Lizzy was busy washing clothes outside, Stanley was at the garden watching her.
“She is so dedicated to taking care of my mother, no wonder mummy requested for her because nobody could take care of her like she does. But come to think of it, Lizzy is not the too money conscious type, I did not even think of this before. When we met newly, I disguised as a poor man, but still, she loved me with all her heart. Yes, this is one evidence that should clear all this doubts on my mind. She did not steal the jewelries. Then on the pregnancy side, Could it my father was responsible?……. Heey! Father………. Better not be, because this time, I am not going to spare you” Stanley said in his heart as he started reminiscing his good old days with Lizzy, he then smiled to himself… The memories became fresh and he then desired to bring them to life again. He rose from where he was sitting and went to the laundry stand. He asked Lizzy if she need any help.
Lizzy looked at him with sheer uncertainties on her mind. She then turned and continued with what she was doing and said in her heart: ” Oh my God, did he just asked to help me? Does it mean he is no longer mad at me? Oh Lord please, don’t make him go away. Please force him to come closer, please Lord.”
“Hmm, you are not answering me, that means you really need a hand. The clothes are much, why are you not using the washing machine?” Stanley asked
“It developed a fault, I don’t know what happened. So I decided to use hand because most of mother’s clothes are dirty.” Lizzy answered
“Ok then, let me help, the clothes are much… I will put my hand inside the water and join you in the washing”
“Don’t bother yourself, before you know it now, I will be through with the washing, so thanks”
“Nope, I don’t agree with you. We will wash these clothes together” Stanley said and then dipped his hand in the bucket which was full of water and Lizzy shouted: “No Baby! Don’t”
Immediately she called him “Baby”, she freezed, she never knew when the name slipped from her tongue.
And Stanley looked at her face and felt bad on how he became a stranger to Lizzy. He asked her: “Why did you stop? I am still your baby, am I not?”
And Lizzy still maintained her silence as tears dripped from her eyes. And Stanley got melted the more.
“No no, don’t, don’t cry… Why are you crying? But I am here, I came to help you wash the clothes. Or should I go? But I know you will not allow me to go, because you still love me….so I will not go anywhere” Stanley said, intimately.
“Its not that…” Lizzy replied
“Then what?”
“How can I live without being in good terms with my heart? Stan, you are my heart. You are my life, how do you expect me to live without sharing my laughter with the one thing that matters to me most? What is really happening? Why am I so unlucky in love?”
“Shh! Don’t say more…” Stanley stopped her from speaking further and Lizzy became quiet..
“First of all, call me “Baby”.. I said call me “Baby”….” Stan requested
But Lizzy was just looking at him, with her mood changing…
“I said call me ” Baby”
Lizzy laughed and then called him “Baby”..
And they smiled together.
“Good… First of all, I am so happy that mother trusted you so much. She said you are innocent and I trust her. thank God she made you return to this house.”
“But Baby, you should have trusted me. You really don’t need anybody to tell you that, you should have felt it in your heart that I am innocent.”
Stan said in his heart: “Is that why I never had any hatred for her? Is that why my heart kept telling me she is innocent? But how should I have known?” He then replied Lizzy: “But how would I have known naa? Eeh, my mother is ill, the pregnancy and everything, I was very mad and that was why I never gave it a thorough thought. Can you forgive me?”
“Oh my God! Is he asking for my forgiveness? My God, is this really happening for real or am I dreaming? If this is a dream, I want to remain in it and never wake up..”
“Baby, I am askin you, forgive me please..”
And Lizzy then got herself and said, there is nothing to forgive baby, the fact still remains that my name has not been cleared from the accusations. I won’t rest until the truth gets revealed. That’s all I need, please can you do that for me?” Lizzy begged
“Off course I will. What I will need from you now is to give me the details of all that happened, especially on the day of the accident. I hope to find a clue from there., OK?”
And Lizzy nodded and replied “OK”
“Now, let’s start washing..” Stan said, and took some soap lather and tipped on Lizzy’s nose and burst into laughter.
“Baby, om! What are you doing? You see why I asked you not to help me, you will only disturb my washing..” Lizzy said, cleaning her nose.
“But its part of the washing naa, I also want to wash your nose” Stan replied, laughing hard
“Baby! Go go go, I don’t need you here. You don’t even know how to wash cloth..” She lovingly pushed him
“You mean I should go?” Stan asked
“Yes go, I am busy” Lizzy replied smiling, playfully
“Eeh! I should go ehh! OK, then you will see what I will do to you now” Stan then rushed to the tap, turned it on, picked the host and started splashing water on Lizzy…
That was one play Lizzy missed about Stanley, she loved it when they play like that.
And that made Lizzy to stand up, she picked the second pipe and started splashing water on Stan…
The duo got themselves drenched, they were running around, splashing water on each other, playing so happily and laughing themselves out.
“Wait a minute? What am I hearing? Is that not Stanley and Lizzy’s voices that I am hearing? No, this can not be, I have to be very sure”
Ohadike then went outside, and secretly checked the backyard to know what was happening, and was shocked to the bones.
He saw Lizzy and Stan on each others arms, completely drenched.
Lizzy was on Stan’s arms, as he held her tightly.
“What? What am I seeing? What is wrong with this Stanley?….. No, its not his fault. Its Gloria’s. I don’t know why she requested for that girl to come back to this house.
I really need to do something about this before I will be in water and lather enter my eyes.” He said and headed straight to Gloria’s room.
“Gloria? Why did you ask Lizzy to return to this house.. Listen to me very carefully, I don’t care to know if you saw anything that night, but if I hear kpim! I mean if I hear kpim or anything that relates to it, I swear, you will regret the day you were born.” Ohadike warned as his eyes stroked at her lap and saw the book she placed there and the pen she was holding in her hand.
“Oh my God! Stanley, where are you? Please I need you now, I don’t want your father to see this, otherwise, Lizzy’s life or mine will be in danger. Come my son” Gloria said in her heart with all fears.
“Baby, mother. I need to go and check on mother. Just look at what you did to me now, you just got me wet” Lizzy said
“Ooow I did? Sorry, but I will still do it again, tomorrow, next, next and forever”
“But Baby, mother, I really need to check on her, its been long I left her all alone” Lizzy requested
“Ok, continue with what you were doing, let me check on her” Stanley volunteered to help
“Alright Baby, please go fast”
And Stan left, immediately he entered Gloria’s room, he saw Ohadike tearing the paper Lizzy gave his mother to learn how to write and heard his father, saying: “Oh! Now, you can write? So you can now write, Gloria? Wonder shall never end”
“Father why are you tearing the paper?” Stan asked
And Ohadike who was shocked to hear Stan’s voice became nervous and hid the book at his back, he did not hear his footsteps when he was about entering the room
“And now you are hiding it, but why? Let me see.. Father, can I have a look?” Stan asked
“No my son, it’s nothing…. Just a book, she doesn’t know what she was writing.”
“Really? She wrote something? Father hand the book to me, I am eager to see what she wrote”
“No my son, just forget it” Ohadike said
But when Stan looked at his mother and found her crying again, he then realised that something was really fishy, he then said: ” Dad, I am sorry, but I had to this”
He grabbed his father’s hand and forced the book out of him.
To be continued
