*Andrea*“Dave,” I called, surprised. It has been so long since I last saw him. He was equally surprised to see me. Although we may not have been friends, we had spent a reasonable amount of time together.“Anna?” Dave called my name. He looked the same, his blonde hair falling on his face. “What are you doing here?” His eyes seized me, up lingering on my stomach. He raised a brow, and I tried to smile. “I'm sorry you have to see this, sir. I was just telling her to leave, so we can say she is just about to leave,” the lady said.She was still hell-bent on sending me away. “But I did well; you didn't have any issues with me until you noticed I was pregnant,” I said in my defense.Dave's eyes moved from me to the lady as we spoke in turns. “You sent her away?” He asked. “Yes, sir. She is pregnant, and we can't hire a pregnant woman for the job. She passed the first interview, but there's no saying she will even pass the second.” The lady said.“So you mean she is compatible for th
*Andrea* It was my first day at work, and I had woken up late. My morning started with a scream that woke Alison, who was lying on the couch opposite mine. We had slept in the sitting room. There were remnants of what we had eaten last night. “What's wrong?” Alison asked, her eyes still heavy, her hand brushing the hair out of her face. I leaped up, “fuck, I'm late.” I said and rushed to my room, ignoring the headache I felt banging my head. I brushed and bathed immediately. Alison was still in the sitting room by the time I rushed back. It was already 10 am and I was yet to get a cab. I rushed into a cab that had been stopped by a young girl, yelling sorry behind me. I tried to steady my breath to come up with an excuse, the perfect one but I couldn't. My heart beat widely within my chest. How did I end up in this mess? Lucy was not going to be pleased. The cab came to a stop and I stepped out after paying. The golden sun shone from above. I walked into the office. Peo
*Andrea*“What problem?” The man next to the projector said, his round-rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose.“well that is…” I pointed to the design. “That is mine.” “What gibberish are you spitting out, Andrea?” Marian asked with clenched teeth. “Well, I…” The stares I was receiving were too much.“She must be mistaken. Let's proceed with the meeting. It must be really hard to work as a pregnant woman.” The meeting continued as it should. There was nothing I could do about it. After the meeting, Marian called me into her office. “What was that all about?” She asked.“That design was mine,” I said.“So?” She asked.“Why did you lie that it was yours?” I asked, anger coursing through my veins. I felt mad. “You want to take credit for the work?” “Of course. It's mine.” I said.“You should be grateful I chose yours. I made a few modifications to the design. You should have noticed it is not as plain as it was when you submitted it.” She said.That was the first time Maria
*Andrea*Five years later.I ran around the room, trying to get hold of Austin. “You're too slow; you won't ever get me.” He says, giggling. “Come here,” I leaped and tried to get him, but he moved aside, and I fell on the sofa. He stood a few feet away from me, one hand on his waist as he laughed.That sound has become my favorite. I didn't go after him anymore; we just stood there laughing. On the table was a lunch box. “I told you I'm a big boy now, momma, and you don't need to pack food for me and treat me like a baby.” I stood and walked towards him. He didn't move this time, “what can momma do? You'll always be her baby.” I said, pinching his cheeks playfully.“No. I don't want to be a baby, I want to grow up.” He said.I lifted him up and then held him to myself so he met my height. “You want to be as tall as this?” I asked.It was his turn to pinch my cheeks. “Of course. I'll grow even taller, become the smartest child you've ever known, and earn a lot. I'll protect and tak
*Alejandro*I stared at the photo of a man and a woman. The woman's smile was blinding. The man held her so close to himself as though he feared that when he left her, she'd disappear from the world. I do this from time to time so that I don't forget how she looks. I traced Andrea's smile. Would things have been different if I had never found out about everything? It has been over five years, and I still can't get her out of my mind. Five years of living without her, and if you ask me, I'll say that is the most difficult five years I've ever got by. I still find myself craving for her every night. I still find myself looking over her picture and tracing her smile. The door to my study made a creaking noise and I kept the picture inside a file as the door opened.“Hey!” Nora greeted. Since we got married, Lucas has been living with us.“Do you want something?” I asked. Although we've been married for five years, I have never slept in the same room as her. She has tried to talk a
*Andrea*Austin's joy knew no bounds when he heard Alison would be back in a few days. He felt giddy the entire night, waking up in between sleep to ask when we would be at the airport. It was just as anticipated. Alison remains his favorite aunt and would always spoil him with whatever he asked for.I stood in the kitchen making breakfast. Alison won't be here till noon, and I had to skip work today; maybe it had been easier because Dave was with me. I wanted to be at home for Alison. Austin would not be going to school, either. Throughout our ride home yesterday, he cried, saying he wanted to come with me to the airport. I chopped the veggies, my knife making a click-click sound on the table. My hair was tied in a bun. I suddenly felt Austin's hand over my waist, “Morning momma.” He greeted me. I turned, bent to meet his height, and placed a kiss on his cheeks.“How was your night love?” I asked, and he bobbed his head up and down before placing one hand on his eyes. “Are you h
*Alejandro*Anger surged through me as I stared at Nora, who had a smile plastered on her face. “What are you doing here?” I asked. She had called me earlier, but little did I know that it was because she had a plan at hand.“I wanted to be here with you. We're married so I thought we should go everywhere together. Isn't that what married couples do?” I glared at her; she was still as manipulative as she had always been.“Don't let this marriage get in your head,” I said, staring towards the sliding glass door. A ray of sun hit my face as I stood outside, and Nora stood a few feet away from me.She was bent on going home with me, and I wanted to be alone—alone from all of them.A black SUV pulled in front of me, and a man in a black suit. The driver opened the door for me. Nora was about to enter, but I stopped her and asked the driver to drive away. She should find her way home herself; after all, she didn't come here with me. A penthouse has been prepared for me. I walked into the
*Andrea*Alison would be staying for a few months, and this brought me more joy than it should. Now, I had someone who would take Austin to school and bring him back. Unlike the past few days, I got to work early. I clutched a pack of lunch that Alison had made sure I took. I went over to my cubicle and sat. Harper stepped into the office at that moment. “Who would have thought you'd come before me?” she asked, and I smiled. “You better be prepared, the next few months, I'll always be the first to be here.” I joked back as Harper pulled out her chair and sat. Soon, others started pouring into the office. I had a lot of things to do. First, there was a design I was on. I had tried to finish it yesterday, but I couldn't. Maybe it was because I was overjoyed at Alison's return, or maybe it was because my emotions became a mess when Alison mentioned Alejandro.My hand moved to my neck, and I touched the necklace. Last night (10 pm)After running away from the conversation about Aleja