By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu
Not long after Michael arrived from Port Harcourt, he
had dinner, then, took his shower. Picking up his mobile phone that was on the
coffee table, he sent Chioma a video call request. The phone rang for a few
times before it was picked up. Then, the phone went into darkness for about ten
seconds before her face popped up. She was sitting on the bed, dressed in her
pink floral night dress. Chisom was lying beside her. Louisa had left the
bedroom to the girls and went to the living room to spend the night.
Chioma
smiled sweetly at Michael as well as trying her best to conceal any trace that will lead him to know that she was attacked to the point that she went for
surgery. She could see from the camera that Michael was in his hotel room,
dressed in a white bathrobe and his hair half wet from a shower.
‘Chioma?’ The corners of his mouth held a soft smile.
‘Yes,’she
replied, before she could say another word, she saw the image of him on the
screen frown deeply. She could hear a buzzing on the other side. It had come
from the Sony television he was watching.
On the screen was the latest stock market news. Michael reached for the remote
and muted the sound.
‘You’re reading by this time
of the night? He glanced at his wrist watch and said, ‘It’s 11pm, why are you
still reading a book? Don’t you have work tomorrow? Do you want to sleep-work tomorrow?’
When Michael glanced at the time, the yellow-Gold Patek Philippe luxury watch appeared in the corner of the screen.
Chioma couldn’t help but stare at the watch.
Michael
stopped talking when he realised through the screen how much Chioma’s gaze were
fixed on the watch. ‘Chioma? Why are you staring at the watch instead of my
face? Does it remind you of something or someone? Don’t tell me you’re now
cheating on me with my watch.’
Chioma
shook her head, getting back to her senses. Staring into the camera, and onto
his face, she beamed softly before replying, ‘I was sincerely trying to make
you talk more. You’re a man of few words. So, to get you to talk more I had to
stare at your watch instead.’
‘And you succeeded in making
me change the discussion. But I still remember I asked you why you were still
reading…’
Lifting the
book for him to see, she said, ‘Lesley Pearse’s Rosie…this is a book of how love and tenderness can grow, like wild
roses, out of the most barren ground…’
‘I know of the story…No matter how
well people can conceal the past it will always come back to haunt them. But
I’m glad that the story ended well. Being exposed as the daughter of a
murderer, which was the greatest risk she took didn’t still stop Rosie from finding true love. He paused.
‘Just like us, nothing will ever stop our love from growing.’ Chioma wished that was true. She
wished that nothing will ever stand in the way of their love.
‘Did
you have suitors when I was away?’Michael joked.
Chioma changed the topic swiftly. ‘When are
you coming home? I miss you so much.’
‘I should have returned
tomorrow. But I have about four to five hours of meeting tomorrow with
investors. After that I will be meeting with the Lagos State governor at 4pm.
That means I will be home after tomorrow.’
Chioma
smiled tenderly, and then replied with a soft voice, ‘We will have our
relationship announced…’
‘Mhm…I will leave you to sleep now.’
‘I’m
not sleepy yet.’
‘Honey,
are you getting insomnia from missing me too much?’ Michael teased her.
Chioma
blushed, turning her face away from the camera. But Michael’s beautiful face
was still staring at her through the screen.
‘If
you ain’t sleepy, heat up some fresh milk and drink, do you have milk?’
‘Yes,’Chioma
lifted her face and answered.
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