It was past 5 p.m. when Chorale got to her house. She had phoned her parents on her way and told them she would be staying there till she gave birth. They were not happy about it, at all. Agnes had even suggested going with her but she couldn’t let that happen.
Her mom was a busy woman. She was a retired teacher but had a preschool of her own that she nanaged. She also had a company that harvested rice on large scale for export. She couldn’t let her leave all of that behind to follow her to Salt-pond. She was well capable of taking care of herself. She had been doing that for six months now. She would be able to do these three months too.
She had built this house for herself and Kay to use as a getaway resort. She hadn’t planned to stay there permanently but here she was. She decided she was not going to cry over Kay again. If he wanted to continue his life with Betty, he could. She wouldn’t stop him. After all, she had her baby with her. She was thankful he didn’t have her new number and she had also begged her parents to not give it to him. When they asked why, she just told them it was for the better. They didn’t ask her any further questions.
Once she got settled in, she called Margarita and Antonio on face-time. She was teary when she spoke to them. She apologized for putting their lives in danger. Margarita told her Carmen was fine. She just had a cut that one of the gunmen gave on her forehead, because she insulted him and said he looked like a frog in her coloring book. They all laughed. Esmeralda too was there, at the penthouse. Chorale decided to tease her a little.
“Esmeralda, Derrick says hi.” She said and laughed. She knew Derrick had already told her about the conversation they had at the hospital.
“Oh Chorale,” the girl blushed, “Stop it.”
Margarita had no idea what the girls were talking about.
Chorale had asked her and Antonio to still take charge of the penthouse. She said she had plans of coming back after the baby was born. When she told them she would still be paying them monthly, they objected vehemently. She had to threaten to not come back again before they agreed to take their pay.
She had another favor to ask. She told them to get in touch with Jose Luis’ family and let her know when the burial mass would be held. They agreed to do that for her. She would do something in his memory. She asked Margarita to open a bank account where she would send money every month to pay for the surgeries of some of the kids at the hospital. It was the least she could do.
After the call, she broke down and cried. Her decision to leave Ghana had hurt a lot of people. She wished she could turn back the hands of time and redo everything again. But she couldn’t. She had to accept that.
******
The next day, Kay came to Salt-pond. She woke up to see his car in the driveway and immediately regretted giving him access to the house. When she went downstairs, he was sitting in one of the sofas, his back to her.
She should‘ve known that he would show up. He wasn’t one to give up. A small part of her was happy that he came in search of her but she didn’t want to entertain such thoughts. He belonged to another now.
She cleared her throat and he turned quickly to face her. She lowered her gaze, looking down at her toes.
“Baby,” he stood up, walking towards her. She moved a step backwards and he stopped. She saw the pain in his eyes.
“It’s Monday. Shouldn’t you be at work?” she was playing with the hem of her nightgown, still not looking him in the face.
He ignored her question. He would choose her over his work, any day, any time, without hesitation. He took one step closer to her. This time, she didn’t move back. She raised her head and he could see the tears in them. If only she would give him a chance to explain.
“Let’s go home, please.” He begged.
“This is my home now, Kay. You should go to yours too.”
“I don’t have a home without you, Chorale.” His voice broke.
She laughed humorlessly, looking away from his face. “It is too early, Kay. It’s too early for all this drama.”
“You know you’re the only woman I want. Don’t keep me out of our baby’s life, please.”
She raised her hand to silence him, “Don’t Kay. Don’t.” the tears were threatening to spill now. “This baby is only mine. You didn’t want children, remember?” she was getting angry. “You have another woman. Another woman that you are about to have your legitimate child with. Don’t come to my house and tell me that I’m the only one you want.” She wiped the tears away angrily.
Kay sat on the edge of the sofa and held his head in his hands. “It was a mistake, Chorale. I wouldn’t cheat on you intentionally and you know it.” Chorale’s heart broke. It was the first time he was admitting that he had actually slept with Betty. She had heard enough.
“Get out, Kay.” She ordered.
“Give me a chance to explain things, please.” He stood up and walked towards her. When he reached her, he touched the side of her face and she almost melted into his hands.
Almost.
He noticed and it made him bolder. He leaned in to kiss her. She would give in. He knew she would. His lips touched hers and she slightly parted hers. That was permission enough. He pulled her gently to him and she closed her eyes, more tears fell down her face. He had missed her so much. Now that he got her back, he wouldn’t let anything or anyone take her away from him. Not even Betty.
In fact, especially Betty.
His phone rung, bringing the romantic moment to a halt. She pushed him off her and he took a step back. Shaking his head, he took the phone from his pocket and checked who could be calling at this time.
