As we draw near to the end of this story, we really need to know what’s gonna happen with the two people Chris needs forgiveness from…

2:35 am in the morning.

While most of the boys snored and slumbered on their beds, Nana sat up on his bed, still thinking about Mr. Yeboah’s words.

A month ago, they were the last words he wanted to hear. Forgiveness sounded absolutely foolish to him, and had it not been for the fact that this was a man he respected, he’d probably have screamed some obscenities at him and stormed out.

As he sat up and remained deep in thought, those feelings of bitterness were still there. He still felt so much anger towards his father for walking out, and especially for knowing how he had chosen such a useless lifestyle. He really would love nothing more than to act like he didn’t exist. After all, that’s exactly what he had done over the past sixteen years, right?

But there was this tug at his heart, reminding him how remorseful his father was. And how he regretted that useless lifestyle. Surely the revelation that he had run around in circles only to encounter the son he tried to avoid was enough of a message from above that he had fooled nobody but himself. Would withholding forgiveness be worth it?

Besides, he always felt that it was easier to consider forgiveness once a person had actually repented of the wrong they did. And that was the clear cut case in this scenario.

But… but he walked out on you. Considered you unimportant. If it hadn’t been for that alcohol poisoning, he probably would have remained the asshole he previously was.

Nana sighed as he rubbed his eyes. Both sides made a lot of sense.

But which one to choose?

***

“Henry, forget it! The next time I see that despicable bastard and I don’t break that pathetic skull of his with the hardest object I can find, then my name is no longer Evelyn. I am not going to see him. I do not want to hear from him. And most of all, I am NOT going to forgive him! Do you know how much he wrecked my life?” Evelyn snapped.

Henry sighed. As expected, this was not easy. It had been a month since that unpleasant reunion happened. And the kind of vitriol that had come from Evelyn since that day did not make him comfortable at all.

Of course, he knew the anger towards this despicable guy would have been revived, but for that entire month, she couldn’t seem to go ten minutes without making reference to Chris and her utter contempt for him. Hatred had taken root, and he did not like the way it was displaying its fruit in her life. There was only one way this could be dealt with.

Confronting the problem directly. To wit, dealing with this Chris guy and holding him accountable for his actions.

The issue, though, is that he knew it would be extremely hard to get Evelyn to even consider having such a talk with the man who impregnated and abandoned her. And it was proving to be such.

“Look at him. He’s still perching in someone’s house,” she continued. “Useless fool. You think you can be sticking your third leg in everyone and get away with it. Swine! He will die an unemployed, broke bitch! Foolishness!”

Henry winced. There she went again. Cursing his entire existence.

He might not have minded her anger too much if it wasn’t this level of engulfing. After all, Chris deserved it. But this was way too much.

“Eve, please,” he pleaded. “I understand. He hurt you really bad. Nobody is making excuses for that. No one. What he did is pathetic, and personally, it looks like he’s reaping what he’s sown. He didn’t look like someone who is very happy with life, from the little I saw. But babe, this is more about you! I need you to be released from all this anger. This isn’t you!”

She shook her head. “Henry, you don’t understand it well, do you? You have no idea how much he destroyed me. You have no idea how much of a coward he is…”

Grasping both of her hands gently, he squeezed them. “Honey, it’s so obvious what a coward he is. I know the story, and it’s clear for anyone with brains to see. From insisting on the abortion to running away when you wouldn’t budge; that’s a pathetic excuse of a man. No two ways about that. But please, all I’m trying to say is that dealing with him directly benefits you! You have a flaming coal in your hand. Let it go. Don’t hold on to it. You don’t need to be friends with him or anything, but please, let the flaming coal go. I love you too much to see you get swallowed up by this hatred. Please!”

She yanked her hands away from him and gave him an evil glare. “If you really loved me, you’d understand why I feel what I do, and you’d probably be the first to rip that scoundrel’s head off!”

She stormed off.

***

“Still no success?”

“Nope. Now she’s angry with me for suggesting the need to deal with the issue.”

Mr. Yeboah sighed. “Well, this is definitely not going to be an easy task. I’d suggest you don’t bring it up with her for a while. But we still need to settle this. It doesn’t even need to be an absolute agreement; just a bit of willingness from her part to begin the road to healing. I don’t know why, but I’m really concerned on her part, because the way I’ve come to know her, if she hates, she hates with everything in her. And that’s not healthy, especially considering Nana.”

“Yeah, true. By the way, how is he taking all this?”

“Well, he’s also quite hurt and angry at his father. I’ve spoken to him; didn’t get much of a response, whether negative or positive.”

“Hmmmm. This is quite a sticky issue. I know expecting a breezy passage to healing is impossible. How I wish it were, though. The guy really, really messed up, though.”

“Well, as for Paa Yaw, he’s made many foolish decisions over the years, and I’ve had my fights with him. But this isn’t about him, it’s about her. And Nana. I don’t want the bitterness and resentment to remain within; it’ll destroy them before they know it.”

“Hmmmm, Mr. Yeboah. That’s what I tried to tell Eve, but… hmmm… it’s tough.”

“No worries. We’ll just take this one day at a time. Something good has to come out of this eventually.”

***

I knew this boy was lying. He claimed you knew and that you were okay with it. I tried talking him out of it, because it’s just too out of the blue, but he was not going to listen. For whatever reason, he’s left Accra. And according to him, he’s not coming back…

The shopkeeper’s words reverberated around her brain as she tucked herself into bed. The memories had relentless come rushing ever since she had seen that scumbag, and each flashback made her angrier and angrier. The heartless and unconcerned manner in which he demanded she get an abortion. The way he trivialized the pregnancy. The cold shoulder he had given her even before the news, indicating that all he had ever wanted was to hit and run. All these memories inflamed her the more.

Forget everything everyone said. She was not going to let it go.

Her phone vibrated on the bedside table. She checked to see the caller ID.

It was Henry.

She immediately pressed the reject button. Nonsense. After this guy treated me like a rag, you are telling me to be nice! He should get away kraaaa.

Turning herself over in her bed, she closed her eyes and started to conjure imaginations of the worst happening to Chris.

Ten minutes later, as she was smiling while picturing him getting hit by an articulator truck after being fired and embarrassed by his employers, she was interrupted by the vibration of her phone yet again.

Thinking it was Henry again, she got up, irritated, saying to herself, “Can he just leave me the hell alone?”

Looking at the screen, however, it was a different number.

She wasn’t the type to be hesitant about picking calls from numbers she didn’t know, so she answered, ready to give a good blasting if it was Henry using another number to call.

“Hello, Ma.”

She was surprised. “Nana?”

“Yes. Umm, one of my friends has a phone here, and I asked if I could make an urgent call.”

“Why? What’s wrong? Have you lost something?”

“Uhh, no. It’s something else.”

“Talk to me, baby. What is it?”

A sigh came over the line. “I… uh, I’ve been thinking… and, uhhh… I want us to meet with my father…”

“Nana! Nana! Don’t get me angry this evening!”

“Ma, please. I know you’re angry. And I’m angry, too. Extremely angry. But please, just hear me out. Please…”

Evelyn sighed and rubbed her face. Henry had already ticked her off, and she had a feeling Nana was about to do the same thing. But considering he was directly affected… maybe it was worth hearing him out.

“Fine. I’m listening.”

The finale will have the answers we’re seeking as this story comes to an end…