African beauty

Chapter 12 - My remedy

My whole life was falling apart. It felt like the day of my mothers death again. My thinking was bleak and non existent, and my heart throbbed, both in pain and fear. Alex and my father? Did they both have some sort of conspiracy where they worked together to kill my mother? Was that why Alex's father wanted me out of the house that day? So I wouldn't be able to see or hear their plot? And was that also why he was half stammering when he first met my father? It was all a big puzzle that was slowly starting to fix itself. If Alex and my father actually had a hand in killing my mother, I would never be able to forgive myself. If Alex did it, then I had been rubbing shoulders with a criminal and a murderer; my mothers murderer to be exact. That would be the peak of my depression and heartache. In all this, Oliver was my helper. It was like I had overdosed way too much in negative thoughts and people and he came to just cure me. I was not in love with him, because my heart just seemed to stay fixated on Alex, and he wasn't in love with me, but it was like we kept each other sane. I enjoyed being his safe zone where he could just be himself and not have to worry about putting up a wall of masculinity or hostility. He was apologetically himself when he was around me, and I loved it. Anyway, I stopped thinking and called Oliver to meet me at my house so we could talk about the whole situation and the break down of events. When Oliver arrived, he went straight up to my room as instructed by me.

"Erica, I swear to God I'm as confused as you" said Oliver, looking into my eyes. "I don't even know how the police managed to locate him there, but they arrived and put him in hand cuffs, dragging him to the station. They're also doing an investigation on the house itself. We can't possibly get all the....Sorry never mind" he said, not knowing that I knew that his father was a drug and illegal alcohol peddler. "I know your father is a drug-lord, Oliver. I overheard you and Alex bickering about it this morning" I said. Oliver's face completely changed, and it looked as if he did not trust me, which was understandable. "I won't tell anyone about it Olly, it's not my place to tell" I said, grabbing Oliver's arm. "I'm scared, Oliver. I'm scared. What if Alex and my father really had a hand in killing my mother? Oliver, I saw a painting of a black figure striking my mother in the head, like, a few days after I told Alex how my father told me she died. On his wall" I said. "Erica, WHAT? So you mean you knew all this but didn't tell me? Shit Erica, we need to tell the police about this". "Not yet Oliver, not yet" I said, stroking his muscular chest. Oliver was a gorgeous white male, and his breath perpetually smelt of alcohol- but the expensive kind. The kind that would make you turn heads when you bring it out in the club. Oliver's head turned towards me, and I did what his lips were telling me to do. I kissed them, but this time I read them wrong, because he pulled back. "Erica, you're beautiful and sexy and I'm so attracted to you that even you would be scared. I mean you have no idea how many times I've dreamed of us having sex. Either way, I'm not going to take advantage of your weakness right now. You're hurt and you're in no position for sexual contact right now. Let's focus on the important" Said Alex. He was right, and immediately he said that, I broke down and cried right on his shoulder, falling to his lap. I never knew Oliver as one to turn down a new sexual encounter, so it was now that I was realising that it was a facade of masculinity he had portrayed previously. He pulled me up and looked at me with sadness in his eyes, and desire in his heart. "Well go to see them in jail tomorrow, but you need rest right now. You really cant handle another shocking discovery right now" said Oliver, with the most beautiful smirk on his face. He laid me down, ready to leave. He looked at me and kissed my forehead. "Be safe, princess". He meant it this time. He was not mocking me when he called me princess. He walked out through the door, slamming it. I was just there, as though I had not a single ounce of life in me.

The next day came all too quickly, and though I needed to see them to ask them some questions, and make sure they were okay, I dreaded going to the horrible place that was Jail. I knew it would reek or crime and hatred, and I would hate to witness how poorly they were treated. But I knew that if I did not go, I would die in silence, and it would be a slow, painful death. I hurried to dress up, because I knew that Oliver did not joke with time, and he would be here t the time we agreed on, if not an hour earlier to scoop me. I dressed up averagely, but was still equipped for the cold, gloomy weather. At immediately 8:00 am, I heard a door bell, and when I went downstairs to open the door, it was Oliver, Of course. We agreed on 10:30 am, might I add. "Good morning beautiful, did you eat?" Oliver asked. What a gentleman. "No I haven't, but we can consider that later. Lets just get to where we are going and get it done. I'm anxious already". He took me by the waist and ushered me into his Ferrari which I highly suspect was a product of crime. Anyway, the Jail was surprisingly close to my house, and we arrived there in under 15 minutes. When we got there, Oliver did not say a word, and he just opened my side of the car door for me to come out. His face and attitude had completely changed, as if the jail air carried some sort of chemical which triggered extreme masculinity. We went inside to talked to the police that was at the front desk, but Oliver did most of the talking. "Im Oliver Connor, and this is Erica Olufemi. We are here to see Alex Coonor and James Olufemi. Alex is my brother and James is her father. We want to see them" said Oliver. He was stone stone cold, and knew how to compel somebody to do what they did not want to. "I'm sorry but they are still on watch, you can wait at least a week..." and Oliver cut the poor guy off. "I WANT TO SEE THEM NOW. DON'T TEST ME". He agreed. He took us to the jail cell which they where at and told us to call if they were portraying "threatening behaviour". Pricks.

