A week later...
Jessica groaned as she walked out from the toilet to the bedroom. She had just finished barfing up her dinner into the toilet and was feeling very exhausted.
It was now she was really feeling the symptoms of pregnancy—her breast had became tender, she was spitting and vomitting frequently, she easily got fatigued, had a larger appetite and increased food aversion.
She threw herself on her bed and hid herself underneath the duvet.
"Baby, you feeling okay? Should I get you anything?" Gillis asked as he slid on his shirt.
"An early delivery?"
He chuckled and then walked over to kiss her head, "You're gonna be fine," he kissed her lips, "you can do this, okay?"
"Abeg save your pep talk," she lightly pushed his face away, then reaching for the television remote, she said, "my own is that you better came back with chicken and plenty Jollof rice."
He laughed, "Alright then," he kissed her lips.
She pulled down the duvet and revealed her stomach. Her stomach was not too big but it definitely was protruding and there was a thin brown line running up her across her abdomen.
He also bent down and kissed her stomach. "Daddy loves you guys," he whispered before kissing her stomach again.
They decided that since they weren't sure of the sex of the child and weren't interested in revealing the baby's sex before birth they would call the fetus; guys.
"I love you," he said walking to the door.
"I'll love you more if you bring home the Jollof rice and chicken," she replied.
He laughed as he walked out of the room and down the staircase. Below the staircase stood Mrs Idara; their housekeeper, she curtsied on seeing him.
"Good evening sir," she said as she stopped in front of her.
"Good evening ma," he said, "Iapologize again for extending your shift for the third time this week. It's just that I have a very important occasion to attend and she would have no other person look after her but you."
"Oh no need to apologize," she smiled, "it is my duty and I find pregnant Jessica very funny."
He laughed, "Is the car ready?"
"Yes sir," she's said.
"Okay then," he said, "See you later," he waved at her and strode out of the house to the vehicle awaiting him just at the front of the house.
***
"Can we put our hands together for the wonderful couple," The MC said over the microphone, "even at their age they never fail to display their affection towards one another."
Susanna rolled her eyes as she drank some more of the wine in her glass. She hated the open display of affection by father to Vivian today at his 65th birthday party. It made her was to puke and she was holding her tongue from cussing them out.
She was only in this party for one reason, one tall, dark fine-ass reason; Gillis.
She sipped her drink whilst ogling at him, this was how she had spent her evening so far and she sensed that he knew she was looking but acted like he didn't.
She didn't miss the fact that he was avoiding and turning down all her advances. He returned the excess money she offered him and whenever she paid a visit to his office, he would tell someone else to attend to her.
However today, there was no escape.
She snapped her fingers and the waiter holding a tray of red wine rushed to her side. She took a glass of red wine from the tray and replaced it with the glass of white wine she was drinking previously.
As the waiter left, she brushed up her Senegalese twists with her hands, pulled down her dress so that the plunging neckline could reveal even more cleavage and then she was good to go.
She walked closer to where he stood and purposely ran into him making her wine spill on her, staining the nude fabric of her dress.
"Shit!" She cussed out in annoyance.
Gillis, who was ignorant of her plot, jumped into action with his white handkerchief, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."
"It's fine," she sighed.
"I'm so sorry," he said and as he attempted to wipe the wine off her chest, his hand came in contact with her boobs. Gillis didn't just retract his hand, he threw himself backward and ended up colliding with the person behind him.
"Will you watch where you're going?" The man curtly said, "What are you, blind?"
"I'm sorry," Gillis apologized. He felt embarrassed by the mans utterances and didn't want to make a scene at the event.
"Sorry for yourself," the man hissed, walking out of the scene.
Gillis facepalmed, "Why are you so clumsy?" He soliloquized.
"Hey," Susanna called tapping his broad shoulder with her slender fingers, "I'm sure you've heard the saying; 'to err is human...', right?" He nodded, "Then don't sweat it, that one is just making noise because the tailor that sewed his trouser put bow on his bumbum." She shrugged.
Gillis laughed at her remark, "What does that even mean?"
She was lost momentarily dazing at his beauty as he laughed but she quickly regained herself and said, "I was just messing around. So how are you?"
"I should be asking you that," he said, "especially after ruining your dress."
"Well, now you say it, I guess you do owe me a drink," she said with a lopsided grin, "well, in my opinion it's only fair since you made me spill it."
He chuckled, "And that would be what? Your 13th glass tonight? I don't think so."
"13th?" She smiled, closing the space between them, "Are you spying on me now, Mr Gillis?" She sexily drawled out his name and bit down her lip in excitement due to his confession.
Gillis wasn't necessarily spying on her, he had caught her staring at him several times tonight through his peripheral vision and that was simply how he knew how many glasses of wine she had drunk.
"Well, it's not like I was spying on you," he started while rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, "I just noticed that you like drinking. I mean you were drinking when we first met, when you came to my office and even right now."
"So what? You think I'm an alcoholic or something?" She retorted. The fact that she was offended was evident in her tone. She pointed her finger to his chest and said, "Well, for your information, I am not an alcoholic. Just because I take a few glasses every now and then doesn't mean I have a drinking problem. I'm not alcoholic."
