24

Back at her office, Jean slumped on a white recliner and started to really think about what Jason had told her.
Firstly, she was ponderous: How could James just fire Jason that way? They’ve been together in that business since the beginning. Moreover, at what cost? Just so Jason can stay away from me? Why would he make such a rash decision? He is a businessman and an engineer, he’s supposed to be smart.
Next, she became angry: James is trying to control my life. What right does he have to limit my association? I am an independent woman, I associate with whomever I like, and he has no say in it. Who the hell does he think he is to go through measures like that just because Jason is my friend?
She had tried her best to stay away from James at all costs. But with the way things were going, it looked like she had to act just to pass her message across.
A slight head-ache kicked in and Jean groaned. She hated thinking too much and she had to busy herself. She noticed an unattended contract on her table and went over to pick it up. It looked bulky enough to keep her mind off other things. She checked the last page number: 264.
Just perfect.

It was nine o’clock before Jean left her office that night. She had finished the contract, signed it, made copies and even sent a copy to the second party. Also, she had attended to some other things around the company just to keep herself busy. She didn’t know why she did all of that when she could easily sit at home and let the money pour in. But then, trust was a difficult thing for her to give. She knew she could trust Peter to handle everything properly but she just couldn’t bring herself to. Her heart had been in her throat during the one week she had spent in Hawaii and it took all her constraint and Jason for her not to keep calling every five minutes.
She also worked to keep her mind off the ghosts of her past. Scoffing, she thought of the ghost that had decided to show up in the form of James, Avery and their devilishly adorable toddler. Her main plan was to visit James at his office the next day and give him a piece of her mind in the most civilized manner she could manage.
Now, as the anger welled up in her, her tires screeched when she halted in front of her house. She almost ran through her incredibly huge foyer and up the stairs. She flung off her corporate attire when she got into her room and didn’t bother taking a shower before going into the walk-in closet.
Going through the racks, she decided to wear a leather jacket, an undershirt and a pair of jeans. Lacing up the sneakers Jason had forced her to buy, she felt good to go and her anger hadn’t reduced even a little bit.
Speeding on the road, she was glad she had not taken her Rio just in case she bashed it. She thought more about what James had done and, although it seemed impossible, her anger increased even more. She stepped on the accelerator and felt the adrenaline in her system as the car zoomed on.

