Chapter six

Karis sat in his office in his office in Woodville. The inactivity was killing him. He wondered why his father had insisted he work at the office branch in Woodville for a whole year before he was allowed to take over the running of the company. It was probably Adam Chukwu that put him up to it. Karis wondered how Adam had started off as his father's legal advicer, became his father's best friend and now was practically dictating what his father did.

   Thinking about Adam made Karis remember Weruche. He smiled. Beautiful but reluctant Weruche. She was going to have to make up her mind soon because he had already made up his.

   He got up from his chair, stretched and went to stand by the window. The view was great, his office overlooked the beautiful lake Woodville was known for but at this time of the year, there were no beautiful women flashing amazing bodies in bikinis, each trying to out do her neighbor in beauty and class. Instead, fishermen were all over the beach, hawking their catches while they checked their nets half heartedly. The real fishing was done at night.

   He wanted to see her. The need was slightly becoming an itch that could not be scratched. He considered calling her, knew he could get his number if he wanted to but something held him back. As intrigued as he was by Weruche, there was something fragile about her and he didn't do fragile. He didn't consider himself a wicked man and so he didn't deceive women. Sex for him was pleasurable when it was uncomplicated and he made sure the women he took to his bed were on the same page with him.

   His phone rang, he picked and tried not to grimace as his father dictated to him yet another task that must have been inspired by Adam Chukwu. His father wanted him to launch a new charity-- give back to the people, whatever that meant. Tired, he went back to his desk and sat down. He was sure Adam wanted to see him fail but just what the older man would gain from that was what Karis couldn't figure out.

                                          ***

The incident with the roses left Weruche shaken. She couldn't understand who would be so cruel to send her those flowers, what could the person really want. She got up from her bed where she had been trying in vain to study, the text book on her bed long forgotten and walked over to the shelf where she kept her book and -- the single rose Karis had given her. It was now wilted but she had once cherished it. Now, she wondered if it could have been an inspiration to the person who sent her the roses.

   She crumpled the now wilted rose in her hand as she thought of Karis, one minute he was gentle in a way that made her think he liked her and the next he was filled with so much anger, she wondered who it was directed at and who exactly was Adam Chukwu. She thought of Joseph, was he telling the truth when he said his sister lived in the same hostel with her? Had he been monitoring her, but why? What could he possibly gain?

   Feeling the begining of a migraine, Weruche tried to forget about the roses but she knew that was almost impossible, she had already started having nightmares.

   Kachi walked into the room, her hands loaded with books. "Weruche one of your brothers called me."

   "Was it Justin? Did he say he's sending money?" Weruche asked feeling excited immediately. Money was a big issue for both she and her roommate and sothey always looked forward to calls from home. 

   "No he -- check your phone, he said he has been trying it and it's switched off?"

   Weruche sighed. Her phone was a torchlight phone that had seen better days, she had took to binding the battery and the phone together with a rubber band. The rubber band had probably dislodged again and that was why her brother had been unable to reach her. She picked up her phone and secured the binding. "I don't even have airtime to call him." She murmured to herself. "Can you please lend me your phone Kachi, let me call him back?"

   " I can happily lend you my phone Uche, it's my airtime I'm worried about." She said laughing as she gave the phone to Weruche and Weruche walked out of the room to make the call.

   Weruche tried not to cry as she spoke with her brother. He wasn't calling because he wanted to give give her money, she was told instead that her mother was critically ill and she was needed back home.

   Even after she had cut the call, Weruche stood where she was, holding Kachi's phone in her hand as her mind trailed down memory lane. Her mother had always been a very strong part of her life since her childhood and after her father's death, the two of them had bonded even stronger. Lately her mother's health had been deteriorating in the past few years. She didn't know what she would do without her mother.

   Kachi stretched out her hands wordlessly, and Weruche entered her embrace without a word, as the tears began to flow.

   ''Do you want to talk about it?'' Kachi finally asked.

   ''Mama is sick.'' Weruche said, but deep down, she knew it was a little more than sickness.

   ''You'd be going home right?'' Kachi asked again as Weruche gently eased out from her embrace.

   ''Yes. I'm leaving this in the next hour'' she had to go, had to make sure her mother was still..... To make sure that her mother wasn't...