Twenty

As soon as Bill pulled up under the garage, he went in to meet Isha still knocking on the door.

"What's going on?" He asked

Isha jolted on seeing Bill. What was she going to tell him was the reason for Lora's tears? Goodness! This is such a puzzle!"

"It's Madam. She's urm... I mean..... no.."

"Speak up! What happened to Lora?"

"She's been crying."

"About what?" He asked with a frown on his face. He didn't wait for Isha to reply before he began hitting the door.

"Lora open up, now!"

Lora heard Bill's banging from behind the door as fear gripped her nerves and immediately she reached for a nearby towel to wipe her face dry. Bill pushed open the door and found Lora sleeping. He looked at Isha who was already trembling and back at the feigning Lora.

"I thought you said she was crying?"

"Yes, she... she was. I m...must have heard a cat cry then."

AUSTIN's

The cab stopped and Austin alighted from it, paying the driver off. He traipsed through the remaining part of the street, wearing a sad expression till he got to his house. He rang the doorbell and Jessy opened up, stretching her arms for an embrace as usual but got the opposite. He walked past her and Marie, his mother then headed for the kitchen to see if he could see any eatables in the fridge but realized that nothing seem to get his appetite, so he emerged from it.

"Mom, what's with Austin?" Jessy asked, stunned.

"I have no idea..."

Marie shrugged, and they watched him walked to his room without uttering a word. On getting to the room, he headed towards a shelf where Lora's photograph was laid. He took it, sat on the bed, and stared closely at it. He had This was the same photograph he used in drawing the large one on the wall.

"Though we haven't gone so far as friends, I have fallen deeply in love with you Lora." He voiced out. "Just that I haven't gathered the courage to tell you. I know all that you've been through in this short time of ur miserable marriage with Bill but I promise you this Lora, am gonna make him have the taste of his medicine... am gonna put him behind bars!"

"Austin?"

The voice was Marie's. She had been standing at the door staring and hearing all that he had been saying. Jessy stood behind the door eavesdropping. Marie went in and sat close to Austin.

"Do you have a problem dear?"

Marie asked, holding his hand.

"I wish I didn't." He replied

"You know you can tell me anything."

She looked at Lora's photograph that was laying in his palms.

"Could it be her?"

Austin nodded affirmatively. "Yea. She found out about a secret we've been keeping from her." He let out.

"A secret? We've? You and who kept a secret from Lora?" Marie asked, stunned. While Jessy who had been eavesdropping remained confused at this. She had no idea that Austin was seeing a woman talk more of a secret left untold.

"Grandmother and I," Austin confessed

"Heck!" Marie shouted

"Granny Isha?!" Jessy's eyes were widely opened as she exclaimed, her voice sinking into a whisper.

"How did it happen, son?" Asked Marie

"While we were at work, she asked that we had lunch together but first we will go to her house so I can wait for her. We got there and I found grandmother, at first we pretended like we didn't know each other but after she had left to gussy up, we began discussing her unknown to our notice that when we said that everything we planned worked."

"Oh my God!" Marie exclaimed.

"Lora's been tied up in her marriage and it has impeded everything she does."

Austin said

"How do you mean?" She Prompted.

"Her husband is a sex maniac and a pervert." Marie gasped "He had sex with her every single day and night that runs out. Most times he ties and beats her up while he had sex with her."

Jessy gasped but held her mouth not to make any noise.

"Lord! This is absolute wickedness! How could a man in his right senses do this to his wife? Has he gone nuts?"

"He has." Austin fired.

"So what's your plan now?"

"Firstly, I will have to apologize to Lora for granny and I had done to pain cuz right now, she so mad at us."

"Yes, yes... you should consider that first.

"But I am worried now. What if Bill sees her crying and asks her what the problem was and if she doesn't talk, he might try to hurt her more"

"Then try giving her a call." She suggested.

"I think you're right mom." Immediately, he picked up his phone and dialed her number, placing it on his right ear "I hope she picks."

Lora's phone rang twice but she ignored it.

"She's not picking up."

"Keep trying."

He dialed again but to no avail.

"I guess it's cuz she's still angry. Send her a text, that would be preferable."

Again, he sent her a text and was certain that she will see it until the next day when they will meet at work.

LORA

Lora ignored Austin's several calls that came into the phone while she layed on the bed, pretending like she was sleeping cuz of Bill. She went through the phone, time by time until the text finally came in.

The body of the short text was:

Lora, I am very sorry that this had to happen this way. You had to find out at the eleventh hour. You can hate on me, get mad at me for as long as you want but please don't keep this in your heart, and don't keep hating on my grandmother for all she planned was for ur own good. I wish you give me a chance to explain this to you tomorrow.

Good night

As soon as she was done reading this, tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes and she flung the phone to the other side of the bed.