Chapter Thirty Four

Rose, Christopher, and Uzo watched as Mr. Allen dragged Cindy out of the house. The first person to react or say anything was Uzo. "Wow!!!" Uzo exclaimed and looked from Rose to Christopher. "I used to think you are cool bro, but now I have found someone who is better. You rock Rose!! When you said Christopher paid you money, I was shocked. I believed that act. You even managed to get seven million. How lucky!!" Uzo gushes over Rose.

"I was only receiving what he offered. I didn't ask him to offer me money na. What would it look like if I refused the first gift my father-in-law offered me?" Rose answered and took a seat she looked around and said, "how big is this house? There are even two sitting rooms."

"The house is not as big as you think tho. I just took my time in picking what I want." Christopher answered.

"Rose," Uzo call and wanted to sit beside her but Christopher pulled him away and sat down. "You are so mean," Uzo said glaring at Christopher. "As I was about to say... Let's share that money na... Just give me two million out of it and hold the rest." Uzo said to Rose.

"Stop being a beggar. My wife would not give you a dime. In fact, what are you still doing in my house? Didn't I ask you to go home?" Christopher said to Uzo.

"Is it because you are now married that you are sending me home? You used to beg me to come here and sometimes I even have to pull you out of your office!!" Uzo said.

"That's was then. As you said, I am a married man and I need the privacy. Why are you still here na? I want to talk to my wife alone!!" Christopher said.

"Wow!! Mr. Husband... I am not going anywhere. She is your wife and also my friend. It's you who is interrupting us from catching up!!" Uzo replied to him.

"When did she become your friend?" Christopher asked.

"That's none of your business. The most important thing is, you are disturbing us. We need to catch up." Uzo said.

"You guys should please stop all these back and forth arguments. It's late and I need to sleep. I'll see you two around." Rose said and made to stand up but, Christopher held her hand.

"Please, stay for a little while. It's not even midnight yet, please..." Christopher asked her.

"Yes, please stay. If you leave me alone with him then, he might beat me up. Just stay for a while." Uzo also pleaded.

"Fine," Rose said and sat down. "Are you not going home tonight?" She asked Uzo.

"I have a room here. Besides, it's already late and I hate driving late. What if all those thieves attack me and collect the small car that I am managing?" Uzo said.

"You don't have a room here anymore. It's still early so if you know what is good for you now you better get going." Christopher said to Uzo. He wanted to spend some time with Rose but it's like they have all planned to make him angry.

Uzo was enjoying the discomfort he was causing Christopher. He could see the glare Christoper was shooting at him but he pretended not to have noticed. "Rose, can I ask you for something?" He asked Rose.

"Sure, what is it?" She asked him. She didn't notice the angry look Christopher was giving Uzo.

"Why did you take that money? Please don't tell me it's because he is your father-in-law. I don't buy that excuse." Uzo said.

"Rich people always think that everything is solved with money. If they want you to kill someone, they offer you money. If they want someone to kill you, they offer money. If they want you to visit, they offer you money. If they even want you to kill yourself, they will still offer you money." Rose answered. "I am sorry I had to do that to your father," she apologized looking at Christopher and added, "but, it's not in my personality to sit and be insulted. I told you before coming here that, when I see your father, nature will take its course. I married you and I plan to make it work."

"It's ok. If he comes back and offers you more money, take it. He has more than enough money to throw around. I have tried to make him understand that there can be nothing between me and that Cindy but, he keeps fooling himself." Christopher said.

"There is something that still baffles me tho, why would your father keep insisting you marry Cindy. Don't you think there is a reason to that?" Uzo asked Christopher.

"I don't want to talk about that anymore. They have ruined my night and I don't have the strength to keep thinking about them now," Christopher answered.

"Fine. Good night. I need to wake up early because some certain someone would be in the office tomorrow." Uzo said and stood up. He finally decided to give Christopher and Rose some alone time. If he should stay longer then, he would only have himself to blame.

"Good night Uzo. You are so easy to get along with." Rose said and smiled at him.

"Thanks, Rose. You are also a very likable person. Maybe you should rub your attitude on some people... I am talking about Mr. Cutie" Uzo said.

