‘Your home!’ I echo his words because five pairs of eyes are focused on me as if they want me to say something and that’s the only thing I can say right now besides the obvious words on my tongue that are not polite at all.
‘yes, this is where I really live whenever I am in Botswana,’ Mr. Abiwu explains and I am sure he is not just telling me that this is his permanent abode for pleasure, ‘bringing you into my home means something really big.’
I can imagine.
‘It is my hope that you settle in and feel at home here.’
I look at all the face in the room and by now I have overcome my initial shock and I am still in the momentum of shock that I decide that sitting here with my mouth agape like a mud statue is not going to solve anything. But feel at home here?
‘I would never feel at home anywhere you are.’ I don’t know where that came from.
Mr. Abiwu’s face stretches into a smile, ‘are you sure?’
I take a deep breath, ‘what do you expect me to do? Stretch on your lawn and sip cool drinks?’ it’s my first time since I met him to snap at him. But I am tired of his crap. I am done being terrified of him. He wants to walk around with a devil’s cape, horns and fork, we’ll be my guest. I do not appreciate being dragged around and being put under house arrest just because he exists.
‘Rage!’ Mr. Abiwu’s voice adopts a pleased tone, ‘I love it when a person comes to that reaction, I was getting discouraged by your quacks of fear.’
This conceited son of a—
‘Your endeavors are getting old on me.’
One of the uncles snorts and snickers, ‘I like her claws.’
It’s Alex because Luther nudges him and gives him a shut-your-mouth look.
‘If you were not with my grandchild I would enjoy returning that fear,’ he smirks.
A chill runs down my spine, more about the grandchild comment than his promise of painful torture, ‘your grandchild?’
‘Yes, she is an Abiwu after all—or did you cheat on my son?’
I gape at him. I didn’t pin him for insane—I guess he can’t escape what runs in the family.
‘I get it that Taylor’s absence is my fault—I am trying to make things right.’
‘What?’ I whisper. He called me a tramp and other things as well. I stayed under house arrest to get away from his minions. Taylor walked off on me because he decided it was the only way his father could leave me alone—and now he has the words ‘amends’ roll easily off his tongue like it’s every other Sunday?
‘It’s a lot to say—settle down and we can go through the new terms of our relationship,’ he continues with his easy tone, ‘I want to be a part of my grandchild’s life.’
A sharp laugh escapes my mouth. Shoot me now—he is the last person I want in my baby’s life. When I thought of fighting to provide my child with a safe normal life it meant not having his face in it. Especially his face. The thought of him bending down my little child making funny granddaddy faces makes me feel like throwing something to the wall. How dare he after ruining my life is less than half the year he just waltzes back into my life trying to get his claws of my innocent child. The audacity!
‘Shocker huh?’ that’s Julian. I turn my eyes on him and he has the guts to smile at me like he doesn’t deserve me cutting his head off.
The audacity! I repeat.
‘How long are you keeping me here? I have things to do.’
Mr. Abiwu rises, ‘look around Heather, get comfortable—this is your new home.’
I mutter expletives under my breath, well loud enough for the uncles to snicker at and Mr. Abiwu to flash me a mock reprimanding look, ‘language Heather—you will learn.’ He gets up, ‘if you want a few days to throw tantrums about the new living arrangements fine—but don’t try anything stupid like escaping, I am sure you know better.’
Oh don’t I.
‘Gertrude will help you settle in since you don’t have any squabbles with her.’
***
Gertrude approaches me and I look at her as the great uncles and Mr. Abiwu file out. I am pretty sure they didn’t dress up to meet little old me. And I really hate saying this but I just can’t help myself—these men are a picture. They radiate power and evil blended all together to form a picture that women haven’t been able to resist for generations. It will only take someone like me who has seen them perform their evil tasks to have good solid ground reasons to hate them other than the glaring fact that they are evil.
‘Let me show you around.’
I stare after the men until the last one of them vanish from the room before I return my gaze back to gentle-smile woman
‘Does he really live here?’
‘Yes, when he is in the country.’ Gertrude is all starry eyed and happy to tell me.
‘And the uncles?’
She nods, ‘yes, the masters run the house when Master Rolland and young Master Taylor is not around.’
Young Master Taylor.
‘Is the young master living here now?’
She nods again, ‘yes, he has been out of the country for a while.’ Her brow creases a little, maybe she is wondering how I didn’t know he wasn’t around, or how I couldn’t possibly know that he lived here. Welcome to my world. ‘But he is due to be back tonight.’
Tonight. Taylor is coming here tonight and that explains why Mr. Abiwu and the uncles chose to kidnap me today. What in the name of all things dramatic did these dramatic men cook up now?
My stomach growls. My eyes bulge a little before my gaze drops to the traitorous part of my system that doesn’t know when to act like it doesn’t exist.
