Zazi

My heart was racing against my chest. It felt like my world had crumbled. I am about to be married off to a man who doesn't love me or is too proud to show it for the whole world to see. 

 "I didn't send you to go and get pregnant for a man that is twice your age. Your main assignment was to go there and work as a maid but instead, you went and started frolicking with your boss." David said. 

David is my dad and the only immediate family that I have. 

"But Dad it was a mistake" I muttered, tears brimming heavily in my eyes. I have never felt as helpless as this before, not even when I was sexually molested at the age of 5 years. 

The situation is beyond my control, I don't even know what to do. I have never been so confused like this before. Maybe I am just as useless as he says I am….

"An illegitimate child is not welcome to this family. I can't accept any illegitimate child as my grandchild. 

Also getting married to Desmond is the only viable solution to a life without hardship." David said and stormed out of the house. 

I have tried to imagine my life as a single mum and coming to terms with it hasn't been easy but getting married to Desmond forcefully using our unborn child as a tool is what I never imagined. 

My whole life is about to change due to one night of passion with Desmond. A man who told me to leave his house with my unborn child. 

Here I am left alone to make the most important decision of my life. The only family I have, Dad, is about to disown me if I don't get married to Desmond.

With tears in my eyes, I took a little bag with a few clothes and set to go visit Desmond and tell him about the recent development. And also bear the consequences of that night in the hands of Sophia, Desmond's fiancee. 

******

A few months ago

 I was standing with Agent Kim in Desmond's living room "Good day Mr. Desmond, I am here with your request. You requested a live-in maid, and this is the person I brought for you." Agent Kim said. 

Immediately he raises his head from the magazine he was reading, his eyes locked onto mine. He's the most handsome man I have seen, his eyes and his facial features are sculpted like a piece of art, and his lips are so full. 

I just couldn't take my eyes off him and I sensed he noticed me checking him out. So attractive, youthful, and cute.

"Let her start working immediately," Desmond said to Agent Kim, his eyes still looking at me.

While I thought working with him would be easy, his arrogance can be sensed in the way he spoke to the Agent. He couldn't even acknowledge me. 

"But sir, are you not going to inspect her work or even interview her?" Agent Kim asked.

"No Agent Kim, that's your job and I believe you have done that already," Desmond replies while fixing back his attention on his magazine. 

I left Desmond's house to get my bags ready to resume my new job the next day as a maid. 

Thoughts about my Boss keep popping up in my head on my way home. Falling in love is not the plan, the plan is to work and get paid so that we can have money to feed ourselves because Dad lost his only job as a driver and the only way now is to work as a maid. I try to tell my mind to be focused on the task ahead. 

******

I will have to break the news about this new job to Dad immediately after he gets back, i continue arranging my clothes then my Dad walks in.

Feeling angry and irritated, he asked "Why so many clothes on the floor, where are you moving to this useless child? 

Oh! So you want to run away from the responsibility I placed on you" he cursed me while yanking off my hair, and pushing me around.

"I got a job Dad as a live-in maid and I am to resume tomorrow" I replied to him with tears brimming in my eyes,  while trying to avoid eyes with him. Looking him in the eyes always earned me countless slaps from him. 

"I don't care the kind of job you got, the most important thing is you bring me all your wages every time you get paid, is that understood?" he asked 

"Yes, Dad, I understand," I replied to him. 

Dad hasn't always been like this, that's what my Aunt told me. He changed immediately after the death of my mother during childbirth. 

Dad felt I was the reason for the death of his wife and automatically developed hatred toward me. I was raised by my late mom's younger sister, Aunt Helen.

Aunt Helen brought me back to Dad at the age of 5 years after the death of her husband, and feeding became difficult, and taking care of a toddler isn't easy.  

Dad soaked himself in alcohol and played drafts with his friends for years, which resulted in being fired from work. And rendering him jobless. 

After the encounter with Dad, he went to his room to rest and paid no attention to me throughout that day even till the next day I left.

I couldn't sleep that night, the thought of Desmond and the hatred my dad has for me kept me up throughout the night and I prayed for morning to come so that I could leave for Desmond's house. 

Life with my Dad hasn't been easy, the beatings, the curses, the humiliation, and the starvation he brought upon me kept me so locked up from the world especially from boys except that one time with my Ex. 

But after meeting Desmond, emotions I had thought I had outgrown started to surface again. I told myself that I couldn't let my sentiments get in the way of my work. 

I managed to sleep that night and was woken up by my alarm. A few hours later, I was set to resume work at Desmond's house. I got there very early and was ushered in by the security guard who had already been informed about my coming. 

"You can go in ma'am, the boss is expecting you," he said. 

When I opened the door, I was greeted by the most startling scene I had ever seen.