My Little Lamb (Chapter Three)

By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu

‘Tomorrow evening, William is taking me to Shoprite. Have you been there, Margaux?’ Eva said unclearly as her mouth was stuffed with suya.                                                                                                           

‘You know I haven’t been to Shoprite. But, I hear it’s lovely.’                          

‘You should come with us.’                                                                               

William nodded his approval. ‘The more, the merrier.’                                  

‘Nathan can go as well,’ Beatrice said.                                                           

‘I have football match to watch. I’ll pass.’                                                        

  Eva looked from Margaux with her smiling face, to Nathan who was drinking his cola. ‘Nathan, you should go with us. Couldn’t you skip watching the ball?’ Eva asked gently.                                                                           

  ‘I understand that you really want me to go with you guys. I want to watch the ball. You go ahead with him and enjoy.’                                        

 Eva blushed at the knowing grin on Nathan’s face and the meaning behind the word enjoy. Anyway, why should she think deep into it? She was very close to William, and for the many years she had known him, she had always seen him as her best friend and big brother. ‘Tomorrow I’ll come and pick Eva and Margaux for shopping.’           

‘Yeah.’                                                                                                                  

Margaux was really happy. ‘We’ll have a lovely time.’                     

After they were done eating, Eva took the dishes into the kitchen. As she turned around, she bumped into William. She wasn’t surprised to see him in the kitchen, for he was always at ease here. This place was like his home, and so he freely entered any room he wanted.                      

  ‘I’ve got you a special present,’ William said, withdrawing a small box from the breast pocket of his white shirt.                              

   Eva smiled up at him. She wasn’t expecting him to gift her anything special, she only wanted to see her best friend. Her heart was too full to speak.                                                                                                  

  ‘Little Lamb, go on an open it,’ William said with a sweet smile.                  

Inside the box was a silver heart on a chain. The heart of the necklace was engraved, My Little Lamb. It was beautiful and truly a real piece of jewellery, which left her in awe. ‘Oh, Liam, it’s beautiful!’ She whispered adorably as she held it up.   

‘What was that?’ Margaux laughed as she and Nathan came to look.                 

 Eva showed them the beautiful necklace William had gifted her, and they turned to look at William, requesting for their own gift.                        

‘Tomorrow, you’ll have yours, but not necklace. Anyway, we are going shopping tomorrow.’                                                                                             

‘I’ll surely rip you off, William,’ Margaux said with a smile.                          

Nathan turned to Eva. ‘Let me put it on you. That’s if my clumsy fingers can do the clasp…and if big brother William wouldn’t mind?’ He turned to William.                                                                                               

‘Let me do it,’ William offered, and both Margaux and Nathan teased him. He took the necklace from Eva and gently wore it on her neck. ‘There. It looks nice on you.’                                                                         

Eva smiled as she reached a hand up to caress the beautiful necklace. It was the first piece of jewellery William had gifted her. William had always made sure to be there for her. He was her best friend for many years, and not once had William made her cry. She met him when she was just fifteen years old, and even now that she was twenty-three, turning twenty-four by December, their friendship was still strong. Today wasn’t her birthday anyway; her birthday was still far away.   But then, this special gift from William made it seems like today was her birthday.                

  Looking up at William, she loved him with all her heart. With a lovely smile pinned on her face, she reached out and gave him a big hug. ‘You’re the best…always the best,’ she whispered.                                       

William nodded with a smile.        

My Little Lamb (Chapter Two)

By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu                                             

 ‘I’m not surprised. I always knew you’d be busy and wouldn’t have time for your little Lamb.’ The news didn’t upset her. She had always supported his progress, and wished him well.      

‘I hadn’t planned on leaving so soon, but suddenly it seems like a good idea for me to be at the conference. As the CEO of Jonas Corporation, I definitely should be there.’                                                               

‘Sounds good…’ Eva shrugged.                                                                  

  ‘I’ll only be gone for a few weeks. I have female admirers lined up in America. Asia, and a few other places. ‘His eyes met hers. ‘I should probably pick one of them.’ He was really teasing her.                                                                                          

 Eva knew that William wanted to see her reaction. But, she didn’t get upset or rather pretended not to be upset. She smiled. ‘Big brother Liam, I am always happy for you. I hope you have a good trip.’                           

