From how Abigail's father became calm after hearing his family name, it was clear to him the man might know who he truly was. Enoch knew he could get the man's favor if he played his cards well, and that's what he was going to do. He was young but a business man, so seeing every situation as a business dell was one of his many characters.
"Sir, I thought of escorting Abigail when she said she was coming home, just to see where she's from." Enoch replied calmly.
" As what? Mr Nyimbo asked with an expressionless face, and everyone turned to him with shock on their faces as they were not expecting such question from him.
"As her friend Sir." Enoch replied sharply.
"A friend? You as her friend?" Mr Nyimbo asked with a doubtful look.
"Dad, they are my colleagues from work?" Abigail interrupted.
" And you chose the males in the Prison Service as friends and not the ones in the Police Service?" Mr Nyimbo questioned.
Abigail lowered her head as she was shock at the revelation, even Enoch and Gideon was shock as well. The man in front of them was not as ignorant as they thought, and from how he's talking, he might know more than he should. Not letting any chance go unused, Enoch thought of using the fact that the man knows him to his advantage.
" Sir, it was only by chance that we met, and it was our work that got us together. I hope you don't mind me being friends with your daughter?" Enoch said with a charming voice which made Abigail turned to him.
"A Damtis as my daughter's friend? What do I gain either I accept or disagree? Mr Nyimbo said as he picked up his brief case which he placed besides the sofa earlier.
He stood up and made to leave as everyone was looking at him, wondering what he meant by 'What he will gain'. He stopped midway and turn to Enoch as he spoke. "See me before you leave." He said and left. It was a command, but he said it so calmly that it sounded like he was pleading to him.
Enoch smirked after hearing Mr Nyimbo's words and turn to look at Mame Vida, who looked shocked with what was going on. He knew getting Abigail's father on his side was a done deal, but the one who might be his greatest challenge, was Abigail's mother.
He plans on not leaving any loos holes in his relationship with Abigail, no matter how small or huge it is. As his mother Georgina said, "Fight for her if she's the one you want" and he is going to do just that, even if it's the last thing he does before leaving this world.
" Ma'am, please forgive my straight forwardness. Abigail is my friend and I like her a lot. I hope you wouldn't mind that?" Enoch said as a matter-of-factly.
" Aren't you supposed to be getting married in few months?" Mame Vida asked and Enoch's calm expression changed to that of uneasiness.
Enoch sat back in the sofa, thinking as to how he can convincingly assure the woman in front of him that he wasn't getting married to anyone. "So they know this too, could it be that the witch of a woman came here and...."
"How would your wife to be feel if she get to know you visited the house of another woman, asking to be her friend as you say?" Mame Vida asked, cutting Enoch's thought short.
Abigail knew how Enoch didn't want to hear that topic or about that supposed wife of his again. She held Enoch's hand which was resting in the sofa and squeezed it lightly, trying to calm him down. Enoch turned to look at him and when he saw her frightened state, he knew he had to do something to calm her and himself.
" Mame Vida, am sorry to disappoint you, but am not getting married to anyone anytime soon. But of course I'll do, if you want me to marry your kind daughter." Enoch said charmingly, looking at Abigail.
That was an indirect proposal to Abigail and Mame Vida knew it, but Abigail didn't take it serious and just smiled it off. She felt Enoch said that just to calm her down, and that was partly true.
Enoch on the other hand was expecting a reaction from Abigail, but he was disappointed when she didn't say nor do anything about what he said.
"Nana, to the kitchen now." Abigail's mother instructed and she did as she was told. She rushed to the kitchen in a hurry, knowing her mother wanted to talk to her privately, and her mother followed her after excusing herself from the Men.
" I think you made a mess out of the situation." Gideon who had been a spectator all this while commented sarcastically after the ladies left.
"Ahwge!" Gideon exclaimed as Enoch knocked him on the head for what he said to him. "You didn't say anything to help, and now you want to talk?" Enoch asked, holding a fist up. Gideon had to keep his mouth close to stop his boss from raining all his anger on him, in the house of the one he loves.
