Unexpectedly, Richard clasped at Jina’s hand and hauled her off heading upstairs.
In such a situation as this, it is never easy to carry on a conversation, but Mr Wabua couldn’t hold back his feelings of reproach towards Jina.
“This is unbelievable! I have always known Jina as a woman with a good head on her shoulder but this...” He stopped and hissed.
Mercy and Melissa came to cast down by the situation and stood beside Esther patting her on her shoulder and stroking her hair.
“Don’t worry, sister, we all are here for you.” Said Mercy in a sad tone as tears lingered in her eyes.
“That’s true Essie, ” concurred Melissa, “You aren&r
The atmosphere inside the mansion crackled with an aura of tension and was as cold as if there was a vigil. Downstairs was so quiet that one would have heard a pin drop. There was sorrow on everyone's face as they sulked on their seats fretting over the circumstances."I hope they won't take it far. I am worried that something awful might emanate from such a minor spark."Said Mr Wabua briskly with a sickly gesture on his face."Um, my dear, I don't visualise a near end sight of this crisis." Retorted his wife and sat Esther on a comfy chair near the foyer. Esther clenched her rosary that dangled from her neck and was in a state of dubiety."I am to blame for everything! I caused this. I pray that Auntie and Uncle don't fight." She thought and kept deflecting the criticisms towards Jina by blaming h
After a relatively long time without Jina appearing, the visitors considered taking their leave. Melissa and her sister who had been helping Esther out in the kitchen entered the living room and sat along with her. She was now remarkably in a chilly mood. It seems that her mother's call had soothed her."Richard," Mr Wabua said, his eyes scoping up the staircase."It appears Jina has drifted into a nap. We'll come back to check on you some other brighter day," he smirked and held his wife's hand. Mrs Wabua rubbed it and strutted across to bid the girls goodbyes exchanging hugs with all of them. "Always treat one another as family, hm!" she said pleadingly as a reminder, shook hands with Richard and said, "It shall be well, my friend. To be honest, I am disappointed in Jina, but don't scold her heavily. You well know how peevish she can be. Show her
Tip-tap tip-tap, Richard gaited across the room to the window where Jina had been glued for half an hour. The fragrance of the flowers he carried in his hands spread the room with a good feel but this didn't cut Jina a hair. She flared her nostrils and sniffed the beautiful scent and sighed heavily. "It won't be easy to coax me with your simple gifts this time. Nothing will take away the kind of humiliation you gave me today, nothing!" She thought and her face formed deep furrows citing every step that Richard took forward. Richard lay the bouquet on the bed and reduced his pace as he approached Jina.He anticipated that this anxiety too would soon result in a cheerful moment just like in the past. He was delighted and as expectant as a woman in labour. He stood a heartbeat away and called her in a husky alluring voice. Her heart leapt and she cursed in her heart.
The bulb in the dining room blew and the light grew dim. Richard wandered his eyes around the dim cheerless room and then raised his eyes to the flicking light and his face twisted,"Why did it have to be now? I Just replaced these bulbs a few days back. This is out of the ordinary." He said and frowned in a moment of candour."I will light the candle, uncle." Said Esther as she headed to the kitchen. In a moment she returned with a burning candle and placed it on the candlestick in the middle of the table and took a seat beside Melissa. There was a silence that cast a cloud of fear in everyone's heart. Esther clasped her hands tightly together on her lap and kept bestowing a glimpse up the stairs with an anxious expression on her face. "Crikey, why isn't Auntie coming down?" She wondered and a feeling of suspicion crept over her.
