It is very early in the morning. As soon as Esther heard the early birds sing outside, she hauled herself out of bed and walked to the window to draw the curtain. The pinks and yellows of the sunrise shimmered splendidly bright in the sky.
"How beautiful!" She muttered as her pretty round face crinkled up in a light smile. She inhaled and sighed deeply. It seemed to drain all her negativity from the previous day. What happened wouldn't be a deterrent to her purpose. As such, yesterday's ugly experiences were negligible to the bright future she envisaged. Even though the unpleasant occurrences had left her emotionally drained all through the night, she was glad that the same night had ushered in a whole new bright morning.
She stretched herself and changed into a cheap blue dress with a criss-cross pattern and frayed bottom and put on her blue old flip-flops. She tied her curled hair into two bunches one on each side with ribbons and dashed out of the room with new strength and enthusiasm ready to begin her duties.
Trotting across the living room, she stopped in the middle wandering her eyes around. The room was lit by the dim light from the security bulb outside the terrace. She switched on the light and the whole room shone, conveying a glimmer on the luxurious items there. There was much stuff to be done.
Being a Monday, Jina would have to go to work in town.
"I think I should go to the kitchen first," she talked to herself and thereupon led the way to the kitchen. She decided to first prepare breakfast as she cleaned up the kitchen and did the necessary chores.
The noise of the utensils as they clinked against the sink awakened Richard.
"What's that noise?" he wondered. A look of annoyance crossed his face. He turned to his wife who was dead asleep. Carefully, he stretched his hand to tap on her. Perhaps she would go and check.
"No, I daren't." He quickly withdrew his hand.
"This is a wrong move. Jina must still be feeling bitter about last night." He lazily hauled himself out of bed and slipped on his dressing gown and headed downstairs.
"What do I do next? I hope I won't mess up. God bless me!" She made a sign of crucifix and brought the kettle to a boil and prepared tea, but realised that it needed an extra serving.
Esther, having a poor background didn't know much about preparing delicious meals and a lot more rich dishes. It wouldn't be easy to perfect one since she was still raw.
She brought a tray of eggs from the kitchen unit and placed it on the worktop and gazed at it just like a fish out of water.
Briskly, she picks five eggs and places them on a platter. As soon as she held it with her hand, three of them slid off and spattered on the floor.
She cringed at the sight of the sticky broken eggs on the floor. It was obvious Jina wouldn't hesitate to scold her if she found out.
Esther bits her thumb as she shakes with nervousness.
Suddenly she distinctively hears the sound of footsteps advancing towards the kitchen.
"This must be Auntie. It can't be someone else. She will get at it again and this time harder." She thought.
Tears glistened in her eyes. The thought of it scourged her mind.
She frets about simmering with fear. She got a plate and covered the broken eggs on the floor.
"Esther, you are a big fool. She will notice a plate lying down and won't hesitate to pull your ears until they are as long as the rabbit's." A voice told her and she quickly picked up the plate and put it in the sink. She was stuck.
"Hello, dear. Good morning!" Said Richard in a soft friendly voice.
"Go..od morning, S. Sir." She stammered and leaned against the worktop to lessen her trembling.
"You are Esther, aren't you?" he raised his eyebrows and his face creased in a smile.
"Yes, Sir." Esther nodded in affirmation and smiled to cover her nervousness.
"It is very early," he said and lowered his eyes on the floor. Esther's heart thumped fast.
"I am sorry. I was trying to prepare breakfast and...and they…" she fumbled with words to explain to him what had happened.
"It's Ok, dear. I know it was an accident. Are you used to waking up this early?"
He asked, trying to divert her to a different conversation, walking over to the draining board to pick a plate.
"No, but I must get used to it." She smiled and blushed.
Richard looks at her charitably and dabs her hair.
"I think you should be easy on yourself. Don't worry about work. Your aunt and the girls can always come in to give a helping hand."
He stoops and gathers the smelly eggs on the platter and hands it to her.
"Dispose of it. I will spruce up here."
"What?" She asked snappily.
"Why are you surprised?"
"But...Sir, I can do that." Said Esther feeling embarrassed.
"It's Ok, dear. I can do it." He says bestowing her a glance and then shifting it to the disgusting substance on the plate.
"Alright, Sir." She complied and proceeded. Richman's character mesmerised her. He was a loving and kind human, unlike his wife. The fair treatment he gave her greatly differed from Jina's snippy and snobbish character. Richard had treated her with a father's affection that left her baffled.
"So, what were you hoping to prepare for breakfast?" He asked as he rinsed his hands thoroughly.
"Fried eggs, but I don't know how…"She responded and bit her fingers.
"Alright then, I'll teach you, hmm!"
She nodded and smiled. Since she arrived in the mansion, she hadn't felt that she was loved and wanted until now. "He is a good man fated to a bad woman." She thought and pondered on the idea.
Despite the flaws in his personality, Richard was patently a man of good nature and character.
"Come here, let's get to it."
He says with enthusiasm and Esther draws closer with excitability and will to learn.
