Jina was now in a relaxed mood and drove slowly as she neared the mansion.
“Finally we are here!” she said enthusiastically pulling on the brakes at the portal. She had been counting down to their approach for some time. Richard whose face was raddled sighed heavily in relief.
“Whew! It's been quite a long day.”
“But not a bad one, huh?” She said trying to cultivate a smile from him. Richard smirked.
“ It only gets better with your inspiration, my dear.”
“No, you are always.” He said and shifted position and faced him. Her eyes shone with a bright dazzle. She reached for his arm that was poised on the chair. Richard waited in anticipation as his wif
The two gentlemen drove through the gate and parked in the yard as Jina and Mrs Wabua strolled towards the entrance. Suddenly Jina doubled back at the entrance, seeming to have forgotten something. Mrs Wabua boisterously yells at Mercy, grinning as soon as she enters the living room. “Hey, Mercy dear!” The latter hops towards her and she enfolds her in her arms, but her eyes wander around as though in search of something.“Sorry I didn’t come with your friends, but I promise next time, hm!” Said Mrs Wabua entertainingly.Mercy nodded in hearty agreement and smiles blushing slightly.“ My boneless girl!” she remarked and clapped her cheek and stroked her hair. Realising that there was no one else in the room, she slumped in a chair and crossed her legs
Unexpectedly, Richard clasped at Jina’s hand and hauled her off heading upstairs.In such a situation as this, it is never easy to carry on a conversation, but Mr Wabua couldn’t hold back his feelings of reproach towards Jina.“This is unbelievable! I have always known Jina as a woman with a good head on her shoulder but this...” He stopped and hissed.Mercy and Melissa came to cast down by the situation and stood beside Esther patting her on her shoulder and stroking her hair.“Don’t worry, sister, we all are here for you.” Said Mercy in a sad tone as tears lingered in her eyes.“That’s true Essie, ” concurred Melissa, “You aren&r
The atmosphere inside the mansion crackled with an aura of tension and was as cold as if there was a vigil. Downstairs was so quiet that one would have heard a pin drop. There was sorrow on everyone's face as they sulked on their seats fretting over the circumstances."I hope they won't take it far. I am worried that something awful might emanate from such a minor spark."Said Mr Wabua briskly with a sickly gesture on his face."Um, my dear, I don't visualise a near end sight of this crisis." Retorted his wife and sat Esther on a comfy chair near the foyer. Esther clenched her rosary that dangled from her neck and was in a state of dubiety."I am to blame for everything! I caused this. I pray that Auntie and Uncle don't fight." She thought and kept deflecting the criticisms towards Jina by blaming h
After a relatively long time without Jina appearing, the visitors considered taking their leave. Melissa and her sister who had been helping Esther out in the kitchen entered the living room and sat along with her. She was now remarkably in a chilly mood. It seems that her mother's call had soothed her."Richard," Mr Wabua said, his eyes scoping up the staircase."It appears Jina has drifted into a nap. We'll come back to check on you some other brighter day," he smirked and held his wife's hand. Mrs Wabua rubbed it and strutted across to bid the girls goodbyes exchanging hugs with all of them. "Always treat one another as family, hm!" she said pleadingly as a reminder, shook hands with Richard and said, "It shall be well, my friend. To be honest, I am disappointed in Jina, but don't scold her heavily. You well know how peevish she can be. Show her
Tip-tap tip-tap, Richard gaited across the room to the window where Jina had been glued for half an hour. The fragrance of the flowers he carried in his hands spread the room with a good feel but this didn't cut Jina a hair. She flared her nostrils and sniffed the beautiful scent and sighed heavily. "It won't be easy to coax me with your simple gifts this time. Nothing will take away the kind of humiliation you gave me today, nothing!" She thought and her face formed deep furrows citing every step that Richard took forward. Richard lay the bouquet on the bed and reduced his pace as he approached Jina.He anticipated that this anxiety too would soon result in a cheerful moment just like in the past. He was delighted and as expectant as a woman in labour. He stood a heartbeat away and called her in a husky alluring voice. Her heart leapt and she cursed in her heart.
The bulb in the dining room blew and the light grew dim. Richard wandered his eyes around the dim cheerless room and then raised his eyes to the flicking light and his face twisted,"Why did it have to be now? I Just replaced these bulbs a few days back. This is out of the ordinary." He said and frowned in a moment of candour."I will light the candle, uncle." Said Esther as she headed to the kitchen. In a moment she returned with a burning candle and placed it on the candlestick in the middle of the table and took a seat beside Melissa. There was a silence that cast a cloud of fear in everyone's heart. Esther clasped her hands tightly together on her lap and kept bestowing a glimpse up the stairs with an anxious expression on her face. "Crikey, why isn't Auntie coming down?" She wondered and a feeling of suspicion crept over her.
It had been a long awful day and all Esther craved was a benign night's sleep. Her body felt exhausted and numb. As soon as she entered her room, She slid on her short old nightie and hauled in her blanket. Unlike before she barely said her prayers. Despite all the ardent desire, she had to lay her head down she could hardly get sleep.A reflection of all that had happened that day occupied her mind and it was hard to shut them off. She kept rolling inside the blanket from one end of the bed to the other and each time she did it seemed to remind her of the gravity of the consequences of her mistake."What will you do now Esther? Your foolish actions have cost pain and misery to everyone. Aunt Jina must be incredibly angry to have declined to eat her dinner and it's all because of you. Uncle Richard has been sad and lonely since the incident." She th
In the middle of the night, when happy dreamers embrace their fantasies, Esther sat curled on her bed bare eyed soaking in her agony. She had been like this for hours staring in space, her mind sprawling in a stream of thoughts. Suddenly her eyes became heavy and her head was weighty.She lay on her side and closed her eyes. She had started to feel drowsy when she had an instinct that she heard the sound of footsteps; as if someone walked past her window. She was seized with a tinge of fear. Quietly she turned to a sitting posture and peered through the window. There was nothing. The white curtains were well-drawn and a shaft of light from the security bulb let in some dim light."I think I must have been dreaming." She thought and climbed down her bed to check whether she had perfectly locked the door to her room. As she lingered around in fright she led