Finally, at James’ supposed address, she walked up to the gate of the mansion and looked up. The house wasn’t even half as big as hers but she guessed it was suitable. When she looked back down, she noticed the security post at the gate and cussed. But then, when she looked closer, she noticed that it was actually empty.
She opened the gate quietly in case the security man was actually doing a round of the compound or something. She marched up to the main house and rang the doorbell furiously. She expected a servant to open the door but James’ face greeted her instead.
His eyes widened when he saw who his unexpected visitor was. He started smiling but turned it upside down when she crossed her arms across her chest and deepened the frown on her face.
“I see you’ve come to return my visit, Jean.”
“Your sarcasm is not appreciated.” She deadpanned, “Why did you fire Jason?” she hit the nail on its head.
James scratched the back of his head like he was suddenly nervous. Jean rolled her eyes and changed her standing position to show her impatience.
“Would you like to come in, Jean?” he asked, opening the double door widely so she could see the foyer.
“No.”
“Oh, come on! I can't let someone who went through all the stress of coming to see me at this time of the night just stand on my porch. Its common courtesy, just come inside and then we can discuss anything we want to discuss. Eh?”
She bit the inside of her cheek as she thought about it. She was actually curious to see what kind of home Avery had made and she knew James was almost as stubborn as she was. She sighed and went inside turning around to face James.
He looked at her from head to toe and thought Wow. She looked so different with her arms clad in leather sleeves instead of a blazer and her jeans were definitely giving those pantsuits a run for their money. He kept on ogling her as if he had never seen her dressed in such attire before. He had but it was a long time ago. She looked like she was here to steal his heart and she stole the little part she didn’t already have.
When he least expected it, she swung her right leg up and her foot hit him square in the ribs. He ended up on the floor, coughing and clutching his attacked side. The pain was excruciating and he was sure he broke a rib. He couldn’t find words to speak as he tried desperately to gasp for the air that had rushed out of his lungs. After some moments of struggling, he finally found the strength to breathe and then, to speak.
“What the hell was that for? You come into my house and attack me, woman?” he wheezed.
Jean raised an eyebrow, as she stood over him with her arms akimbo.
“That’s for firing Jason unfairly.”
James’ head rang for a minute. Still clutching his painful side, he stood up carefully and leaned against the wall.
“I find it hard to believe that the Jean I know would go through such lengths just because somebody lost a job unjustly, even if its Jason.”
“Shut up, you moron. I'm not doing this for Jason. I'm just here to warn you and trust me, I mean every word I am about to say.”
James was about to speak but her palm signaled for him to keep quiet and she continued:
“Don’t you, ever in your existence, dare to interfere in my life or in any of my affairs. We are business partners and nothing more. You are no special than any of the other people I do business with so I see absolutely no reason why you think you have the right to interfere in any of my activities. Jason is my friend and I do not see how that concerns or affects you. You have absolutely no right to ask him not to relate with me anymore. Who the hell do you think you are? I am a grown woman and even my mother has no say in matters like this. In fact, hardly anybody has a say in anything I do, even in the business world. You are just sick and if you ever try to threaten Jason again, God knows I will give him the best lawyer I can to drag your ass to court and I will make sure your reputation is ruined.” He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him short, “I don’t care what else you have to say. I have made my point and that’s final.”
James didn’t attempt to say anything this time around. He was more focused on the woman behind Jean. Jean wasn’t looking at him so she didn’t notice and she continued talking.
“Look, James, if you think you can still have a say in my life, you are dead wrong. Gone are the days when your opinion mattered and ditto are the days when you and your wife could ever interfere in my affairs. I’m not stupid anymore and now I know that trust is something human beings don’t deserve to hold. I will never allow the two of you or anybody else to walk over me the way you guys did. I am now strong in every sense of the word and nothing can change that.”
She looked up at James and noticed his line of vision was trained elsewhere. She turned around and saw Avery standing there in a beautiful evening gown fidgeting with her fingers and looking at the floor.
There was complete silence apart from James’ wheezy breathing. After a few minutes, Jean walked past Avery and headed toward the door. She opened it and stopped at the doorway.
“And Avery, please help me tell your husband to leave me alone. Have a nice night.”
With that, she slammed the door and walked to her car, her vision blurred.
Once in the car, she calmed herself down by taking deep breaths and started the engine. She drove slowly down the street not wanting to get home anytime soon. She noticed a park on her GPS and stopped there to receive some fresh air.
The place was already empty when she got there. The environment seemed foreign to her despite the fact that she had loved parks when she was little. She sat on a swing and remembered a day about twenty years ago.
“Ow!” cried an eight-year-old Jean as she hit the floor hard from her fall off a swing of the local park. She looked at the place where her mother was sitting but Mrs Taylor was too engrossed in a conversation to see her child fall.
Jean started to cry but she felt a pair of arms try forcefully to pull her up. She looked up and saw a nice looking girl smiling down at her. She had the brownest eyes Jean had ever seen in her eight years.
“Don’t cry,” said the girl, “it’s just a fall. You’ll be fine.”
Jean nodded and stood up.
“Thank you.” She said and tried to leave but this girl wasn’t having any of that. She followed Jean and started talking.
“I know you. You’re also in Ms. Oluyale’s class at school. You’re the girl who’s always reading Enid Blyton’s books to the class.”
Jean nodded her head and smiled. She felt happy to be recognized by her reading and she wanted to make this nice girl her friend.
“Yes, that’s me. My name is Jean.”
“That’s nice. I’m Avery. Wanna come to meet my mum? She’s right over there, talking to the pretty lady in the pink top.”
“The lady in the pink top is my mum actually.”
Avery gasped dramatically, “Are you serious? Well, let’s go meet them.”

