It was a cold windy night. Within the windows of a popular strip club in the heart of Manhattan, a young girl's eyes stared across the windows of the cold cell like room. She watched the swaying tree directly across the window, admiring it existence which was very different from hers. She was also checking out the weather outside: it seemed very windy, cold and uncertain; the wind blowing in an opposite direction than usually would. She compared the state of the weather to her life, evrythng about it at the moment seemed wrong; just like her life and how she was feeling at that very moment.
It was going to be an unusually cold night. She was very familiar with cold nights; she'd lived through enough of them to know when one was coming on strong. And she knew too that bad things always accompanied cold nights. But this night, she didn't need the weather to know it'll end up bad in every way possible. She was certain of her near future's fate.
The girl sat in front of a mirror, staring at her reflection, lost and not in herself. Everything was wrong: even tge image in the mirror; it seemed to be contradictive to what her heart was seeing. All dolled up like a queen, long waves of medium blonde hair flowing down her shoulders, ocean blue eyes staring back at her, telling her she was this pretty but with a questionable motive, judging her and beggingbher to stop, turn around and change her mind. The tears she'd been fighting for so long, longer than before she found herself frustrated and doomed to one single solution. A rogue tear escaped her eyes but she quickly and carefully rubbed it off before it could turn her from beauty to beast, make her as ugly as she felt.
Down at the clubs bar:
There was a man, at the bar, getting wasted in alcohol. He chunked down one more glass of Vodka, the strongest they had. The pleasure he felt when the fire of the raw alcohol burned down his throat. He shoved a thousand dollar stack in between the double Ds of a brunette dancing almost naked on a pole in front of him. He was so turned on by everywhere; but she wasn't working for him. She would have been he thought, she would have been if she'd been blonde instead. She dance-crawled to his face, purring her delicate little fingers against his shirt. He cupped her cheeks, pulled her closer, drunkenly gazing into her honey brown eyes.
No! He pushed her back.
He wanted them to be blue like the ocean. He wanted her pepper red matte coloured lips to be pink and soft. He wanted her to look exactly like the woman who had him in the state he was in, the same woman he'd left in his matrimonial home to be in a strip club: but she wasn't. She was just the very opposite of everything Sophia was. Even her body looked nothing like the light rosy skin his wife had. But this stripper in front of him was the only woman present at the time of his need and not his wife.
Of course not his wife; he was in a strip club after all.
He pushed her again gently aside and moved towards a round table just across the dancing poles. A plus size afro woman sat with a bunch of guys who all looked like they all were about to fit themselves into her. He leaned into her ear from behind her seat and whispered something which seemed to have excited her. She then called one of her waitresses and asked him to follow the girl upstairs.
"You'll love this one, I promise!" The lady squirmed with excitement.
He just followed the waitress to the up a flight of stairs, down a corridor that lined along about ten doors. His eyes gazing shamelessly at the black skirt that hung slightly above her butt cheeks.
"Room 5," the waitress told him with a wink before disappearing back down the stairs. He strode towards the doors, counting drunkenly as he walked pass any, till he was in front of the room numbered 5. He stopped. Pressed his palms against his forehead for a moment. For a brief minute a voice inside his head told him to turn around, go back home, go back to his wife and forget everything they'd argued about. He wanted to convince himself to do otherwise than the actual, but, he looked down at his state: heavily drunk, sad and horny.
No.
He was going to go vack home to the woman he loved like that. He told himself. Maybe hell go sober up somewhere else, decent, first before going home.
But in that same moment, his predicament hit him; all the emotions that had driven him into this club came crashing down on him, and with those thoughts, he pushed open through the door.
Beside the dim lit lamp, the young blonde girl sat at the head of the bed, waiting for her fate to drop. It wasn't being forced upon her but was by her choice.
His attention was first caught by the the colour of her hair- the perfect shade of blonde.
A royal blue knee length dress curved out her petite figures and her cheekbone shun a glittering gold, as could be seen from the side profile she was giving; though the same could not be said of her blue eyes.
A cold air blew across the back of her neck, causing her to shiver. She'd heard the door creak open. She knew he was there already; she could feel his presence. She thought about backing out but then immediately mentally pinched herself for a quick reality check.
You need to do this Mara! You must do this! She mentally told herself.
He towered himself over her petite figure.
Goosebumps rose on her goosebumps as fear overtook all her emotions. She had heard his footsteps in sequences of twos approaching. She felt his presence getting closer. She quickly jumped to her feet and turned to the opposite direction.
It will be easier if I don't see his face. she told herself.
She gasped at the feel of his warm breath on her neckline; he was inhaling her scent.
