Chapter One

We just had one of our biggest fights, twice since the week began. I sat by the poolside as usual and waited for his outrage to be settled with my bruised face, an injury I had suffered earlier during one of our fights when he raised his filthy hands and hit me so hard on the face for the hundredth time. I wonder what’s wrong with me? Even after all these I still love him irrevocably and unconditionally. 

As I sat there in the cold weather, thinking my whole life with Andre through, I was taken aback by the day we met and we became lovers.

A year ago, I had just moved to Phoenix, Arizona in the united states to start anew after my dad was buried, it was just me and my mum. She worked as a police officer in New Mexico and I’m certain about how engaged she is with her job, it helps her forget her worries and be happy while myself, on the other hand, I had just finished college but since I couldn’t get a job in my state coupled with my fathers sudden passing I decided to change environment and start my life over again in a new city where no one knows me.

At first, I applied for a job as a waitress in one of the biggest restaurants in Arizona, fortunately, I got the job and in a week time I moved there and I was given a house with a roommate by the restaurant management. My working there was going so competently that by the end of the day I go home with so many tips from the customers. My roommate said it’s because I’m hot but don’t care to know as long as they keep it coming. 

Moving to Phoenix hasn’t been so easy for me . I miss my Home Town, I miss my Friends and My mum, sometimes I feel like running back there but…. Doing that wouldn’t solve my problems would It? So I still search right deep inside my heart and find a reason to keep striving and working as much as I could. 

The day I met Andre was just like every other day, he had come to have lunch with three of his comrades and I had just completed my shift and was about to leave, I remember I was busy reaching into my purse for something when I someone knelt before me, right in semblance, he never minded if people watched when he held my hand his exact words were “ Oh my darling, how your beauty has cast a spell on me, I want to be yours my Dove and yours alone. Please make me the happiest man on the face of the earth and give this fool of a man a chance to get to know you.” He sounded cheesy but How he humbled himself and paid no attention to the people around us and admired me. It’s as if he knows what a woman likes to hear. Right there and then he asked for my contact information, someone I haven’t met for once In my life kneeling before me, his blue eyes were like that of the ocean, his smiles could light up a room. Oh, there’s no way I could resist such a god in human form. While his friends watched and laughed at the show he had put up I was ashamed so I took his phone which he was holding in his hand and typed in my digits then I left in a rush.

It feels to me that I was about to witness a romantic side of Phoenix, Arizona. That night he gave me a call and we spoke for a while and I waited to hear him ask me out but instead, he ended the call midway. The next day, I met a car outside of my apartment,  I came out and was about to leave but he gets out of the car looking all spiffy with a rose in his hand.

“ Hey, Hailey!” he shined a cute smile as he walks up to me.

“ hi, what are you doing here and how do you find out where I stay?”

“ here for you, He offered me the rose. How I get to know about where you stay isn’t the case here, I have come personally to take you to work today so please permit me, my queen.” He held my hand and looked into my eyes. I couldn’t say no to those beautiful eyes of his so I consented  to his offer.

His eyes lights up immediately and he rushed to the car and opened the door for me while I get into the front seat of the car,  he then hastens around the car and got in. he drove so carefully till we got to the restaurant that day, he has always picked me up during my shifts and take me home afterwards. My co-workers especially my roommate couldn’t believe that I am dating the most popular guy sound phoenix. I heard he came from a family of businessmen and drug dealers, they are well known and feared in the whole of phoenix but the way he had humbled himself he never cared about his status when it comes to me and that was what I love about him.

But it gets to a certain point when you know someone or you think you know someone and sees their nature but truly they only show us what they want us to see. My mum seems to be that way too, she never for once showed me her weaknesses or act weak around me. My dad was the one mostly at home to take care of me while my mum was at work and it made my relationship with my mom less strong and I was more closer to my dad he was my best friend and when he passed away, I couldn’t bare staying in our house because everything around, they reminded me of him and I know, my mom tried so hard to come close to me but I wouldn’t let her. I realized that this was the major reason I had left New Mexico and came to Phoenix, AZ to avoid my past and get away from everything.

Back Then, with my dad by my side I felt untouchable , I never felt the need to find myself s boyfriend I was focused on achieving my dreams and even when I did have one during my college years, I never let them come between my dad and I.  But his death shattered me into pieces and finally this day after such a long time of long time of sadness in my dark world it seems like I have began finding myself all over again Because I believed that Andre was a god sent, sent to me to heal my wounded heart and amend my broken parts, so I thought.

On the May 7th, was my father’s birthday and I took a day off from my work just to celebrate my dad's birthday alone and relive my memories with him. I started by reading our favorite story “Alice and the wonderland”. He enjoyed reading the story to me as a child and weirdly most nights as an adult . I prepared his favorite, our favorite dish, Italian pasta I could hear his voice in my head saying “ Estupendo!”, to be honest neither of us knows what that word meant up till date and we would crack a joke about how bad we were at speaking Italian. I couldn’t control my tears even if I wanted to. I missed him so very much especially today being his birthday. I took a little break going to the mall to get some lavender scented candles. There was such as long line at the mall I ended up returning a bit later. When I came back home, I continued from where I had stopped and since it was already sunset I lit the scented candles and finish up the decoration on the cake. I went and took a bath then put on my special yellow dress. Dad loves to see me on them and of course it was decent , too decent if I may say. I came back to the living room, “Oh Gosh!” I exclaimed, I had forgotten to get my dad’s favorite record track at mall, I had thought of playing his favorite songs on his special day. I patted my head and thought of what to do next, I checked the time It was already past 9pm, there was no possible I could go to a record store that night. Just when I had thought all hope was lost I heard a knock at the door, I was hesitant at first thinking whom it could be. I said to myself if it was my roommate whom I specifically begged to not come home that very night, I even gave her some money to book a hotel room just for the night and now she has infracted our deal. I had gone to open the door with the motive of scolding the pee out of Rosalie. Though she was the only close friend I made since I came to Phoenix but I was ready to severe my friendship at the moment with her for this but when I opened the door Andre was standing right outside my door.