We sat in the garden having lunch. Only the three of us. Rudy can't help but looked at me with new intrigue.
She wouldn't allow us to have a decent conversation in her mood swings.
Unnecessary tension builds up around the table. We couldn't wait to have time to ourselves to really dig into more important stuff.
I felt sorry and guilty to see her like this; utterly out of place, trying very hard to be part of the conversation. She was fighting her envy towards I and Diana, although she didn't understand why.
why didn't I fight for her when I had the chance.... she was willing to run away with me. she was willing to give up everything to be with me....
but, I turned her down and send her back to a world she felt like she didn't belong. Good lord, I did this to her, I betrayed her... why didn't I eloped with. her?
finding it difficult to participate in our conversation, she excused herself and went into the house.
"D'mick, has divorced her because of her condition…".
"she is not aware?" I asked, knowing the answer and Diana confirmed with a nod.
"Nka doesn't want her to know, you seem to be our only hope."
"oh, I see, that's why he released me?". "maybe, I can't tell."
"thanks for not defending your boss interests this time. truth is don't care about.... nothing until I get that woman to come around."
At this, Diana was quite for a while before saying, "like I said, that's why we are counting on you."
"Nka, put you up to this?".
"no, Nebulous did." "you came here with a barber, which means you knew I was here. Where you part of the team that moved me here?"
"no, but I was told you've been released,".
"your people placed me here with a sick woman with a .38 revolver. And truth is that she doesn't know who I am."
"what happen? Did she attack you? oh, I am sorry kuga. I gave it to here to protect herself just in case.
The whole point was that seeing you out of the blue may spark memories. had we told you, you will go in with a preconceived. mind and the plan wouldn't work."
"not when I looked so different I nearly runaway when I first saw myself in a mirror, with my new set of teeth and all."
"you are right, you definitely looked so different."
"tell me how they did it, diana."
"about the teeth you mean? It might have grown naturally in there, somehow, I don't really know. You were having it the last time we meet in the ship, it was starting grow....." Diana paused as though in deep thought.... then, shakes her head.
"you are kidding me Diana".
"it's true". "mika might've known. Is she also out."
"yeah, she lives at my houses in ada."
"I will want to meet with her very soon. What about sky and momma? When are you going to release them, I can see is not about winning fights."
"they are still wanted. If we bring them out now, they may get killed."
The whole thing was making sense now.
"alright; you put people in there, if their lifes are under threat by the other Lycan chiefs?"
"that's it."
"and many of these people, understand this; why didn't you tell me. and what is the guarantee my life is not under any threat,. mow."
"because you've become one of us,".
"one of you? what are talking about lady?". "you've always being. Just like your father before you. and I do believe, you've had the liberty of meeting the ancient one."
"Nebulous?". "that's the name."
'I am Lycan hieghts', he did say. "he is the man at the top?"
"you can say that. all the five bosses report to him."
"how can I go back to the ship?".
"you can't. Unless he chooses to bring you in…. few knows him."
"I want to…"diana cut me of before I landed, "look I am not in the right place to talk about him. And he is never spoken about on the outside."
"I think that make sense…. You wanted to talk business, the last time we said our good byes on the ship."
"yeah, your company is all yours now, you own wodmax 100%, you are ready for the throne. Nebulous is giving your seat."
everything was happening so fast all over again, quite overwhelming.... this only comes with it new questions.
"and we have a seat in the clubs for as well because of your connections in the underground. Kogna and his team are valuable assets you can employ."
"let me check on Ruby she has gone in for a while now, I wonder what she doing?"
Inside, the room felt cold, a sharp contrast to the afternoon heat outside.
Ruby wasn't in the hall or kitchen, so I went upstairs.
The bedroom door was locked. She opened it on the fifth knock.
She did been crying, it was written all over her well composed face that shows no traces of tears when she pokes it out of the half open door and said, "I might have dosed off, can I help you with something?"
Her question took me by surprised and left me unsettled. She could probably sense the anxiety on my face.
not seeing her down stairs did project all sort of exaggerated scenes of gruesome suicidal images on my imaginative cognition.
Scenes ranging from slit wrest, and limb body lying in a pool of blood to overdose of sleeping pills.
Perhaps something as ghastly a mashed up brain mass from a gunshot through the mouth. the mere thought of it felt like a weasel wiggling it's way under my skin.
"are you okay?".
"oh, I am fine, I just came to check how you doing?", I said, chastising myself inwardly for my inability to say something better.
"oh I see; you came to make sure the sick psycho doesn't flip off the edge…" she said sardonically.
