TOXIC ATTRACTION

TOXIC ATTRACTION EPISODE SEVENTEEN

I say there quietly staring at my father in complete confusion trying to figure out what he was saying, how could he knock out Richard and was that his plan so that he could get rid of him, maybe he was trying to avoid paying of whatever money he owed Richard's family. My mother was speechless, she was equally shocked when she found out that my father was the one who hit Richard the second time and was something only he knew about.

Me: I can't believe how much you have ruined my life.

Cleopatra: your father has tried everything to make things right with Richards' family. He paid them everything he worked for in his ten years of employment but still, we couldn't raise that money.

She said starting on dinner. I was now seated on one of the chairs not so far away from the kitchen where my mother was. My father was seated on the sofa watching tv.

Me: help me understand something, how did you come to owe them that much money anyway?..

Ronald's narration.

Richard's father Mr. Jesse had employed me at his company, by then they were dealing with manufacturing and distribution of paints. I was the guy in charge of taking stocks and loading paints for transportation. Jesse was corrupt, he trafficked girls to Mombasa and hooked then up with white men and he also distributed hard drugs such a heroine and cocaine to the clubs where those white men were the main consumers. Jesse and I made a deal and many are the times i was the one driving the girls to the coast, checking to them into a hotel and when the white men came, they paid and went with the girl of their choice. We were making good money and when Jesse was giving me a cut that wasn't worth the work I was doing.

There's this one time that Jesse travelled abroad for a business meeting and in two weeks I had collected eight million from the men and also from the clubs that we made distributions to. By then my mother was in the hospital fighting for her life and it hot to a point where they couldn't give her any more treatment unless I paid a bill worth 3.8 million. I had talked to Jesse before and he knew about my mother's condition but he was just too stingy to help. When he was still away, I paid my mother's hospital bill knowing she would be out of hospital and I'd be Jesse's slave but I didn't care. When Jesse came, he waged war on me and got me arrested. He said I'd only be released if I paid all the money I had used.

Me: so its like you ran a brothel, selling innocent girls to white me?..

He didn't respond and when I turned to my mother she seemed like she had known all that but my mother did not seem remorseful.

Me: I thought I knew you. I knew you are a no nonessential kind of person but this, no wonder you didn't blink when you had the opportunity to sell me off.

Ronald: don't talk to me like that. Everything I did was to give you a good life.

Me: a good life that you are so keen on destroying.

Cleopatra: Robina please.

Me: what mum, would it be okay if it was your daughter sold to the white guys, would you sit here and defend him? No.. that's the wrong question, you never protested when he married me off to Richard. What am I even doing here?..

I picked my phone from the couch and left the house..

Cleopatra: where does think she is going to at this time?.

I slowly walked around in the estate trying to digest everything my father had said but what pissed me off most was the fact that they trafficked girls, how was he not arrested for that, font get me wrong..I loved my father but everything i heard just made me realize that he was not the man I grew up knowing, he was not the man who came home with toys and played with me and certainly not the man who bought me all the expensive gifts and gave me the life every girl wanted to have, so all along i was enjoying life at the expense of other girls.

While still walking around I got a text from Mark asking if i had already slept but when I told him i was still roaming in the estate catching some air, he said he could come and keep me company or better still we would go maybe grab a drink to calm my nerves because he could tell that i was so worked up. The pregnancy took me on a rollercoaster of emotions, one minute i was very okay, happy and excited and the next i was so angry at the world.

That night Julia passed by Susan's place so that she could apologize and perch things up with her. The two had been best friends and noe that they had not been talking, it had made it so hard for Julia to gossip. Susan was not too excited to see her but walking in with a bottle of wine was a guarantee that things were not going to go so between them. Susan accepted the bottle of wine and got two glasses then joined Julia in the living room.

Julia: I hope you don't mind that I dropped by this late.

Susan: of cause not.

She opened the bottle of wine and poured the wine in both glasses then sat next to her.

Julia: not talking to you has been killing me, I didn't mean to make you that upset.

Susan: it was nor about me, you should not have treated Robina like that yet you are the one who invited her here.

Julia: don't even start about her. You believe that Davis is still interested in her after everything that she did to him.

Susan: Davis, as in ber ex boyfriend Davis?

Julia: who else. I didn't know what those idiots see in her. You should have seen his face light up when he told me about getting back together with her.

She took a sip of her wine like it was the most disgusting thing she had to taste.

Susan: Robina is not that bad, she is still our friend and she still needs our support. She told me everything that happened, can you believe that she was forcefully married off to that Richard guy, we were busy giggling on her wedding day yet she was going through an emotional crisis.

Julia: its not our fault. My problem now is that Davis, can you believe he didn't even look at me with those eyes..

