A SECOND CHANCE TO YOUR HEART - CHAPTER 7&8
[ We lost him ]
Joelle fell on the floor, crying bitterly as she watched the car drive away.
“Jeff…..Jeff….. Jeffrey!”
**
NEXT DAY, JEFFERY’S PLACE.
Joelle entered the house but met emptiness. The living room is just has it has always been, but there’s no one in.
She began climbing the stairs but stopped on seeing a man.
“You are?”the man asked.
“Where are the house owners?”she asked instead.
“They left and you shouldn’t be here cause the house has been sold”he said.
“What?!”
“Yes child, you should get going”he said as he climbed down past her. Joelle stood there as tears poured down freely from her.
“I’m locking up!”the man shouted from the door, she turned slowly. Believing everything he said to her, she now believes, everything, everything he said.
“Where you close to them?”the man asked as they walked out.
“No, I wasn’t close to them”she muttered.
“You should get home safely then”he said, taking the other route. Joelle began walking.
“He didn’t even drop a letter”she muttered.
“He really meant it, it was all a bet, I was nothing to me…. nothing…. just nothing….. he doesn’t love me… he only played me and nothing else, nothing else Joelle, he only wanted to sleep with me…..I was stupid, stupid Joelle too stupid!”she shouted crying. Passerbys stared at her like she was insane but she cared less. No one would understand it, just her.
Minutes later she got home and as expected, Lydia was already waiting for her.
“Where are you just coming from!”she shouted but Joelle had no energy to listen to her, she walked slowly to her room but a push from Lydia made her stop, she fell heavily on the floor.
“You’ve grown wings now, right? Who do you think will do the house chorus, uhn!”she shouted.
“I’ll do it after some rest, mom”she muttered, still on the floor.
“What! You just gave an answer instead of rushing in there to get done with the works! You think I’ll starve just cause of you!”she shouted.
“Get up right this instance!”
“Mom! I prepared something”Erica said behind her and she turned to see her with a plate of rice.
“You cooked?”Lydia asked.
“Yes, you should have a taste”she said dropping it on the table.
“I thought about what dad said and I did this, you should have a taste Elle”she said.
Joelle stood up sluggishly, walking straight to her room. She really have to get over this, but how!
“You better get the dirty clothes washed!”Lydia shouted and she sighed. She only needs to have a nice sleep, maybe that would help cause she didn’t sleep a blink last night.
**
Jeffrey sat at the window side of the plane, all he could think of was Joelle. He regrets saying all those but how else would she take him serious? Their relationship has gone a long way.
He sighed yet again, looking away from the window to his mother who’s sleeping peacefully and right that instance, he wished she wasn’t his mother.
“Please put on the seatbelt”an air hostess approached hi
“I’m fine”he said.
“You can get injured and…..”
“You’re standing without a seatbelt, so can you just stop and leave”he said and she walked away.
He sighed and brought out a photo of him and Joelle, their first photo together.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart”he muttered, staring deep at her photo.
“All passengers, please put on your seatbelt cause we’re about to get…….”the speaker sounded but Jeffery was lost staring.
“Sir!”the air hostess shouted but it was too late for he hit his head on the back of the seat in front of him, then to the window and then he fell on the ground, lifelessly.
“Jeffery!”his dad screamed.
**
DAYS LATER.
Joelle sat in front of her house, thinking about Jeffrey. They’d have seen the news if only there was a TV in the house.
“Elle!”Erica sat next to her.
“Are you sad about Jeffrey leaving? I’m sure he’ll be back”Erica said.
“I want to be alone”she muttered.
“You’ve been saying that for days, what’s wrong?”
“Can you stop acting nice! I’m sure you’re only here to get words from me and use it against me later on”she said, annoyed.
“Maybe, but a problem shared is half solved”Erica said and she stood up.
“Did he perhaps break up with you or something?”Erica said and she stopped, turning to her.
“What do you know?”she asked, getting scared since Jeffrey said it was a bet with his friends, does that means Erica knows?
