It's him

Chapter Three

IT'S HIM

SOPHIE'S POV.

I heard a  knock at the door as I was preparing to head to my daughter's school.  Her school instructor had phoned to inquire about her whereabouts. Jade's attempt to matchmake me with a man was not her first instance of acting naughtily. With all my heart, I prayed she was okay and this was just one of her misadventures.

"Hello, Mrs Sophie, how are you doing today? The school instructor at Jade's school inquired.

"Hello, Ma'am. I am doing well. Is there a reason you are calling? Is Selene okay? I inquired as I was intrigued about the purpose for the call. I had lied to the school that Selene father was out of the country so everyone referred to me as Mrs even though I had no husband.

"It is regarding your daughter Selene, we did not see her at school today and were wondering why, so we decided to call you," the instructor said.

"What do you mean she is not at school? She took the bus this morning." I shouted at the school instructor as I hung up the phone. I left my task of preparing for a birthday party and headed for the school.

Selene was turning ten in a few days, so I decided to invite a few friends around for the celebration.

It had been 10 years since my fall out with Ryan, and Selene was all grown. She was everything I ever wanted, and I was glad I decided against ending the pregnancy as many years ago as everyone had suggested.

The door bell kept ringing and I wondered who it would be at this time. I carried my bag and headed out.

"Who on earth could that be?" I muttered to myself, momentarily perplexed as I was not expecting any visitors at this hour and I was in a bit of a hurry to get to Jade school.

The knock persisted, now growing in its urgency, I made my way to the door, my mind racing as I tried to ascertain the identity of the uninvited visitor.

Upon opening the door, I  met with the sight of my neighbour, Lois, my expression inscrutable. I muttered to myself underneath my breath, taking care to ensure that Lois remained unaware of my agitation. This was more than wrong timing.

" Where is Selene? She's been wreaking havoc in my backyard again," she spat, her irritation palpable. "I've repeatedly warned her not to play in my garden, yet she persists in disregarding my requests. This is becoming intolerable!"

"Are you certain it was Selene?" I countered, her apprehension mounting. "She hasn't yet returned from school." I lied in an attempt to defend my daughter, despite not knowing where Selene was.

Lois' anger rose with each passing second, her ire manifesting itself in a piercing shriek. "I knew you would side with her! You always do!" she accused, her finger jutting out accusatorily to my direction.

I was in a rush and was not prepared to argue with Lois. So  I apologized to Lois and ignored her rantings as I ran off to get to my daughter's school.

The principal summoned me to his office upon my arrival. She informed me that even though Selene had taken the bus and reached the school, she was not present in class, and nothing had shown up during any of the searches conducted on the school property. Jade was a naughty girl, but she had never skipped class. I was perplexed because I saw her off and waited till she got into the bus.

Upon being contacted, a few of the students said that Jade was on the bus with them and that they arrived at school together, but somehow she was not present in class. 

My hands trembled, and I could hardly keep myself together as tears flowed freely from my eyes. My only kid went absent from school, and the school provided no explanation.

"If something were to happen to my kid, I would make sure that there would be nothing to write about this school." I yelled at the principal pacing about in his office.

" For your sake, pray nothing happens to my daughter." I  screamed again in rage as tears streamed down my face. I contacted 911 immediately and informed them about the issue, but I was told I had to wait for 24 hours to issue a formal complaint.

 Frustrated about what was going on, I stumped out of the office angrily, headed home not sure about what to do. My mind flooded with thought of were my daughter could be. My phone started ringing and when I checked it was Lois.

I did not want to answer because i did want Lois drama. After she called for a while I decided to answer the call and it could be important.

" Selene is home, I wondered where you went leaving her all myself with some stranger" She said and ended the call abruptly. Joyed with the message I had just received and worried about who the stranger would be I rushed back home and  observed Selene in the front porch with an unidentified person, her hands clutching his as she spoke enthusiastically.

I was so scared that I started to wonder who this man was and why Jade was with him. Despite my cautions, Selene had previously returned home with someone I did not know. But this gentleman was unique; he seemed sophisticated from a distance.

I felt a leap of joy on seeing my daughter and wondered how she met the stranger who was with her but I did not want to ask any questions just yet.

I observed the stranger, and he appeared quite familiar as I got closer. I wondered who the stranger was and why my daughter had brought him home. 

He had teutonic-gold hair and an excellent body that made him look like a model. It was neat and flowing. His sharp cheekbones and authoritative nose sliced down into a flinty jaw, while his eyebrows, shaped like a crescent moon, were tiny and narrow. His athletic elegance was flawless, and he moved with a masculine, muscular figure.

His wide, mariner-blue eyes flashed, beaming with joy and youthful energy and he had an amazing smile.  His gap year attire made him look younger than he was. Memories of long ago flooded my head as his swirling, cloying fragrance saturated the air around me as I arrived at the porch.

"It is him," I whispered as I sighed as realization hit me. It was the stranger from many nights ago.

As I ran to meet them at the front porch, I felt a flash of rage inside of me, along with concerns about how he met my kid.

" Mummy i got you a new husband." Selene leaped into my arms, relinquishing his grip as soon as they reached the front porch.