“Don’t ever say her name with your filthy mouth.” She spat at him. The sound of Clara’s palm connecting with Emmy’s face echoed through the bakery shop, drawing the attention of the customers. Gasps filled the air as the customers’ eyes widened in shock, followed by the sound of murmurs and whispers.
Tanisha, sensing the intensifying tension, rushed to the corner of the shop where the quarrel had occurred with the intention of creating peace between her mother and the other person.
“Mother, what’s going on here?” She whispered as she got closer to her mother. “Who are they and what do they want?” She added as her eyes searched Tania and Emmy’s frame.
Ignoring Tanisha, Clara’s eyes shot daggers at Emmy, eyeing him from his head to his toes. With all her might, she pulled Emmy by his arms, dragging him out of the shop with the hope of quenching the tension in the shop. Instantly, both Tania and Tanisha followed, having no idea about what had happened between Emmy and Clara.
“How dare you come back here, after everything you did to my daughter? Are you out of your mind?” Clara yelled as she went outside the shop, away from her customers who are also rumor mongers.
“I’m sorry..” Emmy stated, trying to apologize, but Clara cut him off.
“You are sorry? For what? Tell me, I want to hear it. What are you sorry about?” Clara retorted, anger laced in her voice.
“I.. I..” Emmy stammered, his eyes burning with humiliation and shame. He didn’t know things would turn out against him. If he had seen it, he would have stayed away from Vanessa and her family.
“You can’t even talk,” she hissed. “You cheated on my daughter and had the audacity to hit her when she caught you in the act. You are a crazy man.” She fired.
Both Tania and Tanisha gasped in shock as they heard Clara’s words. Immediately, their instincts shifted from confusion to realization.
“Are you saying this good for nothing man laid his filthy hands on my sister?” Tanisha said, mirroring her mother’s anger.
“It was a misunderstanding, trust me. I never had the intention of laying my hands on her. It was a honest mistake and I apologize afterward.” Emmy rambled, at the same time thinking of a way to survive the humiliation he was getting.
“Ohhh, it wasn’t your intention to hit her, but it was your intention to cheat on her. Can you hear yourself?” Tanisha spat.
“After everything you did, you have the audacity to come back here, asking for Vanessa like nothing happened. You even brought another woman to see her. What exactly were you thinking?” Clara interjected, flashing a glance at Tania, who stood quietly in the corner, observing the exchange.
“Are you is girlfriend or wife?” Tanisha inquired, her gaze fixed on Tania.
Tania was left dumbfounded by the question. In her entire life, she had not been in an awkward situation like this. What kind of disgrace had Emmy brought upon her? She articulated.
If only she had known the history between Emmy and Vanessa, she would have stayed away from him. What can she do now? How can she escape the wrath of Vanessa’s family? Tania wondered as she stood frozen on the spot.
“Are you mute or deaf?” Tanisha blurted out, irritation laced in her voice. “Are you his girlfriend or his wife?” She asked again, laying emphasis on her words.
“I’m not his girlfriend, neither am I his wife.” Tania mustered courage to answer.
Tanisha’s lips tightened as she heard Tania’s answer. “So why are you here with him?” She asked, her words were drowned out by the escalating tension.
“I’m a friend of Vanessa’s. I came here with him because I’m concerned about Vanessa’s well-being.” Tania said solemnly, hoping they would buy her lies.
Despite her efforts to explain herself, Clara and Tanisha didn’t buy her lies. it was like they had seen through her lies.
“Then you made a mistake by coming here with the wrong person. This man is a bad person.” Clara pointed at Emmy. She was so mad that she didn’t care if the argument continued to intensify. All she wanted was for Emmy to pay for what he did to her daughter.
“I’m sorry about that. To be honest, if I had known about it, I wouldn’t have come here with him. I was so eager to meet Vanessa.” Tania pleaded as she faked tears in her eyes.
Emmy scoffed as he watched Tania’s reaction. He never saw it coming. Tania, who was supposed to help him, had turned against him. He can’t be the only one who will suffer for their sin. Both of them should have a fair share in the humiliation.
Determined to unmask Tania’s facade, Emmy planned to expose her. “Tania, what do you think you are doing?” He asked her.
“What do you mean?” Tania said, sounding pitiful.
“You can’t lie to buy your way out of this.” Emmy blurted out.
Now, it was Clara’s turn to stare at them in confusion as she listened to their little exchange.
“What are you talking about?” Tania asked, pretending to be confused.
“Clara, this woman is not a saint.” Emmy uttered, causing Tania to slap him.
Trying to stop him from spilling her secret, Tania’s fist connected with Emmy’s jaw. “It is such a shame for you to say that about me. How can you point fingers at me when you are the evil one here? You are not only a fraud but a cheat and an abuser.” Tania rained insult on Emmy.
“Tania?” Emmy called her name like she had grown two heads. With his hand still on his jaw, he stared at Tania in disbelief. He had made a grave mistake by underestimating Tania, but that’s not the point. How would he expose Tania? That is the point.
“You are such an immodest person. You should be ashamed of yourself, Emerald.” Clara spat before walking out of him, leaving him to dwell on her words.
His past flashed before him, he remembered all the good times he had with Clara and her daughter in this bakery shop. Humiliation washed over him as he watched Clara walk away from him. Although he had no intention of making things right, he still felt guilty about what he had done in the past.
His gaze moved back to Tania, “you will pay for humiliating me like this.” He spat before walking away from her.
Running after him, her mind races with a reasonable explanation for her action. “I’m sorry I overreacted. I should have punched you in the face.” She muttered as she realized that Tanisha was still watching them, suspiciously.
“You turned everything on me. You threw me under the bus just to protect yourself. You are a scornful woman,” Emmy retorted.
“You don’t have the right to insult me. I had to protect myself and I did. There’s nothing wrong with that,” Tania said, still keeping her voice down.
“There’s nothing wrong with you finding another ride to get you home.” Emmy said, causing Tania to laugh.
“Getting a ride would never be a problem for me. Get lost Emmy. I don’t want to see you again, you are of no use to me,” Tania said, before walking in the opposite direction.
Despite her failure, she had no plans to give up yet. She would find another way around it. She articulated with determination.