CHAPTER FOUR

Interesting

Stephany left the house using the stairs again down the basement and opened the car, took her sling bag and closed it again. She put the car key in her bag and left the premises. Just as she passed the gate, her phone rang at the same time, from the study window, Juma peered at her his phone in his ear.

Stephany takes out her phone from the bag and smiles when she sees the caller id, Candy Don.

"Hey girl, how was your first day at work?" The other side said, sounding happily and full of anticipation as soon as she answered.

"Fine, I guess", she replied.

"That sound doesn't have even a ting of fine in it, what is it?" the other side asked.

Myriad conflicting emotions surfaced on Stephany's face. She did not know where or how to start.

Her ex is back! He is her boss! He doesn't remember her but dreams about her calling her real name!

She took in a long breath of air and sighed.

"When will you be back today?" she asked.

"I have no night shift job today so probably by six I'll be home. What is it?" the other side, Candy asked.

"Okay, I'm going to your house. Will talk when you come back"

"Okay"

"Okay"

"Should I bring anything?"

"No, maybe some drinks"

"Drinks! What..." Before Candy could ask her more questions, she took the liberty to cut the call.

How can she talk when she is afraid she might be called to work before crossing the community's main gate. She even started to wonder what he had to do in the study room that she couldn't be graced with an opening of the door.

Back in the house, Juma was standing behind the light curtains of the study window. It was a small room with a shelf full of different kinds of books, art pictures of the sky horizon hung on the wall, company files on the table and there was a cloth stuffed in the bin and from the missing heavy curtains, it was sure he had removed them and disposed of them in the bin.

"Yes, I am already in the house, nothing bad except for some unnecessary items they added here",. he said.

"I heard you were given a female personal assistant, how is she?" the other side asked.

"Trouble but..." he answered and smiled after pausing.

"Trouble but?"

"Interesting"

"That's new"

He sees Stephany getting out of the gate and moves to the study door, opens and heads to the stairs.

"Are you going to leave me hanging?" the other side asked.

"Let's speak after am done"

"You are going to check the house again? I thought you said she was cleaning"

"These people did not even ask for my preference and did no research about what I use from the looks of it. Even the curtains in my study doesn't match my style"

"I just can't understand you bro, are you a woman? Everything must match your style? But know that you are there to recover, if nothing can't help you but your home like the doctor said, I hope you will be patient and see.. Do not be rushed with changing everyone around like you used to and also, don't keep everything you experience that's weird to yourself, s..."

"Okay, mom. Will you just stop nagging and..." Juma stood at the opened door of the master bedroom shocked. All this time they were conversing. He was walking upstairs to check on the house. When he opened the door just now, he couldn't help but pause and be shocked.

He blinked thrice and even closed his eyes tightly shut and opened them again.

Was his eyes deceiving him or maybe he was just hallucinating? It's not like it hasn't happened.

"Who is your mom and why stop?" The other side complained.

"Desmond, I can hear you still. You can hear me?" Juma asked.

"What is it, did anything happen? Did you have a reaction? What is going on? Say something!" Desmond said anxiously.

From how he sounded, he was like a woman worried about her child's terminal fever bombarding the doctor with all the care questions. Desmond was his only friend in the US. The only one who never judged him and looked down on him.

When people were discussing him being only seen by men, even though it wasn't a huge difference over there, to him, to him he felt disgusted. Sometimes he could ditch school and do online classes but Desmond was always there to give him hope and nag him all day on never giving up, all will be better and he will recover among others.

At some moments, he thought Desmond was a gay untill he introduced h to his girlfriend. His insecurities against him were swallowed to the back of his mind and he became his most confidant. He could share everything with him and they ended up being sworn brothers forever.

Now when he was coming back to his country, Desmond had just come from his one week trip to celebrate his three years of marriage. He had specifically nagged him on the dangers of people knowing about his condition lest the failure of the company preparing everything for his taste.

Also he was one of the people to ask him to visit his doctor in India before traveling to his country. So when he had the worried voice of Desmond, he realized that he wasn't dreaming or hallucinating but all he was seeing was real.

He stepped into the room step by. step almost in tippy toes.

"Desmond, would you change the voice call to video? I want you to help me see this"

"Ooh! Okay" Desmond replied.

Juma removed the phone from his ear and held it in a landscape position with both of his hands and just when the call shifted to video he pressed the camera selfie and back mode and captured the entire bedroom for Desmond to see.

Desmond had long black hair tied on a ponytail and his Mexican looks unfiltered and handsome. He looked intently from the other side with a raised brow and was shocked every single minute.

"I believe this room was not supposed to be this way and that's why you are showing it to me", Desmond said inquiringly.

The bedroom was arranged just the way he would have wanted it. The choice of colors of the curtains and even how they were opened. The bed was spread with a fine bedsheet and the pillows were placed perfectly and they had no flowers or any drawings.

The scent in the room was new but he also smelled his favorite air freshener. He did not answer Desmond and walked into the closet on his left. Both men were shocked and more so was Desmond who had a curious and cunning smile on his lips.

"I like her. You will have to send me her details. How could her preferences match yours? Is she married?" Desmond asked.

It was now Juma's turn to be rendered speechless as he raised a brow.

"Want to marry her? Didn't you just come from celebrating your 3rd wedding anniversary?" he asked.

"I won't talk anymore. Let me see the bathroom and the rest of the house" Desmond said, avoiding the story.

He knew that what he was about to say might make the free tour end even before he could speculate everything.

Juma walked out of the closet and went to the bathroom. In, he was so shocked and curiosity started surfacing on his face. On the other end, Desmond heard an anticipation expression on his face as he nodded.

"I give her 11/10 in her workbook review. Please. give her five golden stars. Who would have thought there to be a woman who knows your preferences?" he kept on nodding. "She is really interesting. Everything on that cabinet is what you use and nothing outside your wants. The amount, the arrangements, don't tell me you ain't touched" he added without noticing the wandering mind of Juma.

'Who is this woman? Why would she arrange this room like this, is it just a mere coincidence?

Earlier at the airport, he had noticed the strange way she looked at him, like he was. someone she never wanted to see. This did not escape his sight. He was someone who cared much about first impressions.

When she bumped on him too, his body did not react. This had startled him but he threw it away because she did not touch him and the lean did not last a minute. When he woke up from her yell, he felt that he was the one who had hugged her and not what she said and felt a little sorry for being petty after. seeing her kiss her fingers.

This feeling of sorry had also left him speechless but he also threw it at the back of his mind, waiting to ask his doctor. Now, she had arranged and cleaned the room according to his preference. What kind of coincidences were these?

If he remembers correctly, even his mother after he came from the hospital the first time did not ask the maids to prepare his room to his preferences. So, what was with this new personal assistant?

"Hey! Are you going to wander in your thoughts and leave me talking to myself?" Desmond waved in front of the camera.

"No, I just feel that these occurrences seem a bit off and I have to ask Doctor Rajab what he thinks. In the meantime, I will have the entire house pictures for you and help me look into any information you can find about her" Juma said firmly.

He had decided to stop speculating and ask his doctor and hear his thoughts as well as investigating what makes 'Stella' Stephany different.