HER LOVE HER PAIN

Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

“Come on darling I will keep you company as you wait for whoever it is your are waiting for. You never know he might show up”, he said holding her by the waist again, leading her back to her seat.

He signalled for the waiter to come take their orders and while they waited for him to arrive with the menus Michael grabbed her hand out of the blue caressing her tiny knuckles. Joanne slapped his hand away and stormed out of the restaurant with tears in her eyes. She was so pissed at Kenneth for standing her up. He left her to suffer at the mercy of a perverted stranger. Throughout the drive back home tears ran down her face until the chauffer announced their arrival.

“Welcome back ma’am”

“Thank you for driving me today”, she told the old man walking through the huge double doors. Jessica and her mom were watching their telenovela in the living room immediately noticed her arrival. They were quick to ask how things went. She didn’t even wait for the sentence to end before she rushed up to her room tears falling uncontrollably. She fell on her bed and let out all her pent up emotions. Her mother entered her room and sat beside her crying figure, gently patting her back, calming her down. The crying finally ended and Joanne sat up facing her mother, who asked her asked what happened again,

“He didn’t show up and there was this pervert who harassed me. Mother am getting tired of trying, am doing my best to make this work but he doesn’t even want to recognize me. I can’t do this alone and to top it off my feelings are getting hurt each time he stands me up, am human too you know”.

“It okay dear maybe he was so busy today and that’s why he never showed up at the restaurant. Calm down my child, I know this will work. Getting you married isn’t such a bad thing and I beg you to be open to this new relationship”.

“Okay mother”

A week or so later her engagement day had arrived and the whole estate was in frenzy, maids ran up and down the property, event planning and catering trucks were out in the lot. The venue was already decked up to the maxi; the big back lawn of the house was decorated to a fairy tale theme. Joanne sat in her room patiently as the hair dresser did her hair and afterwards the makeup guys also did their thing and left.

She got up and went to sit on her bed where her dress was spread out, it looked so beautiful but it could all go to waste if Ken didn’t show up, Joanne worried. He had stood her up on all occasions. And if he didn’t come to this one she would be humiliated and every one would know of it, even those back home in Uganda because their engagement party was being covered by the by a lot of media.
It was all over the business column “young New York billionaire Kenneth Hunter son to Mathew Hunter is getting engagement to beautiful African princess Malaika Joanne”.

The Hunters’ Public relations officer had officially announced their engagement to the whole world a few days back and since then every tabloid wanted a scoop on her.
Joanne was still deep in thought, when her mother, Jessica and Cindy entered her room.

“Hey are you ready yet”, her mother asked sitting down beside her. Your father would be so happy if he could see you now, his big girl taking a big step in life. Oh dear he would be so proud of you”.

“Hey come on mummy don’t get all mushy and teary now you will ruin the happy vibes flying around”, Cindy spoke cheerily. You two lovely ladies go down stairs to the party I will help Joanne dress up”.

“Alright see you in a few”, Jessica said as they moved to the door but Joanne stopped her for a minute.

“Has Kenneth arrived”, she asked worry inched in her brown eyes.