Mr Nyimbo stepped out of his room just in time to see the two in an awkward situation. "I hope you won't fight here?" he asked and the two went back to their serious mood again as they replied in unison. "No sir." He sat in the sofa besides the one Enoch was seated in and begin with his questions. "Tell me who you really are." He asked.
"I'll like to excuse myself sir." Gideon said and stood up as both Enoch and Mr Nyimbo nodded to give him their permission to step out.
"Am the second son of the Damtis family, the CEO of the Sorphnaf company and CSP of Ankaful Prison. (Chief superintendent of Prison). Please don't let Abigail know this, I'll like to be the one to tell her." Enoch said immediately Gideon went out.
" How old are you?" Mr Nyimbo asked.
"Am three years older than Abigail sir." He replied calmly.
"And what is your intentions towards my daughter?" Mr Nyimbo asked strictly.
" Sir, am aware she's engaged to a man if that's what you want to ask, but I also know she doesn't love him, nor do the men, but for now we are friends, I don't know what will happen later." Enoch replied nonchalantly.
" What do you mean by he doesn't love her, how do you know that." He asked.
" Am sorry to be the one to tell you this, but months ago, Abigail was almost rapped in public, thanks to this same man we are talking about." Enoch replied.
"What are you saying?" Mr Nyimbo asked seriously, his actions like that of a caring father.
Enoch had no option than to tell him everything that happened, starting from how he met Abigail till when the CCTV footage was found. Mr Nyimbo was agitated upon hearing what his daughter went through, but he couldn't understand why Abigail kept such thing a secret.
"She didn't say anything about it to me, not even her mother." Mr Nyimbo commented to himself.
__________
Abigail got herself busy immediately she got to the kitchen, trying to calm her rasing heart down. She nervously begin to chop vegetables even though she wasn't asked to. Hearing the door to the kitchen opening, she almost chopped off her hand due to the topic she was aware her mother was going to discuss.
"Aahhh!" She shouted in pain as blood started flowing from the cut on her left index finger.
"I didn't ask you to kill yourself in here." Mame Vida said with an accusing voice, getting a cotton to clean up the wound on Abigail's finger.
"Did you know he is getting married?" She asked as she cleaned Abigail's wound.
"He was, not any more. He was being forced to do so, but he found a way out." Abigail replied.
"And that way is you?" She asked again.
"Mom! we are just friends." Abigail replied with her head lowered.
"You mean he hasn't proposed to you yet?" Mame Vida questioned.
" No mom, and I don't think he will." Abigail replied sadly as she turned to continue chopping the vegetables.
" That's good. I don't want any troubles. You are engaged and so is he, so it will be better if you stay away from him." Mame Vida said strictly.
" Mom, I broke my engagement with Edward, we are not together anymore. Don't tell me you are still waiting for him to come back." Abigail said, almost angry with the topic.
" Things doesn't work as you think. He payed your bride price in the traditional way, and that makes you his wife." Mame Vida said strictly as she started with her cooking.
" And where is he as my husband, how many years has it been? Do you even know that girl he eloped with, tried to have me kill? Do you know I was almost rapped in public by the orders of that same girl? Mom, please don't tell me you still see him as the ideal man for me. There are a lot you don't know about him." Abigail said in tears.
" Nana, all you said was than by that girl, not him, and he said he'll be coming back for you soon." Mame Vida said, not looking at Abigail for once.
" I can't believe you are saying this, Mom, am working now and I can pay back every amount he spent on me. Please don't let him come, I don't want to be with a man like him." Abigail said with a pleading voice.
" You mean you can pay him back or let that spoiled brat out there pay him off. Is he the kind of man you went instead?" Mame Vida said coldly as she turned to face Abigail this time.
" Enoch isn't the reason for any of my decisions. I made this decision even before I met him, and let that womanizer know I don't want to be with him." Abigail said and storm out of the kitchen, knowing her conversation with her mother wasn't going anywhere.