"UZO!!" Christopher called.

"Fine!! Am going already. You don't even treat me like a friend. Thank God Rose is here now," Uzo said and walked away.

"Finally," Christopher murmured.

"What did you say?" Rose asked. She knew he said something but didn't hear what he said.

"Nothing... I was only... I mean I didn't say anything." Christopher answered.

"Really?" Rose asked and Christopher nodded his head. "But, I heard you saying something. What did you say?" Rose asked him again.

"Fine... I said finally. Finally, we are alone. I just want to spend a little time with you. Is that wrong?" He asked her.

"No. It's not wrong but, what do we do now?" Rose answered.

"Well, we could talk or better still we could just enjoy each other's company," Christopher suggested.

"Let's talk. Tell me about your father. I want to know more than what the internet says." Ross said and sat in a way that she would be facing Christopher.

"Well, what's there to say, he fathered me and sent me away because my mother died when I was born. He did everything within his power to keep me away from coming home and, I am not even sure he loves me." Christopher said.

"Is that all? Is that the only thing you can say about your father?" Rose asked him.

"What's there to say? I don't know him on a personal level and he never gave me the chance to get close to him. So, what do you want me to say?" Christopher said with a frown.

"I never got to meet my mother because she abandoned me. If I get that opportunity today, the first thing I would want to know is why she did that. We all do things for a reason. Either good or bad. When you were out of the country, did he ever visit you?" Rose said and asked him.

"He did. He came to visit but he never spent more than a day with me. I used to think that, maybe it's because I remind him of my mom but, I have come to realize that, that's not the case. He just does whatever he wants without thinking about what I want." Christopher answered her.

"That's what I am trying to make you understand. Have you tried to bridge the gap between the two of you? How many times do you call him just to check up on him?" Rose asked.

"I don't call or visit him. If I can't him then the only thing he ever talks about is Cindy. If I visit him it's still the same thing. He is hellbent on seeing me with Cindy." Christopher explained.

"I heard you worked very hard when you were in the states and all through your school years. Why did you do that?" Rose asked because she wanted to change the topic.

"I worked because I didn't want to be dependent on my father all the time. I wanted to have my own things. I didn't want my name to be the only thing about me. I wanted to create a life that is mine." Christopher said.

"I envy you, Chris. You made a life that's yours despite the fact that you had everything on a golden platter." Rose said.

"I envy you more Rose... I have spent a few days with you and I have seen how strong you are. You were raised with nothing but you have made something for yourself. Isn't that true strength?" Christopher said and held her hands in his.

"The life I have now is all because of you. If I didn't meet you that night then, who knows what would have happened. If I didn't take your money I wouldn't have what I have now. So you see, it's all because of you." Rose said and smiled.

"No, it's all you. When I came into Nigeria for the first time, I didn't know where to start. I had made a name for myself but, I had nothing to look forward to. It was fate that brought us together. After you disappeared, I thought I would forget about you. I buried myself into my work and I tried to forget you but it was impossible." Christopher said.

"It's hard to forget someone who stole over 10million naira from you," Rose said.

"It wouldn't have been hard to forget if you didn't take something else with you..." Christopher said with a gentle smile.

"What else did I take?" Rose asked. She knew what he would say but wanted to hear it.

"You stole my heart. I wanted to forget but, you refused to leave my thoughts and dream. When I finally found you, I was scared to come to you. I didn't want to chase you away again more especially when I found out I also had a daughter. I wanted to be a part of her life and I also wanted to be a part of your life as well." Christopher said.

Rose pulled out her hands from his and held his cheeks between her hands. "I promise you that I will do my best to make this marriage work. For us and for our daughter." Rose promised. She looked at his eyes and how they were staring at her intently. She didn't why but the next thing she did was a surprise to Christopher and herself. She pulled herself up and placed her lips on his. It was just a chaste kiss but it shocked Christopher. He even forgot to react. Before he could pull himself together, she had pulled away and said. "Good night..." Then she ran off.

When Christopher realized what had happened, she had already disappeared up the stairs. "Damm," he cursed "I just lost my chance..." He said and used his hand to massage his neck.