Slipping into the Jacuzzi tub, I let my body submerge in the warmth of the water. My eyes were weary, and they had been so tired for the past week, babysitting Sofia.
Babysitting that girl was like watching over the devil.I could hear Ethan's faint grumbles coming from the bedroom. I guessed he was frustrated by something he wouldn't naturally share with me.Sporadically, I felt useless in my marriage. Other than my full participation in bed, I wasn't required to do anything else. I was so irrelevant, and it caused a sore feeling in me.I shut my eyes, and then it came vividly to me... the day I was introduced to Ethan. He was quite handsome, I had felt a tingle within me, and he had not restrained from flirting with me, which made me feel that getting along with him was the best choice, not like I had the option to reject him if I wanted to.I can remember what he told me when I told him about my desire to run the company after my father's demise."It's not that I find women incapable of running a successful business, but your mum and I think it is best that I manage the company in the meantime until you acquire more experience." Afterward, he merged the company with his less-flourishing establishment.At that moment, merely staring into his charming pair of sepia eyes had assured me of a wonderful life with him. I had agreed, he would be my husband after all. After our marriage, he became the husband who made fellow husbands jealous. When we went out together, the women ogled around him, both married and single women. It had seemed more like a blessing to have such a man as my husband. However, as time passed, he often gave me a reason to love him less."Dammit!" A wild yell came from the bedroom, and it broke my thoughts with a startle."Ethan? Is everything okay?" I inquired but he didn't respond, only a smash came after. He must have broken his computer, I sighed. He frequently did that when he was mad. Ethan's anger was quite terrible.Moments after, I began to hear the aggressive collision of things, and I was propelled to end my bath immediately of the fear of Ethan doing a stupid thing.My hair was still dripping with water as I toweled the base. Walking inside the room, Ethan was dressing up for work. His eyes were bitter, and the broken computer was lying on the floor; the screen was already shattered."What's the matter? Are you all right?" I asked with concern, staring from the broken computer to his face."Well, do I seem all right to you?" He shot with a hard glare."You don't...so what's wrong? Is it about the company? Can I be of help to you?" I moved close to him, even though he looked like he could kill anyone at the moment."No, you can't. How can you be of any assistance when you hardly know the basics?" He snapped at me, and I quietly watched as he struggled with his cuff links."What are these basics? Tell me what's wrong? You can't say...I may have a solution--""I don't need you to provide a solution, Layla, this is my business, don’t you get?"I was hurt by his words because I was entitled to some shares in the company. I was entitled to get involved, but Ethan always finds a way to put me off."What I need you to help me with is this damn thing!" He yelled at his cuffs."Keep your voice down, Chloe might hear...""I don't fucking care about that or her!" He gnashed, and I let out a sharp gasp and took a step away from him, my hands suddenly tightening on the towel around my body."Come here, I'm running late." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair.I ambled towards him and grabbed him by his collar, pulling him closer to me."You know, you don't have to be so angry...""Oh really?" He scoffed."Yeah, anger...it's terrible. You just raised your voice at me." I said as calmly as possible."What does that matter?" I saw the most condescending look on his face."I'm your wife, Ethan. You shouldn't raise your voice at me." I protested."Who the hell then should I raise my voice at Layla? What are you here for? Didn't you vow to stand by me during the worst of times? This is one for me...and you are only here about me raising my voice at you. Have you always been this unreasonable?" He retorted, and I let go of him, glaring at him.I thought I might have misspoken, but I couldn't deny the fact that I was not at ease with his words."I am here for quite other things, Ethan, other things...that are healthy and practical...other things besides being your object of ridicule.""Can't you see? I want to help." I spoke softly, holding his hand."Why don't you let me? Why do you cut me out all the time? You are shutting me out of any meaningful thing in your life, especially as regards the company...""I knew you'd mention the company," he angrily snatched his hand."I knew you'd talk about it...wow! I never imagined you'd become so ambitious and lustful.""What? Lustful? Lustful, you say, Ethan? Lustful about what exactly? Is it now a crime to want to get involved in what I'm meant to be involved in? Is it?" I fired, can't believe he's just so unbelievable and arrogant."Hell, yes! Layla, hell yes! This is my business, stay out of it, I don't need you to proffer solutions, I don't need them!" He grabbed his wristwatch and hastily wore it. I couldn't even form another word, I just stood there like a fool."Are you being serious?" I heard my mouth whisper."Do I look like I was spewing nonsense?" He stared down at me.'Yes, you are,'Suddenly, my towel became loose and was about to slide down my body, but I caught it before it could. I guess he saw it all, for he bluntly added;"I always need you for that." He attempted to kiss my lips, but I avoided it and the kiss landed clumsily on my cheek. And then he was gone.Slowly, I found myself leaning on the wall. