****
February, 2015.
"I hate you," Tiana screamed at him throwing her clothes quickly into a big brown duffel bag. She was gathering her clothes with so much haste.
"You hate me?" Jason asked through clenched teeth, staring at the heavily pregnant woman his life revolved around the last two years. "Is hate not a strong word to you Tiana?"
"This is all your fault. You knew about it yet you made me look like a fool." Tiana pushed her hair back and hurriedly kept gathering her things flinging off outfits from hangers.
Jason leaned against the door post suddenly drained of all his energy as he stared at the woman who was no more than a stranger.
"You hate me because I didn't let you steal from me to give to your lover? You hate me that much?" His eyes were confused. Jason didn't know what he did to deserve it, all he did was to love her.
"You could have confronted me. You made him look like a fool in front of everyone. You already have so much good softwares out there why couldn't you let him have just that one? Why did you let him launch it knowing it was a flop?"
"Because he is a fool and a coward. If he wanted it he could have done better than to use my wife." He screamed at her then his voice dipped with cold derision, "It's good you hate me then, I wish I never met you. I wish I listened and never married you."
"You don't mean that. You love me Jason. It was a mistake okay, you were travelling always and he..."
"Where are you packing to right now?" He asked instead cutting her short.
"The house in Santa Monica. I think we should just take a little while to deal with this." Tiana said as a matter fact dismissing him.
She always dismissed him how come he didn't notice that earlier? Maybe it was because she was always rude and condescending to those beneath her that he didn't see it immediately. Tiana was nice and sweet to people she cared for but he should have seen the red flag seeing her with others.
Slowly it began to dawn on him. How could he have thought he was in love with this woman. She was so narcissistic and self centered. The scales were falling from his eyes.
"You mean my house in Santa Monica. You can go, it's the only place I'll make accessible to you. Every cent of my money in all your black cards has been emptied. The only thing that belongs to you is the clothe you own. The moment my child is born I'll come for custody." Jason said it with a tone of finality that it was hard for Tiana to see the happy gullible man that ate from her hands and was in love with her.
Like a caged animal she began to lash out. "You can't do that to me Jason. You gave me bonds in the company. I'm not your prisoner."
"Of course not, you're leaving and I'm not stopping you. The next time we see will be to discuss the rights to our child."
"Just like that? All the love you proclaimed you have for me is gone just like that?" She raked moving towards him and began shoving him in the chest.
"How can I love someone who hates me? Does that make sense to you?" Those were his last words to her.
"The child isn't even yours, it belongs to Ignacio." Tiana had screamed to get a reaction out of him but he didn't stop. He didn't even spare her a backward glance.
The next time he saw Tiana was when she was wheeled into surgery and he had to sign the permission slip.
She had left the house after he left but instead of her to go to the Santa Monica Apartment she drove towards Ignacio's. She was leaving his apartment when her car was hit by a truck driver asleep at the wheels.
Jason had held her stillborn baby in his hands for few minutes but he knew he would have loved that child.
A part of him died that night.
******
Lagos, Nigeria.
Present Day
Nature gave us a powerful way to be in tune with energy and even predict things that hasn't happened. Some call it your gut feeling, intuition or instinct.
Pamela was on the edge. Something was wrong, she could feel it in her soul. She could almost taste the fear on her tongue. Her stomach was in tiny knots, her heart was heavy.
She turned out of her her husband's arms and finally sat up, staring into the open space. The bedside lamp which she just put on illuminated the room, its light kissing the features of the man who lay beside her.
Her husband, grunted immediately the light came on. He was a light sleeper and his body was caught off from her warmth which was a big inconvenience to him right now.
"Temi," Chris called out gruffly, then moved closer to where she was and placed his head on her laps. "Why are you awake?" He turned his head on her lap to look at the bedside clock, "It's almost three in the morning."
"I don't know." Shrugging her shoulder slightly and biting her lips. At first glance it looked like she was staring at the cloth hamper sitting at the far end of the room beside the door leading to the closet but it wasn't so she was actually staring into empty space.
Chris rolled his head such that his head was still on her lap but this time he was facing her, looking up straight at her. "Talk to me baby."
Pamela was quiet for a while. She didn't know how to explain what was wrong. So she planted her right hand in Chris's bushy hair stroking and massaging his scalp alternatively and he relaxed even more into her touch.
The whirring sound of the AC was the only sound heard in the room for a while. Chris just let her have space, he knew she was going to tell him soon.
"I'm sad but I don't know why? I don't even have a reason to be. Does this make sense? I feel heavy in my spirit. I feel depleted, Ayomi it's so heavy. I'm really scared. What if I die tonight?"
Chris shot up like his butt was on fire. "Die keh?" All traces of sleep was wiped out of his eyes and he got up to grab the bible on his night stand.
"You will not die. You will live in Jesus name. How can you die tonight? Just wait let me read scriptures and pray on your head first because I don't understand."
Pamela smiled a little at how dramatic he was right now. She was glad they had a more healthy relationship with God when they renewed their vows.
"I love you so much. I love you so so much okay." Pamela threw her body on him and he hugged her stroking her body gently.
"I love you too Temi. All is going to be well okay? Let's just pray together."