She smelled like vanilla and pleasure. Just like he wanted her to.
Deep inside her mind, she told herself, the moment she had dreaded for the past days since the idea was brought up to her, as a means to earn a part of the money she was in dying need of, the day had finally come; the moment had finally arrived. It was against every single one of her own principles; against every single principle by which her poor mother had raised her in all love and care; against everything she knew and abode by: today she was going to wilfully throw it all in the mud.
But then again, she thought, what other choice did she have. This was for an extreme emergency cause.
She shivered again as she felt his fingers trail a line lightly from her neck to her shoulders down to her arms. His touch was as light as a feather.
A soft gasp escaped her lips at the feel of his big hands squeezing her thighs.
He grabbed her by the waist and softly swayed her around to face him. His blue eyes, dark and drunk meeting hers; scared, pained, on the verge of loosing her sanity.
The perfect blue eyes and pink lips.
Yes!
She was perfect for him. Just what he wanted at that moment.
Maybe it was the alcohol, or the pain; perhaps it was the agony or the desperation, that blinded him from seeing that the glass in her eyes were not part of the makeup, but pools of tears swelling up. Maybe it was his selfishness at that time that blinded him from seeing that beyond that pretty face and sexy dress, was a vulnerable little girl, much younger than him, hanging on the brink of her sanity.
Without thinking twice or even once, he crashed his lips down on hers in a breath taking, intoxicating and utterly erotic kiss. His big hands caressing the dress off from her body.
She couldn't even attempt to kiss him back. How could she when she felt emotionally drained and dragged down by the mud in which she had just dumped herself. Ropes of tears ran down her cheeks as he pushed her into the bed. She simply closed her eyes and savoured the emptiness she felt inside.
Her ego had been beating, her pride smashed and her dignity stolen.
Her life was officially over.
Mara's POV.I wasn't sure why I had been crying. I wasn't even sure if what I felt on my face were my tears or the droplets from the shower, but one thing I was sure of were the voids and emptiness I was feeling. I felt numb inside, and drained entirely; emotionally, physically, mentally and if it was possible, spiritually too.I had lost. I was the loser. Practically the story of my life.Loss!The most important person in my life, like every other one of them, had left me too. I was alone. Everyone left me. Everyone died and left me alone. Everyone died excerpt me. Why?My sacrifice was wasted.The only joy I had left; I had lost it, lost her to the icy hands of death! It had taken her away from me for good.I really felt like trash and nothing could bring back to me my sanity. I had so many things going on in my head at that moment, but ju
Bip...bip...bip...That sound.Bip...bip...bip...That annoying sound.I hated that sound.It rang inside my head like a church bell, making it ache and throb; excruciatingly.I wanted to beat hell out of whoever or whatever was making that dead annoying sound.It continued,Bip...bip...bip...How bad was it that I heard that sound and wished it wasn't my heart beating on a life support machine, but a cherubim choir, or a heavenly instrument; hell, I wished it was even the devil's trumpet. I wished it to be anything but what it actually was.How disappointing.I woke up and felt my body aching all over, strained to one position and laid down horizontally on a
Pregnant?How could I be?I wondered how far gone I had been. I had completely forgotten the usual phenomenons that reminded me of womanhood every months. I had missed my period for two months straight and hadn't put in a fist of care as to why. I just thought how good it was to not have to worry about tampons for the past couple of months.Two months ago, I spent a night in a strip club, with a man, a stranger who had his way with me and paid me for it. I needed a huge amount of money for the treatment of my little sick niece. I was desperate; desperate enough to have sold my body to that one man, that one night.I called it my ultimate sacrifice in this life. I made it in vaine though.It was just one time. One time that I didn't feel anything but voids upon voids of complete emptiness. One fucking time!But then, my mama would always tell me before; sometimes, that's all it t
I was pregnant.Jared Shenko was responsible.Jasper Shenko was married.Jared Shenko wanyed to take full responsibility for my pregnancy despite his wife.I still couldn't put my thoughts together, I couldn't get my mind at peace. Everything seemed so surreal; like a dream that wouldn't end. Plus all that, I had one question that kept on coming back to my head,Was I ready to givebit all up?Give what up?That was the one other question that I ended up on after every contemplation I made. What was I going to give to have this child for Jared. I had no dreams or aspirations that I wanted to follow; I had nothing to hold on to as an excuse to not have this baby.What was I going to sacrifice so much for nothing?It wasn't nothing but still; was I ready to sarcastically honor this world with my presence
