"Fred?" "As in Fred Thompson?", David's father asked the doctor. "But how is this possible?", he added. "This whole controversy was very fragile so I decided, in my capacity as first, your good friend and family doctor, to run tests on everyone involved in this case", the doctor said. "I am also as surprised as you are right now". "The matching blood samples of Fred and Ellen reveal that there is a seventy percent chance that he is the father of Ellen", the doctor explained. "Seventy percent is way above the normal level to attribute this test to be wrong because it was carried out twice just so we are sure we were getting the right readings", the doctor said. "But how did you get Fred's blood sample?", David's father enquired. The doctor then explained, "Just like I was explaining to you early on, when we realized that your blood donation was laced with traces of cancer, we quickly had to find an alternative so I rushed back to David's ward and Fred was there chatting with him so we talked and he decided to donate the blood for David". "However, I did not reveal to him that you had cancer". "So he donated but little did any of us know that his donation was going to reveal such a secret". The doctor and David's father exchanged a few personal pleasantries and they both hung up the phone. David's father was confused. For a moment, he thought he was the biological father of Ellen but to his disappointment, in the conversation that had just ensued between himself and the doctor, the facts that were presented to him were beyond comprehension. "How can Fred be Ellen's father?", he thought to himself while sitting on the edge of his bathtub. "All these facts are really confusing". "Does it mean that Erica slept with all of us including David's friend?" He walked out in search of some answers. He walked into the hallway and looked around. He saw Erica walking towards his direction. He managed to feign a smile to catch her attention. Immediately she got about an arms length from where he was standing, he stretched out both hands, held her, shoved her into his open room and shut the door behind him. Erica, who had fallen facedown because of the force behind the shove was trying to pick herself up from the tiled floor of David's father's room. "What is the meaning of this?", she asked. "I thought we promised to stay out of each other's path". "I will not sleep with you this time even if you killed me", Erica said, with disgust written all over her face but David's father seemed unperturbed by her ranting. "Sir, let me go, please", Erica begged, in her usual angelic voice when she realized her first approach was not cutting it. "Erica, how could you be so mean?", David's father started. "How could you punish my son like this?",David's father asked. At this point, Erica was getting confused and feeling immeasurably uneasy with the line conversation was taking. "I don't think I get what you mean", Erica said, with a totally different tone of voice never heard before. "David's father looked into the eyes of Erica intently as he drew closer to her. "You have destroyed my son's bright future by letting him take care of another man's child". "You are so mean, Erica". "What is the meaning of this, sir?", Erica asked, with fear and tension in her voice. "David is the father of Ellen". "He has never doubted that all these years and I am surprised that you could think of such a thing to even ask me about it because it is preposterous to say the least and I wouldn't take it kindly for you to level such accusations against me", Erica said, trying to make for the door. "Where do you think you are going?", David's father asked her, pushing her backwards. "I didn't know that aside from being a liar and a fraud, you could also act so well", David's father shot back at Erica. "Let us cut all the pretence and go straight to the point", David's father added. "I just got off the phone with the doctor and he suggests that David is not the father of my granddaughter." "I don't even know if calling her my granddaughter is even appropriate". "Erica!, who is Ellen's father because to the best of my knowledge, David is not your daughter's father?", the old man said in anger. "You better walk out there and tell the poor young man the truth before I do", David's father said. Erica, who was now visibly and physically shaken, started trembling in the spot where she stood. Tears started rolling down her cheeks and she began to sob. "I don't believe these tears you are shedding to be real". "You are a liar and you will do anything to escape this", David's father said. "Can I please have a minute?", Erica asked. David's father stepped out of the way for Erica. She walked out of the room and was heading towards David's room, she opened David's door softly, peeked through the little opening and found David fast asleep. She gently closed the door and retraced her steps into the hall. She picked up her phone and called Fred. "Why are you calling me this late?", Fred asked as he answered the phone. "Fred, I think our secret has been found