on time. You saved her life kid." He patted Julian's shoulder.
" Can I see her?"
" Yes you can but she needs to get enough rest." The doctor said and left.
Julian walked into the ward, Jane was lying on the bed with a drip properly positioned on an iron stand by her side.
" Jane," Julian whispered and sat on the edge of the bed. She turned her head slowly to look at him. At seeing the agitated look on his face she began to sob.
" I'm sorry," She said faintly.
" Why? Jane, why?" Julian asked looking her in the eyes. His charming and animated face looked pale at the moment. Jane knew that he must have been worried sick about her. This was not the first time she had collapsed, it has happened not once but twice since this year began. The doctor had advised her to stop being depressed but she couldn't help it.
" Miss Jane, I know it is hard but you have to try. Your blood pressure raised to 210/170, it is a miracle that you didn't get a stroke." The doctor had told her the last time she was rushed to the hospital, three months ago. After that time, she promised Julian that she would try to be happy henceforth and she kept to her promise till this morning after she received a call from Julian's father. After the conversation, she drifts into depression again. Not long after, she collapsed in the kitchen.
" I'm so sorry, son. I tried, I tried." She continued to sob. Julian held her hand in his and said,
" You're the only one I have left Jane, I don't want to lose you too. I know you love him but can't you see he doesn't care about us? We'll be nothing more than his mistake. Jane, you have to forget about him. He is not worth it."
" Don't say that son. You're not a mistake. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. I will never regret the fact that I kept you. I promise not to make you worry about me ever again. I promise to be strong for you." Jane said. Julian leaned forward and hug her. Later that evening, Marvel came to watch over Jane so Julian could go home, get some rest and go to school the next day. Marvel was jane's colleague at a consultant firm. They have been friends since their university days. He professed his love for Jane and asked her to marry him but she refused. She was madly in love with Julian's father who was a married man with kids. Despite her refuser, Marvel kept a close relationship with her. He was the only person Julian could turn to for help. He was more of a father to Julian than his biological Dad. Julian wondered if his biological father knew his name or even his birthday. He knows nothing about him.
" Thanks, Man," Julian said and gave Marvel a handshake.
Marvel smiled and said, " it's nothing buddy. You should go home and rest, I will take over from here."
Julian pecked Jane on her cheek before he left the ward. She was sleeping when he left.
Outside the emergency ward, he saw paramedics rolling in an elderly woman who lay still, gasping for air. He wondered if she would survive. Suddenly an unexplainable fear grip his heart as he made for the waiting room. There, a lot of people were waiting, his eyes drifted to the Tv. A middle-aged was being interviewed by a young lady.
" What will you do if you were elected as the next governor of Abuja state, Alhaji Muhammad?"
The man shrugged his shoulders with a huge grin on his face, he began,
" If you elect me for the next Governor of Abuja, I will...." He kept making promises, in his Hausa accent. Watching the man on the TV was torture for Julian, he clenched his jaw and stormed out of the exit door.
*
" Dad!" Karen called as she entered the house. She had a weird feeling that something wasn't right when she entered the villa. She saw a black Lexus 350 packed at the packing structure alongside the other fleet of cars. Karen knew only one person drives that kind of car. 'Could he be here?' She thought. She could already feel her heart bouncing as she entered the house. Slowly, she closed the door. Her eyes scanned the huge living room. "Where is everyone?" She muttered.
" Susan!", She called one of the maids. Within seconds, Susan rushed to the living room.
" You're back, pretty girl." She said rolling her large eyes nervously. She looked frightened.
" Are you okay, Susan?" She asked.
" Ye...yes. Pretty girl, Your grandfather is around. He is in the family living room with your Dad, they're waiting for you. Why did it take you so long to come back home? From the look of things, your grandfather is angry, Pretty girl." Susan whispered. At hearing Susan's words, her entire body began to tremble. She was right earlier, that was her grandfather's car. She knew she was in trouble, she could only imagine what he will do to her. ' Grandfather never liked me from the onset, he sees me as a disappointment and a spoilt brat. What will I do now? It is 7 pm what excuse will I give for not coming home on time.' she thought as she paced from one side to the other. After school, she had gone out with Sophia to a birthday party at Celine's house. That was the reason she came home late.
" Karen-happen!" A familiar cold muscular voice called, it was her grandfather. When Karen heard his voice, she froze. Slowly, she tilted her head up, the old Greg stood on the staircase with a cane in hand. It has been two years since she saw him last. Her grandfather didn't change one bit, he still looks cold and indifferent. He stood there staring at her with his dark eyes. They were slightly closed due to age but sharp like a hawk. he wore casual clothes and a cap covering his gray hair.
" Why are you coming back home at this time? You have two minutes to start explaining yourself!" His cold and hard voice made Karen tremble. She wanted to cry and pled but she knew that trick won't work on the Old man, he was not her dad.
Karen bit down on her lower lip, she was pondering on the right words to use. She dares not to use careless words or it might make things worse.
" Grandpa," she began, terrified as she spoke. " I.."
" It is Sir Greg," He said firmly, interrupting Karen and she froze.
" You're not worthy to call me grandfather. I can't have a granddaughter like you who has brought me nothing but disappointment over the years. Your last semester result was nothing to write home about, you barely passed and here you are staying out late." Greg said.
Karen knew she failed the last semester's exams, she was supposed to repeat SS2 but she cheated her way through. Her best friend at that time had helped her change her grades but he could only give her an E in all the courses so as not to raise any suspicions.
She looked from her grandfather to her father who stood beside him all this time but didn't say a word. Karen's eyes met him, he knows his daughter wants him to help her but, he doesn't have the courage to. He was still the old obedient Ace who will do whatever his father asked without questioning. Ace gave his daughter a look that indicates, ' I'm sorry honey, my hands are tired.'
Greg went on reprimanding Karen, he even restricted her from leaving the house for a month and assigned a new driver to bring her home once, after school. Ace had never raised his voice at Karen before, he would always let her have her way. Seeing his father yelling and reprimanding Karen, his heart ached, but there was nothing he could do. He felt helpless and useless. He wanted to confront his father but, he won't dare, no one dares to stand up to Old Greg.
" Get out of my sight, silly girl!" He yelled. In embarrassment, Karen ran upstairs to her room and shut the door behind her. She leaned against her wardrobe, her legs were shaking so she sank. She Rest her chin on her folded knees and began to sob uncontrollably. She remembered that her grandfather once called her, " Beauty without brains". ' Maybe he is right, aside from being beautiful, I am completely useless. She thought and continued to sob.