In the morning, the heavens opened and it began to rain. Bella grabbed her umbrella to get to school, as she walked out of the hostel the first
Mr. Cole decided to find consolation and solace in the knowledge that there is time for everything, a time to be joyful and a time to be sorrowful. In pain and in grief, the lost of his wife was a fate he must accept. He also decided to forgive his daughter who was the architect of his wife's death. He wanted to forgive her for all the roles she played towards the woes and misfortunes that befell his family.
The death of her mother touched Ruby so much that for many days running, the guilt of what happened overwhelmed her. She wanted a way to get to her father to tell him she was sorry for all her actions against them, but she didn't also know that her father had already forgiven her. Before then, she was confused by the way the father had treated her. She had lost the closeness she used to share with him.
She noticed that they were like two strangers and she didn't like it. Within her, she really needed to do something to break the barrier between her father and herself but she had the fear that he would not respond to her. After summoning enough courage, she walked to her father and knelt before him, pleading with tears running down her cheeks.
"Please father, forgive me," she said remorsefully. Appiah looked at her suspiciously, wondering what mischief she was up to again.
"What do you expect me to say to you, after all the harm and hurt you have brought to us?"
"I am sorry. I wish you find it somewhere in your heart to forgive me," she stammered.
You are my daughter, my only child. What will I say or do? I cant throw you away for it is not wise to throw away the baby with the dirty water bath."
"At times, I don't really understand what I do or why I do them," she replied in resignation. The father looked at her and forced a smile on his face and drew her close to him and they both began to laugh and from that day they began to live as family.
However, one thing still bugged Ruby: she knew she needed a job to help her father, honourable job, not the kind of job that was amoral-intended. She needed a job she could get on merit and not because she had accepted to become her boss's mistress. She needed a job where she would work hard and climb the promotional ladder the normal way. For that reason, she decided to comb the city in search of a job. Each day she would walk round wandering from one place to another reading one sign post or the other and one poster to another in the hope she would get a break.
One day, as she walked along busy street without really looking at other passers-by but signs for job, then suddenly she accidentally came across someone without bothering to look at the person's face. She walked on but the person angrily turned to unleash her tongue at her and behold it was Ruby, Bambi friend, whose contact had been lost for a long time. Excited they jumped and embraced each other. They happily talked of their past experiences in school and suddenly Ruby's mood changed which got Bambi worried.
"What is it now?" Bambi instantly asked but Ruby's mood still remained moody.
"Can we find a quiet place to discuss," Bambi requested. They located a tree with shade near the street and sat on the bench under it.
"What has been happening to you? Why are you looking pale and worn-out? How are your parents? Where do you work? Is anything the matter with you?" Bambi asked in quick successions.
"Oh! Give me a break," Ruby replied in complaint. "How many questions in one?" She asked defensively.
"Well, I am just curious and worried about you," she replied and waited for Ruby to talk.
But when she noticed her hesitation, she began to recount to Ruby her own life experiences. She got a lucrative job through the help of her uncle almost immediately she left school and she had been doing well afterward. Ruby looked at her and saw how well dressed and cute she looked and some measure of envy swept through her. Bambi looked at Ruby with pity after Ruby had managed to recount her own story and promised to help her secure a job, work without compromise with the help of her uncle. Just as Bambi promised, Ruby was employed, the job kept her busy and gradually she began to forget her past sad experiences.
She worked in the Account Department and was in charge of running the day-to-day account of the company. However, on a particular day, she found herself struggling to balance her account during the day, for several hours she struggled with it and all amounted to nothing.
Jumbo was a young man that had been trading with the company for many years. He had been faithful and steadfast with his transactions with the company so far and that earned him the company's trust to give goods in credit to him. On that particular day as Ruby was struggling with the account, then suddenly, Jumbo walked in to her office. He was surprised to see a new face because Ruby was not the usual accountant with whom he used to balance the account of the company.
"Gosh! Who do we have here?" he exclaimed as he saw Ruby.
Ruby looked at him briefly and ignored his question and continued with her problem. "You are really stunningly beautiful I must say, but please don't take my compliment in offence."
"What can I do for you?" Ruby asked him in an officious tone.
"Well I came to sort out my business dealings with your company."
"Can I see your papers, please," Ruby replied again in the same tone. Jumbo quickly handed her the papers and waited.
After his encounter with Ruby, Jumbo began to express his desire for Ruby. Her attitude towards him really humbled and made him lose his prestige. He had never been rattled by any woman like the way she did, and hence he decided to find a way to get to her and to win her heart. Unlike before, Jumbo was always coming to Ruby's company to buy goods, he would use the opportunity to get close to Ruby. But his efforts proved unsuccessful because Ruby had continued to relate with him officially.
Then one day, Jumbo made up his mind to come personally to see Ruby without hiding behind the camouflage of coming to her to sort out his account with the company. On that occasion, he wore the best pair of suit. He tapped at Ruby's door, and walked in. Ruby looked at him, a frown on her face.
"I don't recall having a transaction with you today," she spoke flatly.
