Once upon a time on a crisp November morning, late summer in Rio Hondo, at the Fanny’s mansion, bottles of beer, rum and cigars were seen littered all over the table. And carelessly scattered on the floor were G-string, pants, sleeves and a polka-dotted dress. In the other corner the bed was creaking hugely under the weight of two figures. A sonorous moan blared and hung over them. Like a trumpet, the female voice amplified the most out of the window, while the male voice groaned and grunted at a terribly disturbing way.Opula was bouncing and having her fragile, slender waist astride the legs of Ken, whose mouth was gaping, and hands infinitely stroking and fondling her fragile small breasts.“Y – you are not doing badly today,” Ken stuttered under her weight and squeezed her tapering waist.She shut her eyes and breathed hard. “Yesterday’s sex was horrendous,” she sounded through a moan and clenched her teeth to pound harder. “I am going to give it to you hot!” she managed to say in
Indigenes of Rio Hondo often referred to me as the poorest, ragged girl, but I could barely fight anyone over it or prove them wrong in any pragmatic way because, literally, I was poor.My poor father died when I was six. Mother said he died mysteriously, but whenever she mentioned that I often understood her empathy, after she must have elaborated, he died out of the depression of poverty. With nothing to fall back on, we relocated to our grandpa’s house to perch with him. Not that he was richer, but he was poorer. Daily we clung to the jaw of hunger and wants, since the meager vegetable garden he groomed could barely sprout enough produce, let alone make it to the market.Grandpa died and opened the door of intense lack for us as we looked forward to joining him soon. Inheriting a poorly grooved vegetable garden and a fragile, roofless, thatched, cane house, we waited for the hands of death to pay us homage soon.It didn’t stop us from going to the market anyway. While others sold th
I was heartbroken all day. Ruin and disappointment pervaded my countenance, and while on my way home I wailed bitterly. I thought about what would become of us, especially my mother who was slowly dying of a mysterious ailment. I could barely say what mother was suffering from because we could barely feed her well, let alone afford to take her to the hospital.The previous day we struggled to earn a square meal and I can recall promising mother that today would be better. I wondered if mother perceived the falsity of my promise because of our poverty. She had never believed life could get better for us. She only had consolation in her reverie.After promising to buy good food for her with the proceeds from our vegetables, she only responded in tears and kept staring at the ceiling while she lay in her sick bed.And today being the day I promised her at least two square meals, that billionaire’s mad son ate all my raw vegetables and left us to die of hunger.“What nonsense a billionaire
When I advanced to the villa, I noticed my feet couldn’t carry me further. The splendor that hung across the mansion overwhelmed me so much that I deemed myself not worthy of being anywhere around it; not even its flowers and ornamental trees, which looked healthier than me.I quickly distinguished myself from smearing the expensive environment by my poverty countenance.Suddenly, I came to a halt once I caught sight of a uniformed band of security men, all well-suited with strong facial features, who asked me a thousand questions with their hostile faces and hefty chests.My entire body vibrated as I folded my arms in anticipation of what they intended to do. Now they surged close to me.One of them stared at me from head to toe, and must have perceived the wretchedness that encompassed around me; I perceived they were bored with seeing the scraggly faces of the poor hounding the villa all in the name of seeking the billionaire’s help.Noticing one of the security prancing towards my
Fanny shook his head in the affirmative and became all smiles. His eyes sparkled.“You are welcome to my humble family, my adorable sister-in-law,” Kate intoned, with a lop-sided grin.Kate was the second-eldest daughter of Fanny’s. She was chubby, short and with pink cheeks that often smiled. Her hair was auburn. She kept smiling and shaking her head just like every other person except Eva. Her nostrils flared, “Who is she? And who is her family in Rio Hondo?” Eva asked, gritted her teeth, shot her go-to-hell stare at me and walked around me as though I was some laboratory specimen.Among the girls, it was Eva who cherished Brian most. She wanted the best for Brian and wished her family could give Brian a better wife than she saw. Although she rarely showed it, the love Eva had for Brian was rare, and she could sacrifice her life for him if there was need for it.“No, no, Eva”, Opula, the eldest, protested with her hand, gesturing at Eva. She protested yet further, “You don’t have t
Fanny was unhesitant, after sliding out the credit card. His eyes gleamed and his jaw sparkled.A beam of smiles clouded his face before he flashed the credit card at me.Instantly my avarice increased at the sight of the credit card, and I winked nervously, wished he would gift me the card without conditions.“This is a credit card for half a million dollars. It is for you,” he sounded, with an emphatic chuckle that sounded from him.I was abandoned to doubt and argument within me. I gave a half-smile before a lopsided grin. My cheeks couldn’t stop curving. My hands fidgeted. I swallowed hard and winked more than a million times. This must be a dream! I scratched my eyes and confirmed that reality was actually smiling at me. It wasn’t a dream after all. A credit card for half a million dollars all for me! Fortune has fallen down to me. Mom, wherever you are start girding your loins to recover, because not only will I sort out your medical bills, also our family status is about to cha
