End of days

Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The next morning, Rayford was coming out of the gym, when Jane ran into him. Since they got back from the hospital yesterday, she has been sneaking in and out of her room to take food or anything she needed. She made sure to come out only when Rayford wasn't anywhere in sight.

She had come downstairs to make herself a cup of tea and some toasted bread, she was hoping to be in her room before he comes out of the gym.

"Hi, good morning" she greeted, looking away from Rayford who was shirtless and was looking sexy in a bad way with his sweaty body.

"Hey baby how are you doing today?" Rayford wanted to get closer, but she stepped back to put a distance between them. He decided to maintain his distance. "hope you slept well?"

"Hmmm, I did. I left some toasted bread in the microwave for you, in case you want some"

"You didn't have to bother yourself, I was going to have breakfast ordered for us"

"No it's nothing, see you later" Jane immediately ran upstairs before she did something stupid, like throwing caution to the wind and kissing him.

By evening, Jane wasn't out of her room yet, Rayford has been sitting in the living room ever since, just so he could see her when she came down stairs. But it seems as if she knew he was there, and has refused to come out of her room.

At noon, he had to take a tray of food and placed it in front of her door, and she came out to take it only when he was already gone.

Why would she be running away from him? Was this a new way for her to heal or something? He decided to go into his room and see if she would come out.

Barely five minutes after Rayford went into his room, he heard the sound of Jane's door being opened, and heard her going downstairs. He decided to wait for her to get downstairs first, before coming out.

Jane was famished, she needed something to eat before she dies of hunger. She has been waiting patiently for Rayford to go back into his room, before she came out of hers. She didn't know how long she was going to avoid him, but for now she will stay out of his way, until she has the will power to talk things out with him.

She opened the microwave to find a plate of white rice and stew. Rayford must have left it there for her.

"I'm glad you have decided to finally come out of your room"

Jane was shocked to hear Rayford's voice behind her. She thought he was in his room, why did he come back downstairs?

"Babe what's going on?" He asked her.

She slowly turned to face him. "I'm hungry, so I decided to come get something to eat?" She said, stating the obvious.

"I'm not talking about that, and you know it"

"Then what are you talking about?" She walked past him and took out a bottle of water from the fridge to drink.

When the microwave beeped, indicating the food was warm, Jane wanted to get the food out, but Rayford stood in her way.

" Rayford what are you doing?"

"I should be asking you that, what are you doing babe? You have been avoiding me since you got back from the hospital, what is going on?"

This is the exact discussion she has been trying to avoid. How was she going to pull herself out of this?

" Rayford, nothing is going on. I'm just tired that's all"

"I understand that you are tired, but why have you been avoiding me?" Rayford got closer but she stepped back, the more he came closer, the further she went, until she was backed against a wall and had nowhere to run to.

Rayford stood in front of her, his hands placed on both side of the wall, staring at her.

"look at me please" he used his index finger to raise her chin. She had tears in eyes when she looked up. "Why are you crying?" Rayford asked.

"I don't think I can do this anymore Rayford"

Rayford wasn't sure he heard her clearly, probably he didn't hear well. "What are you talking about?"

"You heard me, I think we both need a break from each other" Jane bent down and passed under his right arm, she didn't trust herself to still stick to her decision being too close to him.

"I don't quite follow, babe what do you mean by we need a break?" He turned to look at her with sadness in his eyes.

" Rayford, I'm sorry but I need sometime to think, to think about us, if I still want to do this. These past few weeks have been really something else for me"

"Baby I understand, I know how you feel but please don't leave me, don't leave us. I'm begging you please"

"No, Rayford you don't understand"

"Then make me, make me understand please..., I know those kidnappers must have hurt you but.."

"But what? But what Rayford?, Tell me, but what?"

"Babe calm down you are shouting"

"Let me shout Rayford, let me shout. After all you were not the one that was kidn*pped, and constantly beaten because of some jealous admirer, do you have any idea what it was like to be in that hell hole with those psychopaths?"

Jane walked closer, jabbing her finger on his chest as she spoke. "I was electrocuted, my head was being constantly dipped in water. I was flogged with planks. And you stand there telling me you can understand, how about you try to understand that?"

Jane took the plate of food she was heating up, and stormed out of the kitchen. She wasn't going to allow him trivialize the pain she was feeling just because he wanted her to obey every of his whim and desire.

