Solitude – Episode 33
SOLITUDE
_33_
It has been three awful months from the time that I lost the firm, ninety whole days and I have most mornings woken up wanting to believe that it is all a lie but no.
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They have finally managed to rebuild the place, that’s the thing about people with money. What can take most years to bring to life they do it within a short pace of time because they have the resources to do so.
I have gone back to my make up days, it’s the only thing keeping me alive and I know it’s the one thing that no one can ever take from me. I don’t have any appointments so I am guessing it will be a very slow morning.
After waking up, I clean up the house and wash some clothes before settling into my reading chair. Also I have taken up a law course online not that I want to be a lawyer but I just want to have the basic knowledge if ever I am faced with a law suite.
What started as one book turns into different others because I have to refer to other books in order to understand what I am reading and before I know it, it is lunch.
The growling of my stomach makes me start cooking, staying alone can make one a very lazy cook but I try once in a while to cook healthy meals but not today. I prepare noodles and warm mince from the previous night then have it with coffee.
When done I clean up and decide to take a nap before I can watch my favorite series on Netflix later.
I hear a car drive into the yard, I never have any visitors so I am surprised and wait by the door.
It’s August, he hasn’t been here in three months and even though I had wanted to reach out and find out how he has been doing but it was never in my place.
I look at him, he has lost a bit of some weight and he has an unkept beard but I dare not ask.
‘Ain’t you a breath of fresh air?’ He asks with a smile
‘Hey.’ I say losing myself. I stand on my toes and reach for him, wrapping my hands around his neck
‘I missed you.’ He says wrapping his hands around my waist
I smile inwardly, August and I had built a really strong bond before everything was ruined.
‘Please come in.’ I say
He walks in and I close the door behind him
‘You have been reading.’ He says looking at my law books
‘I wouldn’t want to be in the same predicament ever again.’ I respond going to pick them up and nicely putting them on the table
‘Can I offer you anything?’
‘I am starving.’ He says and I laugh, that’s so like August. He has a divine appetite
‘Let me prepare you something.’
‘Not noodles.’ He says quickly
‘Then please have the kitchen.’ I say
He laughs
‘What sort of a lady doesn’t like cooking?’
‘This lady.’ I say proudly
He shakes his head amused
‘What do we have here?’ He asks opening the fridge
‘Nella really?’ Shocked from the empty fridge
‘I haven’t had the time to pick out groceries.’
He eyes me
‘I have been broke.’
He eyes me again
‘Fine I haven’t had the heart for going out.’
‘I am ordering you groceries.’ He says getting his phone
‘Ordering me groceries?’ I ask going to sit where he is sitted
‘Yes.’
He opens the AfriDelivery app and looks at the supermarket vendors, Melissa supermarket is listed and we start picking out things I might need. He does all that then hands me his phone and asks that I add the toiletries that I need, we finish off and make the order. He receives a phone call after three minutes to confirm the order and an hour later the items are delivered at my door step, honestly I am
impressed. I had no idea that such an app existed and I am glad to learn about it now because then I can make purchases whilst home.
He prepares fried rice and chicken stripes and even though I had eaten I choose to eat with him because not only does the food smell nice but it tastes good too.
Instead of watching the series, he picks out bad teacher and we start watching together. It is fun, because even though I haven’t seen him in ages it feels just like yesterday.
‘How is marriage?’ I ask when I can no longer hold back
‘Not a walk in the park.’
‘I thought it is supposed to be rosy.’
‘Not when it’s fake.’
I don’t know how to respond to that so I lock my fingers with his
‘You made your bed.’
‘A dangerous bed.’ He responds with a sigh
‘Lay in it.’
Silence
‘There was a time when I wanted Chanda to be my wife, a time when I wanted her to be the mother of my children but I guess we don’t always get what we want do we now?’ He asks
I smile
‘Life has a funny way of teaching us certain things hey, just when you thought you have it all figured out then you just lose it all.’ I say a tear threatening to fall
‘You know it wasn’t your fault right?’
‘I failed her.’ I respond
‘Nella you are not responsible for how other people treat you, you did everything right but Chanda did everything wrong. She is the one that messed up, she is the one that failed you so don’t you dare blame yourself for things that you couldn’t change.’
I shrug
‘It wasn’t supposed to go down like that.’
He kisses my forehead and passes me his phone
‘What is this?’ I ask looking at the PDF document on his phone
‘These are original papers for the land.’
‘What land August.’
‘Bring me the box you got from the orphanage.’
I go to the bedroom and give it to him, I wonder what else is in there because honestly I haven’t had the time or heart to check in it.
He goes through them until he comes to the bottom.
He smiles
‘What?’
‘You have been here sulking when you have everything in your hands.’
‘August what are those?’
He hands them to me, they are original documents on which the firm stood. And from the agreement in there no one was supposed to sell the land or any structure built on it unless the owner being my mother, but since she was gone it was passed in my name.
‘August what does this mean?’
‘It means that whatever structure built on that land without your signature automatically belongs to you:’
‘August.’ I say tears forming
‘I would never do anything to hurt you Nella.’
‘But how did you know about this?’
‘Is that really important right now?’
I shake my head
‘It isn’t, but thank you.’ I say wrapping my hands around him
‘Though I am a little hurt that you thought I wanted to hurt you.’
‘Sorry I guess.’
‘Really?’
‘Okay fine I am sorry.’ I say
‘But go through what is in that box Nella, honestly you might be sitting on a gold mine.’
‘I will, I promise.’
He kisses my forehead
‘Let me get going but tomorrow I will be expecting you.’
‘Expecting me?’
‘The firm opens tomorrow, what’s a firm without its owner? Give them the grand entrance.’ He says with a smile
I smile. Genuinely. For the first time in months
‘Take care of yourself.’
‘And cut that beard.’ I say and wait for him to drive off before locking myself in
