𝓛𝓲𝓶𝓲𝓽𝓼

̷A̷b̷o̷v̷e ̷i̷s ̷U̷b̷o̷n̷g̷.
______________________________________

"Thank you for making time to be here; I’m Ruth." An elegant-looking woman, dressed in a navy blue, off-shouldered maxi dress, stripped with gold lines on the burst that match the gold stud earrings revealed under her long box braids and the gold bracelet on her left wrist, introduces herself as she welcomes me into her sitting room, pointing to the couch for me to sit. "I was thrilled when my friend called me to inform me about your coming," she says, sitting comfortably facing me. "Before then, I was frustrated."

Mrs. Adebanjo had given me some background information on Ruth's character and requirements. And since Mrs. Adebanjo is currently on vacation with her family, I desperately need an alternate employment, so it's critical that I do well today.

"I had trouble getting a good babysitter, so I called my friend, who recommended you to me."

"I’m sorry you had to go through the trouble." I say, smiling.

"Thank you again, Eno."

"You’re welcome," I simply reply while maintaining a mild smile.

Next Friday, my husband and I have a company dinner to attend, and I'm hoping you could watch my kids while we're gone," She makes her request, and I can tell from the expression on her face how highly important the supper is.

I nod and start to say, "I’ll—" But I'm distracted by the engine of a car driving in. I watch Ruth gently push aside the cream, faux silk curtains before peering through the large window behind where she previously sat, to see whose car it is.

"My husband is back, please give me a minute." She says politely, then exits the sitting room to go welcome her husband.

While she is away, I take my time to admire the large living room, floored with polished marbles and high ceilings, embellished with exquisite moldings and decorations. The interior walls are painted white, adorned with polished brown furniture. The brown, oval-shaped center table in front of me is a detailed piece of art crafted from high-quality glass with a mixture of green and red flower design on it center, which stands on a light brown, furry center rug.

The living room is so spacious that it has two separate chair arrangements. The first, where I'm currently sitting, features large, plush sofas and armchairs which are upholstered in the most opulent leather in shades of cream and coffee-brown. They are arranged to face a novel TV stand with a polished brown wall unit. On one end of the stand, I can see a crystal cut vase holding a bouquet of flowers, and on the other end, a small picture frame of the lovely couple, which I paid little attention to.

The second chair arrangement is set at the opposite end of the room, residing close to large glass door that leads to the garden. It has a love-seat sofa and two armchairs covered in rich black leather, and an abstract coffee table at it middle. I also notice the beautiful crystal chandelier hanging from the center of the living room ceiling which, in my knowledge, will surely cast a soothing glow at night. In front of the second chair groupings, along the wall, is a fully stocked bar area. It has a selection of different wines, glassware, and nice bar seats. There are also white floating shelves with different colors of artificial flowers on them, leading to the dining area.

"Wow, so this is what being rich feels like. If I should put a price on everything I see in this room, the estimate I'll get will be enough to settle ten generations.

My eyes survey in awe before finally falling on an enlarged family picture hanging on the wall in front of where I'm seated. I can easily spot Ruth and her husband sitting while their four children, a girl and three boys, stand behind their parents, all smiling beautifully. The girl looks much older than my daughter but the boy beside her looks much older, maybe seventeen, if I should guess. But the other two boys are still very young.

I smiled, admiring the beautiful family; that’s when it dawned on me. Instantly, I jump up, shocked, and take another close look at the family photo.

Gaping fixedly at the photo when I hear the front door whacking open, Ruth's voice echoes in my astounding mind, "I’m sorry I kept you waiting." She apologize.

I turn around to see her, and there he is, standing before me, my confirmation from the photo I studied.

I feel my heart throbbing fast, my feet turning numb, and my eyes wide enough to swallow his image.

"Do my eyes deceive me?" I wonder as the room turns smaller and smaller, suffocating me in it.

"Eno, meet my husband." She introduces.
I can hear me screaming in my head, but my mouth opens up and says nothing as tears form in my eyes.

I gaze at confused Ruth and ask, blinking back the tears "So this is the family you abandoned me for?" I blurted, tears blurring my vision and escaping down my cheeks.

"What?" Ruth sound, even more perplexed. Looking at her husband, then at me "You two know each other?"

All those years from the village, the pain, the stigma, the wait. Everything came flooding my brain, breaking me into smaller pieces. Ubong, the man that took my pride and left me with the price to pay alone. Feeding me with false hope and dream crowned with fake love. That man who after promising me forever, abandoned me to suffer alone in the village and ran to the city to build his perfect family in a perfect house. And now, before my very eyes is that man, Ubong.

Ubong stands speechless, staring at me in bewilderment.

I hope and pray every day never to run into Ubong, this is the Universe’s way of telling me, that is inevitable.

"I’m sorry, Ruth; I can’t work for you." I utter in my now-shaking voice Picking up my purse on the couch, I add, "I’m truly sorry; I’ll call Mrs. Adebanjo and apologize." Before leaving the room hastily.

I can hear them arguing from inside, but what do I care? All I can think about now is getting out of here.

I stand at the end of the street, heavy. Fighting back the tears was the most difficult part. All the memories I had of Ubong and all the pain I went through are coming back to me.

My chest aches so much that I can barely breathe. I am scared of myself right now; I hurt so much that I’m scared of what I might do. I take out my phone and dial Omoh’s number. I know I shouldn’t bother her right now, but I did.

"Babe," I called the moment she picked

"Hey, what's up?" She asks in her cheerful tone, which I definitely ignored.

"Please, where are you?" I ask instead.

"I’m on my way home. Are you home?"

"Not yet," I reply, trying hard to sound okay but fail.

She suspects quickly that I am lying because she asks, "Are you sure you are okay?"

"We’ll talk when I get home." I say, ending the call. If you ask me, I think I am a bit relieved that I won’t be alone at home. With my state of mind, I can't predict what I might do next.

1256 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖉𝖘

𝕀'𝕕 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨, 𝕚𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕨𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝔼𝕟𝕠 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕤𝕒𝕞𝕖 𝕤𝕚𝕥𝕦𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟, 𝕙𝕠𝕨 𝕨𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕕? ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕤 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕣𝕖𝕡𝕝𝕪 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 ======>>>