Capítulo 31: Chapter 30: Family over all.
It Has Been two days after the fight and all her efforts to contact Clint failed. Clint wouldn't reply to her message. She really wanted to know how he was doing and apologize on her brother's behalf.
When she arrived at the storey building that housed Clint's office complex, albeit a showroom, she requested for an audience with him from Jane, but was informed of his absence. Jane didn't go into details, and she didn't mind. She was more concerned at escaping the reach of Clint's staff, whose gaze from their respective positions through their cubicles asked a lot of questions.
She drove down to his residence. Her conscience nagged her. She would just say sorry and leave; he wouldn't hurt her, she assured herself. She steered her 2020 Honda CR-V to a stop before the two storeys apartment building.
Tina looked up at the building, and sighed. She dressed the tip of her skirt before stepping towards the entrance f the apartment block. A second knock on the door was able to call someone's attention. The door opened with a surprised looking Iyke standing before her.
Her presence wasn't appreciated by Clint. He made no attempt to hide it. She saw his bruised on his face and his bandaged shoulder. He looked on at her, saying nothing.
"You are not going to sit?" Iyke motioned her to a couch adjacent to Clint's, but she joined Clint at his.
Iyke left the sitting room. She tried to touch his face, but he withdrew his face. She reached out again but received the same treatment.
She was going to apologize to him, that's why she came, but shame got a bigger part of her. Her father getting involved in their issue was enough shame before Pete took it to a whole new level. She brought out a notebook from her bag and scribbled notes on a blank sheet. She tore the page and left it on the table when she was done. "I'm really sorry." she expressed sincerely after pressing the note into his hand. She left waving at Iyke who locked the door after her.
Tina: I Know you must have read my note by now. I apologize on his behalf.
She texted Clint late in the night: very intent on establishing her level of sincerity.
Clint: (Voice note) You shouldn't be apologizing on his behalf. Can't you see you are the one causing all this harm? If I were you and I had a little conscience left in me, I would stop playing the victim and own up to my sh*t. I should be apologizing for myself, not that of those I manipulated.
Stop that ploy, it won't work with me.
Tina held her hand against her mouth. It took her seconds to recover from the shock she felt. She didn't expect this level of backlash from Clint.
Tina: What is this supposed to mean?
She typed with quivering fingers
Clint: (Voice note) It beats my imagination why you chose to tread this path. Matter of fact, let me make it clear to you, keeping that pregnancy or playing that victim card won't make me change my mind about you.
Tina sobbed. Clint is mean. Why would he accuse her of such?
If you must know, the best I can offer you is child care support. You can't use pregnancy and your disability as an added advantage to force your way back into my life. Had I known before now, I wouldn't be paying heavily for this.
Clint's voice was stern and his tone bitter. Tina clenched her jaw. Anger crept up her heart in place of pains. She won't take the joke from Clint anymore.
Tina: Where is this coming from?
Clint: Spare me that, Tina. Take it to some other person, they may believe you.
Tina: Why are you being unnecessarily cruel to me?
I know you don't want this child, accusing me of trying to trap you with pregnancy is cruel.
She fumed. She sat up from the bed and rested her back on the headboard of her bed.
Tina: I haven't showed up at your door for a day asking you to take responsibility, since you decided not to. Why accuse me of such?
Why are you being unnecessarily cruel to me and the child?
You are hurting me Clint and you know it.
Why? Haven't you done enough?
Clint: (Voice note) Do you need to show up at my door. Your father clamping down on my factory is crueler.
Tina, I have devoted nine years to build that business. Nine good years! Five years before I came across your family. I took loans. I worked extra hours, struggled with finances to grow it to this level. And here we are, the regulatory body is about to shut my sweat down because of some environmental hoax pulled by your father. How fair is that?
I don't even want to talk about your brother. This whole thing is my fault. I have myself to blame. Just know I won't succumb to your ploy. I will see to its end, since you chose this path.
Tina: I don't know anything about what you just said. I never asked my father to do anything.
I have apologized about Pete. I don't like the way things are playing out. I don't. I really don't.
It's so unfair accusing me of being manipulative and trying to crash your business without hearing from me.
Clint, I'm just a girl who wants to be loved like every other person.
It's just so my fault that I was born disabled. I don't deserve to be punished by you.
Tina Descended The stairs with heavy feet, swollen eyes and aching heart, after her conversation with Clint. She really thought there were chances. Now, even the tiniest one had been shattered by her family.
Although she wished there would be, it never crossed her mind about using the baby as bait. Was that how low he thought of her? What exactly was her crime? Falling for him? Being disabled? He was the one who cheated; she was supposed to be angry one not him. She was supposed to determine the fate of the relationship after that ugly incident not him, but look where she is. She is the one at the receiving end.
She slowly relieved her weight on the couch slowly. Her presence called her parents attention.
"What's wrong with you, Tina?" Patricia asked.
Tina didn't respond to her question. She moved from her position beside her husband to her side. Tears rolled down Tina's cheeks instead. Her stunned father watched in silence, expecting she would answer her mother's question.
"Talk to me, what is the problem?" Impatient Patricia asked, with a combination of speech and signals at the go. Her eyes searched her face in quest for answers, "did anything happen to the baby?"
Tina pressed her thumb against the inferior end of her screen and brought the tech box to live. She handed it over to her mother, with her chat with Clint on display.
Patricia went through the chat. The voice notes made her gasp.
She paused the audio, "Is that true?" she asked her husband.
"What?" Chigbo asked.
"Did you threaten him?"
"Who? Oh, you mean the boy. I did not."
"You didn't?"
"I'm teaching him some lessons. He needs to learn some." He casually dismissed her.
"We agreed you talk to him not threaten his business."
"That could count as discussions, couldn't it?"
"Come on, Chigbo, don't tell me that. You and I know it doesn't," Patricia frantically motioned in the air, "you went far. You are hunting down his business. That is . . . That is . . . ."
"That will bring him back to his senses, I believe." He waved in exasperation.
"If there were chances of the young man coming to his senses before, you ruined it," Patricia said.
"On the other hand, this will help him regain his senses faster." Chigbo subconsciously searched for his phones by the couch, not ready to continue the discussion.
"How could you possibly try to force your daughter on someone? What do you want to make of their union? You don't even know if she wants that."
Chigbo got hold of his phones, "She wouldn't be crying if she doesn't." he stood to his feet, "As for the boy, he will regain his factory, alongside his senses." On making his mind known, he headed for the stairs. He stopped halfway through the stairs to observe them and continued climbing.
Tina listened in silence to their conversation. She didn't doubt her father's care, but she knew his pride played a bigger role in his decision. Clint defied him, his ego is hut. Her father, she knew, was not the person to be easily talked out of his decision, especially not in cases that involved his pride. She might be his priority in this case, but this wasn't the way she wanted the case to be settled, although she lacked ideas on how she wanted it to be. Her mother embraced her. She wanted to shed more tears, but her storage has been emptied to the last drop.
"Why would he say such things to you? He is such a jerk. He's full of hate," Patricia blurted, "very irresponsible!" She disengaged herself and looked into her eyes. "I'm giving you my word; we will always be here for you. You can always count on your mother and your family. I will talk to your father. He's going to drop the trouble. That boy can go to hell for all I care."
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