Chapter 9- A Glimpse Too Soon
838 Words
Richard's finger hovered over the screen of a stranger's phone."Please can I just make a quick call?" he asked.
The girl, about his age with tightly braided hair and a calm smile, nodded, "sure".
"Is that not Richard?" Kate squinted toward the far side of the amusement arcade, her brows furrowing.
Beside her, Alex followed her gaze. There Richard stood, holding a phone and speaking to a girl around his age with a soft smile. Kate’s eyes narrowed.
"So... we’ve been running around like headless chickens, and look who’s out here chatting with a girl," she said, arms folded.
Alex chuckled awkwardly.
“Mmhm.” Kate’s tone was sharp, and before Alex could stop her, she called out, “Richard!”
Startled, Richard turned, still holding the borrowed phone.
“Kate! I’ve been looking everywhere for you two!” he said, jogging toward them.
“You’re looking for us?” Kate arched a brow. “Or you’re too busy flirting with someone?”
The girl, Lana, flushed in embarrassment. “Um… I’ll just excuse myself,” she murmured and hurried away.
“No! That’s not—” Richard began, but Kate had already turned around.
“Let’s just go home,” she said to Alex.
Richard sighed and followed them in silence.
---
Back at home, the air was tight with tension. Mrs. Williams was in the kitchen when the trio walked in.
“Where have you three been?” she asked, drying her hands on a towel.
Alex stepped forward. “It’s a long story, Mom—”
“I’m not talking to her,” Richard interrupted, glaring at Kate.
Mrs. Williams had heard enough. “All of you, hand me your phones. Now.”
“What? It’s not me!” Alex protested. “It’s Richard you should be talking to!”
“I said now,” Mrs. Williams said with finality.
Grumbling, they handed their phones over.
She turned to Kate."Your phone?"
"She doesn't have one" Richard replied firmly.
"Oh! I forgot" Mrs Williams said as she leaves the scene.
The silence between the three was heavy. Kate and Alex left the scene too leaving Richard alone.
Later that night, in the dimly lit corridor.
"Auntie", Richard whispered, tapping lightly on her door.
Jessica opened it halfway."What is it?"
" They still haven't talked to me" Richard said.
“What really happened?” she asked gently.
Richard explained everything—how he met his aunt; aunt Bola popularly known as Ava and how he had gone to borrow Lana’s phone after failing to reach Alex, how he had been searching for them too, how it all spiraled into a misunderstanding.
Jessica gave a small smile. " Ok, I now understand.”
" Yeah, It's good we are on the same page".
"Is your aunt coming for real" Jessica asked curiously.
" She said she will"
“Ok, don’t worry. I’ll explain everything to Mom tomorrow. She’ll understand.”
“Thanks, auntie.”
“Goodnight, the misunderstood one.”
He smiled, "Goodnight. Take care.”
---
Elsewhere, the storm was only beginning.
Anty Bola arrived at Mr. Gabriel’s house without warning. She knocked firmly and waited, her heart pounding. When the door opened, she saw him—holding a small, framed picture of a young boy.
“Gabs,” she greeted.
He blinked in surprise. “Bola? Why didn’t you call before coming?”
“I needed to talk to you. Urgently.”
They walked inside, and she pointed to the picture in his hand.
“You still keep his photo?”
Mr. Gabriel hesitated. “I—Yeah. I do.”
“You left him with someone, didn’t you?”
“What?” His voice rose. “No. Who told you that?”
“I saw Richard today,” she said sharply. “At the amusement arcade near my office.”
The color drained from Mr. Gabriel’s face. “What—What did he tell you?”
Bola’s voice shook with fury. “Are you crazy? You told me all these years that he was in a boarding school, that I couldn’t contact him, and now I find out he’s been raised by someone else?”
Mr. Gabriel said nothing.
“You let someone else raise your son while you pretended he didn’t exist. You lied to me—to everyone!”
Mr. Gabriel looked down, ashamed. “I made a mistake.”
“No. You made a choice". She said firmly. "Do you even know the pain you've caused? Do you know how confused he looked when I mentioned you?". She paced at the room, emotions spilling over."All these years, and you let him grow up thinking you were coming back!"
Bola’s voice was cold as she turned away. “I’m visiting the woman who raised him on Saturday. I want to meet the one who did what you wouldn’t.”
And with that, she stormed out, leaving Mr. Gabriel with nothing but regret and the sound of his son’s name echoing in the silence.
- Writer
