CHAPTER 4
Ella had managed to gather enough money from the last school session this time. She had to pay for another room and parlor apartment. This time, it was at Cool lane 3. Their new apartment was not far from their former apartment at Ego Lane.
Cool lane was a good place to live. The environment was lit and we'll ventilated adorned with pretty flowers. The apartment also has a beautiful garden at the back of the building. A day won't pass without Anita and her siblings visiting the garden.it was a beautiful sight to behold.
The garden had become their favorite spot .
Mr Nelson who was the landlord of the second building at Cool lane 3 was a very tall and fair man in his late 60's . He had three sons ;Clems, Chris and Martin. Clems who was the first son stayed at New York City with his immediate younger brother, Chris. Martin was the last child.
They returned to Nigeria for the completion of rites at their mother's funeral and afterwards,they went back to their residence in New York when the funeral was over.
Martin had always stayed in Nigeria. He didn't want to leave his father behind now that his soulmate had kicked the bucket. He decided to stay back and look after his father and also keep him company.
Martin was in his mid 30's . He was tall but not as tall as his father,he was fair and very humble. He was overly kind too. The building was just a storey building so,the only tenants that lived there were only George's family.
Anita and her siblings enjoyed every single moment in their new home.They made new friends and were now found comfort there unlike the other places they had lived .But there was something that made them much more comfortable and adaptive to the environment .
Martin!.
They were so attached to him like they had known him before. They would randomly visit Martin and his father upstairs. They would chitchat for hours and laugh their hearts out . They found comfort in Martin more than their own biological father. Martin was fun to be with and a loving soul to spend time with. But it seemed Grey was more attached to him than all his siblings.
He would usually pick the children from school after dismissal. He did this because of the love he specially had for Grey and also ease Mrs Ella a bit of stress. People hardly believed that they were tenants in Mr Nelson's house. They were always seen doing things together.At times, when Mandy would be less busy ,she would decide to help Martin with the little house chores he had to do at home. She would even wash Mr Nelson's clothes and this left both father and son mesmerized.
It was more like they shared a family bond .
George saw none of these. He was only interested on how to get quick and mind-blowing money. He only wanted fame and power neglecting his God given family. Ella was tired of making George realize he was the head of the family and that it was high time he set things right in his family. She lost interest in George and decided to focus more on giving her children a better and sound life.
She worked tirelessly everyday to put food on the table since George wasn't concerned about that anymore. At least her school was still in session and the pupils were paying the fixed price for the school fees . The money she realized from there would go a long way in her daily plans for her children and also in setting more structural standard for her educational institution.
Martin being a very observant person discovered what was going on in Mrs Ella's family. He found out the children had no intimate or strong bond with their biological father and this left him feeling emotional. He thought they were too young to be neglected by their father and that if they had no father figure in their lives,it would surely affect them psychologically.
"No wonder they were so attached to me",Martin thought aloud. "They sure need fatherly love and attention".
On a Saturday morning, Ella and her children were busy with the house chores. Martin was getting ready for work. He was a multi millionaire;a billionaire infact. He was the CEO of the United Bank of Africa in Lagos. The Nelsons were know for their wealth and fame yet they were all still humble.
Martin's instincts told him to confront Mrs Ella about what was bothering his mind but he decided to keep his cool because he didn't know how she would react. He decided to do that when he arrived from work. By then ,Mrs Ella would be less busy.
When Martin arrived,he went upstairs, took a warm shower,ate and then came downstairs to see Mrs Ella. He asked Mandy where her mother was and she replied "she has gone to our favorite spot". Mrs Ella was at the garden receiving the evening cool breeze and admiring the pretty flowers as usual .
Martin walked into the garden. He stared into her face for some seconds as he admired the blue dress she wore . Mrs Ella was a bit confused but Martin decided not to make her feel uncomfortable. He sat next to her with his heart pounding but he really couldn't figure out why his heart was racing.