Geneveive Tessa Robert
‘I forgot about Vera. I am going to call her right now, and you’re going to tell me what happened between you and her after I left Arizona. You guys have been keeping me in the dark for a long time.’ II said, raising an eyebrow. He shrugged.. ‘There’s nothing to tell, sis. Vera made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with me. I guess she’s still holding something against me.’ I smiled, feeling for him a bit. Vera could hold a grudge for years; that was why friends called her the queen of malice and cold hearts. If you get on her bad side, it will be hard for you to get on her good side. Even if you did, she will never forget what you did to her. ‘I am sorry about that, bro. You know how Vera can be, and don’t say I didn’t warn you. I told you to move on, but you wouldn’t listen. Anyway, I am not taking this short story. What really happened?’ ‘Didn’t you say you wanted to call her?’ He stood up, walking off like he had boils on his legs. I chuckled, dialing Vera’s number. He couldn’t escape the questions, just like Vera won’t escape hers when she comes over tomorrow. I couldn’t understand why they refused to tell me about what happened between them after I left. Dad hinted that they went on a few dates and Vera came over more often, but something happened and they went their separate ways. I asked Vera what happened a few weeks after she relocated to the United Kingdom, but she refused to say anything. She said James wasn’t her type and had clearly told him to stay off. ‘Hello, bestie,’ she answered, putting a pause on my thoughts. I replied, ‘Hi, dear. How was your day at the office?’ Her boss had finally promoted her as the manager in charge of her department, and the pay was worth more than what other people in her field were earning, so she accepted. She also pushed for an apartment, but her boss declined. Her salary could take care of her house in the United Kingdom. ‘It was long and filled with a lot of tasks. I had to go into the toilet several times to scream and wash my face. This headquarters is busier than the Arizona office. I am beginning to miss my short and long breaks, but I have you and the kids to keep me relaxed.’ ‘I am sorry, dear. Would you like to come over tomorrow? It’s your day off, right?’ She hummed for a second. ‘Yes, I would like to come over, dear. I hope that your annoying brother won't be available. I chuckled, ‘Come on, you have been avoiding him for seven months now, and I don’t know why. I hope we can talk when you come over. Also, the client requests, 'Will you be able to help?’ She sighed, ‘Fine, we will talk about it tomorrow. What time do you need me there for the reviews?’ ‘By nine o'clock am. James won’t be around till noon, and even if he is around, he will stay out of our way.’‘Alright, I will be there. How are my godchildren?’ She asked, changing the topic.
‘They are sleeping. I am about to wake them up because of their pre-dinner and dinner.’ I laughed, standing up to check if the housekeeper had set the table. She had already. She had also prepared the twins meals just like I taught her. ‘Alright, that means you have to go now. Alright, send my kisses to Hope and Nicholas. Also, take care of yourself.’ She replied, cutting off the call. Alright, I had gotten her to help out with the clients. Next stop: feeding the twins without food fights. *** The client's requests weren’t as tough as I thought. The five clients on the list wanted a new look for their houses, while three were looking forward to our services in remodeling their office layouts. Two people wanted an artificial grass layout for their homes. I had never seen that kind before, except for offices, but when I saw a YouTube video, Vera showed. I knew it was possible. I created the quotes and did a video description of my processes. Vera went through everything, corrected, and edited before sending all of them emails. It was a tedious day, coupled with the twins. Vera had suggested I get a nanny, but mom had disagreed a long time ago, so I declined. Besides, I would prefer to take care of my twins myself than leave them with a nanny. It wasn’t as if I had anything against nannies; after all, James and I were raised by a nanny. A good one for that matter, but due to the change of environment and also getting used to the accent, I hadn’t made any other friends besides the art college colleagues who dropped in once in a while to check up on me. I had switched to their hybrid training due to the kids and our projects, which were becoming too much. As I sat down to watch Vera play with the kids, I wondered what would happen when Kyle saw us someday. How would I react? What will I say to him? I suddenly felt like a liar. I could have just told him the truth that day and still went ahead with the divorce papers.Stop blaming yourself for your broken marriage.
Mom’s voice rang in my head. It had been a year and nine months since I left him. I should say a final good-bye to his memories. I walked into my room, drew out a box, and brought out our wedding pictures. Without a second thought, I took the stairs down, walked to the back of the house, and threw the pictures into the trash can. Goodbye, Kyle. I lit the matches and threw a stick into the trash can.