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. I had sincerely mistaken Ethan for my fated heartthrob. Mrs. Carter couldn't have known, could she?Did she know that Ethan was inclined to be an Idiot, or this was part of her plans all along?"Here, eat more. You are starting to look skinny." I added more of the Greek salad to Chloe's plate.We decided to eat out."I'm not." She protested."Have you finally gotten over him?" I chewed on a dried fruit."Absolutely. That fool has nothing on me now." She rolled her eyes, picking on her food."I like that." I smiled."Yeah... though I still can't forget the crazy things he did." She added, her eyes getting teary."It's always like that when they've succeeded in building our lives around them," I reasoned."You're having issues with Ethan?" She dropped her fork and looked up at me, her eyelashes flapping at me."It's sad, yeah." I went on."I heard you guys arguing this morning." She continued eating."I don't doubt that."Chloe nodded."Don't think too much about it," she advised, and smiled half-heartedly at me."Yeah...so are you still planning to travel to the Netherlands?" I queried."I haven't decided...yet." She shrugged."You should, it would help you forget about that jerk," I advised. A vacation would help her get her mind off that jerk, and who knows a better fish over there?"Maybe not. Remember, we were supposed to go together before we ended things?""Yes, I forgot, but you could change the destination. What about Asia, hmm, Vietnam?" I suggested."I'll think about it, Layla.""Sure. I need you to get away from this mess." I reached out to her and held her hands.She nodded."I'll be moving out tonight.""So soon? I was hoping you could stay longer.""Yeah, but I have some things I need to take care of at my apartment." She said."All right then.""Yeah, so Mrs. Carter's going to be having some sort of get-together at her house...I believe next week. You are invited." I added."That's nice. I hope to see some hot stuff." She chuckled."Oh, Chloe, I bet you would." I chortled."Is there a particular dress code?""No, no...""Perfect!" She squealed."Hello, gorgeous ladies." A young man approached us. He was a tall blond and he looked very fit."Hi!" Chloe's enthusiasm was suspicious. Perhaps she wanted to find a replacement rapidly. I wouldn't mind if she did that."Can I join you?" He asked."Sure...""Yes, yes..." Chloe answered. Then he took his seat next to me. Looking closely at him, I noticed that he had a good face, strong and square. He was Chloe's type."I'm Dylan and I enjoy a good conversation with stunning ladies." He smiled."Chloe." She extended a handshake that lingered longer than usual. I could see she was flirting."I'm Layla." I introduced myself after she finally let go of his hand. I smiled."Could you smile once more?" He asked."Why...""Your dimples are the most beautiful...your smile, it's enchanting. I was over there, watching you, and I couldn't help myself...I mean, you are stunning." Dylan complimented in one breath."Oh, my goodness...thank you." I smiled again. Glancing at Chloe, I caught her wearing a slight frown. Gosh, it seemed I was already stealing the heart of the man she was apparently interested in, so I had to come up with something. I gently smoothed back a lock of hair, coyly showing off my wedding band. I did that whenever I wanted to discourage anyone who made a pass at me."I can't believe someone has taken you before I got to meet you...he's bloody lucky." He chuckled, slightly disappointed.I was pleased he got the message.My phone chimed, Mrs. Carter was calling, and I was relieved it couldn't have come at a righter moment."Excuse me. Chloe, I'll see you later. It's nice meeting you, Dylan." I took the initiative to leave both of them alone. Who knew, I could be cementing a lifelong commitment?Sofia was livid because her non-binary friend couldn't make it to the amusement park. She had even flung away her Ice Princess tiara out of annoyance and, but Elsa, her Maltese cat, tried to cheer her up, but her temper only worsened. Mrs. Carter had shoved her into my care while her mother was far away in Africa, doing only what God knew."What do you want to do, Sofia? You can't sulk all day." I wondered if she would listen at all."Nothing." She folded her arms in defiance. She was an impossible child."Are you not hungry? Mrs. Carter asked me