FORBIDDEN (FOUR)

        Stella locked the door and put the key in her pocket as quickly as she could. He knew he couldn’t hide from her forever and had to face her one of these days. He thought that she was asleep when he tiptoed into the room and was not prepared for it but he sat on the bed anyways and waited for her to say what she had to say. She started towards him and sat close. 

        Rob became uncomfortable. Stella flickered his ears and said jokingly’ I have caught you today…Smart boy’ then laughed. He didn’t say anything and just looked at the woman that she had turned to be. Even though he loved her so much, he was disappointed on how she had handled the situation.

      He stayed quiet but Stella just sat beside him holding his hands so he asked her ‘why did you do it? She looked straight into his face and replied ‘I love you Rob’. He forced a smile and said ‘You should know that it is impossible because you are like a sister’. She snapped and told him ‘Like a sister but fortunately, I am not!’

      She confessed her love to him. And he understood a whole lot of things. Her hatred for Abigail, as well as her outburst whenever people asked if they were really siblings. Rob felt the same way but it was not as easy as it looked.

     He tried to explain that their love was unfeasible. ‘I don’t care, I love you.i have always loved you but you were too daft to notice me’ she screamed then started to cry. He wanted to console her, wanted to hold her but then again he didn’t want to give her the wrong impression or lead her on. She stood up and stormed out of the room.

       A month later, Stella became sick. She threw up on several occasions and complained that she was weak. Abigail visited them and on hearing the symptoms, told Rob that his sister could be pregnant. He became very worried.Abigail began to pry into their affair and this infuriated him. He told her that there was no way his sister could be pregnant but after Abigail left, he called Stella and told her what they could be facing.

        Stella took a pregnancy test later in the day and found out that she was indeed pregnant and it was for someone everybody around thought was a brother. Rob felt very uneasy when Stella finally told him the results of the test. He became scared of what Mr. and Mrs.Quartey would do to them when they found out. He imagined how disappointed they would be because after putting their trust in him to keep their daughter safe, he impregnates her instead.

       He devised a plan he needed to carry out immediately but made her promise that they would keep it a secret in order for them to figure out how they would go about the situation. Stella was confused herself because she didn’t plan to get pregnant. She just wanted his attention but not to lock him down by carrying his baby.

     They stayed together for another week. There was tension between them but they tried to live peacefully. She woke up one morning to a breakfast in bed treatment. He smiled whilst he put the tray on the bed gently then said to her ‘I am sorry for the way I treated you this past week…this is unexpected and I hope you understand how I feel’.

FORBIDDEN(THREE)

      Stella grew beautiful each passing day but he tried hard not to think of her as a woman but his sister. They had grown up together and he didn’t want her parents to think that he had taken advantage of the situation to date their only daughter when they had taken him in and treated him like a son.

      He however felt a strange attraction towards her and it was painful that he couldn’t let her in on his feeling. He looked on as other men tried their luck with her and to his amazement, she declined every suitor. They were very good looking and even Rob thought that he didn’t stand a chance if she ever tried to choose.

     They lived in a house which her parents had had rented out for them. It was a two bedroom self contained. She had convinced them that she needed to live close to the school in order not to be late in attending lectures. They agreed but with the condition that Rob stayed with her to watch over her activities to which she agreed to.

   They lacked nothing and visited home every weekend. Rob who was still harboring a burning desire to be with her knew he had to restrain himself so pulled away anytime she tried to get too close since the lived alone.

        They stayed in the apartment peacefully till Rob moved on by dating another girl in school. He knew he would never love anyone like he loved Stella but he had to at least try. She was a pretty psychology student in her third year. Her name was Abigail. She had fallen for Rob’s good looks and stature. They dated a year till they all got into their final academic year whilst his sister stayed single.

      Abigail was seen everywhere with Rob and this infuriated Stella .Rob noticed that Stella kept to herself each time his girlfriend visited them in the house. Stella told him that she didn’t like her but wouldn’t give any reason as to why she hated his girlfriend.

     One night, Rob attended a course mate’s birthday party with Abigail. He didn’t drink much but this time he took in more alcohol and got drunk. When they got back, Abigail wanted to sleep over at his place because of the way he was feeling but he sent her home thinking Stella would be irritated.’ just go back to your hostel…I would be fine’ He told her and walked straight into his bedroom.

     Rob paid no attention to Stella who had stayed up and waited for his return. He laid on the bed with his clothes and soon fell asleep. Though he felt funny, he couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes.Rob woke up the next morning only to find Stella half naked on his bed. His own clothes were also off. He was shocked and didn’t want to believe it. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his palms to be sure he was not dreaming.

     He pushed the blanket aside and found blood stains on the bed. Stella had taken advantage of the fact that he was drunk and had intercourse with him whiles he was lying down and in the course lost her virginity. He began to cry and Stella woke up. She stretched and yawned then looked at him and walked out of the room. He knew that he wanted her badly but definitely not like this. And to make matters worse she was acting indifferent.

 

    They didn’t talk for about a week because he always avoided her. He stayed out till late and came back when he was sure that she was sleeping. Rob always got out of the house before she could wake up. Stella couldn’t take it anymore so she broke the silence .she stayed up till 1am.he tip-toed into the room like a thief. Stella pretended to be asleep till he got inside and she rushed into his room in time before he could lock his door.