Jared's POVIf that was all it took, I was willing to work my way around it somehow. Sophia was going to hate me; a lot; but she was going to have to forgive me. This was probably going to be my only chance at fatherhood and I didn't mind given this girl the sky for it.She was deranged! Mental if I must say. I had no idea why she wanted this; what she planned on gaining from it, but I was ready to sacrifice the necessary for the child she was carrying; my child.Prior to that, Dr. Seuss had drawn to my notice that she was mentally distraught, a little unstable and all she needed was care. I was ready to bare that cross for my child. I would bare that for the next seven months till my child was born.There was so much already going through my mind but nothing could overcome the joy I felt knowing I was finally going to be a father of my own child.I had plans for the girl; Maraïda too. I had pl
My beautiful wife, named Sophia Estella Shenko though sometimes I call her Mia as in my cara mia. She had been my pillar and shield through some pretty rough moments of my life. I met her when I was eight. We lived practically next door to each other. We had practically nothing in comment but quickly, became a weird duo of best friends.During our teenage years, she and I would pretend to be gay: first to stop a lot of mongers from spreading unpleasant rumours about our relationship and second, to get an opportunity in finding the perfect match for each other.Stupid? Iknow!But it was a fun exercise that kept us both very engage in each others life. So much so that we became each others perfect match unknowingly. We knew so much about each other, respected very well our differences, knew each other's biggest weakness, and toughest strengths. We truly compli
I remember one time when Sophia had been cheated on by a guy she was seeing. We were in high school and I was a very problematic child. Back in the day, all it'll ever take was dust to enter her eye for me to punch someone, anyone in the gut for sweeping dust her way. She'd left school without telling me. I went crazy looking for her. I had no idea why she'd disappeared but I had a bad feeling she was in trouble. After hours of searching, I found her by a stream, soaking under the rain. At first I thought she had gone crazy. But she hadn't. She had been crying under the rain to hide her tears.She said the rain washes away her pain as soon as the left her eyes. She told me about her heartbreak, she poured her heart out to me. One minute I was listening to her, and the next I was fuming in anger. I felt her pain almost as if it was mine; like right inside of me. I wanted to bash the face of the idiot. But more than that I wanted to hug her, cuddle her under
Mara's POVA cold night always brought an angel to cuddle up inside my arms like her life depended on me. We had so many cold stormy nights and they always sent her flying into my arms because she was scared of storms, thunder, darkness; my little darling: my Marisa. It was the same cold night that had plagued her little heart with an illness; she had contracted pneumonia when we were kicked out of our home and had to spend a series of nights out in the cold, on the streets. We squatted in dek allies, under bridges, in places no human being should ever find their self in. We ate from trash cans, left overs and some days nothing at all. On a cold night she had started coughing and burning up while I was out in the world looking for a means for us to survive. On a cold night, I had gone through the ga badge cans by a pharmacy to get something, anything that could help her. It was on a cold night that I ran in and out of stores, homes, work places, pleading,
(Ten years later) A five years old little girl in pink ballerina getup is dancing and twirling happily in the middle of a huge living room. Her bright blue eyes are filled with excitement as she jumps about. She stops and runs to the foot of a flight of stairs, "Mummy hurry up! I'm going to miss my show if we are late," her little voice yells, "I'm coming, I'm coming! Gosh! You're so feisty today. And it's the school's show not yours," a woman with similar blue eyes walks majestically down the stairs. Her blonde curls are bouncing just above her shoulders. Her slender fingers are grazing the walls as she steadies herself on each step she takes, while her other hand lays steadily on her already huge bump. She's heavily pregnant. "Where are your stuff?" "Already in the car! Now move a little bit faster!" "Is your father already here?"