‘Maybe my beautiful little Lamb will be married by the time I return.’                                                                                                                            

‘I wish to fall in love before you return. I promise that when I do, you’ll be the first I will tell the good news. You’re my best friend, so I should tell you first.’                                                                                         

‘Of course,’ William smiled.   ‘Tomorrow, I’ll take you to Shoprite.’           

Eva was excited to hear this that she hugged him tightly, drinking from his sweet scent.                                                                                       

A few minutes later, Margaux and Nathan strode into the house. They had both returned from an evening stroll together. Margaux who was dressed in a yellow turtleneck with jeans, caught William’s eye as soon as she stepped into the room. She smiled and lifted her hand in greeting. She wasn’t very close to William as Eva was. But, she was always comfortable with William around the house.                                 

   ‘Good evening, big brother William.’ At Nathan’s warm greeting, William happily smiled at him. ‘I thought you’d be here with a bucket of Suya? Eva told me that you promised to feed her stomach with a bucket of suya…’ Nathan spoke as he bit into his cone of vanilla ice cream. He was in a pair of khaki trousers and beige t-shirt.                                

‘He already did,’ Margaux said, as her gaze fell on the plastic bags at the dining table. She immediately excused herself and went off to the dining. Picking up a chunk of meat from the bag, she put it in her mouth and nodded at how delicious the suya was.                                               

 ‘Margaux, set the table. Nathan, go call your father to join us,’ Beatrice said, dishing the rice in a big bowl. She had already dished out some beef stew  into the big yellow bowl on the counter.                             

When Edward came to the dining, Margaux had already finished setting the table. Beatrice placed the two big bowls on the dining table, and then gestured for William and Eva to come over to the dining. They stood up at once, heading for the dining table.                                                      

  Margaux brought the jug of orange juice while Nathan came behind with the cups. Beatrice pulled off her apron, hung it on the kitchen hook before returning to the dining. She checked to see if everything was in place, then pulled out the chair at her husband’s right.  

  As soon as Beatrice was seated, Edward said the grace and immediately, Beatrice’s hands reached for the dishes and spooned the food onto their plates.                                                                                                

Edward looked around the table. Eva sat across from William while Margaux was sitting next to Nathan.                                                                 

 ‘Big brother William really wants to turn my sister into a foodie,’ Nathan chuckled as he glanced at William who was putting food on Eva’s plate.                                                                                                                    

‘You know how much William loves his little Lamb,’ Margaux teased William.                                                                                                           

 ‘We all know that.’ Edward said meaningfully.                                              

Eva’s pretty oval face turned red from embarrassment. ‘Big brother William loves us equally.’                                                                           

 ‘I see,’ Nathan chuckled, pushing away his empty plate as he drew out a burp. ‘It's true that William’s always bossy and headstrong but with Eva, he cares very much for her. The way he protects Eva is admiring.’                        

‘Clear the plates, Margaux.’ Beatrice ordered. She waited until fresh plates and tray were placed on the table before carefully putting the suya on the tray. Then, she began putting meat for everyone.                   

Just then, William’s phone rang. He put down his meat, wiped his hands with towel and slowly answered his phone.                                                     

‘Hello?’                                                                                                               

‘Son, you forgot to take the handbag you bought for Eva.’                          

‘Yes, I know.’                                                                                                       

‘Dinner is almost ready. Your father is back from Abuja.’                       

‘You don’t have to wait for me. I’m already eating here…’                  

  ‘Are there maids, chauffeurs and cleaners?’ Adaeze said playfully to her son.                                                                                                                 

‘Mama, I am an adult,’ William laughed.                                                        

‘Kids say that,’ Adaeze laughed. ‘Have you found any girl that you like?’                                                                                                                                

‘Mama, please stop it. You could ask me that when I come home.’ As William was holding the phone, he looked at Eva, who was happily eating her suya.    

 On the other side of the phone, Adaeze chuckled. Then, she hung up without saying another word.                               

My Little Lamb (Chapter One)

By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu

Eva Benedict, dressed in a white simple gown knelt down in the warm dirt of their small garden, plucking weeds from around the vegetable plants. The evening sun shone on her back. The gentle wind caressed her long dark hair. The birds chirped from the tree branches, and she felt herself drawn to the singing birds. She seemed happy as she worked on the garden.                          

