"So what did you do?
You accepted a crazy offer, didn't you?" Ciara asked nicely.
"I guess you know the answer to that question. It's apparent," Kelly replied harshly. He was too scared to admit.
"It doesn't just add up. I thought you said he's the reason you had an education. Why do you keep confusing me? Let me guess, I want to assume that is the reason you don't have a job. He's the reason our life is miserable. He's the reason mom had to die because we couldn't afford to pay for her medical bills?" Ciara assumed. She had already judged George from the inside, regardless of what her father thought.
"You know that's not true,
George is innocent in all of this.
If there's anyone to blame for how my life turned out, it's me because I accepted his offer without being pressured. I had no gun pointed at my head neither was I kidnapped,"
Kelly justified his actions without being concerned about what Ciara felt about his decision.
"Unbelievable!
I can't believe you're defending George after he took life away from you. When are you going to come out of this illusion called friendship? Dad, I am so disappointed in you," Ciara yelled at Kelly without holding back
"Shut the fuck up, Ciara. I did it for you. I did it for us. I did it so you can have a future. Do you think I never wished to complete my education? Or would you rather I denied the pregnancy?"
"You did it for me?"
Ciara scoffed and shook her head disdainfully.
"That's the dumbest thing I've heard in a long time. What I don't understand is why you keep justifying your actions with the pity game. We both know you did it for yourself. Besides, I wasn't born then. What If mom lost the pregnancy? Would you have said the same thing?" She added and folded her arm.
She turned to the other side of the door and mumbled in anguish. She wished to get down from the car but at the same time, she doesn't mean to disrespect her father.
For over five minutes, no one said a word to each other as they remained in silence. None of them were ready to apologize or admit to being responsible for the outburst.
"I would rather not do this anymore.
I want to go back home," Ciara finally uttered. She was the first to break the silence.
"What did you just say?"
Kelly panicked, forcing Ciara to look into his direction.
"Exactly what I heard.
I can never be a party to this.
For crying out loud, that man deprived me of the life every child would wish for. It wasn't enough for you to sell your future to him. Now you want to drag me into your mess by forcing me to marry his son? Who does that?"
With a heart filled with pain, Kelly raised his hand to the air, attempting to slap Ciara when his phone rang. He felt distracted by the incoming call and was forced to drop his hands.
"Quite fascinating." Ciara applauded her father. "Were you actually going to slap me, Dad?"
Ignoring her call, Kelly reached out for his phone and discovered it was George calling him. He declined the call just to issue a warning to Ciara. "It's George on the phone. I would rather not hear you say anything. Are we clear on that?"
"Like I care?
I guess he wants to know if his errand boy has completed the task assigned to him," Ciara hissed. Unlike previous times, this one hit Kelly really deep, forcing him to react immediately.
"Get the fuck out of the car,"
He spoke to Ciara in a low tone.
She paid no attention to him and remained seated.
To spite him completely, she took out her phone and pretended to be busy with it.
With a move too fast, Kelly snatched the phone from Ciara just to get her attention and he did.
"Give me back my phone, Dad.
Why would you snatch it from me like that?" She cried.
"I finally got your attention.
I am glad we're making progress.
Now I want you to leave. That's the only way you can have your phone back," he warned her.
"Are you kicking me out of the car because I spoke the truth?" Ciara lashed back at Kelly. Not even the seizure of her phone could stop her from speaking.
"Good for you.
The truth just got you kicked out of the damn car," he responded. Just when Ciara thought it was all a drama, Kelly stepped outside the car.
He dashed to where she was seated and forcefully opened the door for her exit. It was at that moment Ciara knew her father wasn't kidding.
"I just hope you realize yourself soon enough. It's damn obvious that I've lost my father. I can't wait to have him back," Like a pathetic widow, she fought back tears and stepped out of the car after retrieving her phone.
Few minutes after her departure, Kelly started to realize how he fumbled to have kicked her out. To make amends again, he went searching for Ciara, but she was nowhere to be found.
"What have I done to myself?
Why would I treat her like that?"
He blamed himself. He was this close to crying. Fortunately for him, he was able to control his tears from dropping.
However, his heart was still troubled.
As he got back to the car, his legs were shaky. He could barely place them on his break pads.
His phone rang for the second time.
It was a call from George. Anxiously, he picked up the phone after struggling to breathe.
"Hi, George. Ciara just arrived at the mansion. I will keep you posted as time passes," Kelly hurriedly spoke and ended the phone immediately, as though he were being programmed to speak for a couple of minutes. He didn't wait to hear what George wanted to talk to him about.
"Phew! That was close," he muttered.