Mason.
Mason!
Mason?
Did that name have to jingle the 'Mason' bell she knew of? No. It couldn't be. There were many other Masons out there--dark skinned Masons to be specific.
"God!" Zaphrina whispered in mental exhaustion.
Louisa had left a couple of minutes ago in such a rush, if not, she would've done it. She would've gone ahead to question her about the origin of the Mason she was talking about.
"Gracious Lord!" again, she whispered. Seems all her mouth could do was exclaim what her mind processed.
"...be there in a bit," Marley's voice jiggled her back to reality like Christmas bells. "...sure," At the sight of her he smiled and stretched out his arm until he reached her and engulfed her waist.
"...tell him I said not to do anything stupid when he sees her," his hairy hand began parading up her tummy but she was fast enough to ease off of him pretending to wipe off a stain on the counter. "See you
"I wanted to tell you..." she trailed, flicking her light brown orbs from one end to another. "...that I can't wait to meet your friends," she grinned. Marley scoffed, "Is that it? I mean, you sounded really baffled back there." "Nervous. I usually feel that way when I'm about meeting new people," she faintly smiled. "My friends are cool, you won't even feel like they're 'new people'." And so it was, Zaphrina met Kennedy Carter--who preferred she called him Ken-- and Joshua Fritz, the guy with the sexy smile who was hitting on the receptionist--who preferred she address him Josh. Josh introduced to her his girlfriend who wasn't the Audrey he was hitting on that day. She liked them; they were jovial. They made her feel like she'd known them for ages. Before the game begun, everyone was settled, fans had begun cheering even before the player's grand entry. "So...Zaphrina, the name, right?" Joshua addressed to her, despite the eardrum perforating screams, she managed to hear him.
His expression turned flaccid at her question, a little like the way she had felt when he indirectly admitted he had overheard her conversation with Mira. Honestly, she had never known her talent until she was questioned. Hand tremor. How did she even get to know about the medical term? For one thing she knew was, she was neither family or friend related to a physician. Newspapers, TV or any form of information derived commodity were no doubt not her piece of cake so how did... 'It's nothing serious,' the doctor had said to them. 'The hand tremor is as a result of alcohol escape, with time it'll get better. Your dad is ok baby girl.' He reassured Zaphrina's seven-years-old sobbing frame most especially. There. That was its origin. Some parts of her past just wouldn't die down. They kept popping up at odd times-though not all-reminding her of their existence, of their imprints carved somewhere deep within the abyss of her heart and mind.
Monday finally arrived and for the first time in months had she been eager to go to work; lately, her eyes had been craving to see the man she had surprisingly come to like more than any other thing. 'An idle man is the devil's workshop.' So it's said and so was her Sunday after church service. If her head hadn't gone haywire then it never would; it had been from one thought to the other which all boiled down to a single verdict, one which she really had to deal with once and for all. The honking she was almost getting used to tapped her on the verge of her last sip. Anticipation getting the best of her, Zaphrina dashed her mug into the kitchen counter as she scurried outside with her purse in hand. Elijah portrayed his ever so warm and welcoming to her as he greeted her with a salute. They had both engaged themselves in little talks as they rode past the noisy neighborhood. It was one and the same sight almost every morning; a
His eyes flicked to his mum who had just walked in, satisfaction gracing her facial features, leaving Marley to hope and re-hope she hadn't done or said something stupid to Zaphrina. They were all in the massive sitting room where his dad sat, brooding over Louisa's disappearance with Lauren and himself waiting for an explanation and planning a way forward. Lauren looked beaten up which left him with guesses of his job crawling his neck. They both exchanged glances as their mum stood in the middle of the triad, arms folded in apprehension, scrutinizing each and every one of them. Frederick, whose gaze hadn't drifted from emptiness finally said, "I told her the truth," his expression still void of sentiments. Unlike Marley and Lauren, bewilderment slinked through Anthonia. As if expecting a piece of mind-blowing vital information, Anthonia ambled to the nearest seat which would support her already feeble knees from the
She hadn't thought of it earlier; she had an additional hater on her list. She should have known Marley's mum's the only person capable of digging into her past for reasons she was still to comprehend. The woman really hadn't respect for one's privacy and if she really wanted to have a successful relationship with Marley, ignorance definitely was the key. Marley had insisted to take her home to get body and mind settled. He assured her to do everything in his might to keep his mum from meddling into their personal lives. However, that really didn't boost her up as his mum's menaces repeatedly played in her head. She didn't have just her being to safe, the developing embryo in her had the sun to behold sooner. The car had come to a stop, bringing her back to presence. "Thank you," She began. "I'm really sorry about Louisa missing." Marley nodded with a faint smile brushing his lips. "Did you guys have the
It's been four days since Louisa went missing. While Marley had been busy searching for her, she had been busy laying assistance in one way or the other; made sure he had something to feed on, slept earlier than usual. Sometimes, she would offer to give him a massage against his will. Leila and Anna never stopped giving her the looks, silently pleading for explanations during those times. Gossip girls. Zaphrina sadly hadn't woken up on the good side; weariness and sudden cravings made her morning. She had called Marley first thing that day informing him about her absence but as he is, he flamed up and bombarded questions upon questions. Are you sure you're ok? I mean...you've been taking care of me more than yourself lately. Do you need me over? I could return the massages, sadly, not for free. Is there anyone home who might assist you with anything? If not, I'm on my way. She sweetly t
Time was wearing out and he still hadn't been an inch to finding his sister who was oddly littering a portion of the mad world. Marley hadn't spared a day without calling Inspector Darren to know how far into the investigation he had gone but it was one and the same story he had been reporting to him every day. Luckily, he had a supporting hand who seeded sanity in him whenever he was on the verge of madness. His door swung open and in came Zaphrina who flicked the lights on, holding a breakfast tray in one hand. She beamed a priceless smile at him while walking to the Ottoman. "Wake up sleepy head. Breakfast is served," Marley didn't move. "Cut the pretense unless you want me to do so the hard way." "Can't you be sweet for once and just join me in bed?" he muffled in the covers before taking them off with a sigh. Zaphrina shrugged then set on opening the heavyweight curtains all by herself. "I would have loved to, sadly, situations aren't convenient enough for us to--" she gas
Zaphrina had left her hiding place, apparently, she had been squatting on the other side of a car parked at the estate corridor still in her uniform. She hadn't time to change for she knew if she did that, Marley would've definitely caught up with her. She took a cab home once exposed to the highway, she blankly stared through the window with glassy eyes. The traffic wasn't helping matters as it left her thinking really hard. She kept wiping her eyes trying as much as possible not to break down in the open, especially with the driver shooting stares at her through the rearview mirror. She entered home to see her mom fidgeting in the sink, from the look of things, it hadn't been long she entered home judging by her appearance and a polythene bag of groceries on the counter. Zaphrina dropped her bag on the floor, the thud causing her mum's head to spin. "Oh my God, Zaphrina, what happened?" The latter's countenance suddenly filled with bother, refrained from washing a bowl, wip