"Daddy is back!, daddy is back" The Ekene and Nathan screamed as they heard the sound of Stanley's car. Through the window, they watched him drive into the compound. The boys opened the door and rushed out. They stared at Stanley as he stepped out of the car with two nylons of goodies.
"We missed you daddy" They said as they rushed into his arms. He dropped the nylons on the floor and hugged them.
"What took you so long to return home?" Nathan asked.
"Don't leave for such a long time again" Ekene told him.
Laughing, he pat their heads as they walked into the house. Chioma didn't come out to greet him.
This was unusual, but he kept his worries to himself as he entered into the cozy house. Chioma sat on the chair pressing her phone. She only raised her head when she greeted him and resumed pressing her phone. Charles dropped the nylons on the table then went straight to the bathroom. By the time he would returned to the sitting room, the kids had opened the nylon and taken what he bought. He noticed his wife didn't give a second glance at him nor touched the things he bought.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"Of course I am" She said without looking at him.
Nobody told Stanley that Chioma was angry. He knew she was but she was trying to control herself. If it were before, she would greet him with so much kisses and soak his shirt with tears because she missed him. She would instantly start talking about what happened in his absence. She would have checked what was inside the nylon and start munching away but this time, she was ignoring him.
He sat on the dining talking with his kids and they filled him in on their school activities.
"You don't always attend any of our school activities like other father's do" Nathan complained.
Feeling a prick in his heart, he immediately apologized. While he chatted with his kids, he kept glancing at his wife. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Chioma enter the kitchen.
"Perhaps to cook" He reasoned.
When she returned, she was carrying two plates of noodles for her children. She waited until the kids finished their meal. She served herself the leftovers from the rice they ate in the morning. Without any qualms, she ate her food, cleared her plate, then entered the bedroom to sleep. Stanley knew that Chioma was making a statement with her attitude.
He put the kids to bed, then returned to the bedroom. Maybe she was angry with the way he left the other time. Was he to apologize for that? He mused.
"Why are you so cold towards me?" He asked bending over the sleeping Chioma
"Who is Rosa?. I want to know who she is to you!. You bought a car for her. Not only that, you bought her a land. Tell me I am lying Stanley"
Chioma waited for him to deny it or at least say something.
"Is that all?" He asked standing straight.
Surprised, Chioma sat up on the bed.
"Start talking Stanley. Tell me who she is"
Charles sat on the bed beside her unfeeling. He allowed silence to sweep the bedroom before saying something.
"Rosa is my wife" He said boldly.
"Your what!?"
"She is my wife. She has been my girlfriend, but yesterday I took it a step further. I married her."
Stunned by the revelation, Chioma stood up and knelt in front of Stanley.
"Tell me it's not true Stanley" She cried "You're joking right?"
"I am serious Chioma. I know you love me so much. I appreciate your love but you see, Rosa is the woman I actually love. She is fat and curvy, you know. The sight of her makes my heart jump" He explained.
"Alright!, can I take drugs or something to be fat like her. I love you Stanley. Don't do this to me"
"I am married to her already. I can't undo it because I love her"
In that position for a long time, Chioma wept.
"Did I do anything wrong?" She asked still weeping.
"No!, It's not about what you did wrong. My heart just followed her"
Not able to stand the tears and unnecessary questions, Stanley left the house.
It was the worst night Chioma would ever experience in her life. Her tears flowed till morning. It was as if her heart would rip open from the betrayal.
As the days went by, Chioma lost her smile, her self esteem and was a shadow of herself.
———————————–
Karen moved from room to room with a big frown on her face.
"I don't like this place" she said to Charles.
"This place or apartment" He asked
"You could have at least rented a two or three bedroom flat. I don't appreciate this" She said.
Surprised by her reaction, he held her hands.
"I thought you will thank me for my effort"
"Well thank you, but I still don'tn't like it"
"Alright Karen. We will manage it. This is what my money could afford. I just wanted you to move out of that house" He told her.
Few days later, Karen and Charles moved in. She didn't tell Brian or Ann she was moving. They just discovered that she had moved her things out of the house. When Ann called her, her response was rude.
The only thing Charles bought in the house is a mattress. He told her that as money comes, he would furnish it to his taste.
"I closed my account just to rent this place" he told her.
Karen brought out her phone from the bag and checked her account balance. This brought smile to her face. The money there was huge and for no reason was she going to spend unnecessarily.
"Alright Charles, I will bear with you"
Every month, Charles would stock the house with foodstuff to last them till the next payday. Karen never contributed and he never bothered her. She would place her demand on him and to his ability he would meet her demand.
At work, Karen plays her role well. She knew that Brian wasn't happy with her and would not hesitate to fire her if she misbehaves. Brian no longer pays attention to her. He treats her same way as others. Then she noticed that he employed another staff who is to have direct access to him. That means, she would never have direct contact or access to him again. All her reports must go through Miss Nancy.
Come to think of it, Miss Nancy knows her onion, she is intelligent and dresses well. Just a month in the organization, everyone could feel her impact. She was now the darling of the organization. During devotion, She flows in the spirit. All these were too much for Karen to bear. She was jealous. Nancy changed the face of the company for good.
"We are here to provide quality service to our customers and not to flirt with them. If you are still interested in working in this company and being under me, dress appropriately for work and not for clubs. Henceforth, we will look at areas that needs adjustment and improvement." She told them at the meeting.
Karen was fuming with anger.
"Who the hell does she think she is, giving instructions to us" She asked rhetorically as she entered her office
When she took her seat, her thought ran wild and she frowned. She would have loved to resign but there is no job available anywhere. Karen believed Brian employed Nancy because he doesn't want to ever have contact with her. She knew Brian would have long sacked her without restrain. Since she moved out of his house, he had avoided her. Whenever she enters the office, he would say
"Drop the file and leave"
She would leave, expecting him to call her after working on it. He wouldn't call her. Rather, another staff would return the file to her.
On that chair, Karen thought of what to do. She wants to buy Brian's heart.
Dear Reader, what do you think Karen should do to win Brian's heart?