FORBIDDEN(TWO)

  She then asked him to help her carry the things so he could earn the money. He was too happy to oblige. They became friends and the woman who he later got to know as Mrs.Quartey became very fond of him and always insisted that he carried her things whenever she came to the market.

 She later asked him if he would like to stay with her and he answered affirmative without hesitation. His friends were happy for him, they thought that he was a lucky boy and some even wished they were in his shoes.

        

         They arrived a little late at Mrs. Quartey’s house because she took him to buy a few clothes so he could look presentable. Rob spoke intelligently and Mrs. Quartey’s husband, Mr. Sam Quartey was amazed on how such an intelligent boy would be left alone. He loved his wife dearly so he didn’t object when she said that she was bringing in somebody to help with the house chores.

     

      Then she walked in. His heart missed a beat. She was very beautiful and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She wore a pencil skirt that fitted her very well and a turtle neck top to match. She greeted and sat down next to Mr. Quartey and said she was hungry. He was still staring till she asked ‘Dad who is this?’ He smiled and introduced them.

     

      ‘Rob, this is my daughter Stella’ he said. And when she smiled, she revealed a clean set of white teeth that made her dazzle. Rob guessed that she might be fifteen.Stella Quartey had straight shoulder length, black hair with centre parting with dark brown eyes. 

       A beauty spot on her cheek and a pointed chin. She took to the likes of her mother who was equally beautiful. Even though he was in the house to help out with the chores, they promised to enroll him in school when the next academic year began so he could continue where he left off. He was elated.

     Rob was happy with his new found family. He couldn’t take Stella off his mind though he was only sixteen. Whenever Stella came close, his heart would beat very fast and stammer when they got to talking. He felt that she enjoyed torturing him.

      With time they became close, very close, in fact inseperable.Rob was sent back to school as promised and he caught on easily. He was loved by all as he took his studies seriously as well as his chores at home. They soon completed high school and people around began to think that there were siblings.

     

       Every time they were asked if they were related, Stella would get peeved and leave the scene. He would become sad and later ask why she did that and she would always say it was nothing.After some years, they both got admissions to the same university. Rob who had always wanted to be an accountant could finally achieve his dreams. 

     Stella on the other hand opted for banking and finance. She made her parents proud. They were also happy that they had been able to help Rob who proved to be humble and smart. He thanked them every time he got the opportunity because he was indeed grateful as he had grown to be part of the family.

FORBIDDEN(ONE)

For a long while he just stood there and watched. He just stood there like he was numb .His eyes fixed at her gaze. He was trembling because this was the day that he dreaded most in his life. He knew he had to say something to avoid any more confrontations like this one. He wanted to hold her but he wouldn’t dare because he was too scared.

    

  She was indifferent and after locking each other in an eye combat which lasted for a minute but seemed like hours, she turned to leave and didn’t look back.

    He couldn’t move as if his foot was stuck on the ground. He didn’t want to stop her but ‘Say something…anything before she leaves’ his inner voice told him but then he couldn’t bring himself to utter the words. He had regretted his actions and wanted to ask for forgiveness but the question he kept asking himself was, would she be able to forgive him?

     Rob had a difficult childhood. His parents were both dead. They had died in a motor accident and he was left with nothing. No siblings, no money. His relatives didn’t care about what he did or ate. They refused to help him continue with his education. His parents didn’t have much, the little they had; his greedy relatives had shared it among themselves. When he tried to protest, one uncle said to him ‘Get away….when I was your age, I was fending for myself and two girlfriends.’ 

    

    Rob didn’t have any reason to stay in a family house where he was treated like an outcast so he moved away at the age of fifteen to do something with his life though He had nowhere in mind to go to. He had to do so many things to survive.

It was difficult at first but he was very intelligent and charmed people with his good looks. He always kept his hair short and had thick bushy eyebrows and a dimple on his chin. He was young but good-looking and that attracted people to him…most pitied him and gave him money. He joined a group of homeless who slept in an abandoned ware house.

   They could get up early in the morning, go to the market and help the market women arrange their goods and foodstuffs then get paid or be given food to eat at times. They also helped people who came to the market by carrying the things they bought to their cars. He did everything humanly possible to survive and pushed the thought of going back to school out of his mind because that was an unattainable goal at that moment. He was an introvert in high school so he couldn’t make friends, because of his plight however, he was forced to open up to his new friends. They felt sorry for him and like him; each had a story to tell.

 

    He lived in the warehouse for a whole year till he was picked up by a woman he had helped at the market place. He first encountered the woman when he saw her struggling to hold some foodstuffs that she had bought and since she looked very tired, he offered to help her, she declined and moved away. He watched on and she dropped her purse unknowingly which he picked up and followed her. When he approached her, the woman became angry but he didn’t utter a word. He just handed over the purse and began to walk away.

     She was bamboozled because she had been rude to him so he might as well made away with the purse which contained a huge sum of amount. She called him back and offered her apologies then gave him some money which he didn’t accept. She was shocked at his behavior especially after she asked why he didn’t want to accept the money and he told her ‘I’m sorry but I only take money that i have worked for.’