CH002

Was there anything less dignifying than searching for your own underwear?

For Andrea, this morning seemed to be the most embarrassing of her life.

She had woken up with a splitting headache which she felt from the events of the other day. It had to be her worst day because that was what it was.In the morning of it, she had witnessed her step mother vomiting blood. No one had wanted to tell her what was wrong, not even her father but after she had promised her step brother a treat, the chatterbox had gone on to tell her that she was in the third stage of Cervical Cancer. It had advanced to the third stage and she couldn't get treatment, well it was obvious why. They were stark poor and lacked the necessary funding required for treatment, so they had been keeping it from her to make her not worry or take up more part time jobs, to the number of ones she already had.

Then later in the afternoon, still processing the devastating news she had heard in the morning, she had been laid off by the director of the movie she had successfully landed a role in. It still seemed like a surprise to her. It had taken her so long since her graduation from art school to finally land a role in a movie after an audition and finally when she did, she got fired because the director's diamond wrist watch got stolen and as she was the only unknown actress on set, she had been accused for stealing it, without evidence!!! Without evidence!

Thinking her day could not have gotten any worse, she had returned and woke returning she had seen her boyfriend kissing another lady and when she had confronted them, she found out it was her best friend.

"I sent you the breakup message a week ago Andrea. Maybe you should check your messages more often" he had told her with a nonchalant shrug.

Feeling humiliated, she had gone to the neighborhood hotel which was the cheapest and affordable one, to crash the night with a bottle of whiskey. To drink away her sorrows and sleep off there before returning home the next morning so her family do not stress themselves worrying about her.

"Are you looking for this?" The man on the other side of the bed asked her, swinging her red panties with his finger as he glanced at them with weird eyes.

She immediately snatched them away from him, ran to the bathroom with it to wear it as it was the last thing remaining for her to be dressed up.

"Hey look, I apologize. I misread the room number and got in here. I didn't mean to, it wasn't my intention. Whatever happened last night should stay that way, a mistake and end. We both were drunk and were not in our right states of mind" she awkwardly said to the stranger before opening the door and running away.

"Oh Andrea, what else are you going to encounter now. You just broke your virginity with a stranger" she muttered to herself as she hurriedly went out of the room, caring not about the man she had shared a drunken one night stand with not whom he was.

Niklas still laid naked on the bed, covering his self with the blanket on the bed.

His gaze darted across the room. It was rickety and not befitting for a person of his status but he had taken it since he had no other choice than to.

He had come into the Province hoping to propose to Serah, his longtime girlfriend and love of his life.

She might have lived in a neighborhood Province but she was a hardworking woman, a famous sir hostess and he had fallen for her when he saw her during one of his flights.

But then, she had stood him up. Turning down his marriage proposal through a text message. She had travelled back to France, choosing her job over him. He had anticipated it but he didn't give the thoughts of her choosing her job over him much room, he had believed she would choose him because of her love for him but her reply had broken him.

It has begun to rain and he had no where to go as he had planned that after proposing to her, they would return to the capital together. But his disappointment and pain coupled with the rain had made him lodge into the hotel as it was the last one that still had spaces by the time he had come. He had been drunk and the one night stand with the beautiful lady who hurried out of the room had in no way crossed his mind.

Perhaps she knew whom he was and had thrown herself at him, hoping to get a dirt on him that she'd use for her advantage done other time.

"There's a lady going out of my room. Find out whom she is" he called his assistant and instructed and immediately, ended the call.

He had failed now and was only left with one choice, marrying the woman his mother would find for him to get his hands at the CEO position of his father's company.

*******

Walking out of the hotel into the glaring sunlight that had began to fill the sky, Andrea felt the weight of her life pressing down on her. Her mother’s illness, her shattered career, her broken relationships, and then coupled with the drunken one night stand with the stranger she'd rather forget—it all seemed insurmountable. As she walked aimlessly through the pavement, her thoughts were interrupted by a commotion ahead.

A man was arguing loudly with a woman next to an expensive car. She had seen him intentionally hit her car with his tricycle and was now accusing her of using her wealth to oppress him because he was poor. Andrea watched as the woman tried to pacify him with money, but he only grew louder and more aggressive, saying that the money was not enough for the damage she had caused him.

