Chapter 24

"Who did this baby? Maria asks again.

She looks at Cleve but has not guts to rat on him.

He eyes her, giving her that look that makes her shiver almost making her cave in.

she lowers her eyebrows while squeezing her eyes.

He wants her to say it ,to stand up and slap him hard

Maybe it would lessen the guilt but her silence makes him feel more guiltier

"Tasha am sorry.

I have failed you as a friend and brother"

Hearing him talk she cries even more its more of a wailing

On his knees he crawls to her

"Sis..am deeply sorry

I am ashamed and feel stupid for raising my hand on you".

"You did what !" Maria is truly furious

Cleve, you did this to your sister? Is this your art work?

The large palm print is clearly visible 

there is pin drop silence in the room.

"Tasha ', he embraces her legs

"Punish me whichever way you dim fit.

Slap, kick me ,hit me I won't object, whatever it takes but please forgive me".

His words make her cry even more ,it felt like she felt the pain for him.

"am sorry for making you cry baby sister, I wanted to be the last person in this world to be the reason behind

your tears" He wipes away her tears as he kisses every part of her face.

it was just like before, when they were young .whenever she was hurt he would kiss her pain away .Bringing a

smile to her beautiful face made him feel satisfied as her brother and protector.

Vienna can't help but shed tears ,even the old madam Cleve couldn't help it.

"Cleve you hit your sister? how, why did you do that?

Of all the people you hit your baby sister? The person you protected the most, the person who gave you the

drive to do better ,who cheered you even when you lost, you turned to be her perpetrator?"

"what led to all this?' Old madam asks the question on everybody's lips

what made you loose yourself that you had to hit my granddaughter?"

"he goes mute". thinking about it he really went overboard

"Arnold"  calling him by that name  Cleve knows the old lady is very angry

are you going to talk or should I do it the other way?"

who doesn't know what the other way means, no wonder she was tagged old madam Hitler.

He stutters, repeating his words now and then but still they can put the pieces together.

''Jeez !Cleve how could you? her eyebrows  pulled close together with eyes bulging out Aunt Maria looks like

she is gonna descend on him with blows.

her nostrils are flared outwards as though ready to attack.

his mother ,tears have pooled in her eyes threatening to streak down her cheeks. He has hurt her, will she ever forgive him?

old madam Cleve looks at him with eyebrows raised dense horizontal wrinkles are visible on her forehead

with her mouth agape and loosely hanging, eyes wide its its like she is not only surprised but stupefied. What Cleve had done is simply unbelievable.

Aina's lips are tightly drawn with a small smile plastered on them ,she is definitely angry as much as she tries to mask it.

Ms. Rou feels like the grass under the feet of two fighting bulls.

"you did all that for her?" she points her forefinger at Aina

she is furious that smoke is almost coming out of her ears.

miss .Rou feels like the ground should open up and swallow her.

she hadn't even spent a night in the beautiful house but hell has broken loose.

she had been caught in the game of cat and mouse with no room for escape.

Maria is raging mad, she is ready to bring the house down.

"you slapped my niece for a mere stranger, your supposed surrogate?

are you going to drive as out for her her too?

for your fiancé you almost turned your back on our family values now you slap your sister?

Cleve did you ask your fiancé why she took her friends' stuff to Tasha's room?

as a guest she should have occupied the guest room but for Aina to settle her in your sister's room don't you

think she was bullying her. Are we to be treated like tenants in our own house?"

Maria made perfect sense,

"I won't be surprised if you take my mother to the old people's home at her behest".

Aina shudders within ",how did she learn about her plan?"

'I..I can ne...'

'just shut up, shut up

Lola, Lola the butler almost comes running

book Ms. Rou to a hotel, Cleve you step down as the CEO ,Junior you take over as the acting CEO till Richmond returns"

she leave everybody jaw dropping down. how the tables have turned

Aina opens her mouth and closes it. She has something to say but its stuck in her throat.

Maria steps forward ,"mother you cannot make such a decision when angry

junior is still trying to learn ,he still is inadequate in  many areas, am sure the board of directors will make it

hard for him ,why not keep Cleve around till brother returns." She had wanted her son to be in power but not

under such circumstances.

"Then you take charge ,that boy has strayed far from home, he needs to reflect on his actions."

"Arnold " he almost salutes yes ma'am at the sight of her fiery looking eyes.

"is she your surrogate?" ye..yes he no longer speaks with confidence

"when is the procedure scheduled,?"

"day after tomorrow". disappearing to the corridor she leaves him hanging

Aina is uncomfortable with her questions.

"would she resort to dirty means? what could possibly go wrong?"

once again just like during breakfast, dinner doesn't go as planned

seeing her off, "Aina I am really disappointed in you ,why do I feel like a chess piece to you?"

"m sorry my friend I had allowed my anger to crowd my judgment.

you've seen the way they treat me

nobody cares about what I think or how I feel, all this years being with Cleve I have been trampled upon by his family that I cannot think straight anymore.

please don give up on me you are the only person who understands me better".

Embracing her ",its okay dear I need to rest and keep my body fit if you still want your baby."

"of course I do baby, "kissing her bye she heads back inside.

with one eyebrow twitched slightly upwards , she  adopts a pleasant smile as she enters the car.

they is no friendship in the jungle, its struggle for existence and survival for the fittest.

********

"baby how do you feel today?"

"am fine brown, stop nagging me like my mother". She vanishes to the kitchen and the next minute she is back with two glasses of juice.

"emotional stability"

"check"

"physical condition

"check

"mental state

"check"

"what of your..."

"everything check check check". she falls back to the fur couch in fits of laughter.

"you should have been a psychologist you know"

"you love psychologists?" His eyes are full of mischief.

"not really I just appreciate the work they do".

"baby you know I can be anything for yah".

he starts teasing her, unbuttoning the navy blue colored shirt slowly as he makes some slow dance movements.

"I can be your "meow" he purrs like a cat pressing his tongue near the roof of his mouth. She laughs almost spilling the juice

"or woof" he barks like a dog as he runs around as though circling her legs.

"you don't like it? how about this," he moves his body performing the peacock dance its amateurish but it

makes her laugh even more.

"which one works for you?

I can also do this", he imitates the roar of a lion .she laughs  so hard that she sheds tears'

He smiles at his handwork.

earlier when she had called she sounded so down and pitiful

for her he had called in sick and taken a day off.

Doctor stone offered to stand in for him as he had a lecture to attend to at the local government university.

they have been getting close day by day, sharing a cup of coffee or even having dinner together.

though slow it was a good sign as things were at least in motion.

"you have a beautiful smile, do you know that?

she masks it with a scowl face.

"when you smile your eyes twinkle like a million stars

baby I want to see you smile always, nothing should keep you down

you are one hell of a strong woman who I love a lot. life isn't a bed of roses hun but you must learn to

appreciate and love your scars, its the scars that make us who we are. They tell our story, how we survived and sailed through the hard times. Embrace your scars baby they sing of your victory.

 our past doesn't define us Hunie."

"but Brown thers no future without a past".