Rayford stood staring at the spot where Jane was standing before she left. He knew she had gone through a lot, in the hands of Sandra and her allies, and all he just wanted, was to help her through her healing process.

What was he going to do? Never did he think a day will come when, he would be scared of a woman leaving him, but here he was, praying and begging God not to allow Jane break-up with him. The thought of living his life without Jane, made it difficult for him to breathe. He was going to be miserable without her.

25#

25

After pacing the kitchen back and forth, thinking about different ways to make Sandra and her crazy cohorts pay for hurting his woman, and nothing seemed to be painful enough. He decided to take a drive and clear his mind.

Rayford drove around the island part of Lagos for close to three hours, until he found himself in front of his parents' house, he didn't want to go back to his place just yet. He wasn't sure what he would do, if he gets there, and finds Jane still hiding in her room. So he drove in.

When he got inside the house, the housekeeper told him his father had retired for the night. He was the only one at home, as his mother had travelled with Leah Rose to India for her surgery, which was going to be done the next day.

"Would you like me to go to your father's room and inform that you are around?" Their housekeeper asked Rayford with concern.

"No, don't disturb him, I would be leaving soon anyway"

"Alright, would you like me to get you anything?"

"Nah, just do your thing, pretend I'm not even here" Rayford walked to the balcony, the cool evening breeze greeted his face, the moment he opened the door. Christmas was in few days and the whole house, both interior and exterior was adorned in Christmas decorations.

He sat on one of the chairs, as memories of his childhood came back to him; by this time, him and Leah Rose would have been practicing Christmas carol songs to sing to their parents on Christmas morning, as it was a tradition they had formed over the years. When Dele and Ming joined the family, it became even more fun.

When they weren't reciting carols, they would be in the kitchen practicing cookies recipes which Leah Rose had learnt, from the food channel on TV, most of which usually came out tasteless, or having a funny taste which is nowhere near the taste of a cookie.

This is going to be the first Christmas he would be spending without his sister and mother. Rayford left a tear drop on his cheek, which he quickly cleaned off.

"Care for some company?"

Rayford turned to find his father standing with his hands neatly tucked in his robe pockets.

"Dad, I thought you were sleeping?"

"Nah, I was just lying down, I was finding difficult to sleep" his father took a chair and sat beside him.

"Are you having insomnia or something?"

"It's hard to sleep on an empty bed, when your mother is not around. Don't ever tell her I said that" he warned.

"Your secret is safe with me" Rayford made a sign of zipping his lips.

"What brings you here, by this time of the night?"

"Nothing, I went out for a drive and decided to stop by"

"Mmmmmmm, you only do that when you are worried about something"

"Do what?"

"You only go out for a drive when you are worried about something. So what bothers you my son?" His father looked at him, awaiting his response.

"I'm fine dad, it's nothing to worry yourself about"

"I'm your father, it's my duty to worry about you. No matter how big you think you have grown, as long as I'm still alive, you are still my little boy"

"Dad.... I'm doing okay"

"Do you want something to drink? It seems we are going to sitting here for a while, we might as well bond over a bottle of wine"

"I will go get us a bottle from the wine cellar" Rayford made an attempt to stand up, but his father stopped him.

"Don't worry yourself, I will go get it myself, it's my wine cellar after all" his father stood up to go get the wine, and few minutes later he came back with a bottle of brandy instead, and two glasses.

"I decided we go for some brandy instead" his father opened the drink and poured some into the two glasses, before handing one over to Rayford.

"Dad, I thought mum said the doctor told you not to have brandy anymore?"

His father waved off his concern "oh please leave your mother and that doctor alone, what does he know anyway? He wants to teach me how to leave my life because of some stupid book he read in school. Does he know how long I have been taking brandy?" His father took a sip of his drink as if to spite the doctor.

"But dad, you know mum will be furious if she finds out you were having brandy?"

"That's if she finds out, who is going to tell her? You?"

"No sir" Rayford knew better not to report anything his father does to his mother, because his father will end up denying it, and then make Rayford look stupid.

"Good, now tell me what it is that bothers you, woman problem I assume?"

"Yes Dad" Rayford told his father, all that has been going on between him and Jane and how she wants to break up with him.

"I think you should just let her be for now, you and I know she has been through a lot recently, and only her knows and bears the pains of what she was dealt with, in the hands of those kidnappers. So if she wants to take sometime off to think things through, then I think you should let her"