A Not So Merry Christmas

Chapter Five

Samantha tugged her sweater, set the empty mug on the sink, and rubbed her palms together to generate some heat. The harmattan in Nsukka was bone-chilling, and it filled the air with dust, so Samantha had to remember to shut the windows lest the rooms be covered with dust.

For the first time in years, she wasn’t busy getting Adam ready for work, and neither was she getting her children ready, although it was the end of the term. Because Adam had a weird definition of orderliness, everyone had to be up and about by dawn. And when the kids were up, they’d have nothing to do besides eating breakfast, watching cartoons, playing neat games, and staying bored.

As tempting as it was to fall into habit, Samantha resisted. She would train her boys in the joyful abandon her parents had trained her, which meant sleeping a little longer during holidays.

She heard a hammering sound coming from outside, and she wondered what was causing it. Samantha opened the back door and walked past the wicket gate into the next building. With her hands, she shielded her face from the angry wind, while her feet led her to the hammering, towards a workshop. She stopped and took in the sight. It was the neighbour from the previous day.

Beads of sweat dropped from his face and soaked his shirt as he busied himself with the project before him. He had a pencil tucked behind his ear. He placed the hammer down and retrieved the pencil, sketched, cancelled, and pinned the paper on a board. His lips were pressed in a thin line as he turned to another page and resketched. Who would’ve thought that a man drenched in sweat would look so desirable? His eyes caught hers, and a smile graced his lips like he knew she’d been there.

‘Good morning, Ms Samantha,’ he greeted.

Samantha froze. ‘Good morning. Sorry. My kids and I have a thing for intruding. I’ll leave.’ She turned to leave.

‘Don’t,’ he said.

She turned back, released a breath, and stepped further. ‘Really? Why?’

‘It’s not intruding when it’s a beautiful woman.’

A beautiful woman. He’d called her a beautiful woman. Samantha knew she was beautiful. She had to be blind if she didn’t know. But it was one thing to be beautiful and another to hear it and feel it. It had been years since she’d heard it. Especially from the person she desired to hear it from. And it had been ages since she truly felt beautiful. Her husband killed the reassurance that she was. But this man, Xander, had called her beautiful, and now he stared at her like she was. She bit her inner lips to hold from blushing.

‘So what do you call it when it’s a beautiful woman?’ she asked him.

‘Beautruding,’ he mischievously said, earning a raised eyebrow from her.

‘That’s not a word.’

‘It is now.’

‘And, by your definition, it means?’

‘An interesting drop-by from a beautiful woman.’

‘What if it’s a man?’

‘A drop by.’

‘No outrageous formed word?’

‘Nothing at all.’ He shrugged, cleaning his hand with a hand towel, and striding towards her.

‘Sexist?’

‘Definitely not.’

‘And if the woman is ugly?’

‘Beauty is subjective.’

She paused. ‘I thought it was objective.’

‘You’re beautiful.’ He gazed at her from head to toe.

‘It is an eternal truth, so I can agree with you on that.’ Samantha blushed, glancing everywhere but at him.

‘If it helps, it’s not intruding here. I can’t count the number of villagers who have waltzed in and out of my compound. Maybe about five people today.’

‘Five? It’s still 9 am,’ Samantha said.

He shrugged. ‘Here isn’t secluded like the city.’

He offered her a wooden bench which she sat on while he sat by the stairs. She liked it here with him, and she wanted to speak with him or anyone, really. She loved her kids, but most times she was only left with herself, and she hardly had conversations with her husband since he was often tired after his supposed work.

‘It’s a small community,’ Samantha said.

‘You’re right,’ he replied, watching her fiddle with her sweater.

‘I’m not sure I saw you while growing up. Are you from here?’

‘Nope.’

‘It must’ve been hard for you to be new here,’ she said.
His rich chuckle filled the air. She glanced at him, finding that she liked the sound of it.

‘On the contrary, it wasn’t. I wanted a change. To be in for a change, you must be prepared for everything, including the surprises, lifestyles, and traditions.’

‘I hope I remember those.’ She brushed her jawline.

Xander was amused by watching her. He could tell that she was meticulous and was registering the details of their conversation somewhere in her head for future use.

‘Are you also searching for a change?’  he asked her.

‘Yes,’ she replied with a slight hesitation. ‘Taking a break, getting a divorce.’

He nodded, a reaction she hadn’t expected. Samantha had expected the condescending or judgmental look, but he’d taken it as normal.

‘What happened?’ he asked, his voice soft. Samantha looked at him. His eyes stared patiently at her.

‘He cheated on me.’ She laughed without humour. ‘With his P.A.’

‘I’m sorry about that.’

She nodded and quickly changed the subject. ‘What about you?’

‘Me what?’

‘Why are you searching for a change?’

‘I want a break from the life, routine, and how I used to live. I want something different. A touch of spontaneity.’

As he said those words, she envisioned him in a suit and tie, just like Adam. It suited him more than the carpentry life. What if he was running from a wife? Was that how she made Adam feel?
She rose to her feet. ‘I’m distracting you.’

‘No,’ he replied, rising with her.

‘I’ll leave. I’ll go see to my boys.’ She hurried away. One minute, she was comfortable and wanted to talk. She’d never felt that way with anyone, including her husband, who dismissed it as unproductive babbles. But the next minute, she wanted nothing to do with Xander Idu. She walked away so quickly, that she almost collided with the fence.

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