Must Read: Razor Tongue - Season 1 - Episode 17

7 years ago

Must Read: Razor Tongue - Season 1 - Episode 17

Sheila la!d on her bed lost in thoughts. It was a
few minutes past eight. She had woken up thirty
minutes ago. The night had seemed short,
although she slept well. Her parents told her that
they were in the longer days, shorter nights time
frame.

She had been discharged from the hospital a few
days ago. She did not recognize the house or her
own bedroom. Her parents had been supportive.
They were lovely people, she was glad that she
was their daughter.

The retired doctor, her grand-father, had
scheduled weekly check up for her at the
hospital. She wished she didn’t have to go. She
had also been informed that she would be
spending quality time with members of the
Adams family, hopefully, it will help her to retrieve
her memory.

She wondered what kind of relationship she had,
had with each of her family members. Whenever
she remembered her aunt, Martha, it made her
shudder. What did she do to deserve such
coldness? The woman simply didn’t like her. If her
relationship with Martha was less cordial, what
about other members of the family?
Someone knocked at her door. She blinked and
sat up. The door opened and her parents walked
in, one after the other.
“Morning pumpkin.”
“Hope you had a goodnight.”
“Morning dad, mum.”
Her mother sat on the bed, while her father
leaned on the wall.
“How are you feeling?”
She shrugged.
“I bet you are hungry. I made club sandwich,”
she smiled at her.
She smiled back, eating sandwich alongside a
cup of hot milky beverage, that would be a
fantastic meal.
“You are going to visit your grandparents today.”
She looked up at her dad, “Really?”
“Yes pumpkin.”
“Will you take your bath or will you eat first?”
Sheila bit her lower lip, “Hmmm… I think I will eat
first.”
“That’s the Sheila I know,” her dad headed for the
door. Her mother helped her up.

“Do I like eating before taking my bath?”
“Yes,” her parents choroused.
She giggled and followed them out of the room.

********

Her parents dropped her off at her grandparents’
home and promised to return in the evening. She
didn’t know what to expect. The retired doctor
and his wife had been nice to her since the first
day she met them. She hoped they were not
pretending.
The security guard allowed her in. She found her
way into the mansion and met her grandparents
in the sitting room.
“Baby girl, come over here.”
She smiled and joined them on the seatee.
“How are you doing?”
She nodded and relaxed. They were not
pretending. They were as real as her own skin.

Aside her parents, she felt safe with them.

“Have you eaten?”
“Yes, grandma.”
“Good.”
“Have you seen the doctor this week?”
She nodded.
“Don’t worry. The check ups will soon be over,”
he patted her on the shoulder.
“Since you are spending the whole day with us, I
have got some things lined up.”
She smiled and met her grandma’s warm gaze.
“We are going to make lunch together, I will
teach you how to make a local delicacy, then we
will all play scrabble later on.”
“That sounds nice.”
“Glad you like my plans.”
“When do we start?”
“Now,” her grandfather pulled her up.
She looked at him with one brow raised, “Are you
cooking too?”
He nodded.

“Really?”
He started to laugh.
“Your grandpa is an excellent cook.”
“Seriously?”
He placed both hands on his waist, “Young
woman, I have got skills.”
She giggled, “Okay, let us find out.”
“Attention! Forward march,” he micmiked a
soldier and headed out. Nnese and Sheila
marched after him.
Cooking with her grandparents turned out to be
fun. They gisted her about her father’s childhood
and how he met her mother. They were so
engrossed in their conversation that they almost
forgot what they were cooking. After they had,
had lunch, they sat in the garden and relaxed
with a game of scrabble.
“I thought intelligence reduces with age,” she
eyed her grandparents. They had won the first
round of the game and it looked like they would
win again. Their points were higher than hers.

“Who told you that nonsense?” Charles closed the
dictionary.
“She is just venting, we won, remember,” she
winked at her husband.
“You are right my dear.”
They both started to laugh. She bit at her lower
lip and decided to win the next round at all cost.
“You better fasten your seat belts, this round is
mine.”
“Really?” They both choroused and locked gazes.
It had been ages since they had, had so much
fun with their grand-daughter.
“I refuse to be beaten by a Seventy-one year old
man and a Sixty-Six year old woman, not on my
watch.”
Nnese giggled, “Young man, this sassy lady
means business.”

“Let us teach her a lesson or two. My white hairs
aren’t there for fashion,” he grinned and winked
back at her.
Sheila picked up their empty glasses, “I will go
and refill this and be back in a jiffy,” she got up
and half ran and half walked into the house.
A teardrop slid down her face.
“Darling… ” His concerned gaze met her calm
ones.
“God makes all things to work for our good… Her
lost memory, look at her now… Can you compare
her to the Sheila we used to know?”
He sighed. He had made the same observations.
It had been years since his grand-daughter had
acted or spoken in a civil way to anyone. It made
him begin to wonder what had caused drastic
change.
“I believe God is giving her… and us… the whole
family a second chance.”

He folded his arms across his chest. His wife could
be right. The Adams family was standing on a
very shaky ground and they needed a divine
intervention. This could be it!

Two days later, she visited her aunt, Dorcas and
her family. Her cousins kept their distance, while
their parents tried to keep her entertained. She
wondered what kind of relationship she had with
them all. She hoped her cousins will stop avioding
her before she returned home. She would really
like to sit and chat with them.
Dorcas left Sheila and her husband in the sitting
room and literarily pulled her children into the
kitchen.
“What is wrong with you two?”
Boma folded his arms across his chest, while
Edidiong frowned, but avoided her mother’s
glare.

“She won’t be here forever… Stop avoiding her
and try to chat her up.”
“Mum… This is not easy for us. Regardless of the
fact that she lost her memory, we can’t just
pretend and play nice.”
“Sheila is bad news. She is trouble with a capital
letter ‘T’, I would rather give her a wide breth
than clash with her.”
Dorcas placed a frustrated hand on her forehead.
She dropped it and tried to convince her children,
“I know the old Sheila… But the girl out there is
one lost puppy.”

Boma and his sister groaned. Sheila had hurt
them too many times, in words and actions. Her
lost of memory was like an opportunity to take
their pound of flesh. But their parents wanted
them to help her. How do one play nice with
someone who had been mean to them for years.
“I understand how you both feel. Your father and
I feel the same way, but… Okay, what would
Jesus do?”
“Mum… ” Boma frowned.
“Yes, what would Jesus do? An eye for an eye is
not the solution here.”
“Really?” Edidiong rested her weight on the
fridge.

“Yes, at this point, I believe we all need to forgive
Sheila and look for a way forward.”
They stared at her in disbelief.
“I am serious,” she and her husband had
discussed it the other night. Offence,
unforgiveness and bitterness was tearing them
apart. Every member of the Adams family need to
forgive one another and reconcile. That was the
only solution to their problems. It was the only
way forward.
Boma and his sister locked gazes. If their parents
were willing to forgive Sheila after everything she
had done and said to them in the past, they
could also do the same, no matter how difficult it
would be.
“I have a suggestion.”
“Okay.”
“I think we should take her out.”
Dorcas scratched her forehead.
“Just me, Boma and Sheila.”
Her brother’s face brightened, “We could go to
the cinema, eat out… It will help us to relax,
talk…”

“And reconcile,” Edidiong added.

Dorcas sighed, it sounded like a good idea, but
she wasn’t sure if she could trust her children
alone with Sheila.
“Mum… ”
“We will be fine.”
“Let us discuss this with your father, and of
course, Sheila.”
Boma shrugged. Edidiong wondered if their
cousin would agree.