Back To Sterling City
Before Diana could reply, Someone walked in, it was Felicity, out of excitement, Jennifer ran towards her to welcome her.
“Welcome aunty! We’ll be leaving for Sterling City soon!” The innocent cute little girl spoke with her tiny voice, eloquently.
Felicity glanced her gaze at Diana, and then back to Jennifer. After, she brought what she had bought for her troublesome adult minded kids. Three caps, one, that of a female the other two that of males.
“Take this one and give this to your brothers okay?” Felicity asked her. Jennifer was happy with the presents,. She had not expected any of that for that day and in jiffy, with her cap on her head, she ran off to their bedroom to give her brothers theirs.
“So, you’ll be leaving for Sterling City? How come you didn’t tell me?” Felicity slumped on the couch close to Diana after she dropped the question, she was obviously tired from work, she had just completed a double shift.
“My bona fide kids, were double promoted four grades in the elementary school and now even at high school, they struggle to fit into because of their highly intellect. And there is a school at Sterling city that coaches such remarkably gifted kids. Thus, we’ll be leaving for there. I didn’t tell them When we will be leaving considering I deemed it fit to discuss it with you. You’ve made a major impact on my life and I really thank you!” Diana explained with a bitter smile with a sense of gratitude. She didn’t wanted to go back to sterling city.
Her face was swelling with tears already. She was finally going to return back to that goddamn city.
Diana’s phone chirped with a mail from the Delta city military basement where she worked as a Army General that she had been transfered to Sterling City military base to assist with the injured in the just concluded battle, they got involved in.
That plus her children’s education prompted her to leave for Sterling city.
Even Diana’s own parents had not known about her whereabouts since six years ago. Diana would often try to reflect and rack her brain hoping for a memory resurgence to remember who she was and her parents. Were they dead? Or alive? How must they have been doing without my presence?
****
It was evening time on Saturday, at the international airport of Sterling City when Diana wheeled the baggage cart forward. With her cute little children bouncing beside her. They gazed around in wonder. Everything around seemed to pleased their interest and their curious mind gleam in their sparky eyes.
Presently, she was out of the arrival hall and three gleaming black rolls-royce with heavily tinted windows that dettered anyone’s effort of peaking inside, were parked by the airport entrance. There was a man standing behind the backseat door, of the Rolls-royce boat tail in the middle of the fleet who kept his gaze at the airport entrance as if expecting someone.
Richarlison, his Body guard, had done a successful job, by extracting and finding out details about Diana, to the extent he figured she will be leaving for Sterling city. Diana, although had a different identity now. Richarlison feeded his boss, the president General what he had founded out about the lady, and since she was traveling to sterling city, Mark, the president general entertained the idea of offering to help her, by picking her up from the airport, thus, he left for Sterling city a day before today.
Then he saw a woman pulling her cart through the airports entrance, just as he dropped his folded hands.
She was dressed like a first lady. From her Chanel skirt suits and pillbox hats to her mod-influenced outfits and strands of pearls, her demeanor somewhat leisurely as she maneuvered the cart. Without a doubt, her presence among the cloud was a dazzling one. He stared at her. She was beautiful, for a human-long hair nearly the precise color of black ink, charcoaled eyes. Around her neck was a thick silver chain, on which hung a silver ring. Mark only had to narrow his eyes to know that it was real-real, precious and his to recover. It was the seemingly ordinary lady who claimed owned the silver ring, his grandfather gave to him for his 30th birthday. The same lady, he was convinced he rolled on the hay with five years ago at a night club party.
Just then, Marks gaze was caught by something else, or rather some persons – Two cute little boys and a beautiful little girl that leaped by her side, they looked to be around five or six of age. One, who happened to be the eldest, Stoic was wearing a bow tie and on corporate wears which made him looked like a typical nerd, for a child of his age range. He would never be comfortable going out without his bowtie. The other boy was dressed way differently, a white joggers and fitting white sweater as well. They might both be young but their finely chiseled looks made them adorable.
They had a striking resemblance, even the dumbest person would know they are twins and mark need not be a genius to realize that. He casted his gaze towards the other child, a girl, by this time Diana had crouched down and was helping the little girl who looked rather anxious straighten her white gown with touches of butterflies. Not too long and not too short, perfect for her looks. Initially, Diana had offered they wore similar dresses, since they were triplets but they politely declined with a thoughtful reason, saying they don’t want to attract too much attention.
What? Are those her kids? Richarlison didn’t tell me she was married and has kids? What a moron.
Anger perfused Mark at once. Goddamn it! Wrong timing. “Well, I can’t change my decision now, promised my grand father, I would bring her home!” He mumbled to himself “But, not this way!”
He glanced at richarlison, who was wearing a tuxedo, standing at the front of the Rolls-royce at the front. It was not a friendly glance. It was at this moment, richarlison realized he must have fucked up!
Diana, was only one step out with her kids beside, when Mark approached her. Behind him were two burly bouncers. Thereafter, he greeted. “Mrs Diana! I’m here to pick you up from the airport. I have a ride ready.”
Again!
Diana, knew this figure obviously. It was the fearsome president general. What was he doing in sterling city? Ever since the encounter with him, her mind had gone restless most times.
“Offer me a ride? As what? and I’m not married! Miss would be more appropriate when addressing me” Diana heard herself spoke.
