Doppelganger 4

Dele froze, shock and betrayal evident on his features, as he watched the proceedings unseen. Then his feelings of betrayal soon gave way to anger, and he took a step forward. He would show this interloper a thing or two about encroaching on property that didn’t belong to him. Dele was not sure he was a very proficient physical combatant, but spurred on by rage, a human was well persuaded of their ability to crush the object of their annoyance. A rather mistaken and unwise conception, given the unrealistic perception of the world through shades of ire, but one apparently frequented by humans.

Then Dele stopped. He wasn’t an average human. He would think things through. For starters, could he really beat the man who was frolicking with his beloved wife? He and his intended opponent seemed to be of the same size, but the fellow also seemed to look more fit than he was, though of that he couldn’t be certain. Also, were he to emerge the victor in the event that physical combat ensued, what would he do with Ife? At the thought of his beloved, his heart melted. But no, he couldn’t be weak. She had betrayed him. It was quite the dilemma. On the one hand, Dele had seen his wife’s infidelity with his own eyes, but on the other, he was convinced that she loved him truly. He would wait for the interloper to leave, and then confront her, find out what was going on. After this, he would be well-informed on what to do.

To pour salt on an already open wound, the interloper began heading into Dele’s and Ife’s apartment, as though it belonged to him. Ife remained where she was, an inscrutable expression on her pretty face. The man, who had had his back to Dele all along, now turned to say something to Ife, and Dele instantly knew why his wife had kissed this man. She had, because from the crown of the man’s head to the sole of his foot, the man was none other than Dele Adeshola. In utter shock, Dele stared as though his eyes would fall out of his head. It was like looking into a mirror, except that the reflection seemed capable of doing other things than mimicking your movements, and its features were not horizontally inverted. Poor Ife would think that her man had safely arrived home from work.

It was then Dele saw the small Nissan, parked in the spot he usually parked his. It was exactly the same car as his. He began to wonder: was he the real Dele Adeshola, or was he the actual fake? Was the doppelganger on the other side of the street on his doorstep the original or the counterfeit? Dele resolved himself. He was the real one. He remembered when he saw the twin of his now-deceased car, and had wondered why the driver was so quick to get away. Now he knew. Someone was trying to replace him. He would not wait longer. He would get to the bottom of this now.

Striding out from the cover of the trees on the other side of the street, Dele marched resolutely to his house, even as his wife turned to enter the house, although she seemed hesitant to do so. “Ife!” he called loudly, causing her to turn sharply. The interloper turned as well, and, with Ife’s back to him, smiled a cruel, demonic leer. Ife, for her part, was understandably shocked. Instantly, she turned to see who it was behind her, and the other ‘Dele’ had by this time rearranged his expression to be one of surprise and confusion.

“Dele,” Ife said, her voice shaky with unease, “what’s going on?”

To be continued...

Thanks for coming!

That little boy,

@pearlumie