Indigo (Shade of a golden heart) - Season 2 - Episode 11

5 years ago

Indigo (Shade of a golden heart) - Season 2 - Episode 11

So you were afraid something would happen to me? I understand why you were so mad that I went out to play.’

He laughed, ‘Yes, I was too protective of you and I still am.’

‘I am sorry Papa about the lies, from your health, the money and losing my job. I thought I was doing what was best by not telling you. I didn’t want you to be disappointed in me, Please forgive me.’ She fell on her knees weeping for forgiveness.

Papa felt horrible because he was not righteous. He knew Indigo would hate him if she ever found out about her father, but he had faith that Nkosi wouldn’t show up again.

‘Get up Indi. I am not mad at you. You are a big girl now and big girls make mistakes. They learn from them and continue living.’ He beckoned her to rise to her feet.

Indigo had not envisioned this sort of blissful morning with her grandfather, she had expected him to yell at her and probably reject the food that she was preparing.

‘Why are you not mad at me? I lied about your health and my job, you’re supposed to be raving mad.’ She expressed her surprise.
Her response amused him, ‘Don’t be silly girl, I knew from the beginning that I had a serious problem with one of my major organs, I didn’t know which one. You kept those things away from me because you cared more about my happiness. I don’t hold it against you. Nobody is perfect, if we all were, then we would all live in heaven. Any man bound to this earth is subject to imperfection and you have done nothing bad, you just proved that you are a human girl.’
She was relieved and happy that her Papa understood her reasons for keeping those things away.

‘But it still doesn’t justify it.’ She said.
‘Are you looking for some type of punishment?’ He grinned, it seemed Indigo was unsatisfied with his judgment.
‘No!’ She giggled.

‘Good. So promise me you will no longer keep secrets?’ He admonished her to stay truthful to him.

She wanted to promise, but she quickly remembered her guardian angel, Mr. Phillip Hajjo.
‘I guess your silence means yes, now let us talk about Annabel and how we will refund her money.’ The old man felt a sharp slit of his heart, this was the hard part.

Indigo could see the worried look in his eyes, she knew the old man was not happy with their current financial situation, but he was a man of honor and would do anything to protect his granddaughter.

‘We don’t need to talk about the money now Papa. I think you should take your breakfast first.’ She turned to the stove and lifted the pot from fire.

‘I know you are trying badly to escape this topic, but the inhaler you got me is very expensive. And the doctor made it clear that I need it to survive, where would we get that kind of money? Already, you owe Annabel and the beast she sold you off to, a hundred thousand. We need to discuss practical ways to solve this problem.’ He tried sounding hopeful, but his voice was as unsteady as the sound of splashing water on rocks.

She had not wanted to tell her Papa about Phillip. But she knew better, she couldn’t let the old man worry about her now.

‘Papa, there is something I need to tell you.’ She wiped her wet hands against the apron she wore.

‘Yes?’
Indigo told her grandfather how she got a job at the coffee shop with Annabel’s help and how she lost it after two hours. She also told him of her stolen money and how badly the manager had treated her.

‘I don’t understand, where did you get the money to purchase the inhaler?’ His eyes dilated in surprise.

Indigo was not comfortable talking about Phillip, because Papa had warned her about men and their tactics to s£duce unknowing virgin girls. She had this conviction, that Phillip was different. She couldn’t give herself one reason for feeling that way, but she did.

‘I didn’t sleep with a man, trust me.’ She dispelled his fears.
‘I know you didn’t, I can read you like a book.’ The old man said.

‘Um, just know that I met someone that gave me the money. This person saw the unfair treatment that was given to me by the shop owner and decided to help me, after I explained what the money was for.’ She was quite nervous when her grandfather didn’t say anything.

Did he believe her? Did he want more details? What was he thinking?

‘Papa, I swear I didn’t sleep with this man and he convinced me to trust him. He told me that he is not like other men. He just wanted to help.’ She rambled on and on.

‘I believe you Indi, but I do not feel comfortable taking money from strangers. You should never see that man again. Now I want us to think of something, we need to find a way to raise some money so we could repay Annabel, after which you will cut off every ties with her? Is that clear?’

Indigo wanted to tell her grandfather about Phillip Hajjo and how much she trusted him, but a brief flash of her struggling with Usman, reminded her of the importance of listening to the old man.

‘I should at least call him and thank him for the money. I should tell him that I got the inhaler.’ She suggested.

‘Of course you should, but that will be all. Do you promise never to speak to that man after that?’ Papa wanted the best for her, he didn’t want any man taking advantage of his granddaughter because of his inability to cater for her.

‘I promise.’ She nodded.
‘Good, now you can serve breakfast, let us eat.’ He smiled.

Chalya stepped out of the car and looked round her new surroundings; she couldn’t believe that people actually lived in such despicable conditions.

‘Oh lord…’ she touched her chest with her hands; she was broken by the sight of the old buildings. She now understood why Phillip was so eager to renovate them, but she had a problem with the new rent he planned to impose on the tenants.

She shut the car door gently, locked it and walked gingerly towards the buildings, not knowing what to expect.

From the corner of her eyes, she sighted a deep gutter, adjacent to the first building; it reeked of decayed food and debris. She couldn’t stand the smell, she felt nauseous at once.

‘D--n.’ She pressed her nostrils together and walked as fast as her legs could carry her, towards one of the houses, where she had come to make some findings.

She had overheard Moremi telling her brother the other of a certain Mallam Hassan who was strongly against the renovation and the new rent. Phillip was mad that someone would want to stand in his way, he had cooked up something form the man, he was yet to serve it because he was distracted at the moment.

‘Mallam Hassan,’ she searched her file manager for the document containing the bio-data of the tenants that occupied both buildings.
‘There.’ She found the man’s name pinned with his house number. She pushed the phone into the pocket of her denim and strolled towards the house number.

Chalya was not comfortable with the living standards of these people. The pictures she had seen of this place online, was nothing compared to reality.

It was a shithole. It was appalling. And this was the reason she was ready to do whatever it took to help these people out.