Chapter Four

The sunlight creeping through the gap in the curtains drew Mason out of his comfortable position. He groaned loudly, cracking open her eyes. This was one of the reasons why he dreaded mornings, most especially when the sun hit his eyes. Let me rest for a few more minutes, just five, he thought to himself. His alarm wasn’t making things any better. The constant blaring got him so upset. Who makes these things?

He pulled the duvet over his head while trying to salvage what he had left of his dreams. Unfortunately for him, it was gone and so was the calm feeling it brought. His dream of being content had been so consuming that he had wanted to recapture the feeling. He had wanted to relive the moment.

He had such a long week.After his first night when his new boss had come so close to him. He had shivers but he tried to hold himself to avoid terrifying her. The following morning, Kesa had gone to work early. She’d tried her best to avoid glaring at him. Mason always made sure that he and the children always slept in their own beds. He never wanted to experience that level of embarrassment anymore. Once was more than enough to warn him and keep him in check.

Her continued absence kept Mason at ease He tried his best to avoid any conversation with her. The thought of what would be spoken after such awkward encounter was enough to keep him scared. But his trial period would soon be over, then he would know if he has secured the job. When it’s over, they will need to have a conversation.

Unable to recapture his sleep, Nason threw the covers and climbed out of his bed. It was a new day and he had to freshen up to get started. He got into the shower and hurriedly did the necessary to avoid running into Kesa.

Just as he arrived in the kitchen, Ms Baker was already at work. She always arrived on time and never came even a minute later. She turned away from the cooker with a steaming pan of hot bacon. With a smile plastered on her face, she greeted,” Good morning Mr Mason.”

Her forever cheery attitude made her approachable and likeable at first instance.

This time was different. Before Mason even got the chance to utter a response, Ms Baker waved him off signaling him to leave the kitchen. He didn’t have any idea why. Usually, Kesa would have taken breakfast with the kids earlier on and moved on to her eventful day, but this day was different. It didn’t take him long to realize that Kesa was dressed in her joggers having breakfast with the kids at the dining table. He’d normally seen her dressed so formally all the time that this was a shock to him.

This was the first time he had seen her not dressed up like she had a business meeting to attend or a conference to speak at. Not that he was complaining, this was actually an impressive sight for the eyes. Her curves were so accentuated and the top of her joggers had

perfectly shaped her body. He was able to notice her intricate details, how her chin was shaped perfectly and also how her eyes were blue. She was beautiful.

He closed his eyes for a moment while drawing in his breath. This was his employee. A quick reminder sank into him, he had to keep this job no matter what it took. This was his saving grace. Drooling over his boss’s body was definitely not part of his job description.

Kesa wore a joggers set she had gotten off Fenty. This was her favorite pair. She loved the tank top most especially because it held her body and made her feel more confident. The color alone took her attention from the first time she had set her eyes on it.

Mason dragged his gaze away just as Kesa turned to stare at him. He shivered quickly. Shit! She had caught him staring. How was he supposed to keep his job if his employee has caught him staring with so much lust in his eyes. He quickly adjusts himself and starts heading to a seat far away from them while still ignoring her stare.

“Morning” he greeted before dripping his gaze down.

The children chirped back at him “Morning!” in a very exciting voice. They each had grins on their faces as they stared at Mason.

“Hey kiddos,” Mason smiled at the kids, ignoring Kesa’s eyes that had bored into his soul. “Would you play with us today?” they both asked in unison.

While reaching out a hand, he tucks Debbie’s hair behind her ears and shakes his head in disagreement.

“I don’t think I’ll be be able to play today. I have to run some errands today. Why don’t you play with your brother instead?” he notices the sadness in her eyes.

“Okay, here’s what I can do. I’ll do some coloring with you when I get back. I hope that’s okay.” he assures her. Debbie’s eyes light up in hope as she looks up to him and nods her head in confirmation.

“My driver can take you wherever you need to go” Kesa stated with a gaze while steadily fixating her eyes on her phone. She still had work to do though she wasn’t going to the office.

“That’s not necessary, I can take care of my transportation . I have a car parked outside.” Mason said.

Kesa lifted her eyes from her phone and looked at him stunned by what he had said. She went further to say “You have a car? I thought you came with a taxi.”

“Well I own a car and I came with a taxi. It had broken down and stranded me on my way here so the mechanic took it for repairs and brought it back a few days ago.” he replied while Ms Baker brought in a tray of food.

She had prepared a buffet. There were various types of meals and liquids, all for a family of three. Oh how the rich ate so little when they had this much. He had lobbied for this kind of life.

Kesa’s eyes bored into his forehead when he asked,” What kind of car do you drive?”