‘Oh dear,’ Gertrude finds it funny or cute, I can’t tell, ‘better let the little one eat.’
My hand comes to my tummy and I caress it through the material of my dress.
‘How far along are you?’ Gertrude asks as I follow her to where I presume is the kitchen
‘Six months.’ I say.
Her smile is excited, ‘I am very glad you came to live here—I always wondered when I will get to meet Master Taylor’s wife, I wasn’t privileged to attend the wedding and too terrified to ask for pictures.’
‘Oh?’
‘Hmmn.’ Gertrude nods, ‘I thought it was a hearsay at first, but then Master Taylor started to come to the house again and I saw his wedding band. I was euphoric for weeks.’
Okay she so fits here in some way because she is half-way as weird as the rest of them. ‘Master Taylor is not one stemmed out as the marrying type I wasn’t expecting--.’ She stops and widen her eyes at me, ‘I’m sorry Madam--.’
‘Don’t worry about it Gertrude, I understand—how long have you been working in this household?’
Gertrude shrugs, ‘since Taylor was twelve.’
I can’t help my surprise, ‘what?’
She nods sadly, ‘this is my family—Master Abiwu had given me freedom to leave but I chose to stay.’
I take it he didn’t threaten to cut off her existence if she ever exposed family secrets or he was testing her. Surely for someone who had been with the family as long as she had she must have seen and heard enough for these crazy men to want to keep her mouth shut.
I mean come on. It’s only been nine months since I met these people and was threatened with death penalty a million times just to keep secrets they thought I knew.
‘Why?’
A gentle smile came on her face, ‘I care about them,’ something in her eyes tells me that she chose to ignore their lifestyle a long time ago, ‘and I’ve known young master since he was a little boy—they are pretty great people underneath it all.’
If I say that I am floored it wouldn’t justify the way I am feeling right now.
‘I don’t think there is anything to glimpse underneath all that,’ I mumble telling myself that she has never witnesses her friends mugged in the middle of the night, her own father signing a deal with the very same murder, witness her husband’s relative shoo her father to death in a country where guns were barely legal just to show that they can get away with anything. I’ll be damned if I remember that Mr. Abiwu paid and arranged my father’s funeral like he was an old friend and still kept the rest of my family in hiding because- well he will just kill them. From what I learned, father cost him a lot of money that Lawyer said and I quote, ‘you would bite your tongue off just trying to say the amount—so let sleeping dogs lie.’ And of course I had a sarcastic thought that went something like- when the hell did he start using idioms like he is part of the noble, learned and wise?
Anyway back to the present subject—no I can never see anything underneath that man—these people, now even the man I married appeals very differently to me. besides, if father hadn’t twisted things the way he had I am pretty sure I would have ran a mile from Taylor before taking things seriously to this point.
Gertrude touches my arm giving a look like she knows what she is talking about, ‘you do Madam—it’s the reason why you are still here with young Master even though you’ve seen the dark of his world.’ She sighs ignoring my shocked face—I mean what in the ever loving hell? ‘Can I ever convince you to tell me how you met the young master?’
I smile at her, ‘only if you promise not to call me madam.’
She blinks uneasily, ‘I’m afraid that’s a requirement or I get fired.’
So she did hold a little fear for the men after all.
‘Miss Heather then?’
‘Severe punishment for not recognizing your marital status especially to the young master.’
Right.
‘Mrs. Heather then, I refuse any other name.’
She reluctantly nods and I am positive I didn’t win this argument. We reach the kitchen and I had made up my mind that nothing about this house is going to surprise me again but holy crow this is a kitchen.
There is a woman sitting on the counter looking at a bottle of whatever she is drinking like the thing is poison and they had forgotten to label it as so.
‘Madam Hannah.’ Gertrude bristles, seeming startled to see her there.
The madam Hannah in question raises her head and glares at Gertrude who recoils in response.
‘I told you not to tell Luther that I am going out—it’s a simple instruction. Why do you obey them when you spend the rest of the time here with me—I am more capable of making your life miserable?’
‘I’m sorry Madam—Master Luther was concerned and you had slipped out without informing him again like you promised you would.’
Madam Hannah’s eyes become slits, ‘whose side are you on?’
‘no sides, but it is my responsibility to keep peace in this house on my end, disgruntling Master Luther is not a thin I want to deal with.’
‘You don’t have to if you stop minding other people’s business.’
Madam Hannah sneers at her before her gaze settles on me. She stands from the bar stool and walks towards me. She is about my height, light skinned, pretty with wavy raven dark extensions they are almost blue. She japs a long red nailed polished finger in my direction.
‘Who is this?’ she asks as she gives me a once over and I have never felt tacky in my entire life.
‘Uhm, Madam Hannah, please meet Madam Heather—young master’s wife.’
Madam Hannah’s eyes bulge the same moment her lips part open with unguarded shock.
‘No freaking way.’ She retorts, ‘Taylor isn’t married, it was just a rumor.’