"Let me tell all my family members I love them first in case anything happens to me. I'll leave each of them text messages." Pamela got up and Chris stared at her worried then opened his Bible.
"Life and death lies in the power of your tongue Pamela. Nothing is going to happen to you okay." Pamela nodded in response.
"Babe did you see my phone?" She asked while searching her own nightstand.
"No." He yawned out but his eyes remained trained on her following her every moment. Pamela began searching the bedside drawers and finally found it.
"Eight missed calls and three messages." She called out to her husband. Chris hand was drawing patterns on her exposed thigh as he stared at her.
"Liz called me three times and even sent me a message." Pamela licked her suddenly dry lips as she spoke.
Her eyes grew wide as saucers, her breath hitched in her throat. She suddenly felt so cold as she read the note.
"Chris what's the meaning of this message?" Shoving the phone into his face. Pamela's face bunched up and she began twisting her fingers, coiling and uncoiling them.
Chris read the message gently and he was concerned too.
Pamela got up from the bed and started pacing. "I'm not making a fuss for nothing right? Why will she say: she loved me. Ayomi she used past tense, why will she use past tense when talking to me? Did I do something wrong? Why is she so thankful? Liz suddenly sends me a thankful message like...like.." She stammered out finishing her statement. As question after question rolled out of her mouth, her eyes started to water.
"Just calm down and call her." Chris instructed. "I'll call Jason."
Pamela dialed the number and began to pace worriedly. "She's not picking. Christopher why isn't she picking?" her bottom lips were shaking in fear.
"I know something is wrong. I can feel it in my soul. Why won't she pick?"
"Temitope, come here!" Chris called out firmly in his no nonsense voice after seeing how frantic she was getting.
Like a lamb she went straight to his open arms. He held her rubbing her back gently to calm her down.
Pamela kept dialing Liz but it kept going straight to voice mail. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and Chris held her tight.
After the fourth dial Jason finally picked Chris's call.
"Thank God." Chris breathed out immediately he heard Jason's voice.
Pamela snatched the phone from his hand before he could say any other thing.
"Tolulope," She snapped into the phone. "Where is Liz?"
Silence followed her statement and she asked again.
"Where is Liz? Are you not with her?" Pamela asked raising her voice.
"She's at home." Jason answered. His voice sounded low and he sighed.
Pamela took huge breaths then asked "what's going on? Did she send you any message? Can you go to her?" She didn't even give him room to answer.
Pamela sat at the edge of the bed now and adjusted the satin lined Ankara bonnet on her head.
"I..I think something is wrong with her." She felt her chest ache as the words slipped out.
"What do you mean did she tell you anything. What text?" It was Jason's turn to ramble now.
Pamela raised her head from where it was on her palm and sat straight as tears rolled out of her eyes. "She sent me a message that looks like a goodbye message. I don't know what is going on but can you please make sure she's alright?"
***
Jason was laying on his stomach and pressing his face into the Pillow. The room was dark but he wasn't asleep. The sound of Saxophone and guitars put the room in a blissful cacophony of sounds. The sounds were soulful as he played the Acoustic version to Dave Koz's - I'll be there.
This hotel was nice but it wasn't home. He wanted to go home. He wanted to lay in his own bed. He missed Leo, their huge fur baby.
Being apart from her was hard, harder than he thought it was going to be.
Tomorrow. Liz promised him they were going to talk tomorrow. He was going to fix it tomorrow, he was going to fix them.
"I'm going to be a dad again." He whispered the words into the dark night letting himself believe it. It was the first time he said those words.
Everything had happened so fast with Liz leaving him in San Fran that it had been so hard to wrap his head around the words the doctor told him.
They didn't plan Liz's pregnancy, but God gave him a chance and he was going to hold it tight like his life depended on it.
Jason heard his phone ring. He watched the screen of the tiny device lit up and began to vibrate but he didn't pick it.
It wasn't Liz, if it was Liz her song will play. She had a customised ring tone on his phone.
He only wanted to talk to Liz.
Jason watched the phone ring the second time but his didn't bother to pick it.
On the fourth ring he stretched out his hand from under the blanket to check who was it.
"Hey Chris, can I call you back tomorrow?" He barely heard what Chris said when Pamela's voice rang through.
"Where is Liz?" She asked sharply.
Jason didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure if Liz told Pamela about what was going on between them. Before he could think of what to say she asked again.
"She's home." His voice was a tiny whisper because he didn't know where home was without her.
Then Pamela started to say things like a goodbye note, he felt his heart stop. He felt dear seep into his bones corroding every rational thought.
Everything happened so fast then he started to run.
*****
Who else believes in their gut? I'm that girl that can spot bad things before it lands. Do you believe its real or not?
I missed my babies, Pam and Chris. Lately I'm tempted even harder to write a sequel to their story post Nina. Butehn I already have four drafts that I don't know when I'll write.
I brought you guys a little back story of Tiana and Jason. You'll understand why soon.
Another reminder that I'll live to do a fun Q&A with you guys. Leave me questions in my inbox. Questions for my book Characters, and even for the author.
Vote, comment, add to your reading list and share. Tell somebody to tell somebody to read my books biko.
Love and light
Orex.