Jean sighed at the memory. That day, they had decided to become best friends forever. She guessed their own ‘forever’ had meant twelve years. She felt her eyes prickle when she thought of what they had snatched from her and how much she wished she could just be a regular young adult. She was grateful for her accomplishments but sometimes, she just honestly wished nothing had ever happened.
She knew she was too serious for her age. Avery just arrived from a party and she was sure it was grand. She wished she had had the opportunity to attend grand balls with the love of her life on her arm. She ached to have a family house the way James and Avery did. Their house was warm and cozy, from what she saw, it looked very welcoming and like a place where children could grow up happy. She also wished she had a husband who loved her and children she could call her own. In traffic, she had seen women scold their children, laugh with their children and even play with their children. Once upon a time, she had the hopes of having all that someday. But now, all the men she met were either intimidated by her or kissing her ass so they could get the business deal over with. She didn’t feel that she had a chance at marriage, family life or the happy ever after she secretly yearned for.
Amidst her thoughts, she heard footsteps approaching. She turned her head to the direction she heard them from and saw a tall male figure approaching. When he got closer, she began to make out curly hair and a strong jawline with broad shoulders. He came to her and stood directly in front of her. She still couldn’t see his face, no matter how hard she tried.
“Can I help you sir?” she assumed he was a security officer in charge of the park.
“Please, don’t call me sir. And yes, you can actually help me. I would like to know what a beautiful woman is doing sitting alone in a park when it's almost midnight.” He asked with a heavy Italian accent.
“You can’t even see my face, how do you know I’m beautiful?”
“Mi cara, every woman is beautiful in her own way. But honestly, I would like to know why you’re here all alone. Or did your boyfriend go get snacks?”
“I’m alone with my thoughts, I guess.”
“Ah, I see. Those things that make you feel like you just can't escape no matter how hard you try.” He scratched his jaw. ”Why don’t we have a little chat on the park bench and maybe that street lamp over there will let me know if you truly are facially beautiful.”
“You know, at this rate, I won't be able to describe my rapist’s face to the police.” She teased.
“But wouldn’t that be fun.” He jested.
She laughed and thought about it. It would be fun to actually try something rash for once in how many years. With a smile on her face, she jumped off the swing and followed him to the nearby bench where they sat. She turned to look at him and saw the face of her ‘rapist’. He was olive-skinned and had dark eyes and matching hair, his build was quite muscular and she could see that he had been in a fight with the wrong person by the way his nose crooked awkwardly at the bridge. He flashed her a smile and she caught sight of a chipped incisor before smiling back.
“So,” he said, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back, “may I know the name of my victim tonight, innamorato? And you ARE beautiful after all.”
Jean laughed at the carelessly used endearment. She wasn’t used to it and would have found it freaky on a norm but something about this man made her feel less tense; maybe it was his beautiful Italian accent.
“My name is Jean. And you are?”
“Miguel, bellissimo.” He took her hand and kissed it and she could feel herself swoon inside. She felt like a teenager all over again.
She was caught in the moment until a flashlight was pointed at them and she had to cover her face from the blinding light.
“Oi, Miguel! What do you think you’re doing, wooing my boss?” shouted the holder of the flashlight.
“Your boss?” Miguel exclaimed.
Jean made a small space between her fingers to look at the owner of the voice she could depict anywhere.
“Jason? What in heaven are you doing here?” she exclaimed. Jason was the last person she had expected to meet that night.
“Or I might be propelled to ask what you’re doing in my side of town, flirting with my neighbor.”
Jean's mouth opened and closed severally like she was a fish.
“Your neighbor?” It was Jean's turn to exclaim. She looked at Miguel who just flashed a small smile like it meant nothing.
“Oh, and Miguel,” said Jason with a hand in his pocket and his flashlight now facing the ground, “the lady of last month, I think her name is Chastity?”
Miguel suddenly seemed annoyed at Jason’s presence, “Yes, what about ‘Clara’?” he asked through gritted teeth.
Jason ignored the correction and continued, “Well, she has been in front of your suite crying like a raging lunatic for the last three hours and when I tried to calm her down, she threatened to burn down the whole building if she didn’t see you soon. I tried to explain to her that you weren’t home but she wouldn’t have any of it. I think I saw her sitting on a gasoline keg outside your apartment.”
Jean could feel the tension in Miguel’s body from across the bench on which they sat. But Jason wasn’t done yet:
“And the other woman, Justine, who’s inside, I’m pretty sure she’s terrified by now. That’s if Chastity hasn’t broken down your door and started attacking.”
“She can’t break down my door, it's super strong. And only my handprint can unlock it.”
“You know, anything can happen when a woman goes crazy, Miguel.”
Jean felt she needed to butt into this conversation at this point despite her former quietness.
“You know, Miguel, maybe you should go and sort out Clara and Justine, okay? You could always collect my office number from Jason.”
Miguel nodded and with a vicious look at Jason, who waved at him, stood up and walked away.
Once Miguel was out of earshot, Jason started laughing hysterically. Jean stared at him blankly for a while before realization dawned on her.
“You lied, didn’t you?” she asked, rolling her eyes.
“You bet I did,” Jason said in between fits of laughter.
“But why? He seemed like a really nice person. You must have scared the pants off of him, he was desperately trying to keep his cool, the poor thing.” Jean tutted.
Jason took Miguel’s place on the park bench, “Oh please, don’t pity him, Jean. Miguel changes women like he’s changing channels on a television.”
Jean scoffed, “I caught that from your conversation.”
“He’s actually perfect for the role of heartbreaker with his looks and charm and all those Italian words at the tip of his tongue. Truth be told, I didn’t even come looking for him and the only thing I remember about Clara is that she’s a red-head.”
“So what are you doing here, then?”
“I just like to walk and clear my head some nights.”
“Walk? By this time?”
“Don’t judge me, you were the one flirting in a park by this time in a completely opposite side of town for that matter. And with a man who has probably had more girlfriends than the hairs on his head.”
“Oh, well,” Jean said and crossed her arms across her chest while resting her back on the bench.
“Is that all you’re gonna say? You’re not even going to tell me why you’re here at all?”
She looked at him from the side of her eyes.
“I went to visit someone.” She said frankly.
“Visit?” Jason asked with a raised eyebrow, “No offense, Jean but you don’t exactly seem like the type to ‘visit’ unless it's in a conference room.”
Jean let out a small chuckle. She wondered what Jason’s reaction would be if he knew he was one of the reasons why she had to make such a ‘visit’.
Jason nudged her shoulder and she looked at his expectant face.
“Look, Jason,” she tried to explain, “there are just some…things. Yeah, ‘things’. Which you really shouldn’t know. At least not yet, maybe in due time.”
Jason was quiet for a while like he was trying to digest this piece of information.
“Things which are connected to you screaming at night and refusing to let me into your room?”
“Yes, actually.”
“Okay, that’s alright. When the time is right, I’ll know. No hurries.”
With a smile, Jean nodded and they continued conversing on the park bench. After some time, they walked around the quiet neighborhood. Jean did not get home until three a.m. that morning.