It was the two of them in that cell, together. They both looked drained of energy, even though they had only been there for a day. Alex's hair was not up and bouncy, or slicked back. It was falling across his face, gasping for moisture and volume. My father looked naturally drained all the time, so it was nothing of great concern to me to see him like that. "Oliver, what the fuck? I told you not to tell her and I also told you to prevent her from coming. The fuck is wrong with you? you had one fucking job Oliver. One" said Alex, and I looked at him and shook my head. "Don't swear at me fam, you're the one in jail innit? Now shut the fuck up and explain why you were arrested for murdering HER mother" said Oliver. As Alex was about to speak, My father decided to open his rotten, dirty mouth. "What are you doing here? You are looking for trouble o! this girl!" and I rolled my eyes at him and kept my eyes fixated at Alex. He was about to speak again, but Oliver was not having it. "Ay shut your mouth fam! Your daughter cares about you, so she came here to see how both you stupid dickheads are doing! Talk negatively to her again and you will fucking get to know me better" said Oliver. I had to admit that the Nigerian in me wanted to slap the living daylights out of Oliver for talking to my father like that, but I knew that he deserved it. He helped me let out some of the build up of aggression that I had been holding against my father for years. I  so desperately wanted to say those words to him at that moment, but feared that it would be disrespectful and a sin. "So you're going to let this Oyinbo(A Nigerian slang used for white people) boy disrespect me right? When I get out of here...hmmm" and he kept quiet when he realized that Oliver's face started getting completely red, with his fists clenching. All this while, Alex just kept quiet in the background, waiting for his turn, and I looked at him to signal that he could talk. "Erica I swear I had nothing to do with this. Erica you have to believe me". "I don't believe a thing you say anymore, Alex. First, I found that weird painting of my mum in your room and you said you didn't do it so I let go of that. Then I got to know that you're marrying Genie, which broke my heart to pieces. Then I see you in dodgy ass area talking to Genie's father, telling him you would leave me alone and not to hurt me. And then...I overheard you people talking about your father being a drug lord and some deal, and now this. NOW THIS. I don't believe the shit that comes out of your mouth Alex" I said to Alex, assertively. "But when I was talking to the man in the dodgy area, did you hear me say I love you?" He asked. "...yes" I said, trying to see if he was trying to change the subject or not. "I love you so much Erica, i'm just trying to protect you". Oliver was getting aggravated and jealous at this point, but he did not want to show it. "I don't believe you Alex. I'm tired of being hurt by you. You never keep it real with me, and i'm tired of it. I'm going to leave now. Bye Alex, and fuck you dad. I wont even ask you anything" I said. "WAIT! ERICA I DID NOT KILL YOU MOTHER! GET ME OUT OF HERE" he said. But I was not listening. I just kept on walking away from him, until his voice was only a faint, irrelevant whisper. Oliver was holding my hand tightly, Because he knew that the minute we walked out of the building, I would just sob uncontrollably, and I did.

Because we went there super early, there was still about two hours left of school, and I had been missing a lot of school lately, so I decided to complete it. I had history, so obviously I went in and saw Genie, but she looked completely different. Her head was shaved and she was wearing no makeup, which was something new to her. I went to her and looked at her in shock. "I'm ugly I know. Don't look at me" she said. "Genie, what the fuck happened to you?" I asked. "Long story." She had no idea that I knew that Alex was in jail. "something happened to my hair. Not important" she said, looking like she was about to bawl her eyes out. She looked okay even when she was bald. I wanted to leave her alone to cry and lament, but I couldn't. Seeing her like that broke my big heart, and believe it or not, I still cared about her. "Stand up and lets go get some ice cream from Baskin Robbins. It will make you feel better" I said to Genie. We immediately stood up and managed to get out of class, claiming that we needed to use the bathroom. We sped walked out of Hailshaw and took a cab to the nearest basking robbins around East London. When we arrived, we both had plain vanilla ice cream. All of a sudden, Genie started crying profusely. "Erica, I have cancer. My father helped me to induce it by a rare injection that was not certified yet and I thought it would ware off. I wanted Alex to not leave me for you and now look at me. I'm hideous. I might die any day now...." she said. I did nothing but join the train of uncontrollable tears. Why was this clearly mentally ill and obsessed girl allowed to make decisions for herself? she clearly had no self esteem and was willing to put her life in danger to secure Alex. "He loves you, Erica, and I cant sit back and handle or tolerate it. It kills me" she said. I just sat there in utter dismay, cleaning my overflowing, hot tears.