I felt relief suddenly. I needed something like this.Kyle King ‘I am sorry, sir, but we can’t allow your wife in. She isn’t on the invitation list,’ the secretary said, looking through the list again. We were at the Tech Seminar 1.0, but the secretary had refused to give Ava a tag that would allow access into the hall. I called one of the facilitators of the seminar, but all he could tell me was that I should pay a ticket if I wanted Ava to attend. They didn’t invite her, but just me, my mom, and Uncle David. ‘Let’s go home, then. They can’t disrespect us and still expect you to speak at their annoying seminar, Ava yelled, attracting people’s attention. ‘Calm down, babe. I will pay for your ticket, and we can go in.’ I said, bringing out my card.’ She smiled and said, ‘Thank you. I thought you were done spending lavishly on me.’ ‘No, I can’t be done,’ I said, swiping my card against the payment machine to pay the ridiculous price of five thousand dollars. The machine screamed red immediately, with written words staring boldly a
Geneveive Tessa RobertI agreed to attend the monthly meeting of the company because it’s been a while since I've been actively involved in any programme. Also, due to my kids and the interior design building construction, I wasn't available to assume my full responsibilities as director of my assigned department, which was administration. Dad wasn’t bothered because I was his daughter, after all, but James? He reminded me that I was still a remote employee of the family.After the long talks and a long speech I had prepared as a comeback and the public relations officer sharing new updates on our branch in Nashville and a client’s successful contract with the company, Dad brought the meeting to an end. Everyone clocked around me, asking about Hope and Nicholas. They weren’t familiar faces because our branch in the United Kingdom was run by a relative, so I never had the chance to pop up here until we relocated.I just smiled and shook hands with most until a familiar voice greeted
Kyle KingThree hours have passed since Uncle David scheduled our meeting. I dialled his number again, but it was switched off. Xavier had long given up on Uncle David's showing up. He was talking to one of the bartenders in Lourdes, probably trying to get a girl’s number or maybe secure a spot in their exclusive karaoke night.Last week was drama-filled. The wedding had to be shifted to next month because Ava was pissed at the entire world for trying to ruin her image after the seminar. She fought more with me and spent almost all the money in our joint account until I was forced to remove her as a signatory. Did she learn her lesson? No. She came to the company, embarrassed me, and made sure everyone knew how I was trying to get her pregnant because my dumb ex-wife couldn’t do it. She also called me names I can’t even whisper in my heart. Mom sided with her this time around, and I ensured I reminded her about the playboy incident. If she repeated that act, I was going to personally
Kyle KingThe wedding ceremony finally came and went. We travelled to Paris on Ava’s insistence, and I couldn’t say no. She had become less troublesome ever since our little fight. I was surprised she didn’t report me to the cops or her dad after all the threats. Well, she won’t. I had been letting her have her way, and finally, I showed her who the real Kyle King was.She rolled on the bed, smiling peacefully. We were still in one of the resorts in France and had planned to rest all day after spending the week on tour and in bed. I was restless, though. I have been thinking about the wedding and what Uncle David said to me before I travelled for this honeymoon.‘So, you are going to marry Ava? I thought you were slowing things down until you knew she was the right woman after Tessa?’I smiled, feeling indifferent to his statement. ‘ I am certain about Ava now, sir. The longer I wait, the longer I delay my chances of a second chance at marriage and having a child. I don’t want to die
Geneveive Tessa RobertAccording to an online page I read, the Hotel New Grand is the best place to book a room whenever you come over to Paris for a family vacation. Mom had suggested we celebrate the holidays in another country, and according to the votes, France was the pick. So, on a bright Friday morning, everyone hopped into Dad’s friend's private plane, and the next day we arrived in Paris.I couldn’t sleep through the flight because of the kids, but my mom assured me it was fine. They were almost two anyway! I was still worried, so I read through the historical novel I brought along and buried myself in it until I slept off.Mom’s voice woke me up. We were about to land. I scanned everyone in the suite: mom, dad, Vera, James, a cousin, Mary, and her kids. She was from Dad’s side of the family. I didn’t know her too well because her mom, Dad’s sister, never visited us while we were in Arizona. She was married to royalty, so it was pretty hard for her to visit family members in
Geneveive Tessa RobertI sent the last aspect of our project. Thankfully, it wasn’t a drawing but a summary of what everyone had done and our major inspirations. It was like a reference paper, but with insights into our work. I sighed, hitting the submit button on the website. We were done, finally. I sent a message to our Slack group and waited for their celebrations, which came faster than I expected.They jubilated with words, emojis, and prayers. They also thanked me for taking up the task of compiling our names and inspirations and making a great reference paper. I smiled, reading through the comments. It’s been a while since anyone praised me for my artwork or achievements. Mom thought I was wasting time on getting a skill I might never use, but I have always had a comeback since the interior building at Hoplas Designs was unveiled. She would later remind me in the coming years that she was the one who inspired me to take the art classes, and as always, I won’t argue with her.
Kyle King‘That’s the result. It says I am okay and you are, so tell your mom to exercise patience. We’ve only been married for two years. I am not in a hurry to get kids, anyway.’ Ava slammed the test results on the table. ‘If she can't exercise patience, then we go for a surrogate. I don’t manufacture babies!’I picked up the test results. Everything was okay, according to the doctor. The same thing that happened with Tessa was almost repeating itself again. I couldn’t understand why fate was playing tricks on me. All I wanted was a child and to get Mom off my back. She kept forgetting she had a grandchild already, and each time I reminded her, she claimed the child belonged to Seth’s family but not hers. She wanted a grandchild from me.Her friendship with Ava’s mom was strained due to her constant reminder that she had cheated. Mum felt that Ava's mum knew Ava couldn’t have children quick like she wanted but didn’t tell her because of the woman’s greed. I tried to intervene, but
Geneveive Tessa RobertI rubbed my temple as it throbbed. Hope was driving me crazy with her cries. I didn’t know what was wrong with her. Mom wasn’t here to help out. She had travelled to Arizona for a meeting and had left me in the hands of the nanny. A Mexican woman with an amazing British accent. I checked her temperature again. She was okay, so why was she crying?‘Probably, she’s growing a new tooth. You know, she just clocked four days ago,’ the nanny said, placing a bowl of mashed potatoes on the table.I nodded. That could be it. She was probably growing a new tooth and couldn’t endure it. But she was four years old! A four-year-old didn’t cry because of a new tooth. I rubbed my temple again and sent an emergency text to mom. I was out of options on what to do with my daughter. Nicholas was quiet, watching his sister. He merely stared and then returned his food. He didn’t understand what was going on. ‘I don't know if it’s a new tooth. She was perfectly fine this morning, an