When Jason was cuddled up in his water bed, he thought again about their conversation earlier on. He wondered what sort of thing Jean wasn’t comfortable speaking about. He knew her to be a very vocal person and for her to hold something in, it probably meant a lot to her.
He had acted like he was less concerned but truth be told, he yearned to know what was wrong with her and to help her conquer whatever was bothering her.
He remembered a certain night during their vacation in Hawaii:
It was about one a.m. and Jason was sound asleep. he had knocked out after a huge dinner and couldn’t think of anything better than a sound sleep.
His eyes snapped open when he heard a woman screaming. He immediately knew it was Jean. He was out of his bed and at her door in a flash. He knocked violently when he noticed that the door was locked.
“JEAN, OPEN UP!” he screamed.
After a while, her screaming stopped and all he could hear were small whimpers and sniffs like she was crying.
“Jean?” he asked in a softer voice, hoping that she would answer him this time.
“Don’t worry about me,” she answered, ‘I’ll be fine. Get back to bed. It was just a night fit.”
He didn’t believe a single word she said.
“I’m gonna sit outside this door till you open up and I am not leaving.”
“Don’t.” she pleaded but he didn’t heed. He sat down at her door and waited.
Next thing he knew, she was fully dressed and whacking him on his head with a pillow and she had a bright smile on her face. Grudgingly, he looked up to see her walking away like nothing ever happened.
“Go shower, vigilante. I’m gonna make us breakfast.”
He shook his head but obeyed orders.

