Delicate Love

24

Charles wondered what he was doing in his sister's house this early morning when he was supposed to be in his office. He rang the doorbell and Sapphire opened the door for him.

"Uncle Charles!" Victor squealed the moment he entered the house.

"My big boy! How are you, victor?"

"I'm fine, Uncle Charles."

"I can see you're ready for school."

"Yes, I am."

"Thank God, you're here, Charles."

"Why? what's wrong?" He asked worriedly seeing as his sister's face wasn't as bright as it used to be.

" Grace is not feeling well, and I need to take her to the hospital for a checkup, and I also need to drop Victor at his school, before heading to work."

"Ah! Such workload? Sapphire, you're just stressing yourself, why isn't Victor following the bus the school provided for transportation?"

" I don't trust all those drivers, there was a time the school bus had an accident, but thank God no one died, the reason was that the driver took a little sip of alcohol before driving the children home. I can't entrust my children to that, please."

"So what do you want to do now?"

" I want you to help me take Victor to school, please."

"Me?"

"Yes."

" But I don't think I know the way to his school."

" Don't worry, I'll put in the address on the GPS, just follow the GPS direction," she faced Victor, " Victor! Get your bag school bag and your lunch bag, uncle Charles will be taking you to school."

"Yayyyyy!"

"Sapphire, tell me you're joking."

"I ain't joking Charles, I trust you'd do a good job." Charles laughed, his sister always know how to get her things done.

Thirty-four minutes later, Charles parked his car in the driveway of Amazing Grace Private Schools (AGPS), a very well-known prestigious school at Lekki.

"Let's go." He said, holding Victor's hand. He could see as expensive cars drove into the school, dropping off various kids, boys wearing a white shirt, blue checkered shorts, white socks, and black shoes and the girls wearing the same, except instead of shorts, they wore pinafores of the same material.

"Charles Ugwuoke by name, where do I sign, please?" He asked the teacher who was in charge of the attendance, as Victor scrambled off to the assembly.

"Here." The young attendant directed him to the booklet.

"Ma'am, long time, no see," he heard the young attendant greet someone, since he was through with signing, he turned to go to his car but stopped on his track when he saw that the someone the young attendant greeted was no other than Rose, who was holding the hand of a young boy. He looked closely at the young child and shook his head. No, no, he must be seeing double. He thought.

Rose also stopped on her track as she saw Charles, instantly, she let go of Bryan's hand who immediately scrambled off to the assembly. What was he doing here? She thought.

Charles didn't miss what happened, he stared at the young boy who faced back to wave his mom a final goodbye before entering. Strangely, the young child resembled his young self. How could this be?

"Your son?" He asked, surprised. Rose ignored him and walked off. Her heart beating frantically at the prospect of getting caught. She couldn't comprehend what he was doing in Bryan's school, this early.