Chapter 8 : JR's fury

Meanwhile inside the ward, as soon as Mrs Irene Chomba saw Feggy, tears fell down her face.

‘Child why didn’t you say anything?’

‘I’m sorry ma.’

‘No, I’m the one who is sorry towards you. It seems I didn’t do a good job of raising him. I failed to raise a man you could be proud of.’

Feggy wiped the tears off Mrs Chomba’s face. She couldn’t bear to see her tormented like this. ‘Ma, don’t talk like that. You raised him well and taught him well too. He is a grown-up. We can’t always blame the parent for the bad decisions their grown children make. It’s not your fault mom.’

‘I’m sorry child. I will knock some sense into his head. He will come back to you.’

‘Thanks, ma’ but at this point, I don’t think it’s possible. He is so enamoured by that woman. If the hunger-stricken faces of his children could not make him come to his senses, nothing will.’

‘It’s okay my child. God has seen your tears and heard your cries. It will be well.’

Feggy nodded her head whilst fighting back tears.

***

The next day, just as Theo was driving out of her yard, on her way to the hospital with the basket of food and others things she had packed that her sister and Mrs Chomba would need, a police van blocked her way forcing her to get out of the car.

A plain-clothed man and two uniformed men stepped out. After introducing themselves as an inspector Katepa, officer Banda and officer Juba. Inspector Katepa stepped closer to her, waving the paper to her face, he informed her in an arrogant voice that it was a warrant of arrest for her on the charges of assault.

Before she could come to terms with what was happening, the uniformed officers had already cuffed her and taken her into their custody.

Feggy’s father in law who was supposed to ride with Theo to the hospital came out of his yard at the very time the police tossed Theo into the back of the van like a sack. He ran after the van but it sped off before he could even cross the road. Only after the vehicle had disappeared around a corner did he snap out of his shock, pulling out the phone from his pockets, he called his eldest son, JR.

***

It took the Chomba siblings all morning to find the station that the three police officers had brought Theo to.

To find out that Theo was facing charges of assault, filed by Yolanda with the blessing of their brother left the siblings in shock. JR did not bother to waste time with the officers who were determined to make life difficult for them. He called his wife’s brother who was a lawyer to help him handle the case.

As soon as he was done with the call, he got in his car and cruised off.

Kangwa and Henry could only look at each other hopelessly. They had a good idea of where he was heading.

‘Shouldn’t we follow him?’

‘No. Gershom deserves whatever is coming his way,’ Henry replied with a contemplative look.’ Go back to the hospital and make sure that ma and Feggy don’t get wind of this. I will stay here and try to get them to let me see Theo.’

Kangwa soon left and hurried back to the hospital where she found her worried father pacing in the corridors.

‘Did you find her? What happened? Why was she suddenly arrested?’

‘Gershom happened dad. She is in jail because of the woman Gershom is seeing.’

Joseph Chomba senior sighed sadly. The disappointment he felt towards his son made his heart twist with pain. He thought he had lived too long. Never had he thought a day would come when he would be witness to one of his children’s shameless acts?

As a parent, he couldn’t help but wonder if he had failed him in any way. Having been a witness of how cheating by one spouse can destroy a home, he had tried his best to live an exemplary life. He had never thought he would see a day that one of his children would sacrifice their integrity for a few minutes of pleasure.

***

JR’s Ford ranger came to a screeching halt outside GC Motors, Gershom’s company.

‘Gershom!’ Joseph bellowed as he walked past the beautiful array of used cars in the showroom.

It was almost lunchtime and Gershom’s employees were about to head out for lunch but when they saw the furious man striding across the showrooms floor towards their boss’s office, they decided to stay, anticipating the drama that was about to explode.

Hearing his name called out, Gershom came out of his office frowning.

‘Brother…’

JR's left hook met with Gershom’s right jaw. The unexpected attack sent him staggering back and instantly numbed half of his face at the same time making his head spin from the pain.

His employees watched on, secretly cheering for JR. For them, it was as if someone had gotten justice for them. For a long time now, they had been facing problems with their salaries. There had been months when they had gone without pay, and the other months when they had gotten their pay, it was always less than what they were entitled to. And all these problems had begun when Gershom had begun dating Yolanda. Gershom had shamelessly flaunted his affair with the college girl before them.

‘What the hell is wrong with you? What kind of son are you? What kind of a man are you?’

‘JR calm down…’

JR grabbed him by the collars of his shirt and shoved him to the wall. ‘How do you expect me to calm down after what you did to mother? Can you even call yourself a son after you left your dear mother dying on the floor?’

‘It wasn’t like that…’

‘No? Explain it to me then. How do you explain what you did to mom? And if that was not enough, you went and had Theo arrested!’

Gershom angrily shoved his big brother's arms off him and tried to bring some feeling into his numb jaw.

“Well, Theo deserved what happened to her. Don’t you dare blame me for what happened to mom? Theo started it all. Who told her to meddle in affairs that do not concern her?’

JR could not believe his brother's shamelessness.

‘Can you hear yourself, Gershom? Why would Theo not interfere? Feggy is her young sister. Do you have no shame at all? What kind of a sister would she be if she turned a blind eye to what you are doing to her sister?’

‘Well, she got what she deserved for poking her nose into other people’s affairs. Let her deal with the consequences.’

‘Call your mistress and have her drop the charges.’

‘Hmmmm, no.’

‘I am not going to repeat myself, have that woman drop the charges against Theo.’

‘Hey, show some respect ok? That woman is my woman and she has a name, Yolanda.’

‘Gershom!! Are you willing to lose everything all for that whore?’

Incensed, Gershom grabbed his elder brother by the collars of his shirt and shoved him against one of the cars. “Don’t make me forget that you are my big brother. Let this be the last time I hear you call my woman by those derogatory names!’

JR pushed him away from him and glared at him. ‘So this is how it’s going to be huh? You are going to choose that woman’s side over your own family. If that is how you want to play it then it shall be so. Don’t blame me for what happens after this.’

Turning to leave, his eyes fell on Yolanda who had just walked in dressed in a striped, halter neck jumpsuit.

‘Babe, will you settle the cab fare? Oh, brother in law, hai.’

JR let out a long teeth-kissing sound at her greeting as he walked past her.

Amused at his rudeness towards her, she scoffed at him. “Whatever,’ she murmured then deliberately yelled out. ‘Babe is my car ready?’

JR who had not yet left the showroom heard her. He could only shake his head in disgust and disappointment.

‘You can look around and pick the one you like. Let me settle the balance with the taxi,’ Gershom replied.

Reaching to plant a kiss on his lips uncaring for the audience, not that it would have mattered because they were used to their brazen display of public display of affections, she noticed the swell on his jaw.

‘Oh my God. Babe! What happened to your face? Did he do this to you? What is wrong with people from your family, they are all savages! Hey, you go bring us some ice,’ she ordered one of the workers as she led Gershom back into his office.