“It’s nothing special, just a beat down old junk that helps me run errands. At least, it’s good enough to take me from point A to point B.”

“I don’t think it’s the old rusty bucket that turned up in my driveway earlier this week. It has been disposed of already.” she said while sitting up and straightening in her seat.

Mason’s jaw almost dropped when he heard what she just said. “You got rid of my car?”

“Well, I’ve been taught that whatever is a hazard in the environment should be gotten ridden of. So I clearly practiced what I was taught.”

This act had instilled so much rage in him. How could he do that? Pushing his chair back, he stood up and glared at his boss, “How could you do that? I’m very sure you know I can’t afford a new one.”

With a sarcastic tone in her voice, she responded,”I’m sorry that I saved you from the embarrassment of going around with that old piece of crap. I’d try my best to think before doing something good for you next time.”

Debbie and Tyler sat in their seats quickly looking vstwedn the two adults. Noting the puppy face from Debbie, Mason tried to keep his calm. He quickly removed the anger from his face. His hands reached out to soothe the little girl, his hands carding through her hair.

In an authoritative manner, Kesa spoke loudly,” You MUST use my driver to leave the house!”

Mason attempted to argue but a quick glance at the children put the words back into his mouth. He responded curtly,” Okay, but we will have to talk about this later.”

Kesa just shrugged and picked up her cutlery, dropping her phone back on the table to focus on her food. She was famished and ready to devour the food. “As you want Mr Mason.”she said quickly trying to put an end to the discussion to concentrate.

Resisting the urge to react, Mason say back on his chair. He didn’t want his temper to get the best of him. This was no time to throw tantrums, he decided to himself. For the sake of the children, he would back down, but now he had to talk to his boss.

Mason was dressed and ready to face the world, he had looked so sharp that he commended himself in the mirror. This was the first time since working for Kesa that he took his time and effort to enhance his appearance.

Due to the high regard for her privacy and confidentiality, Kesa only authorized a limited number of persons to enter the house and as a result he couldn’t speak to many people asides Ms Baker and the kids. He didn’t have any iota of dislike for the children, rather it was the opposite. Within such a short duration, he had grown quite fond of them.

He slid into the back seat of the car, his heart racing at the sight of two people at the door. He’d never seen them before. Dressed in her casual floral print dress was Kesa who stood with her arms folded. Her face cold with fear which gave him shivers. Both Debbie and Tyler waved with great enthusiasm as the car that was now moving.

Mason stuck out his hand to wave at the kids after he rolled the window. As the car pulled away smoothly, he stopped himself from waving gradually, as the house soon disappeared from his view.

“Where would you like to go to, Mr Mason?” Nelson asked as he turned to look at his passenger.

“I’d like to run a few errands in town, that is if you don’t mind.” He replied.

Mason could already feel the exhaustion running through his system. The mere thought of what was to come overwhelmed him. His lawyer had called him in earlier to finalize the paperwork. This was finally the end. Now, he’d finally get the chance to cut off ties with his ex wife, Mona. Thoughts of Mona kept flying across his mind making him sick to his stomach.

Moments later, the car pulled to a stop a few streets away from the required destination. He liked being discrete so he didn’t want his new boss to know what he was up to. He had always lived a private life and never allowed his business to be out there. Not that it was her business, but for a woman who had lost a man she loved so deeply, he couldn’t help but think that she would have advised him otherwise. She seemed like she strongly believed in love.

He quickly checked himself in the glass of a dress shop window. In an attempt to gather courage, he pulled back his shoulders, drew in a deep breath and took those final steps.

As soon as he entered the building, he first saw the receptionist. He headed over to tell her about his mission there. He was able to locate the office of his lawyer.

“Follow me” she had told him and she led him to a small conference room.

Tania Williams stood at the extreme of the room. The wind had ruffled her hair but she still looked good. As the door clicked shot announcing their arrival, she spun on her heel and offered a pain smile as soon as her eyes fell on Mason. He’d still looked as irresistible as ever. Even when. he tried not to overdress, he always stole the show.

She was a tall, elegant lady. Her dark brown hair emphasized the color of her eyes. She had inherited her caramel colored skin from her mother and also her irresistible charm that could soften even the hardest of hearts. Those dimples always popped out and complimented her appearance.

“How are you doing?” she asked while scanning her eyes up and down in an attempt to assess Mason’s wellbeing. Was he really living well and happy during the divorce? Well, he seemed happy.

“I’m doing well, how’s David? he replied still staring at her.

