All Chapters of THE PERFECT HUSBAND : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

In Rivercity the following morning, Given walked inside Amy's mother’s yard. She walked to the door and knocked. The door opened then Amys mother’s husband opened.He looked at Given.“Hello..”“Goodmorning , Mommy sent me to weed the yard. Amy's mom spoke to her, I was supposed to come yesterday.”The husband stared at her. “Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”Given looked down in silence. The husband pointed at the spade.“There is the spade. Do you even know how to use it?”“Yes.”She walked over to it and then picked it up. Given frowned as the harsh sun before bending over. Her small hands gripped the handle, and then she bent over meeting the heat waves rising from the ground.Time slowly dragged. The spade grew heavier while her arms began to ache. Sweat dripped down her forehead, stinging her eyes. She swallowed, but her throat was dry. Her stomach twisted painfully, and she ignored it, focused on finishing.Another hour passed, and her legs wobbled. Her head pounded. The

The cleaner, Maria, stood at a distance, swallowing against the dryness in her throat. She stared at the two police vehicles parked at awkward angles, their blue lights silent but still spinning, painting the lodge’s stucco wall in frantic, rhythmic streaks. Her heart pounded a frantic, sickening rhythm against her ribs. The morning coffee she’d had churned in her stomach. Just turn off the tap, she’d thought. That was all.Inside the room, the air was a cloying mixture of chemical lavender from a spent air freshener and the unmistakable, thick sweetness of death. Officer Kamau crouched beside the bathtub, his latex gloves snapping against his wrists. He inspected the pale, lifeless body of the woman, her skin pruned and waxy. His colleague, Officer Auma, stood braced in the bathroom doorway, her jaw tight, trying to breathe through her mouth to avoid the smell.“See this?” Kamau said quietly, using a gloved finger to gently move a damp strand of dark hair from the woman’s neck. Faint

The social worker jumped back tasting the pee in her mouth.“Eishh !”Regina stared at them. “I said out! Get out! This is my house. You won’t tell me how to do things. Get out!”Given’s teacher removed her blazer. “They are going to take that child away from you!”“Who will? Huh? Who? I gave birth to her all alone! No one helped me push, that child is mine and what she does is my business alone.”The social worker wiped her mouth, her face twisted in disgust. She stepped forward, her voice firm.“We are giving you a chance to cooperate. If you refuse, we will involve the police.”Regina laughed. “The police? For what? Raising my own daughter?” She placed her hands on her hips. “Let them come! Maybe they will also bring me food because no one in this damn country ever asks if I have enough to feed my children..”Given’s teacher shook her head. “We are not here to fight you. We are here for Given’s well-being.”

TWO MONTHS LATER**At transport, Adrian walked out holding the blue book with a huge smile and made a call.“Hello?”“I managed to register the car. Thank you so much. I’m in love with the car already.”She laughed. “Please sir take care of my baby. That was my first car also she’s in good condition. I know it’s an old model ,but she was still a good one.”Adrian walked over to the old model C200 Kompressor smiling.“I love it. Please thank your husband for me. All payments moving forward will be made on the last day of the month.”“Of cause. Bye, enjoy.”Adrian hung up and got in the car. A rush of excitement made him chuckle l,ooking at the interior. He put away the blue book and drove off.*At Judith ’s house, Adrian parked at the gate just as a lady stepped out of the house. He stepped out , wondering who she was ,but the resemblance was uncanny. She was a little taller, wider hips. She

Adrian parked in front of Faye’s apartment. He took out his phone with a sigh and called her. She picked after a while coughing.“Hello? I’m at the gate.”Adrian looked at the open gate while she coughed gasping for air. He jumped out of the car and hurried inside the yard. He looked at her car parked in front of the first apartment. Adrian made his way to the door, knocked twice then walked in. His heart skipped as his eyes fell on Faye lying on the floor. He frowned smelling the gas right from the door.“Shit!”He quickly cut the call and hurried inside. He looked at the box of matchstick in her hand and snatched it before picking her up while she struggled to breathe. Her phone slipped from her hand and he picked it up amd slid it into his pocket. He looked at the open gas tank then turned it around closing it before rushing out. Faye weakly coughed on his shoulder. Adrian closed the door and hurried with her to his car where he put