Against All Odds (Completed)

Chapter Eight

Ellie entered the two-storey restaurant with a smile. Knowing her mother very well, she indeed expected her to choose a fancy restaurant for them.

It was cosy, spacious and very polished with walls painted in orange and lemon. It had beautiful furniture and a serene atmosphere. Ellie immediately spotted her mother at a corner by the window waving at her.

She stopped her eyes from touring again walked towards her mother.

“Good afternoon, Babyface.” She smiled, calling her mother by the nickname her father used often. She walked to her chair and leaned in for a hug.

“Hello, Darling. What took you so long?” Samantha kissed Ellie on the cheek and smiled widely. Her pretty face shone, making her look even younger than her age. And hence, why she was nicknamed “Babyface”. 

Samantha was a sophisticated woman and an ambitious entrepreneur,  owning a fast growing clothing line in Accra.

“I’m sorry for being late, had to stop by the studio for some work. You didn’t order?” Ellie pulled a chair and sat beside her mother.

“No. Look at the time you’re coming, I’m glad I decided to wait for you.”

“Sorry.” Ellie pouted. “So, how did it go? Did you get them to sign the contract?”

“Of course! They couldn’t say no to me.” Samantha grinned. She motioned for a waiter and glanced back at Ellie. “You don’t look very cheerful. Is there a problem?”

Ellie pursed her lips. Her mother could easily figure out when there was a problem and there was no way she could lie to her. “I’m fine, Mom. It’s nothing serious.”

“Tell me about it.” Samantha touched her hand softly.

Ellie sighed. “It's Michael...” She looked at her, “We broke up. But don’t worry, I’m okay.”

Samantha squeezed her hand. “Sorry, dear. I didn’t even get to meet him. What happened?”

“Told you not to worry. Let’s talk about you instead.”

Samantha nodded. “Sure.”

The waiter took their order and left with the menu.

“So when are you going back to Accra?” Ellie asked.

“First thing tomorrow morning. I need to be at work, some deliveries will be coming.”

“Great.” Ellie smiled. “Maybe dad should see how hard you are working for the company. He’s going to be proud.”

“You don’t need to mention him whenever we meet. He’s happy where he chose to be.” Samantha frowned.

“I don’t like both of you like this. What’s making it hard for you to forgive him?”

“Ellie, if you don’t have anything else to talk about, keep quiet. Nelson left for another woman, there’s no need to keep on reminding me of it.”

“He didn’t. You suspected him and then pushed him away. He loves you.”

Samantha clasped her hands together and gave Ellie a stern look. “You shouldn’t provoke me, Ellie. Don’t make me walk out.”

Ellie nodded sadly. Maybe she’d try another day. She wasn’t going give up in trying to bring her parents back together. Her mother had only assumed her father was having an affair with his secretary but Ellie knew her father wouldn’t do that, it was nothing but a frame and with him overseas and far from her and her mother, trying to reunite them was a hard nut to crack.

She stared at the angry look on her mothers face as she looked at something on her phone. Until when would she continue to drive her father away? It was almost a year, and Ellie hoped her mother wouldn’t consider divorce. That’d be too much for her to handle.

       ******

“Wow! I’m amazed, Matt. All this for a girl?” Elorm asked, eyeing the food on the coffee table.

“Yes. For my woman.” Matt grinned. He placed the cutlery beside the food on the tray beside the food and sighed with satisfaction.

Elorm shook his head, looking at Matt in bewilderment. “Is this really you?”

“What’s wrong with me doing this? Don’t women consider stuff like this very romantic? ” He snapped.

“Well, yeah. But I never imagined you’d do this.” Elorm replied.

“Don’t mind him, Matt. Girls are easily moved by simple things like this.” Bobby said and reached for the lid. He opened the meal and grinned. “Mr. Chef, if this food wasn’t for Anita, I swear I’d have munched on it in a sec.”

“Get away!” Matt pushed him and placed back the lid. “She'll be here soon. What are you guys still doing here?”

“You need to bribe me before I leave, Matt. Because you’re making me sacrifice my sleep for you.” Bobby replied.

“What else do you need money for? Don’t you feel bad trying to drain me?” Matt let out a dramatic sigh.

“And I’m not budging either. You should find a guesthouse for your date.” Ashton looked over his shoulder after pausing the game he had been playing. He smirked at the angry Matt, loving how cold he was glaring at him.

Matt glanced at his watch. “I'll compensate everyone. Now get your asses out of here!”

Ashton shook his head. “Okay. We’ll leave, but I’ll be coming back in thirty minutes. You should expect me.” He got up from the floor and grabbed his jacket from the armrest.

Bobby and Elorm followed him to the door, leaving Matt happy and grinning all by himself.

“About Ellie...” Elorm said when they were descending the stairs. “Don't tell me you’re hitting on her.”

Ashton rolled his eyes. “That’s none of your business whoever I hit on.”

“It is, at least with this one. She’s been through lots of failed relationships and heartbreaks, I don’t want anyone hurting her anymore.”

“And what makes you think I will?”

“I’m just warning you. Don’t mess with her, if that’s what you intend to do.”

“You should consider going back on the show and stop blabbering. You know everyone is rooting for your comeback.” Bobby interrupted.

“And I’m still not sure about going back. I need time for myself and the guy hosting is quite good, though.”

“I still can’t believe you quitted the show because of Celine.” Ashton said.

“And it ended it in tears. She said I wasn’t giving her attention and just when I tried to give her what she wanted, she ended things.”

“Yeah, too bad. But it’s all good. You just need to go back on the show, Mr. Sarpong and your listeners I’m sure, are missing you.” Said Bobby.

“I’ll think about it. For now, I'm focused on the game. It’s next week,  The Shield against the Black Panthers!” He smiled, making an imaginary basketball shoot.

“Yeah. You know, right? Can’t wait!” Ashton grinned as they descended the rest of the stairs.