Lucio walked into his study raging with anger, he brought out his cigarette and a lighter, light up the cigarette and started smoking as he paced furiously around the study, most of Camilla’s words resounding in his memory. A few minutes later Grandma Rosa walked into the study.
“What was that commotion you caused out there for?” Grandma Rosa asked Lucio angrily. “In the presence of a grieving woman and your daughter?” she continued, feeling so mad at her son’s behavior a while ago.
Lucio who is pacing up and down the study turned and gave his mother a furious stare. “Not now Mama, I want to be alone.” He said afterwards and resumed pacing around his study where his table was, puffing smoke out from his cigarette as he did.
“Why not, you did not even mind the fact that we still have guests, I mean it was Antonio’s funeral for God’s sake, you shouldn’t have let your anger get the best of you out there and in the presence of your daughter Lora.” Grandma Rosa continued scolding him, her near trembling voice filled with anger.
She is angry not only because of what just happened but also because of the way Lucio have been living his life, she couldn’t stand what have become of her only grandchild anymore, she had three sons, two of them died and Lucio was her only surviving child, years later Lucio’s father died when he was fifteen years old and since then she did the best she could to keep alive her husband’s business and family’s legacy.
Yes he has succeeded in expanding the business more than she has imagined, but she also knows where most of the money came from and that was from his illegal businesses.
She had showered Lucio with so much love and affection, she had control of his life and had planned out his life for him even to the woman he would get married to, but everything shattered when her son refused to get married to her late husband’s business partners daughter Lucia, she had thought what a great match Lucia would be for her son Lucio and had teased them both because their names sounded alike and had told them what a great Match they would be.
Lucio began to see that woman Camila who was raised in the orphanage and decided to marry her against her will, she did everything possible then to stop the union but to no avail.
She never liked her, that is why she did nothing to stop her son when he began to maltreat Camilla, instead, she poured out her frustration on Camilla, and because of her nonchalant attitude then towards her son’s marriage, her son is even more miserable and the person bearing the brunt of her action is Lora, she had thought that with Camilla gone, Lucio would find another life partner to raise Lora and probably have other children but that did not happen.
“Mama, the nerve of that woman to come here.” Lucio said, bring Grandma Rosa out from her thought. “how dare she come to my house after she left, and how dare she use Antonio’s funeral as an excuse, she should have waited until Marta was out of my home before going to see her, that way I would not have seen her sorry face and Lora would not have seen her either,” Lucio said, still pacing around the corner where his table was.
“That woman was once your wife, and she is still the mother of your daughter Lora, you can’t keep those two apart from each other forever you know.” Grandma Rosa said rather calmly after a short silence.
“Yes Mama, I can… I can keep them apart...” Lucio retorted angry at his mother’s statement. “I will make sure of it, even if it means sending her far away from this country.” He added, then brought out another cigarette, lit it and started smoking again, hating that his mum would say those words to him even when she knew how much he hated her.
“Why do you hate Camilla so much? You used to love that same woman very much, that’s why you refused to marry Lucia, the woman I choose for you, what exactly went wrong?” Grandma asked looking steadily at the ground as if she was asking a rhetorical question, then she recalled some occasions where she and Lucio argued because of Camilla, Lucio had defended her so much back then and never saw any wrong in her.
Lucio shook his head frantically, and then continued to puff his cigarette ignoring his mother’s question. He is not willing to answer her question and wished she would leave him already, hating her presence in his study at the moment.
“Whatever the case was, I think you should end this fight you have with Camilla for Lora’s sake, the poor child is the one suffering in all of this.” Grandma Rosa said pleadingly to her son, hoping that he would listen to her.
“No Mama, my daughter is very much okay without that woman.” Lucio snapped at his mum again, wondering what had come over her and why she decided to speak in favour of Camilla instead of him, he remember it clearly, it had been her who was always against Camilla and was seeing something wrong with her all the time.
“Have you taken the time to look at your daughter, Lora? I mean, do you even have time for her?” Grandma Rosa retorted with her voice trembling in anger, “Camilla was right you know, when she said that you were not a proper father for your daughter Lora. “Do you spent a little of your time with her?” she asked again, peering hard at Lucio, wishing she could do something about the situation.
“I do not have to be with her to prove my love for her, I give her enough money to make up for all that for Christ’s sake and besides, she is not a child anymore.” Lucio snapped again at his mother’s question.
“You don’t make out time for her and you won’t let her be with her mother, you even sent her out of this mansion because of your ugly life style, do you think giving her money is all there is to living?” Grandma Rosa asked again peering furiously at her son this time.
“Well Mama, Lora is not a kid anymore, she is rather too old for this don’t you think? How old was her Mama when I married her? In fact I will be sending her out of this country, enough of all these silly talks Mama… Lora is not a child anymore and should in fact be a woman of her own by now.” Lucio said and immediately turned towards the door, he walked out of his study mumbling words to himself leaving Grandma Rosa all by herself.
She sat there and wallowed in her thoughts, she wished so much now that she had done something years ago to save her sons marriage, maybe things would have been a lot more different than they were now.
Then her thoughts drifted to where Lora is, she recalled Lora’s expression and reaction when she saw her parents brawling at each other as if they were sworn enemies, she closed her eyes and heaved a heavy sigh, wondering what Lora would be thinking now about all that she had to see today, if she had not missed her very much and was afraid that something bad would happen to her since the security guards Lucio has planted secretly for safety were all coming to attend Antonio’s funeral. This was also one of the reasons that led Lucio to agree to allow Lora attend the funeral.