Chapter Three

Supporting her dad was her main goal, but due to the system of the country, she found it difficult to accomplish that goal.

She was still sorting out her clothes when she heard a voice call out her name.

“Sophy!” the voice called out again.

She quickly abandoned the clothes she was sorting to go check who was calling out her name, she opened the door and it was her boyfriend James.

She was not surprised, she knew he was the only one who called her “Sophy” but she was surprised to see him again at her house.

She opened the door and she let him into the living room.

“James what are you doing here?” she queried.

“Are you not happy to see me?”

“Not even a hug?” he asked with open arms.

“James I’ve not seen you for the past one week, no calls, no texts and you show up at my house and you are demanding a hug?”

“No baby! I went on a business trip” James said as he pulled her over to him and kissed her passionately.

James made efforts to unbuckle his shorts as he kissed her passionately, Sofia noticed what he was about to do and she pulled herself away from him.

“What do you want to do?”

“Sophy I’ve missed you, didn’t you miss me baby?” he asked as he looked into her eyes passionately.

“I do but why do you reek of alcohol?”

“Have you gone back to drinking?”

“Sophy, that’s not important right now, I need money,” James said barely looking at Sophia.

“What do you need money for and what about the three hundred dollars I lent you last month”?

“You haven’t refunded me that money and you are asking for more,” Sofia asked peering into his eyes.

“I….I know Sophy, I know but you know mum is sick and she needs this now, I can’t afford to lose her, or do you...” James stuttered rubbing his fingers.

And she always melted anytime he called her “Sophy”

“No no don’t do that James” Sofia caught him in.

Sofia knew what James was up to, he always loved playing the emotional blackmail card and of course, it always worked.

“So how much do you need?” Sofia asked

“Well just a thousand dollars” James replied

“What! A thousand dollars, James I do not have that kind of money, do you how much I earn from Haute House?”

“And besides i’ve been laid off”

“What?!” James exclaimed with his eyes open.

“What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it, just maybe if you always called and cared about me, you might have known what happened,” Sofia said as she shook her head.

“I'm sorry babe, I’ve just been busy,” James said touching her face.

“James, that amount of money is huge, it doesn’t even sum up my savings”.

“I know Sophy, the hospital bill cost a lot but I’ll still add some of my money to the one you will lend me to make it up”.

“ Ok, let’s do it this way, I’ll give you eight hundred dollars right now and try to see if I can make it up later”.

“Oh that’s fine, I'm cool with that”.

Sofia couldn't say no, she just had to give him the money.

James had been her boyfriend since college, they were both art major students and they did excellently well in their academics.

Sofia had always rejected his proposal every time he approached her until the day he rescued her from the college tyrants to show appreciation Sofia accepted to go on a coffee date with James, and the rest was history.

Getting up from the single sofa he was sitting on and moving closer to Sofia, James gave her a quick but light peck on her cheek.

Sofia got up and went into her room and came back shortly with the money.

“Thank you Sophy this means a lot to me, I’ll have to be on my way so I can see the doctor and tell him to commence treatment immediately,” James said.

“Yeah, you should I’ll come to visit maybe tomorrow morning” Sofia responded standing up from the arm of the sofa she sat on facing James.

“Please babe this is my savings, but life first, and remember the last one I lent to you. Please I need it”.

“Don’t worry Sophy, I’ll add interest when I’m paying back”

Sofia deliberately ignored the last sentence James said because ever since she started dating James he found it difficult to gift her anything.

She was only concerned about him paying back all the money she lent to him first.

“See you tomorrow then,” James said barely looking at her as he made his way to the door.

Sofia sank onto the cushion resting her back against it and her eyes rolled up to the ceiling, she was deep in thought.

The only money she had she had given out to James, it wasn’t a bad thing after all but James had the habit of being reminded to pay back the money she loans to him.

“ I need to get a job,” she said not aware she was audible.