The Prodigal Daughter (Episode 8)

There was a long moment before Imoh’s hands slid off Kate’s shoulders. When he spoke, Kate thought she heard a note of mockery in the words.

“Ah, good morning mum. I see I met Kate before you, I wonder what kept you in bed so late. And good morning, Chris. Did you sleep well?”

Kate stopped her eyes from widening as the other young man grunted a response. It was obvious from Imoh’s tone that he was implying his mother and the other young man may have shared a bed. What kind of family drama had she walked into?

More importantly, a voice shrieked in her head, what the hell was the mysterious man she had met during her journey doing here?

Mrs Itah ignored her son’s goading tone and walked towards Kate. The late chief’s widow was tall- it was obvious that Imoh had gotten his height from her- and dressed exactly as Kate had surmised the house required. A long crimson dress- a traditional buubuu- glittered with jewelled stones as it skirted around the woman’s ample bust, small waist and large hips, swishing on the floor when she moved, her hidden footwear tapping crisply. The red dress was a dramatic contrast to the woman’s very fair complexion, and although small wrinkles on her neck and the sides of her eyes betrayed her age, the woman was truly beautiful, with make-up laid on with an expert hand. She looked like she had just stepped out from the pages of the latest edition of Ovation magazine. The heady scent of expensive perfume whirled around her, and the combination of the heady fragrance and the woman’s stately beauty forced Kate to take shallow breaths.

“Good morning Kate. I hope your journey down to Akwa-Ibom wasn’t too stressful, dear. And I apologize for not being there to greet you personally when you arrived.” Her voice was mellow, and unusually deep.

Kate tore her gaze away from the other young man as she quickly covered up the distance between them to accept the woman’s side-hug. “Good morning, Ma. The journey was okay. And I’m more than grateful for the warm welcome I received last night. Idara was very welcoming.” She winced internally at how squeaky she sounded, compared to the other woman’s full tones.

“Yes, I’m sure she was. She’s paid to be.” The woman murmured, stepping back. She ran a quick assessing eye over Kate, and her eyes lingered on the sneakers for a moment before she turned and gestured toward the young man standing behind her. “This is Chris. He’s my personal assistant.”

Behind her, Imoh scoffed, and an embarrassed Kate pretended not to hear. She turned to Chris with a pleasant smile. “Good morning, Chris.”

Chris nodded and grunted a bare perceptible… “ ..’morning.”

Kate paused for a few seconds, then realized he was not about to mention that they had already met. She hid her surprise and decided to hold her tongue as well.

“Just look at the resemblance, mum.” Imoh was saying. “there’s no need for a DNA test anymore, don’t you think?”

“DNA test?” Kate echoed, surprised.

“Yes, it’s one of the requirements.” Mrs Itah said with a small, tight smile, her red-painted lips barely stretching. “You know, just to be sure. My husband’s lawyer insisted on it. just routine stuff.”

Kate wondered when DNA tests had become routine, but she only nodded. “Of course, madam.” While the late chief’s widow seemed civil enough, there was a chill behind her words that was slowly entering Kate’s bones. She instantly knew she could never make a warm connection with the woman. Mrs Clementine Itah was as cold as she was beautiful.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Kate. I’m afraid I have a bit of a hectic day. Since my husband died, I’ve had to put in a lot more work than usual.” there was a note of annoyance in the woman’s voice, as though the Chief’s death had inconvenienced her. “So I’m afraid we may not have time to talk any more today. Idara will see to your needs. I have already taken the liberty of calling barrister Ekanem and asking him to let you rest from your journey for at least a day.”

Kate hid her disappointment. She had been looking forward to seeing the lawyer and setting the ball of whatever was required of her into motion. One day spent doing nothing felt like a waste of time; she had a family to get back to. But she knew better than to complain at the woman’s interference with her plans. “Of course, madam, that’s very thoughtful of you, thank you.”

Imoh stepped forward. “Don’t worry, mum. I’ll keep her entertained.” He casually draped an arm around Kate’s shoulders and she tensed up, but did not shrug it off. “You know I like to keep the ladies happy.”

Mrs Clementine Itah stared at her son briefly, then turned away to leave the room. For a moment, just before the woman walked past the doorway, Kate imagined she heard her murmur ‘And that is the problem’ but she wasn’t sure.

What was clear however, was the piercing look in the barely-talking Chris’s eyes. his smouldering gaze once again rested on where Imoh was touching Kate and then shifted to the other young man. For a moment there was a crackling tension in the air as the men both stared at each other, an unspoken challenge hanging between them.

“Do be careful, Miss Udoh.” Chris suddenly said to Kate, although his gaze remained locked with Imoh’s.

“You, watch your own self.” Imoh replied before Kate could say anything, a tight smile on his face. “Kate will be just fine with me.”

Chris shifted his gaze to Kate and for a moment it seemed like he wanted to say something else, but he shrugged and turned away quickly, following the already departing Mrs Itah.

Kate watched him go with a mixture of feelings. Bewilderment wrestled with a desire to go after him and ask him why he was behaving like they had never met before that morning. And the underlying tension between Chris and Imoh had not gone unnoticed by her either.

What exactly had she walked into?

Check later for episode 9