Jason thought back about that day and the subsequent days as well. They had both acted like nothing happened and he was scared to bring up the topic because it could be sensitive.
He scratched his head out of frustration and got out of bed. Slowly, he walked across his bachelor pad and opened a cabinet in his kitchen. He took out his pills and dry-swallowed a number of them. After a few seconds, he looked inside the cabinet and in a haste, shook all the empty medicine bottles, throwing them across the kitchen.
Shit, this is the last one, he thought.
As quickly as he could, he ran back to his room and grabbed his phone. With shaky fingers, he dialled a number and waited for the other person to pick. After a few rings, they did.
“Hello, Mr Lawson.” said the sleepy voice.
“Hello, Dr Granger,” Jason said in a haste,”Sorry for calling at such an ungodly hour but my pills are finished.”
“Oh well, I’ll have some delivered to your house first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you.” Jason said, relieved, “Oh and Doctor?”
“Yes, Mr Lawson?”
“I think its getting worse.”
There was total silence on the other side of the phone.
“But Mr. Lawson, that’s lethal. I still wonder why you won’t take my advice.”
“Don’t worry about it, I deserve this.”

James and Avery had gone separate ways in the house after Jean left without saying as much as a greeting to each other. It was an awkward moment they both wanted to walk away from as soon as possible.
James made a beeline for Laurent’s room. His baby boy was the only calming force he could find at that moment. He lay down next to the small boy and started stroking his head softly. He put his arms around his son and brought him closer, he felt his afro tickle his shoulder and his breath on his chest. He let out an exasperated sigh and tried to let his mind function clearly for the first time in about an hour.
It all came rushing to him that Jean actually cornered him in his own house and gave him the warning of his life… in his own house. The Jean he knew hadn’t changed as much as he had thought. She was still the same Jean who could pounce on anybody who dared her in any way.
He used his arm to cover his eyes and groaned quietly. How could he have been so stupid? He had always known the kind of person Jean but his stupid ego had made him act otherwise. Because of this, he had lost a good friend and he was sure Jean would never as much as look at him in the face again. To him, it seemed like the last straw. He was sure Avery was mocking him in scorn at that moment. His shame knew no bounds. He was an unhappily married man in love with his ex-fiancée and in hate with his wife. His life couldn’t be any more disorganized.
He looked at the only reason why he hadn’t run away from the horror of a marriage he was in; Laurent was so oblivious to everything going on around him as he slept peacefully probably dreaming about Bob the Builder. James knew that Laurent needed his mother around him and he didn’t want his child to grow up wondering which parent was going to have a share of him next. He loved his son but he knew he needed to be in Jean’s good book if he wanted to stay around long enough to see his child grow.

Contrary to James’ assumption, Avery felt neither mock nor scorn. What she did feel was pure shame and disappointment at herself. She was barely a mother and not even one-third of a wife. And what’s more? She deserved it all. All the looks she got at parties because she never showed up with her husband and all the scandals she became a victim of because of their domestic quarrels, she deserved everything on a platter of gold.
She hated herself so much. She looked around her room with disgust. She had immediately chosen the biggest bedroom when they had moved and James hadn’t argued with her for a second.
This was meant to be Jean’s room, she thought. It was meant to be Jean’s room that she and James would most likely have shared. The house, the servants, the compound, the recognition, everything. It was all meant to be Jean’s.
And she had taken it all away. No, stolen, she had stolen it all away from Jean. For the first time, Jean had actually stepped into the house and seeing her in the midst of what was supposed to be hers made Avery cringe. Despite the fact that Jean had more than a bachelorette could ever ask for, Avery could see the emptiness in her eyes, like she was missing something in her life, even if she didn’t realize it herself.
Jean had had everything a woman could ask for and Avery was so jealous. She had been blind to the fact that Jean actually worked hard for it all. Her job was to eat out of Jean’s cake after she baked it. It had been happening all along and no matter how much Avery smiled, she had always been jealous of the fact that things always worked out for Jean. Jean was more than comfortable physically now but Avery didn’t dare to envy her emotional life. The always-lively and always-smiling Jean was gone and in her place was a tiger ready to pounce at any threat. Jean had always been a tiger but never this feisty. Avery knew she had to find a way to correct her past mistakes but the courage to do so was what she had to muster up.
If she were Jean, she would never forgive herself. In fact, if she were Jean, she would have shot herself twice in both temples.

Jean quite enjoyed the silent ride home. Once home, she slumped on her bed only removing her shoes. She felt so tired for the first time in about five years. She knew she was supposed to sleep well but there was work the next day.
Oh, whatever, she thought, I’m the boss, anyway.
With that in her mind, she dragged her duvet over her and refused to think about the night’s events in any way.