Leila didn’t leave her husband’s side after feeding him the noodles. The guards were missing when she woke in the morning to prepare his breakfast. Kelvin insisted he would only eat what she cooked. His parents were yet to show up and she was hoping they did while she was in the kitchen so they wouldn’t bump into her.
Her mother-in-law’s plan to kick her out of their house wasn’t working. She would leave with her husband when he was feeling better. She snuck into the kitchen earlier than usual to avoid the awkwardness of last night. Yesterday when she had requested to make dinner for her and her husband, Agnes and the other maids looked ready to run out of the kitchen.
Now, Agnes was the only person in the kitchen. Leila greeted her without expecting a response but Agnes surprised her with a small smile. Agnes was quiet as Leila brought out ingredients to make pancakes.
While Agnes prepared food for the family, Leila mad
They stayed like that for a while until Kelvin’s phone rang. Amara.“I have to take this outside,” he told his wife. Having been stuck in the room for a full day, he needed to clear his head and speak to his mother where Leila had no chance of listening.“Are you sure you don’t want to do it here? I won’t eavesdrop,” Leila said. She followed behind him like he was a kid and he was reminded of their first time in the house when he washed and broke a plate. “Kev?”Keeping the door open with one leg, he said, “It’s fine, baby. Just relax, okay? You can start packing up.”Leila gasped. She covered her mouth to hide her excitement but Kelvin knew she was happy with his words. How did he miss it? He genuinely thought she and his mother had put aside their differences. His wife had done her best, joining the maids to cook and do the dishes before his mother requested it of
“I don’t think I did the right thing by asking us to leave,” Leila said into the phone. Her best friend was on the other end. Kelvin was still sulking. He might be pretending to be okay but she knew he wasn’t. By not talking to his mother, it had affected his relationship with his father. “We should have waited for a bit.” “Girl!” Freya screamed as if talking normally would have opposite effect. “You saved your husband’s life.”Tucking the phone between her shoulder and ear, Leila arranged the makeup brushes on the dresser. Kelvin’s words came back to her. She knew he was right; she had to stop worrying.“She wouldn’t have really hurt him.”“Maybe.” Her lips parted as she took in her mirror image. Her cheeks were fuller and her breasts heavier. Kelvin mentioned it once that she had added in the right places. Freya’s voice dragged her ou
Leila was all smiles as she drove her parents home. Her mother had been unable to counter her when she made the offer again. Kelvin had backed her up by saying it was the only way he could make it up to them by being late.Kelvin stretched a hand to her and she took it. She had volunteered to drive because she knew how tired he must be. Her parents were at the backseat making conversations and giving her directions. A peek at Kelvin and she smiled again. His eyes were closed and his head was resting on the headrest.She cut into the corner her father asked her to. This life was crazy. They were living in the same city yet they hadn’t stumbled on each other. She drove down an unfamiliar path and took another turn by her left.At her father’s instructions, she parked in front of one of the similar looking houses. She tapped Kelvin and his eyes opened. He stared at her for a bit, then smiled. He looked tired. They wouldn’t stay long.&n
In the morning, Kelvin was the first to wake up. He snuck out of the bed to use the bathroom. When he returned to the room, Leila was awake. She stretched her hand to him and he grabbed it with a smile bigger than anything.“You slept well?” he whispered against her lips.Leila patted the mess on her head and he tickled her till she giggled. Hovering above her, his knee between her legs, he kissed her nose.“I did, baby,” she replied. “Did you?”“Yeah.”Switching positions so she could be on his lap, he loosened her rope and tugged the strap of her gown down her shoulders. Her breasts were bigger and fuller. His finger circled one hard nipple. Leila purred.“Your boobs are bigger,” he commented.Cupping her boobs, she added, “They feel heavy too.”Kelvin said nothing to that. Her boobs always got bigger during her period
The car was deathly still. Leila was trying to keep the laughter in but it became harder. She turned on the radio and Kelvin switched it off, grumbling under his breath.Unable to hold it in any longer, she erupted in laughter. “Fuck you, Leila,” was all he said.Leila laughed harder. She didn’t reply him till they were at a traffic light. “Yes, Kev. I want you to fuck me but as you can see, I’m driving. I wouldn’t want us to get killed. I don’t want to give you another reason to scream.”“Shut up!” At his outburst, more laughter trickled out of her lips. She wiped the tears that leaked out of the corners of her eyes. She had always thought nothing scared Kelvin but today, hearing him scream in fear during the zombies attack had proved her wrong. “I hate that game.”“Really?”Kelvin stared at his feet. “Yeah. Didn’t enjoy it much.
Saturday was always Leila’s rest day but when her mother called to ask her if she would love to accompany her on grocery shopping, Leila could not say so. Besides, Kelvin was not at home.The drive to the store her mother would be shopping was slow. Leila pondered briefly her decision to get a new house for her mother. She got to the store and her mother was outside waiting for her.Leila smiled. They might look different but she would always see this amazing woman as her mother. She got out of her car and her mother engulfed her in a hug. For a second, she held her breath, expecting to be called by her pet name but nothing came out from her mother.Her mother caressed her chin. “Leilani.”“Mum.”They hugged again. Linking their hands together, they headed to the store. She was beside her mother, helping her pick up groceries and other cooking condiments. They passed an aisle with shelves of bak
The next day, Leila was up before Kelvin. She tried to get off the bed but his arms tightened around her.How was she supposed to get to the hospital?“Kev? Wake up. I need to pee.”His arms loosened. “Okay.” He peeled one eye open and patted the spot she rolled off. “Be fast, I’m waiting for you. I want to cuddle and kiss you, baby.”“Okay, love.”Leila was back in the room within minutes. She needed to leave the hospital but she had to find a way to do it without letting him know. Kelvin’s lips turned down in a pout. He stretched his arms and she crawled back to the bed to join. Today was Sunday, they should be resting but her mind was restless.“You’ve not told me where you were yesterday,” he said into her ear when she was tucked in his arms.Leila slowly turned. Kelvin pushed an arm under his head. He hadn’t bee
Kelvin stood, then sat. He stood again, then sat again. His wife promised everything was fine but he was so restless he could barely do anything. He opened his laptop to work but the words on his screen blurred. He shut down the laptop on his study table and locked his hands behind his head. They had been doing fine for a while now. She couldn’t be sick, he would have known. Wait, what if she was pregnant?He jumped when his phone rang. Startled, he grabbed it from the table. It was his sister, Madonna. A grin touched his lip as he picked. Madonna’s voice filtered into his ear in a high pitch. He kicked his legs under the table and his grin widened.“Mum’s here,” she said after the pleasantries.His smile dimmed. Kelvin ran one hand through his hair. This wasn’t what his mother told him. She would not be in California until a week. His fist met the table. That was his issue with her. Making decisions that cou