Second chances

Chapter Eight : Grace

"Want or need" I kept thinking of what Mr Ajayi had said about trying to figure out my past. Do I really need to remember my past to face my future, my present was good from the way I see it.

Except maybe few doubts about my husband which maybe required my memories about my past. This was so difficult to figure out.
I came into the house before everyone else and after two hours of staying alone, I figured I needed to keep my self busy. I've had more than enough time to heal, wasn't it time to get back to work?. That's if they would still want me back.

I tried reading a book but constantly found my mind wandering , so I couldn't concentrate. I decided to go through christy's pictures as a baby, it was beautiful how she looked so small and cute. I found myself "awwing" to most of her baby pictures, occasionally blinking away tears from my eyes.

There was a baby picture of Christy in Charles' T -shirt which he held her up and the both of them were laughing. The T-shirt looked more like a robe on Christy. As I kept flipping through the pages, I found myself more emotional and happy. It was a joy to see how much my daughter had grown. How could I be so selfish as to put a bullet in my head?

The last page of the album was a picture of Charles, myself, Esther and a face so familiar that I knew immediately where I had seen her.
I gasped in shock, she was among the ladies from my dream. How come she was sitting with Charles, Esther and I.
I stared so hard at the picture trying to remember something about her but I didn't so I just gave up. Maybe I could ask Christy about the lady when she gets back from school.

I quickly slipped the picture into my pocket and headed to the kitchen. I knew mother would request for eba and egusi soup when she gets back so I decided to prepare the soup for her. While cooking I kept getting memories of my mother and I that made me laugh

***flash back
Vicky nwa m, so I decided to stay at my brother's house hoping that they would have prepared soup for me, but when I got there ihukwa nno(if you see) what his wife gave me. I regretted not staying at a hotel.

She sliced raw cabbage, carrots, lettuce, added two spoons of pasta. You need to see the way she was telling me , we have pasta!! (with very little stress on the p). She now sprinkled something that looks like egg sauce and served me. Chei!! Nwa m as hungry as I was, she basically gave me vegetables to eat.

So I now called okechukwu to ask him when he started feeding human beings like goats, ahihia!!!.
Instead of him to apologize and tell his wife to give me good food, he told me that his wife knows what she's doing. That she's a nutritionist, eh kwa nutritionist. How can okechukwu even impregnate that his wife when he doesn't eat well, o nweghi stamina. i simply told them that I was going to a restaurant to buy good food, they would have starved me to death in that house.

I was almost on the floor while mother was narrating her ordeal.
" If you like when you get married, don't give your husband good food, ezigbo ofe na eba. So that he will have the energy to give me grandchildren. And don't make the mistake of doing all this your diet thing for me when I come, else you won't see me in your house again.

"momma you can give trouble eh, but you have to admit how toned and beautiful your skin was when you came back. I think you looked prettier while eating aunt Veronica's planned meals. "

"Better ke, osi better. What am I using the shape for? Your father and I are barely intimate these days, we are old people!!! All those things are for you and your friends. I even heard Grace is getting married soon. So which one of you did she pick to be her chief bridesmaid? "

I think it'll be Esther, they're quite close"

I was pulled back into reality With the smell of the meat burning
**Reality

The smell of the meat diffused into the house and mother was right on time to scold me for that.

I only laughed at her words and continued with cooking.
Veronica succeeded in starving me, now you want to feed me with poorly cooked food eh kwa"

Mother told me Christian won't be coming back as he was held up at the port.
If you see how they are trying to extort from your brother eh, those custom people are wicked. They told him to pay extra 1.5 million for his goods after everything he has spent, this corruption is just too much"

I'm very sure Chris Wont pay that amount mother, he's too stubborn. I won't be surprised if he sues them to court "

By the time Christy got home I had forgotten about the picture in my pocket. Charles returned much later and we ate together before I decided to take a bath.

I hung my cloth on the wall and turned on the shower but I noticed that something flew out of my pocket while I was hanging it. I quickly turned off the shower to avoid wetting whatever it was.

As soon as I turned the shower off, I could hear a voice over the phone. I went to the door and placed my ear to hear clearly who was speaking and it was my husband.

" Grace, it cannot happen again. I don't care what you think about my decision. I am focusing on my wife she is recovering. Stop calling me this late, I love how my family is. I love that we are getting better, think whatever you want!! good night"

I quickly turned on the shower  to keep him from suspecting anything.
Was Charles cheating on me? Did Charles cheat on me? How was I so stupid to believe that he'd wait for a whole year? Who was this grace? Was she the same Grace mother was talking about.

So many questions raced through my mind and It made me very angry that I didn't have answers to them.
Maybe I do need my past to face my future. I was definitely going to get the answers I was looking for.

Charles decided to join me in the shower but I quickly left because I did not want him to notice the change in my mood. I lay very far from Charles that night making sure his hands couldn't reach me. I still couldn't sleep so I went to my mother's room. I placed her hands around my body, hoping that they would give me that same protection I got from them as a child. I finally slept after two hours of battling with my mind.

I was convinced that there was a need for my past

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A/N : 😲😲😲Could Charles be cheating on Vicky?

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