When she was feeling tired, she sat back on her heels, turning her head about to ease her muscles. The beautiful Saturday sun shone beautifully on her. She smiled at the thought of William Jonas visiting today. She hadn’t seen him since he returned from Lagos State. When he called this morning to inform her that he was coming to visit them, Eva felt pleased. Suddenly, she laughed. She had told William to buy her suya. William had promised to buy a bucket of suya for her but she told herself that he was joking.          

Thinking of the suya, she bent back to her task, a beautiful smile on her lip.                                                                                                                    

‘Eva?’ A familiar, magnetic voice called her name.  His handsome face broke into a huge grin as he stared at her.                                                      

Her face shone beautifully, and she turned around. William stood not far from her. He seemed to have just come off from work. In his hand were plastic bags full of suya and iced cola. She stared at his tall, handsome figure, and his black high-end suit with matching shoes. William was still as handsome and charming as ever, she thought. She could smell the suya from where she was. It seemed appetizing. The glutton in her was awaken. Eva was a little eating machine, a good foodie.                                           

Standing to her feet, Eva dusted her dress. Then, she happily ran into his warm embrace. William gently let the bags fall to the ground. He swung her up into the air and round in a circle. ‘Big brother, Liam,’ Eva laughed, as he put her down.‘I am old already.’ She playfully prodded him in the stomach. ‘I will make you get fat like a pig,’ she giggled.                   

William smiled without speaking as he picked up the bags.                 

Eva playfully pinched his cheek. ‘Big brother Liam, I am really glad to see you. You’re still as handsome as before.’                                                        

William grinned. ‘My little Lamb, I have always been handsome. You only fail to notice my handsomeness because you see me as your big brother,’ he teased her.                                                                                         

She smiled. ‘Yes, I will always see you as my big brother.’                        

He nodded. ‘Then I should be the first to meet your future husband. I wish you meet the right person for you.’                                               

Eva blushed, turning her face away. ‘I didn’t say I was getting married soon.’                                                                                                          

‘I never said so either.’ He pinched the tip of her nose with his free hand.                                                                                                                      

‘Stop teasing me,’ Eva said, amused. ‘Come on, I have been working in the garden. My back is aching. I don’t want to waste my time standing here.’   

 ‘Anyone home?’ William glanced at Eva and asked.                                      

‘Mum’s in the kitchen cooking rice and beef stew,’ Eva laughed.            

‘Where are Margaux and Nathan?’                                                                

‘They went out to catch up with friends.’                                                        

‘Okay.’                                                                                                                

‘They will be back soon.’ She paused. ‘How are your parents?’

He smiled. ‘Good. Very good.’                                                                            

She couldn’t think of anything more to say. Smiling, she carried the bags from him, took a look at the bags in her hand.                                     

‘The suya should be enough for you, right?’ William asked as they made their way into the living room. ‘It’s not good to eat too much meat.’ William glanced at her and felt that she was adorable and funny at the way she had puffed up her cheeks. He wanted to pinch her cheeks, but he felt that she might feel embarrassed.                                             

Beatrice Benedict, who was in the kitchen cooking, was an easy-going woman. She had always loved William as her son. She was dark skinned and slender, and of course she was beautiful. ‘What’s your trip like, William?’                                                                                                 

  ‘Mama, it was really nice.’ William would always call Beatrice mama. He didn’t feel awkward about it. He just enjoyed calling her that. Beatrice loved it as well.                                                                                        

  ‘How is everyone at home?’                                                           

‘Better than me,’ William said and both Beatrice and Eva laughed. Eva placed the bags on the dining table, and then went to the fridge to get a drink for William.                                                                                               

The kitchen, which also served the family as living room and dining room, was cosy and welcoming. William was familiar with the house. He was always at ease with the Benedicts. The house was rich with the smell of the rice and beef stew Beatrice was cooking.               

After greeting Beatrice, William settled himself on a sofa and said as Eva handed him a can of Malt, ‘I’ve come to tell you that I will be leaving for the States next week. I’ve got a business conference to attend.’