Must Read: Three Women (short story) - Season 1 - Episode 23

6 years ago

Must Read: Three Women (short story) - Season 1 - Episode 23

A passer-by was staring at her as she crossed the street to Dapo’s house. She was thinking; it could be the car, it could be the beauty, it could be anything. Dupe just didn’t want it to be that the man recognized her.

She waited for her brother to catch up with her after she had gone through the gates of Dapo’s house.

“Relax; the shades are doing a great job, I hardly even recognize you.”

“Very funny.”

“But you do look different in an elegant way.”

“Thank you; just be a sweetheart and knock on the door for me. I’m a bit nervous.”

Kole hesitated for a while before obliging.
Dupe got a phone call and retreated a few steps away from the door to answer it.

Lola opened the door and stood ‘jaws dropped’ as she stared at the guy in front of her.

“Kole; don’t tell me…”

“Lola. Wow! This is a very funny coincidence.”

“Wait a minute, you two know each other?” Dupe asked as she came from behind.

“Yes.” Kole answered with a shocked smile on his face.

“So you’re Dupe’s brother? That is really…oh, sorry.” She said when she realized that she was keeping them at the door for too long. “You guys should come in.” Lola said and led them in “By the way Dupe, your brother and I went to secondary school together.”

“No kidding; now I understand the shock.”

“Yea! And the funny thing is that I ran into her a couple of months ago, after like ten years, and now I find myself in her house.”

“Thanks to your sister here” She said with a smile. “You guys should have a seat; I’ll go and get Dapo.” Lola added, as she ushered them into the living room. “And by the way, that is Anu.” Anu’s face lit up with a smile, and then a little bow of the head.

“I remember you; of course you didn’t get to meet me the other day at the cinema but I saw you and…whatever, so how are you doing?” Dupe couldn’t complete her sentence because she didn’t know what to refer Dapo as. The little girl was filled with smiles as Dupe sat beside her on the sofa and held her in an embrace.

“And I know you too; you an actress.” Anu said. Kole took a quick look at her. He thought she sounded older than her age.

“Who told you that?” Dupe retorted with a comical look on her face.

“I know; I’ve seen you on TV a bunch of times.”

“Well, from now on, you refer to me as your friend, alright?”

“Okay.” The girl answered, smiling all the time. Dupe looked around the living room; not bad, she thought. All the essentials were available; plasma, DSTV decoder, home theatre system, and good leather furnishing. It would all look better in a duplex, and not a flat, she thought to herself.

“Hey guys; what’s popping?” Dapo said, buttoning his shirt as he approached the living room. Dupe was by the door checking out a painting on the wall when he came in. She playfully nudged him with her shoulder, knocking him off balance.

“Watch it, lady.” He said facing Dupe, before turning his attention to Kole. “So, I guess you have met little Anu here? She’ll be accompanying us on the outing.” He said as he shook Kole.

“No problem with me.” Kole said.

“So where should we head to?” All the while he was talking, Dupe had been poking him in the back with her finger; offended by him not acknowledging her.

He turned around and lifted his hands in the air as a sign of exclamation, and then later smiled at her and went over to join Kole on the couch
“I think we should head out to the island and decide from there.” Dapo said.

“Good idea.” Lola boomed as she entered the room, wearing a gown that did little to hide her bulging belly.

“Dapo, do you know that I and Dupe’s brother attended the same secondary school, from back in the day.”

“Tell me she’s kidding.” Dapo said and Kole just shook his head and smiled. “What? Things just keep getting weirder and weirder around me.” Dapo concluded.

“So, have we decided on where to go yet?” Dupe asked, obviously tired of all the re-union going on.

“Let’s just hit the island and we’d decide…”

“Maybe we should drive down to the Galleria, and then we can conclude on where to go from there.” Dupe suggested; Cutting Dapo off.

The little girl just sat there, her eyes moving from one adult to the other, depending on who was talking at the time. She was thinking of how she just lost the man she had called father all her life, and she got to know that he was not even her real dad.

The adults were still debating on where to go, and she focused her eyes on Dupe. ‘Wait till I tell my friends back in school who I spent my weekend with.’ she thought.