GRACEThree days had sped by before I knew it, with a nervous feeling simmering underneath my stomach.Was I giving in too easily? I wondered as I continued breezing in and out of my daily routines of going to work and taking Laurel to school. But then, Connor Shelby looked like a man who knew how to have his way every time. One thing that bothered me most though, was what I was going to tell Laurel about who Connor was. Of course I didn’t plan to tell her who he ‘really’ was now, but she had never seen me with any male being serious at all. So I explained to her that we were going to see the man who brought her back from school the other day, while I got her and myself ready that Saturday evening. “Are we going to thank him?” she asked with an innocent confusion on her face. I had never enjoyed lying to my child but I realized I had to for now, just to protect her.“Something like that, baby,” I said, brushing her pretty bangs. “Is h

  CONNOR.   I had reserved a place as soon as she left my office the other day. It was a seven star hotel erected close to the sea, so one can be eating dinner while watching Dolphins play around from a close distance. I was hoping Grace would like it. I realized I didn’t really know much about her favourite stuffs but I was ready to know, and tonight, we would be starting afresh like new lovers.  She dazzled in her beautiful silver gown that revealed an exquisite, hour-glass figure which she had been hiding behind those unflattering lose pants and office wears. And her hair took on a more serious shine, sitting up on her head in a bun with tendrils cascading down her well-sculptured forehead.I wish she would be this way all the time, even though all I could think of was loosing that bun and letting it fall with her in my arms. We stepped off the car and were led to the VVIP section by the manager of the hotel

CONNORMorning light filtered through the glass windows into my room. Grace laid peacefully on my arm, sleeping so soundly I didn’t want to wake her up. It was a Sunday. We could wake up as late as we wanted since neither of us had any serious work to do.Speaking of work, I reasoned I should make her quit her job. We were going to make it official soon and working in that sort of place wouldn’t suit her. Then there was the disturbing issue of leaving Laurel with people throughout the night just because of the peanuts they were paying there. We would talk about that later, but for now, I was relishing the striking view before me. Her head had resting on my arms all through the night, and now I didn’t wish to move the arm, even if I was starting to feel really uncomfortable. I had to continue watching peaceful face, her long lashes sticking out from beneath her closed eyelids, her hair sprawling on my arms and on the bedspread and her li

JODY.I hate grocery shopping.  I would always choose shopping for clothes, shoes, bags and make-up over shopping for food items anytime any day. But unfortunately, today wasn’t one of the days I could choose.My refrigerator and kitchen cabinet were literally empty, not that there wasn’t money to get the things I needed but the energy and will to get them was totally absent. And I couldn’t always eat out.Ever since I left my parent’s, the responsibility of buying grocery for myself had been an adult thingy I'm yet to catch up with. Maybe that was why getting married or ‘settling down’ like my parents called was really difficult for me.  And these days everything they talked about constantly found its way back to the topic of settling down and having kids. It was their biggest issue now, a bone of contention, the reason I had been avoiding going to visit them for over a month. “I don’t think y

GRACENK was looking womanly in her regular conservative style of finely tailored black trousers and white shirt with a long black coat. I bet she was only coming from home despite looking so sophisticated like she was going for a conference or something.She was black so her hair wasn’t straight like ours. It was extremely curly bunch of afro that stood on her head like a halo. She tied around the front with a tiny scarf, giving it a more organized look but I loved it anyway. She always tells me keeping an afro is the greatest headache on earth, still I wish I had it. She made herself comfortable on my long couch, holding a cup of coffee I just handed her as we caught up on the weather and other trivialities as we had promised each other during our college never to talk about important stuff when any of us is absent. It was totally childish of us back then, but we held on to it even as grown adults. Laurie had gone to bed early, few hours after Conn