Indigo (Shade of a golden heart) - Season 3 - Episode 14

5 years ago

Indigo (Shade of a golden heart) - Season 3 - Episode 14

Papa wanted to tell her he was fine. But the memory of Nkosi begging on his knees wouldn’t let him. The man’s remorseful attitude pricked his conscience and he had no other option but to tell Indigo the truth.

‘Do you love me with all of your heart?’ Papa moved closer to Indigo and collected her hands.

She didn’t like the tone of his voice. Was her grandfather dying?

‘Papa, what is it?’ She took a deep breath, while waiting for his response.

‘Do you love me?’ Papa’s voice shook.
‘Yes.’ She affirmed with a nod, hoping whatever he was about to tell her wouldn’t break her heart.

The time for the revelation had come, and once this door was opened, there wouldn’t be any going back.

‘I lied to you…’ Papa started, ‘I know shouldn’t have, but I thought it was for the best. I thought I would be protecting you from getting hurt and feeling rejected, but I wasn’t being honest with myself.’

Now that Nkosi had showed up, Papa knew he was the guilty one. He should have told his granddaughter about her father, instead of making her believe that he was dead.

‘I don’t understand,’ Indigo’s brows came together, what lies had her grandfather told her?

‘Your father is alive. He has been alive all these years, he is back now.’

Indigo laughed, ‘Are you joking?’ Papa never really talked about her father, why was he bringing the matter up now? She had never seen any pictures of the man, and she had grown up believing that he had died along her mother too.

When she saw that her grandfather wasn’t smiling, she knew he was serious.

At once, Indigo let go of his hand and sank into the chair closest to her. Her heart was beating fast; her feelings spiraled on the waves of anxiety.

‘My father is alive? And you lied to me about it?’

The way she said it, showed that she was felt betrayed and this stung Papa in the veins, more than anything else.

‘I am sorry. I don’t know if you’ll ever forgive me, please.’ Papa wept silently.
She rose to her feet at once, not having any word in return. She had always seen her father as a pious man. A man who could never trade his dignity for gold and his words were always words of wisdom.

How could he lie to her?

Nkosi had been listening to their conversation from the kitchen. His heart swelled with guilt as he heard Indigo’s voice. Mallam Hassan had given him access to her childhood photographs, and her drawing book, which made him so proud.

She had the same voice like her mother. She was so beautiful, and he felt like a devil for abandoning her all these years.

This wasn’t Papa’s fault, and he couldn’t let the old man take the blame for his actions.
‘Indigo…’ he walked gingerly from the kitchen towards the living room.

Her gaze left her granddad to the stranger who’d just come out of the kitchen. He was tall and slender, with a fine milky complexion. He had a straight nose and thin lips. His hair was curly and raven.

‘Who are you?’ She asked and quickly moved away from him.

Nkosi fell on his knees and crawled towards her, ‘I am so sorry angel. I have been a very bad man, but you are my redemption. Your grandfather is not to be blamed, he had no choice.

I was an irresponsible lover and father, and he didn’t want you to have a taste of that.’ He swallowed.

Indigo looked at her grandfather who was weeping bitterly, but she wasn’t touched by his tears. How could he lie to her for more than twenty years?

‘That doesn’t answer my question.’ She replied Nkosi.

He was greatly embarrassed. How could he just show up after many years and expect her to accept him into her life as her father? Nkosi realized he had been myopic and naïve. These things had rules, and he had to abide by them.
‘I was in love with your mother, but…but when she told me she was having my baby, I just couldn’t fathom that. I was so scared of being a father. I felt trapped and inadequate, so I took off. I ran back to my home country, to avoid being with her while she had the baby.’ A tear slipped from his eyes.

Indigo’s eyes widened at this revelation, so this man was her father? And her home country was Kenya?

‘Wait…I don’t get you.’ She ran her fingers through her hair.

‘You abandoned my mother to raise me on her own…’ suddenly something dawned on her.

What if her mother hadn’t died naturally as her grandfather had told her? What if she had died from being heartbroken by the man she thought she loved?

Slowly, she understood why Papa had shielded her from this devil on his knees. Truly, her grandfather wasn’t the person she should be angry with.

‘I am sorry Indigo. People make mistakes and I have come to realize mine.’ Nkosi begged.

Indigo had enough of his lies!
‘Get up!’ Her voice was cold and unwelcoming.

Nkosi knew just what she wanted to do, but he wouldn’t let her.

‘Please, don’t send me away. Just give me a chance to know you…’ He rose to his feet.
‘A chance? You had twenty years plus to come back to me, but you didn’t. This shows that I am not important to you, so why pretend to love me now?

Tell me father, what changed?’ She mocked.
Tears rushed from her eyes, her lips trembled as her wounds bled. All these years, Papa had raised her alone.

All these years, she had worked so hard to pay their bills and put some food on the table. If she hadn’t been raised well to be decent and contented, she would have become a wayward lady, which was the predominant way to survive in this part of the world.

‘I cried myself to sleep whenever Papa couldn’t afford what I needed. I struggled, I fought, and you weren’t there. What makes you think I need you now?’ She laughed, she was quite sure she didn’t need this Kenyan in her life.

He was filled with compunction as he stared as his beautiful daughter. All that she had said was the truth. He didn’t deserve her.

‘Indigo…I am not saying that I was right. I am sorry for the past, just forgive me, let us start from there.’ He pleaded.

Forgive? He had the nerve! She rolled her eyes.

‘I don’t want you in my life. I am okay with my grandfather, now get the hell out before I raise an alarm.’ She spat.

Nkosi could see raw fire raging in her eyes. She was hurt, broken and felt forsaken. He knew he had to give her space, but he wouldn’t go. He would wait till she forgave him.

He thought about other things that he had to handle to raise money for her. He still needed to find the other girl that had almost blinded Usman, and he needed to ask Usman a few questions about the man he had seen at Canaan bar, Phillip Hajjo.