“I have an apartment prepared for you. You better come with me, least I have my guards force you to”. Mark asserted, with the look of “I’m powerful and everyone obeys my rules!” He was relieved to know atleast she was not married.
Diana looked confused – what was wrong with him? Had he lost his sentences or mistaking me for someone else? Before she could reply legacy interrupted.
“You can’t force my mum against her will. Those burly bouncers can’t intimidate not even a millisecond! Get that into your fucking skull and disembark from our way!”
Diana dragged him beside her at once, trying to shut him up from saying anything further, but he was getting aggressive with what he was trying to say.
“Sorry about how he spoke. Will have to go now! Thanks for your offer!” Diana apologized, and dragged her luggages from the cart. Stoic, who kept observing as well dragged his suitcase, one of his size.
“Don’t move a step! No No No No! Don’t even!” Mark reacted ceasing authority, Diana and her kids felt the power in his voice and they immediately halted by their step.
Marks verdigris eyes blazing. In five seconds he had turned from gentleman to a furious young man, his brown hair standing out wildly as if it were angry too.
He squatted to see the young boys face, the one who had just dared to challenge him.
But when their faces locked! He felt like he was dumbstruck. The young boy had little or absolutely no difference to him when he was at his age, he has revisited his childhood photos and one can easily misconceive the young boy to be the one on the photos. He turned his face and met with Stoics. Obviously, the brave boys twin brother, identical but something about stoic tickled his fancy the more.
In awe and confusion written all over his face, he stood up! He had clearly reserved the anger he felt when the young boy challenged him.
His heart immediately raced back to the incident that occured six years ago, he had gone to a clubhouse with his friends after he was elected as the president general. Out of happiness, he soaked himself with alcohol gradually without him noticing he was getting himself drunk, then he a met lady who incidentally was drunk as well, they sipped few more bottle of alcoholic wines and then they found themselves in a lavatory and had a passionate sex.
For six years, he had been searching for this lady to correct his mistake of taking advantage of a lady. He used to convince himself they both took advantage of each other, since the lady majorly initiated the sex. Seeing this kids that bore a resemblance to him made his heart troubled.
“Madaam. Why do your kids bare so much resemblance with me? Don’t you remember me? I remember you – we were both drunk that night – the silver rings confirmed it all- ” Mark spoke trying to force open Diana’s memory. One thing Richarlison had told him was that, she had amnesia from an accident. Probably why, she doesn’t remember me or that night.
Diana felt a sense of pain within her, that she was unable to recall anything and she still didn’t want to just open up….. then boom! She gathered the confidence to .
“The thing is, Sir, something happened to me a few years ago…there was an accident, and I ended up with a head injury. I don’t remember exactly what went on, only that I woke up in hospital and everything that had gone before was a blank” She tried explaining with her heart racing very fast. She felt troubled.
He made a sharp intake of breath. ‘I’m sorry.’ He shook his head as though he was trying to come to terms with what she had told him. ‘i heard you had some problems with your memory, but I’d no idea it was so profound.’ He reached for her, cupping his hand over hers. ‘What kind of accident was it? Don’t you remember anything at all?’
‘Not much.’ His hand was warm and comforting, enveloping hers. He was a complete stranger to her, and yet she took heart from that instinctive, compassionate action.
“A car accident, a truck crashed into me from behind!”
She went over the events in her mind. ‘It turned out I had a fractured skull. The emergency team looked after me, and after that it was just a question of waiting for the brain swelling to go down, so that they could assess the amount of neurological damage I had been left with. I was lucky, in a way, because there’s been no lasting physical harm-nothing that you can see.’ She gave a brief smile. ‘Except for my hair, of course. It used to be long and shoulder length, but they had to shave part of my head.’
‘Your hair looks lovely. It suits you like that.’
‘Thank you.’ She moved restlessly, and he released her so that she was free. Her throat was dry, aching. ‘I remember bits and pieces. Some things come back to me every now and again, and I manage to keep hold of them. Other memories seem to float around for a while and then disappear before I can picture them clearly.’
‘I’m so sorry,. I can’t imagine what that must be like.’ His grey eyes were sombre and sympathetic. ‘You must be taking a leap in the dark, coming here, away from everything you’ve known for the last few years. Or perhaps you remember something or rather someone.
She frowned. ‘No. I don’t think so. Some of it, perhaps.’ Her lips flattened briefly. ‘Infact… Sorry, I don’t remember anything! So, please can you let me leave now? I have to be at Sterling military – uh, I have to leave now, thank you!.” Diana managed to fake a smile. Then a poster from nowhere floating in the air landed at her front, in it was written “Jake’s oil company!” .
She was familiar with it. That caught her full attention at once, but she was till unable to make sense from it.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
“Sterling military? I’m the president general, the militaries in the city in this part of the world are all under me! And of course, that’s were I’m headed. Would offer my request for the second time, “Mind if i give you and your kids a ride?” Mark offered and that got to Diana, who went momentarily blank.
“I don’t like you!” The kids said in Unison, legacy’s voice was the most resounding that it caused all other person’s at the airport entrance to look at them.
They had never learnt of the accident their mother had five years ago but now they were, on the course of listening the conversation Diana had just had with the president General.