The woman had walked back to her car, going to bring out more cash to give to the man. She hated bad publicity and as people were taking pictures and recording videos of what was happening, she was afraid she'd be labeled a bad person if the video got uploaded to the internet.

Without thinking, Andrea stepped forward to where the man was, shouting at him as if he were life that was dealing with her.

“Hey! Leave her alone, “I saw what you did. You hit her car on purpose and now you’re trying to scam her. You should be ashamed of yourself. You're the one to pay her for the damage you have caused to her car!!.” she said pointing to the woman's car.

"Can you pay for the scratches you have her car? I clearly saw you! you went at her first. Stop playing the pity card!!" She lashed out at the man.

" And who are you? What's your own business? Young girls of nowadays just do not know how to mind their own business"

" Yes I do not know how to mind my own business cos you're wrong. You're trying to scam her. You don't even deserve the money she gave you! should I call the police so they'd get the CCTV footages of the area? What's their number again?" She asked, bringing out her phone and pretending to call the police.

" Oh well, forget it" the man said and rushed back into his tricycle, driving off as fast as he could.

The crowd began to disperse as well.

" Thank you so very much" the woman behind her said and brought her hand to hand the bundles of money she held to her.

Andrea refused." Oh no ma'am, you don't need to bother yourself. Just stay safe and don't fall into the hands of these scammers again" she said.

" But you should collect one, even if it is just a bundle. I'd be really grateful if you did. You just helped me and I don't know how to thank you enough"

" Oh ma'am, don't bother yourself. It is my duty to defend unsuspecting strangers from scams they're not aware of" she said and saluted the woman.

" You know, patriotism to the country" she said as she saluted and the woman couldn't help but laugh at her lively spirit.

The bus arrived and Andrea immediately excused her self and ran to enter before it got filled up.

The woman couldn't help but stare at her, smiling at such a character she had met.

*******

Andrea arrived at her home and found a car parked in front. She was moved by it, especially because it looked like the car of the woman she had seen earlier while coming home. Walking up to the house and wondering whom the owner was and why they had come, she got greeted by her teenage step brother who came out of the house, sensing her arrival.

"Mama's boss is here. Seems like you've landed yourself a big shot. She wants you to marry her son" Fred, her younger brother began.

" You and your gossips, Fred" she muttered as she continued walking up to the door. She knew her brother as a chatterbox, well be was one, talking about whatever he wanted at anytime.

" Wait" he muttered to her and she did .

He ran up to her and began to perm her hair using his hands, trying to make it smoother and arranged, unlike how she left it.

" Oh stop already boy" she said and continued to walk up while he began jumping to reach her head.

She shaked her head at his spirit. He was always happy and made her be so too, regardless of the challenges they enter.

He was her step brother, but one would not believe so because of how close they were.

"Good morning father,good morning mother" she greeted heading over to her room.

" Andrea, come over, we have a visitor here to meet you" her step mother beckoned and she turned back heading to where they were.

" Good day ma'am" she greeted the woman who sat on a chair with a man standing behind her. She had not looked at her face as she was focused on her mother's face, examining it like a doctor as if she would see any slight change of her health state.

"Ohhh. Patriotism, you" the woman excitedly chanted, saluting the way Andrea had saluted earlier.

Turning to see her, she was surprised when she found out the woman she had helped earlier was her mother's employer.

"Ohhhhh goodness Theresa. You raised a very good girl" the woman continued to excitedly proclaim, smiling as she held Andreas hands.

"Ma'am, we should start going now. The Chairman is back home" the man standing behind her said and she rounded up her greetings to Andrea. Smiling so heart fully at her.

" Please consider my proposal" she said to her before she stood up to leave.

Andrea didn't know what proposal she was talking about but seemed to have a knowledge of what it was, the chatterbox of the house had already told her.

"Oh sure ma'am, I will" she said, smiling convincingly back at the woman who was still star struck as if she had seen a celebrity.

As she left, the silence returned back to the household.

"Andrea" her father called her as she turned headed up to her room.