THAT NIGHT WITH MARY (A SHORT STORY)

_Pixabay

Peter was staring at his reflection on the mirror, he had a large grin on his face. It was easy to detect how happy he was, Mary finally invited him to her house and he could tell what it means. He had been chasing the girl since high school but she never gave him a perfect response. Her response was always “I’m still thinking about it” and he got tired of listening to that. Although, they’ve kissed twice but Mary never changed her replies. He was surprised when her call came in earlier, she was all alone in her house and needed company.

Peter stared at the address she sent to him on his phone, her house wouldn’t be difficult to locate, he had been to the area before. He scrolled through his gallery and stared at the first picture he saw, Mary’s smile on it melted him, he was lost in thought but was brought back by his father’s voice.

“Make sure you lock the gate immediately I drive out, I will be back before 1 A.M,” Mr. Johnson said and stumped out of his son’s room.

Peter followed his father’s trail, he locked the gate as he was told but it wasn’t where his dad had expected, he locked it from outside. He knew he will back before 12 A.M, he would be back before his father, he thought.

It was 8:20 P.M already, it would take him approximately forty minutes to get to Mary’s house. He has just two hours to spend with her if he intends beating his father’s time. He got to Mary’s house earlier than he thought and was marveled, her Mum’s house would pass for a mansion. He knew she was from a wealthy background but he had never imagined her living in a very big house. Mary welcomed him with a hug and led him to the sitting room.

“This is the biggest house I’ve ever seen,” he confessed.

He walked round the sitting room, it was bigger and more expensive than all his father’s properties with all the things he saw in it.

“I see why the security in your house is tighter than that of a bank,” he mocked.

Mary laughed out loud, she walked up to him, held his cheeks and they had a long kiss. The kiss was broken by one of the maid’s voice.

“Your mum is back ma’am," the maid had said.

“What? I thought she said she wouldn’t come home today?” Mary shouted.

“What do we do now?” Peter asked, he was already sweating.

“I know the perfect place to take you, my mum won’t spoil our night I promise.”

She called the maid and gave her some instructions.

“When she comes in and ask of me, tell her I’m asleep,” she told her with a lower tone.

She opened one of the doors in the sitting room and told Peter to wait there. Then, she ran upstairs to lock her room, her room is close to her mum’s, she would hear everything going on in her room and it would be the last place to take Peter to. She ran back downstairs to meet Peter. The door to the room was transparent, they could see everything in the sitting room but anyone in the sitting room wouldn’t see them. It was a secret room.

Miss. Victoria was busy arranging some files in her car, if she had gone in earlier, she would have seen her daughter. As expected, she asked of her immediately she got in but the maid gave the news she was directed to give. She sat down on one of the chairs in the sitting room and dropped the brief case she brought. She needed rest, that’s why she ran away from the office hoping to get some. She called the maid and ordered for food, she would eat it in the sitting room.

_Pixabay

Meanwhile, Peter and Mary had resumed kissing, there was no bed in the room, only a single big chair. Peter felt an iron hit his head when he rested his head on the chair during the act, he broke the kiss and made to find out what the metal is. Then, they saw a gun after checking the inner part of the chair. Both of them became afraid, Mary had no idea how the gun got there and Peter had started putting ideas into his head.

“I need to go now, my Dad would be back anytime soon.” He said.

“Is it because of the gun? I swear I don’t know how this got here, besides my mum needs to leave the sitting room before we come out.” Mary remarked.

Peter was about saying something when they heard gunshots outside, Mary held on tightly to him. Victoria had heard it too, she was about running into one of the rooms but was stopped by one of the armed robbers. Peter couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the man pointing his gun at Miss. Victoria. It was Mr. Johnson, his dad. Although his dad wore a big dark spectacle on his face, he could tell he was the one.

Two other armed men came inside and pointed their guns at Victoria.

“Bring the briefcase,” Johnson shouted.

Victoria stood up trembling, she handed over the briefcase to one of the armed robbers, he confirmed there was money in it and signaled to Johnson.

“This beautiful lady needs to get laid don’t you think?” Johnson was facing his men laughing.

They laughed too and in a minute he had put off his trouser and removed his spectacle, Victoria recognized him immediately.

“You again?” She cried bitterly.

Johnson was lost, he was sure he had never met the lady before until that morning, and that was during their investigations and planning of how to rob her.

“I know you won’t remember me,” She added.

“Twenty years ago, you robbed me and my husband, you killed him and raped me. Now you are at it again, you want to get me pregnant again?”

Johnson’s memory clicked, he finally recognize Victoria. He smiled when he remembered how he had pounced on her in front of her husband, but Victoria’s last statement got to him.

“What do you mean pregnant again?” He asked.

“You got me pregnant monster!” Victoria shouted.

“And where’s the kid? You only have a daughter and I’m guessing Godwin gave birth to her.”

“No you did, Godwin never got me pregnant before you killed him,” Victoria started crying again.

Mary and Peter had been watching the scene, Mary was crying already, she couldn’t believe a killer gave birth her. Peter was more disturbed, the lady he had been chasing was actually his sister, but that was the least of his worries, his dad is a killer and a thief. He held onto the gun they found earlier and was fuming.

“So, I’m now the bad guy and Godwin is innocent right?” Johnson smirked.

He sat down on one of the chairs and took a bite from the chicken Victoria was eating earlier.

“Godwin turned me to this, he made me an armed robber,” He started.

“My wife left me all alone with a one year old kid, I had to work day and night to make sure my boy never suffer or miss his mum. I thought Godwin was my God sent helper when he got a job for me in the factory he works. I went to work every day with my boy, I never knew I would be blessed through him.” He paused and looked at his boys who were listening attentively.

“Godwin assisted me in taking care of him sometimes, people got confused as to who owns my kid. Perhaps he had ulterior motives but he really helped me in taking care of Peter. I later realized that the owner of the factory gave my son five million naira.”

“Your husband claimed the father of my boy and collected the money and you are here calling me a monster?” He shouted.

“If only I had counted the money that night I killed him, you wouldn’t be alive too.” He added.

“Stupid me, I killed him and collected just a million naira. I’m sure you must have acquired all these wealth with the remaining money and you know damn well how your husband got the money.” He stood up and aimed his gun at her.

“He tells you everything, doesn’t he?” He asked.

Victoria knew the story, she knew how Godwin got the money but she had thought a random thief attacked them that night.

“Why didn’t you just tell us you wanted your money?” Victoria shouted.

“If you had revealed yourself to me as the father of the boy, that horrible scene wouldn’t have happen, I would have pleaded and released all your money.” She added.

"And Godwin never acted like he knew you, I guess he was scared to speak up." She said amidst tears.

Johnson stared at her for some seconds before speaking up.

“Well, the only thing I thought of was killing him, I never knew he had a beautiful wife.”

Just then, the door to the secret room was opened, Mary and Peter came out, and two gunshots were fired.

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@afolwalex writes.

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