Finally the billionaire’s order was carried out. Brian refused to wear his cloths.“Ah! Ah! Ah! Aye!”He groaned and wailed at the tops of his voice and I perceived they were whipping him now.But why would a rightful thinking person refuse to wear his cloths? And why would they whip a grown up in his right senses. I was beginning to suspect mental derangement.“Ah! Ah! Ah! Aye!”The wailing ravaged the entire mansion, and Opula was forced to go on her knees and pled on his behalf.“Father, please, I beg of you. Have mercy upon Brian you know his condition. If they continue to whip him with such callousness, they will hurt him and he doesn’t need to appear distraught since today is his day. I suggest we opt for gentler way of bringing him out…”Fanny interrupted her, “Enough of that!” his voice frisked. “That boy has cost me a lot pain and impairment. He has embarrassed me before Rio Hondo. He has dragged the name of my family in the mud and if he is not careful, I will disown him and
I returned to the hospital all tears and sucked into my gloom. My head heaved upon me and I felt withdrawn from this world. What was that? Can somebody remind me what just happened at the Fanny’s mansion?Am I dreaming or what? God forbid that I marry a mad man. How could they be so cruel and heartless? They knew I was in dire need of the money. They perceived the money meant the whole world to me right now and the only way they could rip me off it was to give me the condition of marrying their mad son.Who does that? Can you imagine! I can’t picture myself settling down for a mad man all in the name of marrying a billionaire’s son. I was often niggled by its impossibility whenever I thought of it.Mother’s health was plunging me into all this. I didn’t want my mother to die. Neither did I have money for burial. I was naïve and rudderless at the moment. I would be twenty two in few days and the last factor on my mind was marriage.What would become of me now?“You could still scuttle
The doctor spoke so loudly, obviously making a noise to attract attention and Opula gestured at him to bring down the tone of his voice.“You know someone could be listening to us,” Opula whispered, “Please, take things calmly. You must not make a noise about it. But I have told you the forty percent is not going to be possible. Why would you demand I pay you forty percent of a contract you know nothing about…”Doctor Bernard burst into a mocking laughter and grinned afterward, “Oh do you think I know nothing about it? Is that what you think? I am going to tell you what I know about it. The Bensons want Melissa as an arranged wife but your greed wouldn’t rest, you forced yourself on your ex-boyfriend, Rod thinking he will get you pregnant but unfortunately this pregnancy belongs to Ken,”Kate was still eavesdropping at the door at the time, Doctor Bernard made that statement. And she gagged her mouth in shock ; she couldn’t believe Opula had been lying about her pregnancy all this wh
At the time ambulance came to pick up Opula who was still coughing out blood, Salsa was peeping from the kitchen where she prepared lunch. She smiled evilly and gritted her teeth as she shook her head in vengeance. She hoped the abortion would happen this time around; she couldn’t wait to hear news of Opula losing the pregnancy; only then would her joy be full.From the kitchen, she peeped out to the ambulance personnel attending to Opula, and she could recall how she did it;Opula had requested for a fresh orange juice a while ago and Salsa prepared it for her with mixture of her poisonous herbs that would abort the pregnancy. Salsa was responsible for the bloody cough Opula was experiencing and if Opula should cough out blood for a longer time she could lose the pregnancy.“Until the teeth of my vengeance bite you, I shall know no rest. Opula, you are going to suffer in my hands until you lose that pregnancy. I will not remain alive and watch you get pregnant for a man I love so muc
When Kate barged in on Opula, she met her sobbing and weeping in her palms. She was red on the face and the color drained from her face; it was obvious Opula had been weeping all night.“Oh my goose!” Kate exclaimed and paced to the side of Opula and clutched her teary chin, “What happened to you again? Why are you all tears? The day is too early for this, Opula,” Kate petted her and caught sight of the picture on the bed and when she picked it up, it was rod’s picture, “Is it because of Rod Benson? What did he say to you again?”Opula swallowed hard, sobbed even greatly and managed to say, “He has refused to pick my phone calls ever since he rejected the pregnancy. The most annoying thing is that Rod wants me to abort the pregnancy. Can you imagine? Does he hate you that much?”“What!” Kate snapped and snorted, “Is he sick in the brain? How could he suggest such a thing? Oh my God!” Kate raised her gaze in frustration and asked yet further, “Did you show him the paternity test result