“You should be staring at a letter at least, maybe he didn’t leave a letter for you to stare on and also, you should have tried calling him but you haven’t and…..”
“It’s non of your business to get curious about”she cut in.
“Okay, but you should eat at least, you’re getting more thin”Erica said and walked away. She sat down back, going into her thinking world again.
*
Erica walked into the house but decided to go see her father, so she went to his room.
“That’s not what I’m saying!”she stopped when she heard his voice, he’s obviously on a phone call.
“I just want to put the house on hold until I can repay the money”his voice came again and she decided to eavesdrop.
“I need it for my daughter’s college fee, you should know I don’t have up to the required amount so I need to get the money as soon as possible”
“Daughter? Who among Joelle and me?”she muttered.
“It’s Joelle, I’ll have to start with her before Erica”
“What! Joelle?”she muttered, turned and left. Already angry as she went to her mother.
“Mother!”she shouted.
“What is it Erica?”Lydia groaned as she kept applying makeup, getting ready for a party.
“It’s father!”she shouted.
“Can you not spoil my mood, I just hit the jackpot right now, there’s a man I met and…..”
“He’s planning to sell the house and use the money for Elle’s college fee, keeping me on hold”she said, trying not to raise her voice.
“What!”Lydia shouted, the lipstick she’s with fell and she turned to face Erica.
“What did you just say!”
“I was about going to him when I heard him talking about it! He’s putting Joelle above me again cause I’m not his real daughter! I want to attend college also!”she cried.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Mother!”she screamed.
“Stop crying”Lydia hugged her.
“I also want to go to college, mother….”she cried.
“Just trust your mother on this”Lydia muttered.
*
“What do you mean! You really said those, placing her above my daughter!”Lydia shouted.
“Don’t start with that, Lydia!”he shouted.
“Really, cause she’s your first wife child! You agreed on this before I came in here!”she shouted.
“My decision is final, Lydia! I’ll start with Jojo and then Erica, you can’t force me to have a change of mind!”he shouted.
“You won’t do that in my watch!”she shouted but he hissed, walking out of the kitchen.
Out of rage, Lydia picked the mortal stick on the floor and without thinking, she hit it on his head.
“Mother!”Erica screamed. She saw everything.
“You should have just agreed fool!”she shouted.
“Mother…..”Erica started crying.
Lydia knelt down to feel his breathe but he isn’t breathing. She scoffed, like she had done with before, minding not if he’s dead or not.
“Mother…..father…… what did you…..is…..he…..is he….. dead?”she stuttered fearfully. Lydia stood up and walked to her, holding her.
“Listen baby, we’ll take him to the hospital, once we’re being asked what happened, out answer would be, we saw his this way, okay?”Lydia said but Erica shaked her head.
“You want me to get arrested and then ki||ed, then say the truth”Lydia said picked the stick she used, taking it back to the kitchen to hide.
“Help!”was what she screamed next, crying, a fake one.
“Father! Father! Elle!!”Erica screamed as she cried, she doesn’t know what to do.
Joelle ran in. “Father!”Erica screamed again.
“Father?”Joelle blinked on her stand, not getting anything.
“What….. what happened?”
“Get a taxi, we need to get him to the hospital!”Lydia shouted but she didn’t move.
“Joelle!”she shouted, that was when she got back to earth, rushing out of the house.
*
HOSPITAL.
“How’s he doctor?”Lydia asked as the doctor walked out of the ward.
“He had…..”
“Just go straight to the point! What happened!”she shouted.
“I’m sorry but we lost him”he said.
“What!”
“Father!”Erica started crying again.
“What do you mean sir, my father can’t die!”Joelle held his clothes.
“I’m sorry…..”
She let go of him and ran into the hall, they already covered him.
“Father! Listen, you have to come back, you said you’d die after seeing your grandchildren, you can’t die without fulfilling your promise! Father!”she cried as she was held by the nurses.
“No! Father! Don’t take him! Father!”she cried, trying to free herself.
TBC