Solitude – Episode 17
SOLITUDE
_17_
I wake up feeling really bad Tuesday morning, my body is sore and my throat is burning. Even though I want to go for work I know that I won’t get much done, so
I call my secretary and ask her to cancel my appointments for the day. If anything, she should call me on my personal line which I will keep close to me.
I am tempted to use this time to check the documents that I got from the orphanage but I convince myself that I will do it another time.
I sleep most of the day only to be woken up by the ringing of my phone, it’s August.
‘Good morning Mr. Cochrane.’
‘Good afternoon Nella.’ He responds instead
‘It’s already afternoon?’ I ask looking t the time on my other phone
‘Please open up.’ He says
I didn’t think he would show up, the house hasn’t been swept the whole day and I haven’t taken a bath. Not even brushed my teeth. I don’t know why this matters so much now but I begin to feel alive, compared to how I was.
‘Good morning.’ I say immediately I open the door
‘Its past lunch.’ He says shaking his head
‘Come in.’ I say with sarcasm since he is already in the house.
‘You have been in bed the entire time?’ he asks
‘Leave me alone.’ I say dropping my weight on the couch
‘Those are cute pajamas by the way
‘Cute is for poppies.’
‘But poppies are cute.’
‘August really.’
‘Sorry.’ He says with a laugh
I throw one of the pillows from the couch I am sitting on at him He laughs some more.
‘You are cute when you do that.’
‘I am not a poppy.’
‘I didn’t say that you are.’ He responds
I roll my eyes at him
‘Go and take a bath, let me prepare you something to eat.’ ‘Shouldn’t you be working.’
‘My boss is sick, shouldn’t I be worried?’ ‘I am your boss huh?’ I ask on my feet
‘Of course, you are.’ He responds standing close to where I am
I can feel the attraction between us, this is wrong. In all angles, it is totally wrong but I can’t help but feel it.
He caresses my face with his left fingers.
‘Go and bath Nella.’ He whispers and his voice sends chills down my spine ‘I want fried chicken, and rice and pasta and beef.’ I say not looking at him ‘What?’
‘Did I mention chicken too?’ I ask
He laughs
‘Go and bath before I lift you out of here.’
With that I leave him there and head to my bedroom, I make the bed quickly and clean up before hitting the shower. The water feels all sorts of kind on my skin and now I am wondering why I didn’t think of this earlier.
When done, I settle for comfy shorts and a baggy t shirt. I brush through my braids then wear house slippers before joining him in the living room.
‘You took your sweet time.’ He accuses
‘I was cleaning the bedroom too
‘Right.’ He says with a chuckle
‘Drink this.’ He says handing me a mug cup
‘What’s this?’
‘Just drink Ms. Mphanda.’
‘Nakana.’
‘Wakana?’
I almost laugh at his funny accent
‘I have been living in Zambia for a very long time not to pick on some words hey.’
‘Whatever you say your highness.’ I say before laughing again
I put the cup to my lips and almost spit the contents out if not for his eyes that are fixed on me
‘What is this?’
‘Drink it up.’
‘But it’s bitter.’
‘Medicine is supposed to be.’
‘I can’t.’ I say my throat hurting as the liquid touches it ‘Stop being a big baby and just drink up.’ ‘Fine.’ I say complaining but just drink up
‘After a few minutes you will feel better and will be calling me doctor Cochrane.’ ‘What?’
‘Just wait for it.’ He says
My house is set up in such a way that the kitchen table is the one demarcating the living room and the kitchen so from where I am, I can watch him cook.
‘What are you making, it smells nice.’ I say standing up ‘Just stay there before you ruin your appetite.’
‘I just want to know what the food is.’ I argue ‘You are stubborn you know that.’
‘It comes with the height.’ I say making a puppy face ‘Now you look like a poppy.’ ‘Puppy.’
‘What’s the difference, puppy poppy is the same thing.’
‘No, they are not.’ I argue
He raises his eyebrow
‘One is domesticated the other one is wild.’
‘So, which one are you?’
I don’t respond
‘Poppy. A cute Poppy.’ He adds and I roll my eyes at him
‘I wonder how you get when you are angry.’
‘Leave me alone.’ I say lifting my body so that I am sitting on the kitchen table
‘Can I ask you something personal?”
‘Shoot.’
‘Did you ever find your mother? Your biological mother I mean.’
‘Chileshe did.’ I respond
‘What?’
‘She is very much around.’
‘But I don’t understand.’
‘She doesn’t want anything to do with me, when she put me up for adoption, she didn’t make a mistake so even years of being separated they are still no emotions there. She never wanted anything to do with me.’
‘I am sorry to hear that.’
‘It is not your fault.’
‘Well she missed out on a very kind lady.’
‘You don’t know anything about me.’
‘I have worked with you long enough to know what’s real and what’s not.’
‘Trust me when I say your mother missed out on you.’ He adds
I smile
‘Thank you, that means a lot to me. I know people think I was content having Chileshe around but somedays I wondered why I was just some child that was ditched, for a long time I was haunted by those thoughts and I told Chileshe about them.’
‘And I am guessing she went digging right?’
‘Most of that information was kept by the orphanage and they only let it go after Chileshe persisted.’
‘That’s part of the documents that were pulled down.’
‘Yes, they contain reasons as to why I was put up for adoption. History on my family and everything else.’
‘And you don’t ever want to know them?’
‘I am scared.’ I respond touching my stomach
‘Are you okay?’
‘I feel funny.’ I say
‘The medicine couldn’t have reacted.’
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‘Ahhhhh!’ I scream holding my tummy
‘Nella.’
‘Ahhhhh!’ I scream some more tears falling
‘Hold still I am driving you to the clinic.’ He says turning off the cooker.
