WHOSE FAULT?

Chapter 6: How do I look?

Having made rounds on what the maids where preparing, Sahel joined the old lady whom she called mother. Sahel is an elegant woman who's beautiful with her black silky hair , she's curvey with dimples on her cheeks whenever she smiles.She's gentle and as a single mom,she has raised her daughter with all values of life.

Placing the news papers on the coffee table,the old lady sipped her juice with awe praising the maid who made it to her choice.
" I like the way Valerie makes my juice,all the fruits are blended perfectly to my taste hmmm."

Sahel gazed at her dramatic mom and chuckled softly making the old lady to frown. She frowned when she saw a once married couple revealing their secrets that should have remained known to them. Realization dawned to her ,so they thought marriage was a bed of roses. It's all about patience, honest,love and being humble to your partner.

If your marriage doesn't have those things,for sure things will become complicated thus making most people scared to get married,for instance you're raised in a chaotic family like how we're gonna see Tina and Aubrey's life, they grew up traumatized to even think about getting married.

In a jiffy, Joana came downstairs in her yellow floral dress and fluffy shoes. The old lady was the first who saw her   figure in the corner of her eyes  and beamed with a smile on her wrinkled face with how mesmerizing she looked.

Joana twirled around making her dress to float in air and asked in her soft voice
" grandma!, how do I look?"

The old lady propped her chin like someone in deep thoughts and raised her two fingers saying
"Absolutely stunning, come here my child so that we can have breakfast."
With open arms,the old lady requested for a hug making Joana to wink at her mother who stood up to give a helping hand to the maids in arranging the dinning table.

As Sahel finished arranging the dinning table, Joana chatted with her grandma who was beaming with happiness whenever her granddaughter was okay.
The scrumptious breakfast was laid on the dinning table making Joana to salivate licking her lips unconsciously.

The old lady saw this scene and teased Joana in a whisper saying
"Someone can't wait to have a taste hmm."
Tangling their hands together, Joana and her grandma strode where the table was to have breakfast.

Taking their seats,Sahel recited a short prayer as everyone started helping themselves. Joana gazed at the toasted bread,fried eggs, spaghetti with meat balls, fruits and juice that looked perfectly organized. Joana almost put everything on her plate making her mom to chuckle.

Surprisingly,she ate everything on the table which made her grandma think if she was a glutton in the family,it was the first time she ate with gusto,all along she had been behaving as if she was on diet.

" I'm so full that am gonna burst."

Joana said leaning on the chair touching her slightly bulging stomach.

" Of course you're,you ate everything on the table."  The old lady replied offhandedly wiping her lips with a napkin. Sahel took the used utensils back to the kitchen leaving Joana with her grandma in a heated conversation.

" So what are you packing for your trip sweetie?"

" Grandma,I haven't thought about what am going to take since the trip was abruptly informed to me this morning and it kinda of frustrates me."

Rubbing her temples, Joana felt like she was gonna have a headache to pack all what she was supposed to go with in Uganda.
Don't look as if the world is coming to an end " trust me,I will help you where necessary." The old lady comforted Joana who felt stuffy in her chest when she thought about leaving them behind.

The old lady requested Sahel to call up the executives of the main branch to treat her grandchild with respect and welcome her warmly as they guide her where she needed help.  After chitchatting, Joana went upstairs to inform Belinda the maid who took care of their mansion in Uganda to clean up her room.

When Belinda got to know that her childhood friend was coming,she felt so excited that she found it hard to be true.
" Are you for real Joana,I can't wait to see how you've beautifully grown."

Belinda screamed from the other end of the phone,after hunging up the call,Joana laid on the bed gazing at the ceiling in thoughts. Stretching her hand,she opened a drawer and got an album which was fading due to time. Her hazel eyes gazed at the photo she took years back with the guy of her dreams.

Touching the photo with care she thought in her heart " it's hard for me to let go of you,
I don't wanna move on,i need to cope without you as it has been in these years,I feel weird when am missing you deeply,I wonder how to feel like a lover."

Wiping the threatening tears in the brim of her eyes,she put away the album booking a flight.
Maverick did his work hurriedly to finish on time and go back home and find his beautiful wife .

Josh looked at his friend in bewilderment shaking his head at how he changed after marrying Lydia. Josh was Maverick's friend since highschool days. He was also supportive of Maverick to marry his first love who's family got issues and flied abroad and since then,they totally lost communication until Maverick fell in love with Lydia and decided to marry her though they didn't make it official.

The bond between them exceeded friends now almost looking out for each other like brothers. Josh is tall, handsome with a lean body built. He has a stud silvered earring in his left ear giving him the vibe of the playboy nextdoor. He nolonger believes in love because every woman he tries to get is a heart breaker thus making him single and concentrate on his job.

Maverick got into a cab which drove through the streets of Kampala until it halted at Nateete where he lived with his wife.  Lydia who was at home did nothing at all except curling up in the bed all day. This even made Melissa to get worried about her but everytime she checked on her she would convince her
" I am fine,am just moody."

She even didn't prepare dinner for her husband yet he was on the way hoping to have a taste of her food. Knocking on the door that was slightly jar, Maverick entered the house with two shopping bags but his happiness was dashed into thin air when he saw Lydia curling up in the bed.

His thoughts ran wild thinking that she was sick saying " babe what happened?, are you okay,you would have called me earlier so that you go to the hospital." Maverick bombed Lydia with questions without giving her time to answer. Touching her forehead with worry in his voice ,he frowned when he saw Lydia's face which was turning red with anger.

" oh maybe it's the mood swings,we can go for a check up and you never know you might be pregnant."  Maverick became excited but Lydia stood up abruptly and burst like a volcano saying " l am not pregnant, don't ever mention it in front of me a gain."

She brushed past him and went outside,she also didn't know what came over her to react in a rude manner yet Maverick was only concerned about her health.
Maverick sat in the couch with shock,he had never seen his wife reacting in such away just the mere mention of her being pregnant. It was like she was possessed by a demon but he didn't believe in those things.

He wondered why women are so complicated and difficult to understand, take his wife for example, today she might be happy and tomorrow burst over a small issue,it makes him somehow regret if he made a wrong decision to marry her. It's like this was her true character or she had been faking her real self all along.

Melissa who was preparing dinner saw a lonely figure sitting under the oak tree and posed whatever she was doing to see if it was someone familiar she knew. She got shocked when she saw Lydia in tears.

" What are you doing outside?, aren't you supposed to be with your husband." Melissa asked taking a seat besides her.

" I just yelled at him when he brought up the issue of pregnancy"

" Everytime I get nervous, fighting my anxiety and never want to remember it again, he's always with me but can't understand my pain yet I don't want to lose control in front of him. Trying to breathe in and out but the air is cold."
Lydia narrated her difficulties to Melissa who was surprised,she always thought that Lydia was happy in her marriage but it was all a facade .