to have you take lunch.""I am not." She frowned."What should we do then? Can we go home now?" I treasured my time, and I wouldn't waste it consoling a child with an ungovernable temper. Elsa purred on her lap, quite entertained by all the excitement going on in the park. Sofia said nothing."Would you like to talk to mummy?" I suggested."Mummy? Can I talk to her?" I was surprised at the spontaneous change in her mood."Sure...I mean, of course. Do you know her number? I don't have it.""Yes, 1-406-772-5932. That's it." She recited brightly."All right. Dialed..." I put the phone on loudspeaker, and soon it redirected us to voicemail. Sofia immediately wore a down-cast look. I was beginning to figure something out; that Sofia was lacking parental love and care, and she had grown to be naughty and unkind because of that. Since she only lived with Georgina, I knew her parents were separated or, yes, divorced. I began to pity her."Come here. Let's go home. We can play Barbie in your tree house." I wanted to make her feel better."Adults are not allowed." She stated bluntly, and then she upped and left for the car.I came home to meet Ethan slugging down Whiskey like a street drunk. His shirt was unbuttoned, and his jacket was lying carelessly on the tiled floor."You will be liverish if you don't stop drinking." I picked up his jacket. It gave off a medley of odor."Where have you been? Are you seeing someone now? Out with those tits hanging out?" He pointed at my heaving chest."Please, it's just a tasty amount of cleavage and would you stop talking, you are intoxicated."He staggered up towards me. I felt he must have had a bad day at work, but I wouldn't ask, he didn't appreciate me doing that. He came much too close to me, his warm breath kissed my face, and he reeked of alcohol."I'll make you soup," I whispered against his firm chest."I don't need soup..." He breathed as he put his hand over my breasts. My nipples shot out to meet it. Though I was still upset with him from that morning, I succumbed to the excitement that erupted within me. Hastily, he got rid of the gingham go-go that held my ponytail in place, letting my hair cascade over my shoulders. Then he seized my lips with his.The doorbell rang while I was baking a cake in the kitchen. Removing my mittens, I rushed to the main door and there was a sturdy man clad in a blue pullover with a bouquet of yellow roses."Good morning ma'am. You have a package." He handed over the flowers and I collected them. I wondered who could have sent me flowers on that morning. It couldn't be Ethan, or was it, Dylan? Seriously, I thought Chloe had been busy joking when she had phoned earlier today to tell me that Dylan had requested my number, and she had given it out. But how did he find out the location of my house? My best friend must have given it to him. My phone chimed, it was a text from an unknown number and it read;"Good morning, gorgeous, it's Dylan from the restaurant. I hope you love the flowers. Read the card."I couldn't help but chuckle. What did the card say? I found his handwriting to be quite stylish when I read;'I really can't help myself, Layla. You are a beautiful woman and, although you are married,
After I had saved myself from suffering the tragedy of an allergic reaction to cauliflower, I caught a plane to Kenya, in Eastern Africa. Ethan was still extremely furious, he wouldn't even accept that he was mistaken to have forgotten about my allergy. I could have an attack for all he cared, I shouldn't have ridiculed his ignorance in front of a strange man. Now, he made me begin to feel guilty for even having had prior knowledge about the chocolate bars being made with cauliflower. I know Mrs. Carter loved to use vegetables in her desserts. It was quite unusual, but I had known it since I was a child. She called it healthy confectionery, and she fed all but cauliflower to me because she knew I was allergic to it.Georgina abandoned her daughter to spend some quality time with her African heartthrob. He was called Chege and he was a bachelor, quite younger than Georgina."You should try as much as possible to enjoy yourself over here." Georgina had winked at me when Chege's bachel
I didn't know I could safely make it to the Memorial Park. My life had suddenly been thrown into a wild turmoil. I felt I had lost my way. However, my legs brought me to my mother, to her safe bosom. My weary eyes could identify her among the thousands of souls buried on the ground. On the lichened headstone were carved the words; Madea William Carter. That was the mother I knew up until age seven. She had left me in this scary world too quickly. My father, I knew, was kilometers far away from where my mother was buried. I had come to cry on their shoulders, but I was feeling so ashamed of myself. I felt so ashamed about having been betrayed by two trusted people in my life. Their betrayal reduced me to nothing... Amidst my tears, I noticed someone was putting flowers on a grave very close to my mother's. He was all dressed in black and his skin was pale. I guessed there was someone more mournful than I was. He stared down at the grave for a moment before extracting liquor from
