THE WIDOWER.

CHAPTER 27.

Nora knocked on CJ's door as a smiling Mumbi opened the door.
"Good evening?" She greeted her.
"Good evening." She responded leaving her to waltz through the house as she now was familiar with the house.
Nora walked into the living room and sat waiting for CJ.
She was amazed at how much things had changed between them. He was patient with her,she could see at how he listened and even handled her nonchalance when it comes to some of things they discussed.
There days she worried if she let her guard down he will hurt her and she was afraid of what she might do.
They still did not agree when it came to God for she had a thousand questions about the big guy in the sky as she thought.
Nora was always in control but lately she felt things slipping away from her hands and one of them is how she felt about CJ.
"Hey?" CJ walked in with a smile and gave her a brief hug.
" I am sorry was putting Olive to sleep." He apologized.
"It is okay. How did it go." She asked as she sat comfortably.
"It went well more than I expected,I am going to be her legal guardian." He gave the excellent news.
" wow! That's good news." She answered with a smile.
"I know she is happy." Nora went on.
"She is and I couldn't ask God for more than what He has given me. He says in His word, He gives us more than we ask or think or imagine. She is more than I asked." CJ ranted on.
"That's wonderful. I am glad to know you are happy about all this." She expressed herself with uncertainty of how CJ felt.
Mumbi walked in with a tray with two mugs  for tea and some snacks.
"Thank you." CJ appreciated.
"Sir I am taking my leave, everything you need is in the fridge." She cut in with a smile.
"Thank you. Tomorrow you will stay in,I got a night shift. Good night to you." He gave the instructions as Nora watched how he treated his employee.
"Good night to both of you." She said as she left.
"You treat her so well,how so?" She asked without a good reason just to wave off the silence that had engulfed by tinkling of the cutlery.
"When I lived with my uncle back in the US,I saw how he treated his employees and he told that it is important to treat people as humans despite their stations in life. I have never forgotten those words." He expounded after sipping his tea.
"He is a wise man." She chipped in.
"He is and stricter than my father ever did. He followed rules and made sure we understood the consequences of not adhering to them." He laughed.
"What was your father like?" She asked with a fascination.
"He was an honorable man. He loved art and everything artistic. He always said that God was the best artist because if you look at how earth has been created and painted,He never even once missed a single detail about anything. For example the sky,galaxies and planets all have such a wonderful combination and we humans express what God has given us through art from music to poetry." He recalled with a smile.
Nora watched him as he recalled the memory of his father and thought of how amazing it would to have a father teaching her wisdom and maybe about God.
"Your father was pretty amazing." She responded.
"Yes,he was and I miss him most days. He taught me how to be a man. One time I had adopted this hip hop culture and style of putting my pants down my waist and he almost flipped the table on seeing me  mimicking the bounce. He said this,"son a real man never wears his pants down and he never pretends to be someone he is not,for how then will you become what God has made you to be when you pretend to be somebody you are not? I tell you that was the last time I put my pants down." CJ retold the story with a laughter and it was contagious for even Nora laughed.
"What about you,how did your father look like." CJ took a chance at the light hearted atmosphere.
Nora watched him and contemplated if it was right for her to open up but she chided herself for not trusting a man who was proving he was not here for selfish motives.
"He was generally nice, he was an accountant if I remember correctly. He loved us ,my sister and I .." Nora shut her mouth after noticing her slip.
She never talked about Lora. She could not bring herself to look at CJ. She was afraid of what she may find.
"Lora?" He queried.
Nora's guard was up and watched him stipulating how he came to know her sister's name.
"Don't worry,I did not ask around but the day you were stabbed you kept calling her name." He immediately explained himself.
Nora took a breath and turned her face away from him and wondered what else had she spilled when she was in the hospital.
Silence engulfed as he waited for her to go on.
"Hey if you don't want to talk about it,it is alright. We can play chess or something." He offered.
There was silence. She did not look at him in fear of how Pitiful it was to be vulnerable before him. She was always the strong one,she managed keeping things this way.
Why now? She managed to keep this secret for a long time why now?
She was trembling and all she felt was two streaks of hot liquid pooling over eyes and she felt immobile.
This was the first time in years she cried this much in front of anyone. She was afraid of what CJ would think of her if he saw her face.
Taking one breathe at a time and avoiding her breathe coming out  jagged.
She heard the couch squeak to accommodate the weight of the intruder. He touched her and she hated how comforting it felt.
She tried to struggle herself free of him only for him to hug her and then everything flooded down.
"Nora,we have flushed the poison she drank but she is going to be unconscious for a while." The nurses informed her about her sister.
"She is weak and her body organs system almost shut down,but a miracle or something she managed." She went on.
"Who is here with you?" She asked . Nora was numb but she was glad Lora was still breathing.
"No one, maybe my mother will join us later." She explained.
"There are some bills to be paid and here is the receipt for everything needed to be paid for." She took the piece of paper and moved slowly toward the cashier of the hospital.
She had managed to steal her stepfather's money that he stashed away when he thought no one saw him.
She gave the receipt and some few notes as folded and unorganized with a shaky hand.
"Well,you have a deficit of five hundred shillings." The cashier explained.
"It is okay my mum is bringing it." She lied. She knew her mother did not care or even had not woken up from her stupor.
"Okay,just make sure she sees this part I have circled over here as the balance." She nodded and walked away towards where Lora had been admitted.
She wanted to see her sister and that is all that mattered.
Nora simpered and thought of the road of thorns she had walked through but not even once did she falter. She always stood strong and even a bullet did not make her cry as much as knowing that her mask is falling.
After an eternity of sobbing she shifted her body so as to signal she is okay but CJ was not letting go.
She realized that she had drenched his shirt and she was so embarrassed of herself and dared not look at him.
He moved to bring a box of tissues and waited for her to compose herself.
"I am sorry about that." She murmured.
"It's nothing,are you okay?" He asked.
She did not feel as burdened as she had walked in the house.
She wiped her puffy eyes and asked where the bathroom was so as to wash her face.
CJ showed it to her and she locked herself and found relief by bending down and wondering why it had to be Christopher who saw her in that state.
She had been able to push back her emotions but right here is where she could not understand.
She looked at her face and groaned at the sight. She washed her face and dubbed it the paper towels found on the wall near the toilet seat.
After her routine she saw how ridiculous it was to ask her way to the bathroom when she literally knew the way.
All that breakdown had her confused.
She walked back to find a changed CJ waiting for her.
She sat down and mustered all her courage to look at him.
"I am sorry for that. I don't usually break down like that. It has been a while." She explained herself.
"It is okay." He gave her a rueful smile.
"One day I will tell you what really happened. Just not today." She promised.
"It is alright by me. I have cake and milk to cheer you up." He offered.
"Thank you." She replied as they moved to the kitchen.
CJ placed a piece of cake and a glass of milk and she was glad that he did not push her to say anything at all.