"Yes but I have personally come to see you, I hope you wouldn't mind," he replied. Ruby looked at him curiously, blinking her eyes. Jumbo walked to the seat and sat down without waiting for for her to offer him a seat. The action really infuriated Ruby and she decided to accord him no courtesy the few minutes he talked with her in her office before he left.
The next day, Jumbo was back again trying to convince her that he meant good for her. In the night she found herself kept awake pondering over the matter, whether he would be one of the men she would brush aside. For her, she had made the decision that whatever relationship she would find herself into again, it would be the real and the last. She wanted to get married and to have her own family but most importantly make her father happy after causing much pain to her father. Then she decided to give Jumbo a trial but she warned herself not to engage in any amoral activity with him, until all marital rites on her were paid. She knew Jumbo looked like a prizefighter with a frightening face, but she had decided not to look at his face but his person. Her friend kept asking her what she saw in him but with her situation she would do with anything.
Jumbo kept pressing her to start a deep relationship with him but she held on, one day, she decided to test his feeling. She asked him to come home to see her father, which he accepted. Mr. Cole was not happy when he saw Jumbo in his house; he didn't like his look, he wondered how his daughter had fallen low in love with him that she had opted for someone as Jumbo.
However, he managed to be courteous with him while his visit lasted. But a deep look at him showed his inner feeling of disappointment. Jumbo left Ruby's home making so much promises to her father with a promise to return sooner to ask for her hand in marriage. However, Mr Cole was not too enthusiastic but nodded his head to Jumbo's promises. After his visit, Mr Cole turned to Ruby and warned her to be careful with her decision and told her he would not be happy with her if she brought shame to the family. After causing her mother's death because of her amoral.
One Friday, Ruby decided to visit Jumbo uninvited. She wanted to meet him "off-guard" in order to access the kind of person he was. As she got close to the compound, she changed her walking steps in order to draw attention to herself. She noticed many people were looking at her through the windows and so felt satisfied with the attention she had managed to draw to herself. Jumbo was so elated and proud that his visitor was the one drawing the attention.
He welcomed her with so much excitement and proudly showed her off to his Neighbors as his friend. Within him his lust for her grew stronger. He needed to get between her legs, he regretted she bumped into him unannounced. If he knew of her coming, he would prepare well for her. He would have bought something he would mix with her drink to make her sleep and she would be all his—all through the night for a ride. Anyway he assured himself something else had to be done. "Emergency is what it takes to prove a real man, hence there's no way Ruby would escape from the trap that day," he courageously thought within himself.
Courteously, he hastened to serve her with a bottle of Coca-Cola drink which she sipped gradually from the bottle as they discussed. They expressed their life fantasies and hoped for the future and after a while Jumbo diverted and began to express his emotion for her. He used every possible sweet word in the hope to soften her "guard" and make her yawn for him but Ruby kept her control.
After a while, she stood up suddenly and announced of her departure but Jumbo resisted her and asked her to stay a little more. Ruby with her experiences with men had seen lust in his eyes and the desperation that had been building up in him and the bulge on his trouser; she wanted to avoid his coming to her for something she wasn't ready for. Her life experiences with several men had taught her to know when a man was "hard on" and in need of something from her. She really had to leave before it was too late to retreat but Jumbo kept blocking her way to leave the room.
After some time, he sprinted into the inner room and emerged with a razor blade in his hand
At first, she was frightened, nervous and wondered what he intended to do with the weapon. A lot of thoughts ran through her mind. Could it be he wanted to cut his finger nails or he wanted to use it for something else or perhaps to attack her. She silently began to pray because her instinct sensed uncertainty and danger. She had found herself in the lion's den and she had to deal with it the best way she knew how.
"What is the razor blade for?" She managed to ask with her little courage left. Jumbo forced a smile and answered,
"It is to prove my love for you."
"How do you mean?" She asked.
"I want us to enter into a blood covenant with each other," he replied. Ruby looked at him not believing what she had heard,
"Blood covenant? What if it doesn't work out between us, what shall we do? We will be trapped with each other."
"I love you so much, nothing can stop me from loving you," he answered, but whatever would be okay for him, at least to get her. However, the action he was about taking he knew was an extreme measure, but he waved the fear that was building up in him aside and consoled himself with the thought that "something must kill a man".
"Are you sure you are ready to sacrifice for love, you are sure you want to do this? As for me, I am ready to prove my true love for you. We need to enter into a serious engagement. I hold neither gold nor silver ring to engage you. But from the blood that flows from you and I, which both of us would share by licking each other's blood our relationship would be an everlasting one," he said. And immediately with the razor blade he took her hand and made a small cut on her finger and licked her blood even before she could muster a courage to resist the act. Ruby realizing that the deed had been done didn't have an alternative but to take similar action with him.
Within her she knew she had gone beyond the line but there was no going back. She had walked herself into a dilemma which only destiny could decide her fate with Jumbo. As for Jumbo, he knew he had done the worst mistake of his life only God could save him from the repercussion that would come at last. Do not miss the part two, "Is This Love Or Lust "
Moral lessons
1. Do not allow desperation to lead you to galling encounter.
2. Don't start what you can't end by igniting the fire you cannot quench.
3. Always be careful when making your decision. And do not be in a haste to make decisions.
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