It had been a long awful day and all Esther craved was a benign night's sleep. Her body felt exhausted and numb. As soon as she entered her room, She slid on her short old nightie and hauled in her blanket. Unlike before she barely said her prayers. Despite all the ardent desire, she had to lay her head down she could hardly get sleep.A reflection of all that had happened that day occupied her mind and it was hard to shut them off. She kept rolling inside the blanket from one end of the bed to the other and each time she did it seemed to remind her of the gravity of the consequences of her mistake."What will you do now Esther? Your foolish actions have cost pain and misery to everyone. Aunt Jina must be incredibly angry to have declined to eat her dinner and it's all because of you. Uncle Richard has been sad and lonely since the incident." She th
In the middle of the night, when happy dreamers embrace their fantasies, Esther sat curled on her bed bare eyed soaking in her agony. She had been like this for hours staring in space, her mind sprawling in a stream of thoughts. Suddenly her eyes became heavy and her head was weighty.She lay on her side and closed her eyes. She had started to feel drowsy when she had an instinct that she heard the sound of footsteps; as if someone walked past her window. She was seized with a tinge of fear. Quietly she turned to a sitting posture and peered through the window. There was nothing. The white curtains were well-drawn and a shaft of light from the security bulb let in some dim light."I think I must have been dreaming." She thought and climbed down her bed to check whether she had perfectly locked the door to her room. As she lingered around in fright she led
WARNING!!! This chapter might contain explicit scenes. Please read it at your peril.Slowly but with vigilance, Esther paced forward bestowing glances around. The voices died down as she went further. Richard became soft in the presence of a woman. Julie had it all. She had the art to lure and love without frailty in the game, but she was treacherous, selfish and greedy. She lay on top of him and soaked him with kisses.In the middle of his pleasure, he remembers Jina and becomes stiff. Julie laboured to coax him into motion by attempting every nasty move but he was raw. Romancing a man had always been a cakewalk for her, but this time it seemed her efforts were drained."What's wrong with him? I have tried every technique but why does he seem indifferent? Am I missing something? His attitude is disquieting. I must have been deluding my
Jina woke up early the next morning relaxed and cheerful. She's full of energy and enthusiasm. She wears her comfortable slippers and trots to the window to draw the curtains. It was dawn. She peers into space in thought and then said,"Jina, you acted foolish last night. What were you thinking? You shouldn't have pushed Richard away. There are many ways to kill a rat. You must act wisely this time; Show affection to Esther, because it pleases everyone. She smirked and walked across the room as if looking for something and then suddenly went to the table near the closet. She reached for her phone and flicked on it with her finger and dialled someone's number."Hello, Tony, Jina speaking.""Yes, ma." the person on the receiver responded."It's very early
Their flight was at noon. Esther's crew sat charting in the departure lounge as they waited. Five minutes towards the flight, they had an alert. They had to leave the terminal. It was time to bid goodbyes, which is never an easy thing to do. Simon and Esther broke off and headed on to board the plane. Suddenly a middle-aged lady came running after them shouting and flagging down Esther, "Hey, Esther, wait! I have something important to tell you." She was looking desperate and weak with sunken eyes and a thin body, her hair rumpled. Esther looked behind and saw her and stopped, poking at Simon, " That lady…" "Love, do you recognise her?" Simon asked. Anyone would have thought she was mad gauging her appearance, but Esther decided to talk to her because, how did she get to know her name? There must be some co
Simon was now a desperate man. His luck presided in the hands of destiny. He was glad that at last Queen had regained her memory but on his part, it could have a negative impact, that is; if Queen failed to recollect ever having been part of his life. Richard would certainly accuse him and the mayor's family of keeping her away from her family. Do you know what would happen? He wouldn't spare them but send them to jail and they would rot there. So much the worse is that Simon ought to die of desperation for we all are acutely aware of his terrific love for Esther. He leaned against the wall and observed her sweet tender face incapable of accepting her rejection.Dr Ben stared at his desolate face and was touched. On mature consideration, he walks to him and tries to console him,"Take heart, Simon. Who knows, maybe when she wakes up agai
"Reverand, I need your help…" Simon spoke on the phone for quite a long time and in forty minutes, a light-skinned man dressed in a long white cassock came in and found him alone sitting on the chair conversing with Queen as if he was crazy. He didn't see him come in. The reverend stood behind him and listened to his monologue and was baffled, "What kind of faith is his! Surely the good Lord will not abandon him!" He meditated and tapped on him, "Son!" Simon jolted,"Eh, Reverand Antonio, welcome. Are you ready?" His face frowned."Son, are you sure that you want to do this?""Yes, Queen will love this. She was so happy before her wedding day. I am sure she will be much happier if she wakes up and finds out that she's already married to me. Nothing will ever separate us then."