For a moment, jealousy welled up in his heart as he looked at his dark skinned ex wife. He had never seen her look at him that way all the time they had been together. Even at the times when things had been their best, she hadn’t felt this depth of emotion she’d felt for David. The painful truth was sad but it was all over now. There was no need comparing the love he didn’t receive. It was best he moved on.

“He’s great. He travelled off to the Maldives for a business seminar.” she answered with so much confidence in her voice.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Tania’s face became pale. She bit her lips while she stared into the eyes of her ex husband. She had hoped this had sunk into Mason and eaten him deep.

While nodding his head, Mason stared down at his hands for some moments.He forced a smile on face before eyeing the brown envelope on the table. “Is that it?”

“Yes, that is it” Tania murmured. Her hands went through the strands of her that had blocked her from seeing properly as she moved them to the back. She always did this when she was nervous. This time was no different.

Taking a step closer to the table, Mason picked up the envelope but didn’t dare himself to open it. He had already concluded what it would hold. The presence of both parties to agree to a divorce and the amicable nature of the entire proceedings, his lawyer had managed to get the entire proceeding at the right time.

All they would wait for would be the absolute decree which they had known for months- their marriage couldn’t be revived, it was gone. The reality had already settled in on them.

“I’m really sorry, you know that don’t you?” Tania said in a soft, calming manner, her voice cutting her through the air.

“Don’t be. It was for the best. There’s no point beating yourself about it. David will give you everything that you desire and love you in the way that I couldn’t. You were good enough so don’t doubt your value or underestimate yourself.”

At this point, they both shed tears but Mason tried his best to hold it in. This is not what he had expected when he was in car coming over there. The pain of their separation was just as fresh as the day they decided to call it quits.

His lawyer took the opportunity to pat him on the shoulder while reassuring him that everything would be fine. It would definitely be. But the pain of the present had sunk in deep but he had to let go. That was the only way he could accept growth.

“You may no longer be married to me but you’ll still have a friend in me, I’ll try my best to be there as a friend regardless.” Tania said as she looked up. She had managed to clean her tears in such a way that her makeup wasn’t affected.

“Thanks Tania. I appreciate that. I will also be here as well, to play the role of a friend.” He responded to her assurance and words of comfort.

After a few moments, he was able to regain his composure and he pulled away.

This divorce had symbolized the end of an era. This era was filled with heartache and love. Yet, right there, it was all done and over with. The only thing he could feel apart from the mask of sadness that had enveloped him, was the feeling of relief. He felt relieved that it was over. Of course he had been waiting for this moment. He felt like a heavy burden was now lifted off his shoulders.

He felt sad that they hadn’t been able to make it work. Five years was enough to try, though other couples had tried for longer. The fights didn’t make it any easier. He felt they would go away soon and it was just a matter of time. But the disagreement became so unbearable. Most times they would fight and not speak to each other for days. He couldn’t live with it any longer so he had to step out of the marriage. Maybe she wasn’t happy, maybe she wasn’t at peace. Whatever it was, that wasn’t the case when they had met each other recently.

On the other hand, he felt relieved because they had not been able to make it work. The love had been gone longer than it had existed but they were too blinded to realize. It had been a good thing that they had realized early to avoid waste of time and delay in a marriage with no atom of love nor peace.

The marriage had tied them down putting a weight in between them. Now, they had been set free.

Wiping away the wetness on her face, Tania clutched the papers to her chest while staring at the two men before her. Within her heart, she had known that her healing would take a long time. But now she had David who would help her heal properly. She would be okay because time was a healer.

“I’d better be going now. My new boss loves punctuality.” Backing from the room, he paused and said to the two people in the room “I'll miss you both. Goodbye.”

Before either of them could give a response, Mason hurried from the building and back out on the streets. So many emotions were inside him, he didn’t even know how to feel. He wasn’t ready to bask in this reality. What was he thinking? This was not some joke where he would drag some puppets to give people a good laugh, it was his life.

He quickly took a stroll down the road. For a while, he just needed to be on his own. He wanted to be away from his new reality. He wasn’t ready to live in it yet. He remembered how confident Tania had looked, she was over him and it was time he did the same. She had dressed up so well like she had been counting down to this day.

Her skin looked fresher and supple, she looked like she had been smiling more often. Why wouldn’t she? She was now happy. She was in love with a man who understood her and gave her love unconditionally.

The best way for him to escape his new found fate was amongst all these strangers he walked past.

He ducked his head past the fellow pedestrians and hugged the envelope to his chest. He kept walking until his feet were sore. Nature decided to give him a break by sending in droplets of rain. Finally, the rain started dropping from the sky and he couldn’t keep walking. He returned to car which was waiting for him and headed back to Kesa’s mansion.