Here tone was hurt, hidden under her forthright fabricated sarcasm.
This only means she overhead our conversation in the garden. The question was; how much information did she gather from our careless exchange in the garden in her absence.
Wait, did she hear about her husband divorcing her?
"I'm sorry ma'am, I didn't mean it like that. you were not supposed to hear that", I replied pleadingly.
"I am suffering from amnesia, Mr. strange guy, not dementia. And just so you know, I did hear so much more than that, and I don't need your pity," she said and slammed the door on my face.
Well, the woman still has fire, and that is a good sign. I went back to the garden to join Diana.
"how is she doing?" Diana asked reluctantly.
"she did been eavesdropping on our conversation." At this replied Diana hang her head low in shame, maybe a little contrite when she returns my gaze.
"how much do you think, she heard?"
"my guess is everything we did been talking about from scratch," I replied as Ruby came out to joined us.
"how did you know about the divorce Diana?" she asked bluntly as I try to play the courtier drawing a chair out for her.
She sat on it without thanking me, and I acted as though I expected none. But the insult was as palpable to a slap on the face.
'nice payback, I hear you lady'.
"please can you talk with your father about this things Ludy?", Diana replied nervously.
Sniggering, Ludy said, "how ironic you never considered my father before spilling the beans to a total stranger."
"I am sorry ludy…".
"I have been hearing that phrase a lot lately, people talking behind my back and apologizing to me later. Well, I don't need your pity. But why not talk to me about me first? I wonder. I am tired of being treated like a helpless child.
D'mick didn't just divorce me, the bastard is married to another woman, his old mistress… I know all this but I am holding up just fine.
I thought we are friends Diana, but I have come to realize you are just babysitting me. all of you..,. how much did he pay you for your efforts….".
"enough Ludy! I said I am sorry," Diana echoed with irritation. "and I said don't be. Now do you mind telling me what he is doing here in my house, impersonating Spooky?" Ruby said, glaring at me puckishly.
"meet Kuga, your personal trainer Ludy. He will also be helping to keep the grounds her very safe. Living here alone can be quite creepy as you've come to realize in the absence of D'mick."
"the doc recommended a physiotherapist, not a body guard Diana. I have already told father I don't need one, and definitely not this particular one, who sneak and snoop around.
Did you ask him to masquerade himself as spooky, maybe it will help bring my memories back," she scoff at the last statement.
"well, I didn't recommend him, your father did Ludy, he brought him here himself. you can call and ask him, he is probably on his way here with Kate," Diana replied convincingly, but Ludy was nothing but convinced as she stared at me skeptically.
She didn't hear the rest of our conversation after all. Her brusqueness would have made her faced off every single topic she did hear us spoke about.
If I did find it difficult recognizing myself, I wouldn't blame the woman if she couldn't recognize me in her condition.
But a thought occurred to me, "how did you remember your immediate family when you woke up from your coma?". I asked and Diana gave me a warning look.
but Ludy lock eyes with me and said, "I didn't at first. It took time, as they show me our family pictures and videos we did she share."
I felt a stab in my chest at this revelation. I have never taken a picture or did a video with her.
That could have been used as a basis for our reunion. Damn, the Ruby I had known was far gone.
She has change in so many ways I can't possibly imagine, and her so called husband had been a major caused of that.
Her general attitude is that of a vulnerable woman camouflaging her weakness, thus her defensive disposition.
Well, I am not going anywhere Ruby. This is had been house, and I did love it. I wonder whether she knows about the secret room.
"I see, I supposed some of those pictures and videos brought back pleasant memories?"
"you can say that, but it comes like vague flashes. I don't think my past is something I want to remember. Perhaps, they're ghosts there I don't want to see anymore.
I want live my life like the sun. waking up and gravitating into the future, yet remain unblemished," she replied with a girlish grinned I missed so much.
"I love the sound of that ma'am".
"I bet you do kuga", she replied and asked, "where do you live?".
"he lived at Ada," diana interjected quickly, saving me from telling a lie.
"will you let the man answer the question?" Ruby remarked rhetorically, and continued levelly, "are married kuga?".
The question caught me off guard, but then again, diana came to my aid, "no, he is not".
I can see color crept into Ludy's bright eyes turning it red in fury, "will you let me have an honest conversation with the man, what is your problem?".
"I am not married ma'am", I replied flatly.
"you live far away from this place, how do you intend to come here every day, to take me through the aerobics?"
"he will be living with you Ludy until you get your bearings right", Nka's voice answered, from behind me as he approached us from an unexpected angle from the garden.
The two women, especially Diana nearly fell out from her seat.