He muttered a curse under his breath and she immediately guessed who it was. She slumped in the sofa and hung back her head. Behind her, Kay was debating whether to answer or not.
“If you want me to excuse you, I will.”
“No. No. I have nothing to hide.” He answered with trembling hands. He even put the phone on loud speaker. He didn’t say a word.
“Hello” Betty said.
“What do you want?”
“You woke up and just left the house without telling me anything.” She accused.
Chorale’s eyes widened in shock as she looked at Kay. He looked like he would give anything for the ground to open and swallow him.
Betty, unaware of the commotion she was causing, continued, “Where are you, Kay?” she shouted. When he didn’t answer, she continued, “I need you home before 10 a.m. My mom will be here to meet you.” She hung up.
“You’re unbelievable, Kay.”
“I can explain.” He came to kneel in front of her.
“I can’t believe I thought for a second that maybe we could make things right.” She laughed.
“Give me a ch-“
“Get out.” Kay touched her laps and she inched back, “Don’t touch me!” Tears were stinging at her eyes but she told herself she wouldn’t cry in front of him so she wiped her face and repeated, “Get out. Please do not come back here again. I won’t be this accommodating next time.” She stood up and run up the stairs.
Kay shouted after her, “Chorale….Don’t do this to us.”
She paused on the stairs, without turning to face him, “You did this to us. Please be gone before I come back downstairs.”
*******
On the drive back to Accra, Kay was fuming. Who did this Betty think she was?
Last night, he was alone at home, thinking of how to get Chorale back when the doorbell rang. Mama Rica had gone out with Obed and besides, she knew the password so it was obviously not her. He hoped in his heart that it was Chorale although that would be a wild guess. Once she made up her mind to do something, it took a lot of convincing to get her to change her mind. But he wanted to have a little hope. He ran from the wine cellar to the door to see who was there.
To his disappointment and anger, it was Betty standing at the door. She was dragging a big travelling bag, and had a small ladies’ dress bag was slung on her shoulder.
He came out and closed the door behind him. With a frown on his face he asked, “What are you doing here?”
“My mom threw me out of her place because I told her I was pregnant.” She answered and Kay laughed.
“You have still not answered my question, Betty.”
She frowned in anger, “Kay Sanders, I have come to stay here because you got me pregnant and my mom sacked me from her house. She asked me to tell you to come and see her before I start showing so we can plan the wedding.” She shouted in clear annoyance.
“I got you pregnant?” He asked.
She nodded.
“When? How?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, “So the pictures I showed you still didn’t help your weak memory?”
He laughed again, “No ma’am. Maybe you can remind me yourself.”
“You forgot how you held on to me that night, begging me to not leave you. How you made love to me over and over again. How-”
“You drugged me, Betty. I wasn’t myself when it happened and you know that.”
“That is not the point here. The simple point is that you had sex with me and I’m carrying your child.”
She walked to him and touched his chest. He flinched but she didn’t move her hand away.
“Give me a chance to love you, Kay.” She was looking him in the eyes. “I love you. How hard is it to love me back?” she looked like she would cry any moment.
He removed her hands from his chest and placed it over his heart.
“See how it beats? It beats only for Chorale.” She removed her hand and the initial anger returned but he didn’t care.
He still went on. “We have been together more than eight years and what we have built over the years, I won’t let you destroy it. You said I got you pregnant. That’s fine. Once the baby is born, you will take a DNA test in my presence at a hospital I choose. If the child is mine, I’ll do right by you. You and the baby won’t lack anything but…I can’t marry you. Woe betides you however, Betty,” he looked dangerous now. It sent some shivers down her spine. “Woe betides you if that child isn’t mine.”
They stood there arguing, until it started to rain. He turned back to go inside and she invited herself in.
“There is a guest room behind this one,” he informed her, pointing Mama Rica’s room. “You can use it for the night. But you will leave tomorrow morning. I can’t risk letting Chorale see you here.” He climbed the stairs and went to his room.
******
When he left this morning, he was expecting her to have left before he got back. He had some hope that he would be bringing Chorale back to their home.
And what did she mean by her mom would be there to see him.
For what?
The journey that should’ve taken seven hours, he completed it in less than five hours because he was over-speeding.
Betty had to get out of his house before she complicated things more than she had already done.
YOU ARE READING
CHORALE SANDERS
Romance"I cannot tell you anything right now, but promise me, Mama Rica. Promise me you'll take care of him for me, now that I won't be here to." She took the older lady's face in her hands, looking at her with very teary eyes. "Don't leave him like I am...
