Must Date The Chef

|| 12.

Happy Birthday scshae, more front hair and lots of love. 🏵🏵💓💓

Mrs Nse jumps in shock, wiping furiously at her lips while Mr Adams remains seated on the edge of the table with his arm hanging from her waist. She takes a step away from him and his hands come to rest on his knee, eyeing me like I am not needed here. With an intensity that makes me cringe; angry.

"What is going on here?" I reiterate. My voice comes out stronger than I expect it to and I give myself a mental applause.

Mr Adams crosses one of his legs over the other and asks, "What are you doing here?"

"It's your birthday," I start with annoyance lacing my words, "I wanted to take you out. I came here to pick you up, not knowing..."

The way Mrs Nse's eyes widen doesn't go unnoticed by me and I send her a chilling glare. Of all women to have an affair with, it has to be her, the married woman who made my stay here miserable with her early morning gospel. Does her principle of modesty not apply to her? Is it for the youths, the single, unmarried ladies alone?

My eyes find their way to the floor, I bite on my bottom lip, waiting for that image of him kissing her with his hand under her skirt replaying in my head to pass. For God's sake, why will he get into an entanglement with her? Mmá is single, he is single, they have known each other for ages. They are the perfect match for each other, not this witch with her holier than thou attitude.

"She's married, Uncle," I state, not a care for how harsh my words sound. He deserves it.

I have never seriously thought of him and Mmá as a couple until now but the idea warms me over. They will make a great team. I raise my head in Mrs Nse direction, she is still staring at the ground and I scoff.

Seeing Mr Adams with her doesn't sit right with me, not one bit. I know he has not hooked up with any other woman since his wife died, neither has Mmá hooked up with any man and I don't want the first woman he starts dating to be Mrs Nse. I dislike her.

"She's getting a divorce."

Of all the years I have known Mr Adams, this is the most foolish thing I ever heard him say. "And you believe that, uncle?"

My feet carry me in Mrs Nse direction and I don't know what I would have done if he didn't step in to block my view of her. I stop in my track, a scowl decorating my face as I stare hard at Mr Adams chest like my glare will penetrate through him. He should have given me a chance to hit her for all those times she made me feel so low with her words, the rumours she peddled.

"You evil witch," my fists are balled at my side, "what did you do to him?" Then I lift my chin to Mr Adams and say, "She is using you, you better shine your eyes. Wake up."

Mr Adams is smart, calculating, thoughtful, never one to be manipulated and now, all of a sudden he wants to get together with the woman who isn't divorced yet. I scoff and shake my head, this is a scene straight out of a Hollywood script. This cannot be real.

"Ifunaya, I won't have you disrespect Nse and definitely not in my presence," he says. His eyes are pleading but his lips are set in a stern line, he wants me to understand. My head shakes, I can't. I don't want to. I refuse.

I have always liked it when he called me by my Igbo name but now, I don't want the same lips that have been on hers uttering my name. I spare Mrs Nse who steps out to stand by his side a glance, they are even on a first name basis. Just how long has this, I cringe, this affair been going on for?

"God," I mutter and start searching through my bag. They both stare at me, their eyes watching my every move and I grimace.

This is what I rushed here for, this rubbish. I shake my head slowly; I should have just stayed behind to pacify Paul. I wonder if he still wants to talk to me after that scenario. God! I raised my voice at him. Over what?