Gina shifts her position, draws closer and tries to pass her hand around her husband in an embrace but can't feel his presence. Slowly, she opened her eyes and all she saw was a vacant space. "Darling," she calls out and she is responded to by quietness. "Where's he? Of late he's acting weird." She mutters and gets out of bed to check in the shower cubicle. It was so quiet that she would have heard a pin drop. Her face frayed into a temper. "I hope he hasn't left for work already." She puts on her slippers and struts across to the closet. "I won't listen to his excuses this time." She grumbles and fumbles to put on her bathrobe
"Honey, I am all set." She announced her presence displaying an exact blend of sophistication and elegance; a stunning beauty clad in a blue tight-fitting dress that showed all her bulges, which she combined with studs and an expensive golden bracelet, matching them with golden bangles, a pair of nice wedges and a white handbag with a golden clip. She, after living a life of wretchedness with the worst social background as a young girl was favoured by the heavens when she and Richard bumped into each other at a bus stop sixteen years ago. She, by coincidence, slips into a goldfield in the hands of a rich, influential and successful man who falls in love with her at the first sight and bestowed her an opportunity to enjoy the sophisticated pleasures of the city which she's put to fully utilisation relinquishing all the sorrows of her childhood. Rising from gra
Despite her cousin's vitality and coercive endeavours to bring her around, her heart was gripped with turmoil and uneasiness. "I'll deal with you, Esther. I surely will…"Jina muttered quietly and was pissed out of her mind. She stomped out and waited in the yard with an evil mind. "Working for Auntie seems quite an onerous task, but I won't give up, mom, I won't." She thought. Her strong will was still unshaken despite Jina's behaviour of inducing her to a nonentity. "Yes!" The girls screamed and engaged in a whooping delight that awakened Esther from her delirium. She raised her head and looked at her with a bemused expression. "Esther, did you see that?" Mercy asked with vitality. "What?" she asked surprised and flashe
Mrs Wabua, the most loved and meritorious lady whose family dwells amongst the residents of the flats on the third floor seems to have lost the brimful kind of energy she'd always had every morning. As she stretches out her legs on her huge four-poster bed whose comfort she had felt for many years appears to have lost every pleasure around her. With her hands on her laps, she turned her cold face to her loving husband who was still harnessing his sleep with a good measure of snores loud enough to chase away the demons. The expression on her face is out of the ordinary. She stares in space for a relatively long time in contemplation and looks perturbed. The clock chimed. Slowly she lifted her face and gazed at the wall clock. Realising that it was 7:00 am, she imprints a morning kiss on her compa
Mrs Wabua was still dressing up when someone knocked on the door. Quickly she slipped in her silk dress with muted shades of red and her slippers and went to get the door. She turned on the handle and the door opened with a creak and saw Clare standing at the entrance. "Yes, dear, it's you." She said and smiled, drawing her closer. She stroked her hair and greeted her with love and affection. "How are you, my sweetheart." "Fine aunt." She responded and blushed and then pursued, "I came to inform you that breakfast is served." "Ok," she said and called her husband who was still having a bath, "Sweetheart, you better hurry up for breakfast." Ta
Suddenly there was a vibrating beep on Richard's phone. His countenance altered in suspicion. Shadowing its screen by cupping his hand he held it close and flicked on it. It was Julie's message. "Richard, where are you? I am waiting outside." Richard instantly shook with fear. The knowledge that Julie was capable of rummaging everywhere to get close to him agitated him. His knees shook. He peeked at his company and then lifted his neck and peered through the window but it was impossible to trace her unless he moved outside. "Honey, let's get going," Jina said after waving to her hosts dismissively. In her opinion, she had overstayed her welcome. Richard felt a flutter of panic in his stomach. She flicked her eyebrows in a gesture and smiled, put her hand around his waist and they went out. "What was that?" Mrs Wabua reckoned a
Jina swells with anger and sits in silent contemplation. She was so ticked off that she no longer had the guts to proceed to the boutique. "This day is fatally flawed." She thought and fear crept up on her. As she reflected on the odd scene minutes earlier, she shrunk and was wrenched by fear. Then she twisted to look at Richard who seemed to be lost in thought. "We can't go ahead, honey. I sense danger in the nook. She said, squeezing his arm."Give me the car keys, I will drive. " Richard is quiet and miserable that his plans had flopped. He too was scared of what might have happened to him. Jina clasped the keys and occupied the driver's seat. "What a loss!" He muttered and peeked at Jina. He was speechless and gutless and decided to be led as a dumb sheep. Jina 'started the car and made a turn and drove slowly along the lane.
WARNING!!! This chapter involves explicit scenes. Read it at your convenience. He released his grip and held her beautiful face in his arms and kissed her. Jina's body trembled and she swung her arms around him and gripped him tightly. Cautiously, Richard peers through the mirror. It was all clouded by mist. It was dark outside and there was nothing to prohibit them."Honey, "Jina started"Uh-huh""Do you feel the coldness too?""No, it's hot inside." He smirked"What?""Yeah, it's very hot!" Jina heaved. She felt a sudden clutch of anger thinking that her approach had failed and her face drained of colou