It didn't take much for Mara to be admitted into the prison, but she had to wait for over an hour since it was not yet time for inmates to see visitors. Luckily, little Leo was asleep, so there was no fear of getting distracted by the riots of a hungry young boss. She sat there, watching keenly as each inmate was brought out and shown to the table they were to sit. Virtually all of them recognised their visitors instantly and the result was a happy, or in some cases, a rapturous greeting. This only made Mara long for a family of her own. Yes, she had her two Leos, but it wasn't official yet. She had no ring on her finger yet and she had no idea if he would be happy with the fact that she was continually referring to him as her boyfriend. She couldn't help but wonder what he would do if he knew. Would he laugh It off, be surprised, or would he ask her to stop it? But no matter what, she had made up her mind to talk to him about them the moment he got out of prison. She was tired of wa

The next day, Mara woke up as early as she could and went straight to see how the little man was doing. Fortunately, he was still asleep. She felt relieved as she tiptoed out of the nursery. His being awake would put serious pressure on her and she didn't want that. Her next destination was the kitchen. The first thing she did there was to prepare little Leo's breakfast just in case he woke up sooner. After that, she went straight to making her own food, but there was a little dilemma. Should she make some to take to Leo too? Would the guard agree to help like he had done the previous day? Or would she need to bribe him today to make it worth his while? Wouldn't he be offended by such a bribe? With all these thoughts running through her head, Mara had no idea what to do. If given the slightest chance, she would take food to Leo three times a day and even spoon-feed him too like he had done for her when Mel hit her. In fact, she wanted to reciprocate all the sweet gestures she had rec

The threshold of the house seemed to have a special ability to wake little Leo. Just like the previous day, the moment she stepped past the threshold, little Leo woke up."Welcome back to the world of the wakeful, little boss," Mara greeted him with a kiss as she unstrapped him and lay him down on his back on the couch. "Let me go prepare food, okay?"But he was more concerned with rubbing his eyes and stretching his legs. She left him and went straight to the kitchen. Lunch should be ready before he would begin his protest. She brought out the utensils for the preparation of his meal and after ensuring that they were clean, she reached into the cupboard to grab the ingredients for his food, but lo and behold, there was virtually nothing left."Oh my God," Mara gasped. What would she do now? Little Leo would not accept anything less than his food. Oh, how she wished Leo was around. This was one of those times she needed him by her side. Ugh! She put the things aside and walked quietly

Now that he was full, little Leo had time to investigate his surroundings as his mother put the food things inside the bag. It didn't take long for his eyes to encounter his grandfather's and he burped loudly as he focused on the man's face."What's his name, Mara?", Mr. Johnson asked."Leo," Mara answered. But suddenly, it occurred to her for the first time that her son had no surname! He would soon be old enough to walk and that would be followed by kindergarten. How would she register him in school? What name would he bear? The shameful and yet funny part was that she had no knowledge or remembrance – she was not sure which – of Mel's surname. But even if she did, she would not want her son to have anything to do with it for fear of him of turning out to be like Mel. The mere thought of it made her shudder. But if not Mel's, whose name would he bear? Certainly not hers. He had to bear a man's surname which was why she had to get married as soon as possible and to Leo too. She just

Mara promptly returned to her room and grabbed her phone. Then she dialed his number. First ring, second ring, third ring, but just when she thought it would go unanswered, he suddenly picked it up."Good morning, Mara," his baritone filled her ears and she realized just how long it had been since the last time she spoke to him."Good morning, Mr. Mike. How do you do?", Mara asked hesitatingly."I'm fine, Mara. Any problems?""Not really. It's just... I wanted to, you know, find out if I could go bring em... I mean, can I go to the prison now to get my boyfriend?""Oh no, no, no. It's not yet time. We're yet to begin proceedings here at the courthouse. But don't worry. I'm here at the court premises. When we're done, I'll let you know immediately.""Oh." Mara sounded surprised. "Will it take that long? I thought...""It might take some time, but not too much time. Don't worry. I'll keep you posted. Take care."Then the line was disconnected. Mara sat there staring at the phone. She co