out", Erica said. "What are you talking about?, Fred asked. "Fred, stop playing games with me, I am talking about Ellen". "I think David's father knows the truth and he is threatening to tell David if I don't tell him right now", Erica said, with her voice trembling. "I don't think I can face David and tell him that we set him up". "I don't think he would agree to let go of Ellen, looking at how fond he has become of her". "You have to fulfill the promise you made to me because I don't want to continue living this life of pretence anymore", Erica added. As they spoke, Erica heard a voice in the background, "Honey, are you not coming to bed?" Fred then responded, "Just go on ahead, I will be right there, sweetheart". "Who is that, Fred?", Erica asked. "That is my fiancée", Fred answered. "Your fiancée, Fred, your fiancée?" "So were all the promises of coming back to take me abroad to settle down with you all lies?" "How could you, Fred?", Erica asked, with disappointment written all over her face. "Erica, come off it, we were both young and pretty much naïve then", Fred said. "I thought you would have settled down with David by the time I got back so I also made arrangements of getting married", Fred said. "Fred, I just cant believe this but you are going to regret this, I swear to God", Erica said. "I am going to tell David everything". "I don't care what happens afterwards". "I am as good as dead already and I have nothing more to lose", Erica added. "Don't do anything stupid", Fred said but before he could say anything else, Erica hang up the phone. Erica walked up to David's door, took a deep breath and opened the door widely. David was startled out of his sleep. He opened his eyes gently to see Erica standing in the doorway with tears in her eyes. "Hey babe, why are you crying?" "Is everything okay?", David asked, trying to adjust himself properly on his bed. "No, David, everything is not okay", Erica said, sobbing and walking towards David's bedside. She sat by David on the bed and took David's hand into hers. "I have done you a great disservice, David". "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me", Erica added. "What is it, Erica?", David asked. "Ellen is not your daughter", Erica said. "What are you talking about?", David asked, tightening his grip on Erica's hand. "Fred made me do it", Erica said, trying to pull her hand out of the lock David had it in. "Ellen is not your daughter but Fred's", Erica said. David got alarmed and asked, "How is this possible?". Erica therefore recounted the story to David. "I met Fred after he had completed the university. We met in a pub, we had a few drinks and talked. We became friends and we had sex". "I got pregnant as a result". "When I told him about it, he was very scared and came up with the plan to get you to sleep with me and in effect make you rather responsible for my pregnancy". "And you agreed to this diabolic plot?", David cut in. "He told me that his parents were not well to do like yours and if I managed to get you to accept responsibility of the baby, it would not be as damaging as it would be for him should his parents find out that he had gotten me pregnant", Erica continued. "He told me about the scholarship both of you were applying for and how his hope of acquiring that scholarship could fail if I saddled him with the pregnancy", Erica said and stopped to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Continue!", David ordered her. "So he made us set you up",Erica continued. "Was that when you walked up to me at the club?" "Yes David, that was when I approached you at the bar to ask you to be my boyfriend", Erica confessed. "I am so stupid", David said. "I should have listened to my instincts because your antics were too good to be true", David added. "I can't believe all this", David said. "So were you ever going to tell me this?", David asked. "Come to think of it, why are you telling me all this now?". "Fred promised to take me abroad and later marry me but it seems they were all lies", Erica said. "I cant believe that you have kept such a thing from me for all these years", David said. "I thought Fred was my brother". "We could have worked out something if he told me all this earlier instead of deciding to stab me in the back in this manner", David said. He turned his eyes away for some minutes and turned to look at Erica, "I think at this point, I have had enough of you, please walk out of my life and out of my house this minute". "I set you free forever", David added. "Tell Fred that the battle line has been drawn and that he is in for the fight of his life over the custody of Ellen because she is staying right here with me". "Don't worry, I will tell him myself". "Please shut the door behind you on your way out, thank you", David added... THE BATTLE LINES HAVE BEEN DRAWN. IT IS TIME TO CROSS SWORDS. What will you do "BEFORE THE WORLD ENDS?. MY NAME IS EDWIN OKO LAMPTEY AND THIS STORY IS FAR FROM OVER. STAY TUNED... More at randomafricanthoughts.blogspot.com
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