Ethan was convinced that I was ready to sign the divorce papers and shoved the documents across his office desk."You look great." He smirked while I was agonizingly compressing an outburst. I knew he'd love me to howl and scream like a mad and deprived woman, but I wouldn't, no matter what, I won't give him that satisfaction and act strong.I managed to put on a tight-lipped smile. However, I wanted to ask him the questions that were heavy on my heart. Afterward, I would sign the papers."Did you ever truly love me at any point in our marriage?" I tried to make my voice as firm as possible, but to my dismay, it came out shaky.He scoffed."You want to know?" He asked in the most condescending tone. I mutely nodded. I stared deeply into his eyes, I wanted to maintain those gazes of ours and watch him answer the question I had an answer to already.I shouldn't expect any consolation from his answer, but the sentimental part of me did. The woman who had given her all expected it."W
In my four years in Africa, I have learned something; that happenings in life could not be predicted at all. I had only been in Kenya for two weeks when I started to feel nauseous and dizzy. I had thought I was ill with depression, I hadn't known it was all morning sickness. However, when I didn't see my period, I immediately got an inkling that something was definitely not right. I got a pregnancy test and to my utter shock and surprise, I was pregnant. At first, I hadn't know how to respond to this revelation that I knew would entirely change my life. Nonetheless, I was subtly grateful. Though I had no idea who the father of the baby was, I had chosen to keep it."Mommy, see!" Nathan pointed at the painting we were both standing in front of."I see a dog and a cat and a little girl!" He chirruped. The painting was abstract, but my dear son saw all of these aforementioned things. It was all from his perspective..."Yes," I was saying excitedly. "I see them too. Do you see a litt
During my first trimester, I frequently had awful mood swings, which I couldn't control. I would suddenly be excited about my pregnancy, but then I would immediately recline into utter sadness. I had believed I was not myself throughout that period, but I had often engrossed myself in my designs, and it had provided some sort of relieving distraction. My phone blipped again, and I was forced to add his number to my prohibited list."What's that?" Henry asked. I guessed it was written all over my face, and I was annoyed."It's nothing." I was pissed off."Layla, I know something is wrong. What is it?" Henry persisted and I sighed."It's a disturber," I was forced to say."Shouldn't we report him or her to the police?" He chewed."Him! And sincerely, I don't want to be connected to him in any way," I stated."But he wouldn't stop bothering you...""I know, it's just that...""What?" Henry questioned, and I stared at him, making eye contact with him."He's my ex-husband," I said."What
LeoLately, it was crazy how work couldn't even distract me from thinking about her, it was like I was under her spell, like I was caught up in the thick web she had created. Celine was saying something, but I couldn't catch it. She tapped my desk frantically, bringing me back from my reverie."I'm sorry about that...what were you saying?" I adjusted my tie and coughed slightly."You have a meeting at two, sir." She repeated."Sure. Remind me, with whom?""Mr. Zhou, sir." She said."All right. Is that all?" I adjusted my seat."And, Mrs. Cooper phoned..." Nana came in."Hmm-hmm." She cleared her throat. I sighed."I was just about to tell the CEO about your--""As you can see, I'm here now." She cut Celine off and took her seat on the couch."I'll excuse you now." Celine walked out. I watched how Nana's eyes trailed after her with the utmost disdain."What's the matter now?""Her shoes make a hell of a noise." She dexterously tucked a trespassing strand of hair away. I rolled my eyes.
LaylaDo re mi fa so la...Do re mi fa so la...I could feel the excitement in his voice as his little fingers tapped on the keyboard."That's right buddy!" Henry ruffled his hair.A broad smile crept up my cheeks, Nathan had made me smile. His eyes were gleaming with happiness as he felt fulfilled to have successfully played a basic on the keyboard."Mommy?" He caught sight of me and leaped to his feet."Oh, my boy," I scooped him up in my arms."You were wonderful." I kissed him on the cheek. He giggled.Henry began to walk towards us."He's getting better every day." He said, stopping in front of us and shoving his hands into his pocket."I think he has a flair for music." I pinched him affectionately on the cheek. He chuckled."Wanna have a snack?""Hmm-hmm." He nodded and then I put him down. He disappeared into the kitchen."You know, it's about time I enrolled him in an elementary school," I began."What's stopping you?" Henry took his seat on the sofa. I joined him."I'm sca