Who Am I without you episode 10

Who Am I without you episode 10
“My father died in a car accident 2 years go.” he began. I was not expecting him to open up but I guess the food really worked its magic. “He loved two things; women and his drink. My mother could no longer bear him coming home late at night smelling like his been drowning himself in liquor after being with different women so she said her goodbyes, and left me with him.” He didn’t even give me time to ask him questions or interrupt him, he just kept going.
“The only thing he did right was made himself a powerful man in the society. I now run his multi-million naira company. All the money he had could not make my mother stay with him.” After he said that, I felt this rush of shame in me. I started to ask myself “Did I stay with Bolu all these years for the money and the security or did I truly love him?” I found myself asking myself too many questions since I have been here. Mr. Bolu’s lifestyle questioned my wh0le existance.
“Your father did a wonderful job raising you Bolu, you should at least give him some credit for that.” I said to him. “Actually I raised myself. When he couldn’t stop drinking or carrying women about, when would he find time to raise me?” he asked. I just sat there promising myself I won’t say a thing anymore and just allow him talk. The man seemed like his been wanting to pour all this out of him.
“Here comes the best part.” he poured himself more wine. “When I was about 4 year’s old, I welcomed a new sibling but this time the child was not my mother’s. My father had impregnated one his longtime lover. She wanted my mother to know about it so one day she came to our house without my father knowing, and told my mother about everything. That same day, before my father came back from work my mother moved all her things out of the house, she was gone for good.”
I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “Where is this brother now?”
He corrected me saying, “Step sister. She grew up with me as a child but she is a big girl now ooh. Do you remember the boutique I took you too?” He asked. How could I forget that day when I lost all insanity? I felt embarrassed when I remembered.
“She own’s that place and many more like that. She has done well for herself.” I noticed he was frowning which meant everything about this supposed step sister wasn’t so good.
“She is bitter now with ambition. You see after dad died, almost everything he had was handed over to me. The company, the cars, everything you can name was all mine. His lawyers said since he never mentioned having another child outside of marriage.”
“I know that didn’t go so well.” I said to him. He laughed. “Lola you should have seen the war that was going on in this family that is very much still on. The girl’s mother after hearing dad was gone wanted to secure her own daughters future. She has turned Lisa against me. She now thinks I am trying to run everything our father left behind so she will do anything to take her share.”
“Eya.” I said. He then pointed to the far right side of where he was sitting. There was a family portrait hanged on the wall there. I got up and took a step closer to see the picture very closely. As I took a step closer and the picture became more visible to me, I could feel my legs shaking. I became unable to move any further. Bolu quickly reached out to me.
“Who is she?” I asked him, pointing to the girl on the right side next to the person who I presumed to be Mr. Obafemi himself. Even my hands were shaking as I pointed to the young lady.
“Lola you need to take a seat, I think you are growing ill.” he took me into his arms and tried to turn me away from the portrait. “Who is she!” I yelled at him.
“My step sister, Lisa. Do you know her or something?” he asked.
“Bolu why does your step sister look like the woman my husband left me for?” I asked as I took little steps backward; I was enraged.
“Lola, I am so confused here, what is going on? And husband?” he asked.
“Bolu! Your little sister is nothing but a home-wrecker just like her mother! She has my husband locked up in her arms.” I was scre-ming at him.
“How could she do this to me? How could she do this to my family! How?” I was crying. This was such a big shock. The man I could possibly be growing some feelings for is going to turn out to be my enemy. He mentioned her name was Lisa but how was I suposed to know it was that same Lisa. He held me close to him not caring if I was struggling to get away from him. I was beating on his chest with my fist; I just wanted to get away.
“Lola!” he yelled at me. “Look at me. Please look at me!” he pleaded. The situation was out of his control.
“I don’t know anything about what you are talking about.” he said. “Please I am begging you don’t be like this.” of course he didn’t. “I am so sorry Bolu but I need to go home now.” I said to him. He still held me close as if he didn’t hear me say I needed to get away. “Please talk to me Lola. I want to know who Lisa is to you.”
I kept telling him to let me go, “After everything I just opened up about to you, you want to just go like this?” he asked.
“I really don’t care, just let me go!”
“When will you stop being selfish? You’re not the only one who is hurting or who has been hurt before. What is killing you Lola is that you won’t talk.” he said
“When you are done preaching, take me home.” I still insisted.
“He is a real fool for leaving you, and to leave you for someone like Lisa, he is an even bigger fool.” he said. His words got to me.
I looked at him as if those were the only reasonable words his said all night. “Where do I start from?” I asked him. I finally lost the battle.
“He was my first love; we got married when we were young. I gave him a son, and long story short he kicked us out few months ago for your step sister. I have seen that same girl with him on several occasions so I am very sure it’s her.” I said while pointing at the portrait again.
“Who is he?” he asked.
“Bolu Balogun.” I said.
He chuckled, “Wow, what a small world.” he said as he took a seat.
I asked if he knew who Bolu was. “This is how she wants to play?” I was confused as to what he was asking me. “Bolu was one of my father’s employees. He Know’s the in and out of our company. He is very good at his job so a few months ago I promoted him as managing director over one of our company branch. I never knew he had any connections with Lisa.”
“Oh not only connections, they are planning on having a family together.” I told him. I found myself wanting to work with him, to help me because I knew he would do the same for me
“Don’t you see what is going on here?” he asked me. “My step sister wants to ruin me, and she is using your husband who know’s everything about our company.”
“Bolu is very ambitious. If he wants something, he would stop at nothing to get what he wants. If he marries Lisa and their plans on taking over the company works, he would literally now own everything. He is using Lisa!” I yelled.
“And if their plan does work, Lisa would have what she felt was her rightful inheritance; the company. She would have fulfilled her mother’s dreams for her; she is also using your Bolu!” he said.
We both looked at each other as we realized how complicated the situation was. “But what if they were truly in-love?” I asked myself.
“But why my Bolu?” I asked him.
And he said “Lisa, when a man is hungry for power, nothing you can say will stop him!”