Chinenyenwa's hands shook as she fought the urge to speak.
"Father I asked you a question" Michael prompted
"What exactly did you ask my son?"
Michael stepped closer to his father and sat down beside him.
"I asked if..." he paused and stared at Chinenyenwa
"She means something to you, because I have just realized that I actually do care for her very much"
He tore his gaze from Chinenyenwa's face who couldn't exactly describe what she felt at that point. Michael's confession shocked her to her bones.
"You care for her? Are you saying you have feelings for her? " Anthony enquired with a blank expression
"Yes father, I do"
"Romantic feelings?" the old man prompted once more
"Yes father"
Chinenyenwa couldn't explain her emotions. Michael saying he had feelings for her should have made her happy. Instead she was terrified, worried even.
"And why did Anthony sound like an old priest?"
"Does she care for you?" He turned to Chinenyenwa who was now playing with her fingers.
She looked at Michael then back to Anthony. Her lips fell apart but a sound wouldn't come out.
"I... I..."
"Nenye?" Anthony prompted
"Do you care for him? Do you have feelings for my son "
She cleared her throat once more, hoping the old man would quit his enquiry.
Nenye fought the urge to look at Michael but she could feel his gaze burning her face. There was no way she would upset Anthony with how she felt.
He was too fragile!
It was wrong to even have feeling for Michael in the first place . She would be hurting both father and son if she admitted the truth but lying again would probably limit the number of casualties their situation harbored.
"No.. I don't have feelings for him. And I do not care for him, not in that way" She blurted out her eyes burning holes on the ground.
She turned just in time to see Michael cringe at her response.
She saw his eyes darken and she knew she must have struck a very bad chord this time.
"I am so sorry for disturbing you dad, I just remembered that I have an appointment."
"This late? What appointment?" Anthony could tell his son was disappointed
"it's quite private. This... This was a mistake, I am so sorry for bothering you. Please do rest well"
He walked past her without even glancing back.
Nenye exhaled deeply surprised that she had been holding her breath for long.
She stared at the door where Michael had walked out from and thought of how he would walk out of her life when the truth would come.
"I think it is high time you and I had a talk Chinenyenwa"
"I am so sorry, I didn't think... I wasn't.... I haven't... Why didn't you tell him the truth? You could have easily told him, he's your son"
"Well I am not the one he has romantic feelings for." He teased and Nenye managed to smile.
YOU ARE READING
My Father's wife
General Fiction"So how long are we to wait before we hear them tinkle?" He asked with his eyes staring at the black sky,his hands in his pockets. "Not too long, sister Jessica says only the heart hears them" Nenye shut her eyes and stood still with her face upwa...