Marriage eve "Simon!!" The noise was too loud to awaken a lying ghost. He had almost pushed it through his flesh until he saw her desperate face. "Kill me instead." She said coming closer. His hands shook with the knife. "Don't come close, Queen. I don't want to see your tears anymore. At Least save them for the future. Promise you will not lay a wreath on my tomb." Tears spilt down his face like rain. Miguel's legs were numb and he knelt on the floor begging for forgiveness. Emilia followed suit but their pleading voices were like thorns pricking deep in his heart. "Love, give me that!" Esther beseeched and he became weaker and weaker as if her timid voice was controlling him. To Emilia, this was a sign of what his son's life would be like if they got married; a putty in her
Simon sped off jauntily, jingling the car keys in his hands and came to the living room, his eyes scouring for his love. Esther sat sulking on the chair in the corner, her mind immersed in deep thought and her heart intense in sadness. Simon spotted her and shouted with verve, "Love!" Her head jerked up and she noticed that his face was swathed in a smile. It was symbolic of some good news but she seemed disinterested and merely returned a phoney smile. He moved nimbly towards her and enfolded her in his arms with vitality, "Love, finally mom and dad have accepted our relationship! We are getting married in two weeks!" He was extremely ecstatic."Really?""Yes, love! Very soon you'll be my legal wife- my better half!" He gave hearty laughter, kissed her and swung her around with a feeling of triumph.She had mixed f
There was a mien of fear in Maxwell's eyes because Sylvia dawdled to decide. "Three failed marriages!" She contemplated this and had niggling doubts about this sudden relationship; It was best to nip it in the bud before a heartbreak."Won't you mend my broken heart?" He asked in a shaky voice. Her silence seemed to deplete all his boldness and he was nervous."What a joker!" Emilia said and gave a mocking smile. She was having fun just like Miguel who was killing himself laughing.Suddenly, Simon, Nisha and Nathan started cheering, encouraging and coaxing Sylvia, "Say yes, say yes…" And the applause went on and on. She hoisted her face and gazed at them. They were happy for her, so why wouldn't she be happy for herself? Then she shifted her gaze to the man trembling in front of her and saw the tr
Esther saw Emilia first and quaked with fear trying to recoil from Simon's embrace and muttered,"Love, stop- it's your mother!"He twisted his neck and looked at Emilia and then ravished Esther with a kiss."It's high time she got used to this, love. I don't see any reason why I should feel guilty to show affection to the woman I love, otherwise, she might mistake me for a loveless man. Have you heard about this? He chuckled heartily and was ludic for a moment which made Emilia almost choke with a lump in her throat. Her lips quivered and she was speechless with rage. However, they knew that her silence was just a lull. She flew downstairs and went to look for Sylvia in her room because she had a lot to answer."How could she let this happen?. She will not l
WARNING!!!Contains explicit scenes. Read at your peril.Esther didn't have any idea what to do or how to start, but when she saw the docility of Simon lying stiff on the bed near the oxygen machine, she flurried and run to him,"Simon, please don't leave." She lamented, her voice trembling with anxiety. She gave him a firm grip on his hand and fiddled his cold face. "It's me, love, wake up, don't do this to me... Okay, I accept I fouled up, but...I don't know how or when it happened. Maybe it was my frailty- the frailty of human nature. You hate me, don't you? I promise I will go far away from you, but you must wake up."Her eyes fraught with tears and she drew much closer and with fervour, she kissed him. Suddenly, his chest heaved and she stopped conscious of what she might have perceived as friv
Simon's health degenerated day by day which dealt a blow in Esther's heart and compelled her to contrive to stay around for the time being until the conundrum had been solved. Then one night- one cold night, he broke into continuous hiccups and had complications with breathing. Dr Maxwell came out of the room vexed and spoke to Miguel, "This is fatal!" Said Dr Maxwell. He was one of the most reputable doctors in the city. He too was frightened. Miguel jerked, debilitated by the doctor's statement. "What are you implying?" " He's not doing well, not at all!" How could he tell him bluntly that his son was on death's door? "I'll put him on the life-giving machine immediately. May God have mercy!" He turned to go, and