Susan: what eyes?.

Julia: the sexy eyes he looks at Robina with. Have you seen the way he looks at her?.

Susan: don't tell me you want to hook up with Davis.

Julia: he has a thing for women, he's cute and loaded..

Susan: but there's also girl's code. Stay away from him Sue and especially if he is still interested in Robina. You have like five guys to choose a permanent girlfriend from..

Julia: yeah whatever.. tell me about Steve..

She changed the subject after realizing that Susan was not into her gossiping.

Richard met up with Johannes as planned. The meeting took place in one of the hotels and it so happened that Johannes was bearing bad news. Johannes and Richard har bern working together for a while but Johannes had to leave the country to join his family in the States and that meant Richard had to look for someone else yo be doing his clearance..

Richard: damn it!.. how soon are you leaving?..

Johannes: in a week's time.

Richard: I have a shipment on the way, it will be here in two weeks, you can't do that to me.

Richard was devastated and it was clearly written on his face. That was not all.

Johannes: the government has introduced new clearance terms. Somebody snitched on the illegal stuff smuggled inside the containers and its going to cost you a fortune to have the guns delivered and cleared.

Richard: so what do you suggest I do with the incoming goods?

Johannes: i will organize someone to clear them for you but you will have to part with 500k.

Richard: you are joking.

Johannes: its that way or no way. If the gun get frozen it will land you in trouble.

Richard: you don't get it, I've got potential clients banking on the guns to be delivered in time. You have to do something.

Johannes: my hands are tied bro.. you weigh your options then give me a call before I leave.

Richard: sure.. I will call you.

Johannes got up, they shook hands and then he left. Richard couldn't take it. He got up from his wheelchair and punched the wall. Santos went rushing to him. He held him and had him sit on the chair. A waitress came by and told them they were closing so they had to leave.

Nerea was in town once again, she did not tell her children she was coming but she needed to fix the problem between Robina and Richard once and for all. She wanted to surprise them but when she showed up at Richard's house it had been locked and a neighbor told her that Richard had not been seen around in like three days. She called Richard but the call went unanswered. She then called Diana and told her she was headed to her apartment.

When Mark heard that I was walking alone in the estate he gave me a call and told me he was coming over to keep me company, I tried to turn him down but he said he was having a boring evening since he didn't have much to do at home and it had become even more boring after I left. It was around 8:30 pm when he said he was on his way. At the estate, there was a shop that I loved to go to, the lady there was quite friendly and once inna while she would entertain me with her funny stories. She saw me and was exited to sell me a soda as she started making me feel comfortable..

Around quarter to 9:00pm, Mark's Jeep was parked by the shop and when he hooted I got up and said goodbye to my friend then headed to Mark's car.

Mark: hey beautiful..

I smiled.

He got out and opened the other side of the door for me and i got in. He got in the driver's seat and drove off..

Mark: so what's going on in that pretty head of yours?..

Me: just family stuff. I found out something that kind of pissed me off.

Mark: you want to talk about it?..

Me: maybe later. Where are we going?.

Mark: you tell me, where do you want to go?.

Me: honestly, I'd rather not go anywhere.

He took my hand and kissed it.

Mark: this is fun, just driving around and talking.

Me: have you spoken to your friend?..

Mark: no. Why?.

Me: what type of a man was his father?.

I asked wanting to get to know my husband's family history, at least i had met the mum, the big brother and the crazy Diana

Mark: Jesse was a cool guy. He'd come to our hostel once in a while and treat us to some nice food, do shopping for us and sometime I thought it was because we took care of his son. He came to campus alot.

Me: why?.

Mark: we never got to find out but he had a meeting with a group of students who were in fourth year. According to the administration he was offering some training then giving guys jobs after that. We were kept out of the loop. Why do you ask?..

Me: I just found out that my father was working for Richard's father and they trafficked girls and sold them off to rich white men.

Mark: Jesse?.. no way!.

Me: clearly not everyone is who they say they are. He had my father arrested for stealing his money to save my grand mother's life. The reason I have to pay the debt by marrying his son.

Mark: I don't get it. How does your father owing Jesse translate to you marrying Richard?

Me: the one thing I don't understand..

As we were still talking, a call came through my phone, it was Nerea.. Richard's mother..

Mark: I think you might want to answer that.

Me: no. I have nothing to say to her.

I ended the call. My reason for not wanting to talk to her was because she could have mentioned the fact that I was pregnant and yet Mark had no idea I was. The truth is that the baby I was carrying could have been for either Mark or Richard, I had no idea. If Mark knew I was pregnant, that in itself would light a fire I would not be able to put out. I was still debating on weather or not to terminate it and only Nerea and her son knew besides my mother.