"What did you do then?""You ask as if you don't already know,""I do! But I still want to hear it,""Alright alright! I'll finish it then.I became so confused. I didn't know what to do. I admitted I wasn't in good terms with Maraïda but I could've never wished her death. I had so much on my hand that I became traumatized: on one hand I had Maraïda; she only needed help, love and care, she still had a good chance in life; On the other hand you, innocent! Knowing nothing about what was happening, just wanting to be out and free. Then there was your father in the air, I didn't know if he was ever waking up. It was hard. But I had to be strong for all of you. Then I remembered something. There was a time when Maraïda and Jared had a fight. I remembered promising your mother that day to be a good mother to you. But I also made her another promise...(Flashback
In the third person's POV(10 years later)A blonde woman in a light knee length red floral dress is leaning on a silver - ish pink Range Rover sports. She looks in a hurry; checking on her Gucci watch after every two seconds,"Ellie! Hurry up young lady, we haven't got all day." She keeps staring impatiently at the doors of the flower shop and checking her watch,"Dang it Ellie, come on! We're going to be late for the day. We still have so much to do."A little girl comes out of the shop with a big bouquet of roses obscuring her entire face. Her long blonde hair is dangling from behind her white lace dress paired with a pair of pink flats. Someone follows from behind her with another bunch of flowers, way too big for her hands. The lady in front of the car turns to the little girl, with her blue eyes popping out I surprise,"Ellie! When you said you were getting flowers, I didn
Jared's POVIt all became as clear as day to me when I watched Cassidy's video. I felt like a storm rain had just washed down on me. All this time, Maraïda played me; she made a fool of me, while I sympathized with her sneakiness. I watch with horror as she cut her own self and smudge the blood all over her thighs; as she pretended to scream; as she fake fainted!I was a such a terrible state that day and to think she was just mocking me."Why Maraïda? Why did you do all of this to me? Why did you ruin my life? Why? What did I ever do to you?" She started crying. Her fake tears just made me angrier. I was standing on a bridge between life and death, trying to control my temper, in order not to seriously hurt her."You've been playing me for a fool all this time! I lost everything! I lost my wife because of you!" I yelled harshly at her. She shrieked to a corner of the kitchen, not being able to look at
Maraïda's POVOne phone call had turned into him driving off without even telling me where he was going. I waited for almost four hours in my room. I decided to run down stairs for a glass of water. I was a few feet away from the kitchen entrance when I heard one of the maids talking,"This really sucks. This house was a lot livelier with Madame Sophia around." The first maid said,"Yeah. Everything changed when that woman, that surrogate got here," she wore a disgusted scowl on her face, "Hey, don't talk about miss Maraïda like that. You know she's the new lady of the house now," another maid added,"New lady my foot! That woman is a sneaky bitch! She just wants to replace Madame Sophia in Mr. Shenko's life." The second maid with the scowl repeated,"Cassidy!!!" The head maid, I remember was called Fatou, scolded her, "Stop! What ever happens in our superiors lives is none of
Jared's POVThey were already a good number of questions running through my mind while I drove through the gates of the house. That Joseph guy had set my already disrupted peace of mind in absolute chaos. Maraïda was already eight months in and I wasn't ready for anything or anyone that could jeopardize her health; mentally or physically. My daughter's life mattered more to me than anything. I was not about to jeopardize it for something that might not even matter.I had just pulled up in the driveway when three maids rushed out to take the bags, I helped Maraïda out,"Aren't you coming?" She asked,"Go on ahead, I'll make a call first. Help her in would you?" I motion one of the maids. Once they'd disappeared behind the doors, I brought my phone and a card, tapped on the numbers, he picked
Maraïda's POVJared had become more engaging in everything concerning the baby. We'd taking another maternity visit together, and we were as well shopping together. It was during one the shopping sprees that I had run into Sophia. Jared had stayed back in the shop to complete the payments. I didn't want them to meet each other under any circumstances. I knew for one Jared still loved and wanted Sophia back and also she was likely to take him back because she seemed to love him more than herself. I had witnessed it. I couldn't take such a chance! So by all means possible I had to make her leave; and as fast as possible.I did make her leave. But she had the last word;"...just like you're trying to have my husband. But let me remind you this Maraïda;
Sophia's POVThis particular phase of my life was like a repeated phase. Some kind of déjà vu. The first time I remember like it was yesterday though it's been years; it was when I left Jared, to go away, far away with the pregnancy he wasn't ready for. I was broken, wrecked and utterly disgraced. I felt so embarrassed thinking in was growing feelings for him when he wasn't even an ounce bit interested in me or having a family. I still don't remember how I survived without him, because I became so stressed; extremely stressed that I had to rely on crack. I hated it so much but I went into drinking and drugs: careless of what effect it might have had on me or my baby. Consequently, I had a miscarriage. That was how it went down. I lost my baby! The only one I was ever going to get. Because the cleansing process caused me fertility. My reproductive organs had suffered the highest as the drugs, alcohol and all that burned my womb so bad that the doctors said I was lucky to
Jared's POVI had been in the office all day, like I had been lately, knee deep into my work. Sometimes I wished I could just stay in the office and work all through. But that was not how it worked. I had to go back to my home which didn't feel like it anymore. I got home but she wasn't home. No one had any idea about her whereabouts, she hadn't said a thing to me either.It took everything humane that I had in me not break down the main doors of the house when I heard a car pull up in the yard. How could she still have the guts to leave this house without my knowledge or permission? We had already agreed, she couldn't leave without my knowledge! And now she was demanding I let her be the mother of my child! None of this was ever part of the deal! All I wanted was my child and my wife. But I had lost my wife. Sophia wasn't even answering my calls or replying my messag