THE WIDOWER.

CHAPTER 13.

Nora was surprised to see she could remember sign language. Olive was an addictive child reminding her of Lora.
" You know sign language?" Christopher asked her as they walked into a big spacious kitchen. Olive sat on the counter as an elderly lady greeted them.
" Sir Chris, welcome." She said with a strained and accented English.
"Mumbi, this is my friend Nora." CJ introduced .
Nora moved to greet her calloused hands but the woman engulfed her into an hug.
" Karibu huku kwetu." (Welcome home) she said warmly as Nora detached herself quickly. She was not used to such hugs especially from motherly or elderly women.
Mumbi left to continue cooking as CJ dragged Nora to the back yard together with Olive.
"You haven't told me where you got to learn sign language." CJ interrupted her dark thoughts.
Breathing in Nora put on her cool facade with a pleasant smile.
" Well, it my first assignment as an undercover in a school as a teacher. Special children school and I had to learn the language." She explained with a little glee.
Nora was conscious of herself now that she had shown this side of her. She could not know why but she was starting to feel bare and scared of this stranger.
" I learnt mine because of my wife's career. Though mine is a little rusty." He explained.
"You are married?" Nora asked not liking the idea of CJ being married.
"Was married to be precise." CJ said turning his face away from her.
" What happened?" She blurted out.
" She died eight years ago. car accident." He explained watching Olive play with her new puppy.
"I am sorry to hear that. I did not mean to pry." Nora explained now feeling like a fool.
She had thought that he was a troubled man who ran away from his demons when the truth was he was a man in pain running away from the place that reminded him of that.
He had lost so much and could not bear being in the same place where everything reminded him of what he had lost.
" Is that a river I hear? " She asked CJ who was now coming back from his thoughts.
" Yes, and that is where I saw Olive. Apparently she floated to its bank. It was a miracle that I saw her from my bedroom's window." He said pointing at the large glass Window with a terrace.
" It was a miracle indeed." Nora said now looking at the little girl playing imagining all the terrible things she had gone through.
CJ's phone rang interrupting her thoughts.
" Excuse me, let me pick this call." He said walking away. Nora started to walk toward the girl.
She could see how happy and contented she was.
" Hey there?" Nora said squatting on the lawn to play with the puppy.
Olive smiled at her.
" You know when I was your age I had a cat. His name was Chuck,he was my best friend but he died tragically. " Nora said looking at Olive who looked lost.
She handed her a tiny notebook and a pen out of habit she would always carry them with her.
" His name is Bobby. " Olive wrote down.
"Mr Lion helped me choose his name." Nora read with a smile as she handed Bobby back to Olive she noticed a scar on her shoulder blade and suddenly she was curious of who she is.
" Can you tell me where you come from?" Nora asked her as they both petted the puppy.
" I come from the other side of the river." She wrote down pointing across where Nora heard a river flow since it was a seasonal river she could guess now it was filled with water.
"Where is your mum?" She continued interrogating her.
Olive stiffened and tears began to flow.
"She died when I was just a baby, I think." She wrote down.
"I am so sorry Olive." Nora said wiping the young girls tears and watching her hang her head.
Nora did not know if hugging the girl was right but she did it . This was not familiar with her but deep down memories started flashing in front of her.
"Nora,mummy is drunk again." Lora said in a sad voice.
" I went to her room wanting to play with her but she said she wasn't in the mood and I was very annoying ." Lora explained as tears pooled from her eyes.
Nora hugged her sister telling her it was okay they could play together.
" Will we be happy again?" Lora asked her twin.
" Yes, someday we will." Nora comforted without any assurance of any sort for their mother was neglecting them.
"Why was it so hard and difficult for them?" She thought as she placed dolls on the floor for them to play.
She watched Lora smile at her and Nora knew she would protect her to whatever capacity she could.
She was angry at her mother and at their life that was full of misery. She wanted to go and wake her mother from her stupor and tell her the her daughters needed her. She learnt for the past years their mother had not showed any concern about them or even dot on them like the way she saw other kids gush at their mother's touch or hug. She watched them enviously as she thought of her mother who always dismissed them as if they were a plague. She watched Lora cry before any school performance that their mother never cared to attend.
Most of the time she would always cheer her sister up by making sure she bought her ice cream from the little money she would save after the performances as a gift to congratulate her. Lora never gave up on her mother she always had hopes that she would one day come to her senses and maybe show a little affection.
Nora detached herself looking at her and thinking of all the possibilities that could have made her escape where she had come from.
"You are a brave girl." Nora signed but there was a quizzical look on Olive's face.
Nora laughed as Mumbi called them to come inside for lunch. Nora held out her hand to Olive who dragged reluctant Bobby.
The smell of food was wafting through the house and Nora's mouth was watering.
"when was the last time she ate?" She a asked herself. Her work was so demanding that at times she forget her food, buying groceries and birthdays.
"Welcome." Mumbi said setting the last bowl of vegetables on the table.
" Won't you sit with us?" Nora asked awkwardly feeling that she was alone in a foreign house.
Olive was now sitting on her favorite chair waiting for CJ.
Mumbi declined respectively and left.
Nora sat down and looked at food on the table.
Chapatis, beef stew and vegetable salad was placed on the table.
She had really missed nice home made chapatis compared to those she is used buying at a restaurant near her apartment and Jade's whose were not that tasty.
"I am so sorry for that. I was in a conference call." CJ apologized taking a sit near Olive across Nora.
" Let's give thanks and dig" CJ said cheerfully.
Nora watched him with admiration.