After Death

PROLOGUE

"Aren't you ready to leave yet?!" Steve hollered from the sitting room. He knew he might be receiving a scolding from his wife about his unruly behavior and disturbing the neighbors but Steve couldn't care any less.

Their next door neighbors were about five metres more or less away from them and were a couple both old and could hardly hear except through the help of the hearing aids.

One they didn't use very often. The rest were all working class with children that were all in school by this time which resulted to the peace and quiet in the neighborhood.

"I'll be out in a minute!" His wife yelled back in a subtle manner and a soft, melodic voice.

Steve found himself shaking his head in wonder as to what had her stuck up there for almost an hour. Or was it? He couldn't remember but she'd been up there for too long.

"If you don't hurry dear you'd miss both your appointments"

He could hear his wife sigh from a close distance. It seemed she was already making her way down. So far as he could tell she hadn't snapped yet or he'd be at the receiving end of her tantrums.

You must have wondered what the story behind her tantrum throwing was.

As any other married woman, Ada Reynolds was pregnant. All ready three months down she didn't notice until she had fainted of a terrible combination of stress, so much caffeine and stress relief drugs.

All Steve had to do was sit in the very sofa he sat on now and receive a call from the hospital that his wife had been admitted by a coworker.

He remembered it clearly the siren in his ears for his dread of hospitals and his mothers in-law's quarrels about his carelessness over the phone like he had knocked his wife down with a vehicle or was even the pregnant one to know he was pregnant when his wife hadn't noticed it herself.

Ada's first reaction to the news was first silence, then shock before she bursted into howling tears.

It took a while for Steve to understand his wife's reaction but the doctor assured him it was normal for women to be dramatic during the period of pregnancy.

He still had not understood it until she was given a compulsory two weeks bed rest order and then began her mood swings.

Steve Reynolds was a renowned artist in London. A boss of his own, he decided to take time off for the sake of his wife after all his next exhibit was in three months, two weeks was nothing when his wife was involved.

 "Would you be dropping by the studio today?" Ada asked almost in a whisper, her soft voice dragging his attention away from the TV.

"I don't think so. No. Is there a reason you asked, my love?"

She smiled. Her beautiful smile he hadn't seen in a while. "I just wanted to know. At least so I could hurry and come spend time with you. All the boring check ups and all the antenatal talks."

She sighed leaning on the head of the settee where her husband's head was.

"I didn't think you'd find the antenatal boring. Women are usually excited." He said endearingly but a small frown formed on his handsome face.

Ada sighed again, "I know. I was happy but now I don't know and I-I think I'm nervous."

Steve grabbed her wrist and interlocked his slender fingers with hers as he listened attentively to her.

"The only fun I'll be having today is seeing my sister." She said as she stared at their intertwined hands.

"Then I'll come with to keep you company the entire day." Steve suggested.

Ada looked a little panicked and opened her mouth as if she was about to shout a no but she instead shut her mouth, took a deep breath and frowned.

"You have a video conference that I wouldn't let you miss for the world. You've done well now and you could do better and you've gotten the chance to prove my mother wrong now more than before with those strong artistic hands of yours."

"You convince them on what you can do and I want to come home and cook a victory dinner. Agreed?"

Steve made a grumbling sound behind his throat but nodded nonetheless.

"Words?" His wife demanded.

"Agreed."

Ada smiled and kissed his cheeks. "Come walk me to my car, handsome."

Steve didn't need to be told twice. He picked his well built body and abs hidden behind the long maroon woolen sweater he wore. His hair a little tousled by the speed of his rising.

Hand in hand they walked out towards their spacious driveway and towards her car. A blue, sleek, saloon car that Steve had gifted her on her recent promotion in her company.

"I'll see you in a bit." She told him standing on the tip of her toes to kiss his forehead.

"Hours you mean." Steve said with grumbled breath.

Ada giggled like a small girl, "whatever, don't miss me too much. It might make me unhealthy."

Steve grabbed her waist and kissed her on the lips and luckily he didn't smudge her lipstick or he'd never hear the end of it.

"That was fantastically bad of you Mr Reynolds." She told him with a satisfied smile like she had been waiting ages for him to kiss her.

"And you fantastically loved it Mrs Reynolds." He replied with a stupid smile of his own.

"Too bad." She said with an innocent smile and a shrug and opened her car door and flung her bag unladylike-ly to the passengers seat.

Not that he was complaining he loved this pregnant version of his wife.

"I'll try not to miss you too much." He said with a wink. "Drive safe."

He watched her shake her head but blushed nonetheless as she sat on the driver's seat, fastened her seatbelt and started the car.

Steve wore a satisfied smile upon hearing the sound of the starting car.

"Be good." She told him and shut her door and driving out expertly into the street and then into the express with Steve waving from behind her in the rearview mirror.

Only if they both knew and not kept secrets, maybe we won't be reading this story now.

Thank for reading this prologue it means you are ready for this rollercoaster. Please stay with me and I'll try to update more than often. Thank you.

#king_mikey
#girl_mikey