“MELISSA!” she called, her body shivering, the fierceness of her face threatening as she molded her fist, “What are you doing here? Are you supposed to be here at this time?” she asked, her hands trembling.I hummed and quoted, “Because the bird has learnt to fly without perching, the hunters have learnt to shoot without missing. I knew you were up to ruin. A leopard cannot lose its spot. So this is it mom. You demanded to know the ON and OFF knob so that you could sneak in and turn off the oxygen machine and suffocate Brian? Your evil has caught up with you.”Mom’s jaw sagged as she fumed, “You rotten maggot. I am only doing you a favor. I really want to have you back as my daughter but you must be set free from this evil marriage. He has to die.”I advanced forward and replied her, “You got to be bluffing, huh. My husband? Are you okay, mom? Are you saying it to my face that you want to kill Brian? This is unimaginable, mom!”“Listen up, Melissa. I have so much money now. I may not
Promptly I flinched from sleep; it was a dream.“Oh my God,” I whispered and wiped my face of the nervous sweat that trickled down. “Brian cannot die. What sort of dream is this? Something must be happening to my husband,” I said to myself, gasped, stroked my hair confusedly and picked up my phone to call the doctor…***Seated in front of the police detective were Fanny, Opula and Kate. While they spoke, the police scribbled down vital information on a paper, with keenness in his eyes.“The total sum of money is one million dollars,” Fanny said in a baritone voice, “I believe the money is somewhere in my villa, obviously in one or two chambers. I really want you and your boys to fish out and punish anyone found guilty of stealing the money.”The police detective winked after scribbling down some more information from Fanny, “Um, Mr. Fanny, this one million dollars in question was it stolen from your company, the Fanny Group or from the villa? Because you made mention of the money was
Feeling enthusiastic and not knowing what mom was up to, the doctor pointed at a knob, “Yes, this is the knob that controls the machine. It has an ON and OFF but it is always turned ON. Once it is turned OFF for more than thirty minutes, the patient will finally die. It is very dangerous to turn it off. And what would even make anyone to turn it off anyways?” the doctor asked suspiciously.Mom smiled and shook her head, before turning her gaze to smile deeply at me.“Why all these questions, mom?” I asked, anxiously, with my suspicious gaze locking with hers, “Are you interested in medicine now? Is this the reason you want to see Brian? You should be talking about Brian and not the machine.”Mom burst into a choking laughter, “My daughter never mind. You see, I was arguing with a staff of mine the other day that an oxygen machine has an ON and OFF knob and she kept arguing with me .” she brought out her phone and took photos of the machine, “Right now I have the picture of the machine
That was strange of mom. I couldn’t stop gaping at her, wondering why she wanted to see a man she hated so much. Mom had never desired to see Brian when he was insane. Mere thought of Brian irritated her like plaque. I could recall several times she yelled at me when I mentioned Brian in our discussion.“So why is she demanding to see him now?” I asked in my mind, “What is she up to? Is mom for real? Could this be a dream? This is strange. What is mom up to?” I asked yet further while I gaped at mom.“Why do you want to see my husband?” I asked softly and narrowed my suspicious eyes on her, wondering why she was chuckling now, as though I was funny.I could see the nurse who was in charge of riding her, develop interest in our discussion; perhaps it had come to the part she was needed. The nurse shot a brief smile at me before settling anxious gaze on mom who was nervously waiting for a prompt reply.“Um, ma’am if you want to see any patient at the emergency unit, you must seek the p
It was early Tuesday morning when I made it to the hospital to drop a flower and a get-well-soon card at the side of Brian, that I saw a familiar woman from afar. I paused for a moment to see if my guess was right. The woman was still afar in a wheel chair being ridden by a nurse.I suddenly forgot what brought me to the hospital and stood to wait for the woman to surge closer just to satisfy my anxiety. But as they pulled closer the image became clearer; oh my God! That was my mother. What happened to her and what was she doing in that wheelchair?I knew a sight of me often registered awareness in my mom that I was still a disowned child who she would never have anything to do with again.Certainly I knew that was what she was thinking when she saw me with the flower and card. It was evident in her thunderous frown and pink face. I forced a smile on my face, hoping it was contagious enough to make mom smile.“Melissa!” that was the sound of my name. I combed my gaze around to see if
A quiver of hurt spread through Rod Benson so when he barged in on his father who was entertaining some guests at the sitting room, he decided he wasn’t going to let James Benson know about Opula’s pregnancy.There was no need sharing such news with him since he had rejected it; if he should go ahead to share it, James might think he approved of it and might instigate Opula be made a wife.Rod knew his father more than anyone else; his ears were going to twitch once he heard that Opula was pregnant for him and there may be no need to search for an arranged wife.“This rotten maggot wants me to leave Melissa, just like that?” Rod nagged, staring upon my sizeable photo on his phone which he clutched between his fingers, “I don’t want to have anything to do with this fool. Opula is pregnant for me? Hell no!” he fisted his hands and punched into the other palm.After arguing with Opula , he had almost instructed his pilot to fly back to New York that same night. It was by sheer patience t