And that is exactly what an alcoholic would say. He thought to himself.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" He held her finger, "I didn't mean to offend you but the fact is that you should be mindful of how much you drink. I mean, you're such an attractive woman and I'm sure you have a lot of dreams, goals and a world full of people you can impact with your gifts. So you better be careful or else you won't even live to see your dream become a reality."
"So you think I'm attractive?" She winked. She completely zoned off after the part where he said she was attractive because even though she heard this comments frequently, hearing Gillis say it meant everything to her.
Sometimes Gillis you can be so daft! What were you thinking saying that to her? He mentally chided himself before saying, "What man wouldn't?"
She rolled her eyes. "I'm asking about you, you. Do you find me attractive?"
"My dear, nobody not even my own wife won't say you're a beauty."
She frowned at his answer, he was a clever one, she would give him that. She turned away with a hiss and gestured for someone to get her another glass of wine. She sipped on the wine while facing the other guests at the party, "So you're married?"
"Ah yes," he replied with a boyish grin across his face.
She snorted at the sight of his countenance, she detested happy relationships and marriages. She turned to the crowd, scanning through the sea of people for someone she presumed would be his wife.
"And where is 'the wife'?" She said with air quotes.
He sighed, "She couldn't make it."
"Really?" Her eyes widened in excitement.
"Yes," he said, "She wasn't feeling strong enough to attend the event."
"Ah poor thing. My apologies, I hope she gets well soon," she said pretending to care about his wife's well-being while of a truth she was happy because this meant she would have Gillis all to herself this evening and she could put her plan to covet him into action.
"So," she turned to him, "About alcohol, you want to tell me you haven't had some before?"
Gillis stuck out his tongue in disgust before saying, "It was awful. I had a migraine for a week."
She scoffed, "Lightweight," she mocked him.
From that time onward, the two of them spent the night together chatting. They talked about politics, food, education, health, work and relationships. They talked for hours but they didn't get tired and in fact didn't want to leave each other when the occasion finally came to an end.
"Ugh!" Sussanna groaned, "I wish I could stay here all evening," she stuck out her bottom lip, "I'm having so much fun with you. I really don't wanna go."
He chuckled and playfully punched her arm, "I'd admit I judged you wrongly, you're quite fun to be around."
She flipped her hair proudly, "You can say that again so, I'm guessing that means that if I pop up at your office you won't send me off to someone else? I can come into your office and we could have a friendly chat like what we did tonight?"
"Well, sure," he smiled.
"I don't trust you," she held out her pinkie finger.
"What are you? Five years old?" He chuckled.
She scoffed, "Today is Friday and anything can happen between now and Monday that can make you change your mind so, pinkie swear?"
He raised his hands up in surrender as he said, "You win," then he locked his finger in hers, "We good now?"
"Yup," she smiled as they let go. This was too easy.
"Okay, may I walk you down to your car?" He asked grabbing his suit and his items from his table.
"A gentleman," she cooed, "you may."
He laughed at her remark and together they walked down to her car. She pointed at her vehicle on reaching it and he opened the door for her.
"Well, goodnight Sus—Oh!" He gasped as she suddenly threw her arms around him in an embrace.
She pressed her head to his shirt and said, "Thank you so much for keeping me company. You mad my evening, Gillis."
He hugged her back, "You're welcome."
"Bye Gillis," she said as she slipped into her vehicle, "See you on Monday."
"You too," he said closing the door after her.
***
"Hey honey," Gillis said kissing his wife's ear, he bent against the sofa where she sat and rubbed her belly through her burgundy silk robe.
"What are you watching?" He asked referring to the program on the television screen before her.
"Hey baby," she turned and kissed his temple, "Round the twist," she said stuffing her popcorn into his mouth.
He chuckled while chewing the popcorn and rose up to his feet, "You're feeling better now?"
"My dear oh," she said, "it's like I'm a different person entirely. I feel so active and lively now. Anyway, how was the party?"
"It was good," he said removing his suit and pulling off his shirt, "Mrs Vivian sends her greeting. She was so happy to her about the baby, she sends her congratulations and her regards."
"My Jollof rice, inko?"
He froze.
She smiled, "Gillis darling how do you like your death served?"
"See, I didn't forget. I just—Ah!" He screamed dodging the remote control flying straight at him.
She rose to her feet and chased him out of the house, "And don't come back here if you don't have my Jollof rice!"
She scoffed as she walked up to her room, "See his big head," she stumbled against something and discovered it was his shirt, she grunted as she picked it up from the floor, "He couldn't even put his shirt in the laundry basket, what is..."
She stopped when she noticed a sphere mark close to the collar of his plain white shirt. The mark was a bright glossy purple, a shade she didn't have. She held the shirt up to the light and ran her finger against the shirt once more to confirm what she was seeing.
"Lipstick?"
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Are you guys watching the news? Do you see why I said you should pray?
Please pray let this thing not turn to war.
You don't think this protest can turn into a full-blown war? My dear, nah from sleep wey person dey use learn how to die oh!
Please let's pray.
TORRI CORNER <let's talk>
Have you ever just innocently complimented somebody and they saw the thing as something else?
Story of my life 😪
Okay, so I'm the type of person who isn't stingy with compliments like I could see you on the road—I may not even know you—but I would compliment your outfit. I learnt from experience a while ago that things like this can make someone day so, I just do it with joy and sincerity.
Some people don't just get it oh, that's how you will compliment somebody and the person will think you've proposed to him.
It is well 😪