Joycelyn Alexander mother was known as a tough woman who didn't put up with much; being a barrister, she has divorce with Jasper Alexander father due to he lack selfcontrol over women and was always after what is in between the ladies leg. Being the university chancellor, She has also got him regularly with ladies on campus, sometimes some of his colleagues making love in the office.
It was all her fault because she knew he was a womanizer and still agreed to marry him despite warnings from both her parents from her loved one. Joycelyn also claimed that her love and the consistent sexual satisfaction she would give him would put an end to his flirting attitude. Not knowing that he would fail her, it became worse when he was finally promoted as the university Chancellor, with Alexander being their only surviving child.
One thing Jasper always says when she nags on him because of his lifestyle is, "This is my life and I have to play it the way I want."
Now, Jayceyn after some months of not seeing her son, Alexander, aside from the calls they make on a daily basis, decided to pay him a surprise visit and stay with him for a week since she was on two weeks' leave from work. On her arrival at his house, she was helped by the security man who tools her belongings in when she got to Alexander house. She had brought with her a travel bag full of clothes, food stuffs, and other local ingredients used to prepare local food, as she had known her son to like local cuisines. A knock at the door.
" Hold on, I am coming." Harper answered, saying she heard the sound from the rest room.
"Good afternoon, ma," she said, Joyceyn was deafeningly silent. She was thinking if she was actually in her son's house.
" Mark, what am I seeing? I hope this is still your olga house. " She asked Mark one of the security man in Alexander hoise, since she was shocked to see a pregnant woman welcoming her.
" Yes ma, this is his house," Mark answered her. Joycelyn kept her eyes amazed. With the help of Mark and the little Harper could help in carrying Joycelyn belongings and other materials inside, she came in and sat uncomfortable in her son's house. And having thanked Mark for his assistant, Joycelyn put her hands in her purse and brought out a thousand naira and gave it to him for free.
"Welcome ma", Harper said to her still standing, "you must be Joycelyn Alexander Mother from the looks of things."Harper asked her with a smile on her face, and at the same time, she was scared of facing Joycelyn.
"Yes, I am Alexander mother, and what are you doing here?" With hands folded in amazement, she asked Harper.
"Ma, I think he is in the right position to answer that." Just relax while I get you something to eat or drink to take. After that, you will have your rest in full. Harper teeth were gleaming as she continued to speak to Joycelyn.
"I don't think I need anything now until my son returns and tells me what is really happening." How did he get married without my consent or impregnate a woman without disclosing it to me, his mother? " Joycelyn yelled in her voice.
Harper became completely lost; she didn't know what to do. Instead, she stood and pleaded with Joycelyn tried to calm down, but she continued to yell. A little while later, Alexander arrived with a briefcase that contained some of his research materials and important documents regarding his career.
"Ha! Alexander exclaimed when he saw his mother sitting and shaking her leg in annoyance. " Mum, you did not inform me that you would be coming." He tells his mum.
Is that why you can't even greet or welcome me fully? She asked him while he apologized, but this time she asked him to hold his greetings and explain why Harper, a pregnant woman, lives with you with a sign of wedding.
" I don't think you need this now, mum. All you need now is to go in and have some rest, because you are coming from a far place. " Alexander says this to skip the question for the day. With much persuasion to relax and have some rest , Joycelyn decided to do as her son wanted by taking her rest. She went in, took her bath, and was served food by Harper, but refused to eat it. "I will take things from her only when you give me a full explanation of who she is to you in this house". Joycelyn said to him as the meal was served. He again pleaded the second time for her to eat. She refused and went to bed hungry. Early in the morning, after morning devotion with the family, Joycelyn made it mandatory that her son join her in the morning devotion, ignoring Harper, but Harper, showing some respect, joined at last.
It was already Friday, Alexander free day at work, but busy in checking on his farms. But to rest at home. His mum, noticing it was his free day, sat him down, including Harper, to get a full explanation of who Harper truly is to her son.
"Son," I've been asking you this question since I arrived here to explain who this girl is to you.But you tried to malnipulate my question with relaxation. Anyway, there is no more malnipulation of questions this time. You have to tell me who she is. " Joycelyn was sitting on the cushion, her eyes fixed on her son, Alexander.
Alexander couldn't escape it again, so he gave her an explanation of who Harper is to him. beginning with the reason why he had hated marriage, which was because of his parents' constant nagging and divorce, including what he had seen among other couples around the estate where he was brought up.
" Then what does my divorce with your dad have to do with you not getting married or with this stranger of yours here?" Joycelyn asked him with her head almost pulling off from her neck while yelling.
" The fear of not experiencing such in my life made me hate marriage, and I decided to engage Harper, standing here with us, into a contract pregnancy." He replied to her.
" What..! She screamed. and added, " Are you stupid, Alexander?" What has come over you? Who told you this? Or do you want to take after your father? " She asked him with a face full of disappointment.
"This is my life and I have to play it the way I want." Alexander answers her, and hearing this reflected the same response his father,Jasper gave her before the divorce. She then raised her hand to slap him when Harper shouted, with tears coming from her eyes. " No, mother." Joycelyn turns to see who has stopped her actions of slapping her son, Alexander. " You young lady, you were the one that caused me not to slap him the way I wanted." Joycelyn told Harper with an ulgly look. "If I may ask, don't you have shame that you have to disgrace womanhood by allowing yourself to be impregnated by a man that hasn't paid your dowry? And what exactly prompted you to bring this shame upon yourself? Harper asked her, believing that Rita had disgraced womanhood.
But Harper could not say anything. Instead, she was busy sobbing. And Alexander on the other hand, couldn't raise his head to look at his mother. Joycelyn, being a mother, calmed down a little before asking her son Alexander what had compelled Harper to accept such a contract as a young girl.
" She needed financial help, and the only way I could help her was to use her to get what I wanted." He answered his mother rudely. At this point, his mother couldn't hold the pain anymore, before she gave him a hot slap and said, " I have known you to be someone who always gets what he wants, but not to the extent of causing an innocent girl pain just because she needed help from you." Was that the way I raised you? She asked him and sat down with a heavy breath from her nostrils.
" You and Dad should be blamed for any action I have taken." He replied to her and was about to go move in.
" Will you come back, where do you think you are going to? Joycelyn asked him.
" My room, of course," Alexander responded to her. She watched him standing and asked how far Harper had gone with the pregnancy, seeing the doctor, and if her parents were aware of what she signed as the contract pregnancy. Harper, on her own, explained that she had been going for antenatal when necessary but that, as her parents were aware, she had decided to hide it from them. She also told Jocelyn that on the process, the pregnancy was made, which was through implantation and not by sexual intercourse, and when the time is due for her to deliver, she will do as agreed and go her way. " It sounds interesting to you, leaving your baby outside to be grown by just a father while you are still alive, after turning you into his child bearer not even through sex but implantation," Joycelyn told her. "Anyway, I know what to do." Joycelyn again added to what she had said.
Four days later, Joycelyn notices something special about Harper: her way
of being hygienic and the manner in which she goes about her domestic duties; and being certain that Alexander is not hungry; she has also heard that both of them have misunderstandings with Harper, who hardly makes a statement whenever he is shouting at her in anger; and when the misunderstanding tries to lead them into keeping malice with each other, Harper will be the first to apologise for what happened even when she is not at fault; just to keep life going. All these together made Joycelyn, who is known to be tough, feel that Harper is the right woman for her son to marry.