Oh now that is very interesting. I suppose Hannah didn’t attend the wedding or even see the photos as well but what bothers me is the way she says Taylor- like she owns him or something.
‘It turns out the rumors are true madam.’
Hannah takes in a long breath, ‘speak for yourself.’ She folds her arms across her chest, ‘just who are you and where did you come from—I thought Taylor was just doing a con like they all always do—but holy crow you are even pregnant—you trapped him and it worked didn’t you?’
‘If you are going to make some assumptions at least do so in your head and keep your mouth shut.’ I snap, surprising myself and her. Well what do you expect I am already riled up after the brief meeting with the men, do I need this?
She scoffs, ‘so you really are the young master’s wife. I was wondering why Mr. Abiwu have been Godzilla around here.’ Then she laughs, ‘Taylor did get back at him the hard way... I always liked his bad side,’ she sighs and her mouth stretches into a thin impish smile.
As for me I can only say that I am seconds away from ripping her head off, danger alert! I will start with that perfect hair of hers before I start ripping the nails off one by one---
‘Madam Hannah, Mr. Abiwu insisted that Madam Heather be comfortable in the house and he will not be happy to hear that she is being mistreated,’ Gertrude tells her sourly.
Hannah’s face is covered with a dark look for a moment, ‘oh come on I am only joking around.’ She rolls her eyes, ‘if you are Taylor’s wife you must know that this family is all about drama by now. And besides the news that Taylor married caused havoc until we were all convinced that it was a rumor.’
‘What the hell are you doing here Hannah—I thought Luther would have been done with you by now.’
I clench my fists the moment I hear Julian’s voice. The jerk is strolling easily into the kitchen pulling the sleeves of his jacket like he just saved the planet.
Hannah tenses for a moment before her thick skin comes back up and she faces Julian, ‘done with me? I’m his girlfriend in case you forgot since the last time you were here.’
‘We don’t normally keep random hookers around the house—I guess he must be serious about you—pretty woman?’
Hannah gapes at him shocked by his insult and then it’s like she remembers something and she composes her face again—great, add weird girlfriend to the list.
‘Your opinion doesn’t matter to me.’ she snaps at him and cast me a death glare somehow reminding me of a girl I hated in high school.
Julian steps away from her as she grabs her purse from the kitchen counter and sashays out of the room after giving me another glary once over of course. That woman is bound to die by strangling if she keeps this up.
I stare after her for a moment before I return my gaze back to Julian, ‘you!’ I grind out.
Gertrude starts by the aggression in my voice while Julian steps back and raises his palms, ‘look Heather I’m just glad you are okay.’
‘Okay?’ I say through my teeth.
‘If they hurt you I will punish them.’
‘Oh don’t play hero here Julian… what the hell is going on—no what the hell is wrong with you? What are you doing here with your fellow great uncles? What have you done to Celine and where the hell is Malcom?’ my voice rises with every word.
Gertrude looks between us somewhere between worry and shock. I guess women don’t yell at the great uncles very often. I still don’t get why she reverence them all so much besides her story about them being more like ‘family’—I’d like to stick with my own opinion that they scared the living common sense and better judgment out of her.
He sighs, ‘look—this had to be done okay? Celine is fine, thoroughly pissed off but fine.’ He pauses, ‘well she may be hiding from Mr. Abiwu as we speak but she’ll make it. Mr. Abiwu has a soft spot for woman.’
‘What?’
‘Sticking with you has its consequences darlin.’
‘And Malcom?’
‘He won’t say anything, he’s fine—as long as he keeps his mouth shut.’
‘You were planning this all this time?’ I give him an accusatorial glare.
‘I didn’t plan it, it was just a sudden light bulb.’ He clicks his fingers above his head and dares to bring that hand down on my shoulder, ‘you will be fine I promise.’
‘Don’t touch me.’ I growl at him.
‘I’m sorry but it had to be done Heather.’
I grab his hand and throw it away from me, ‘I’ve heard that before.’ And damn it if I am not thinking about Taylor right now.
‘Heather--.’ He manages to look touched by my hurt and I give him a look that stops him from touching me or saying anything else.
‘Gertrude.’ Julian addresses her while looking at me, ‘please show Madam Heather to her room, she needs to rest.’
‘Yes Master Julian.’
With one last look at me. Julian walks out of the kitchen, and I remain there trying to keep my raging emotions under control. After a moment, I feel a gentle hand on my arm.
‘Madam, please let me take you to your room to lie down and rest for a while. You can have your snack over there.’
I don’t want a freaking room or food—I want my life to be normal.
‘Thanks.’ I tell her before I quietly follow her to the said room. I am a little surprised by the concerned looks she is giving me. Maybe I look that bad.
Is it weird that even though I knew not to trust any of these guys, I’ve been living with them for four months already? Maybe I have been subconsciously attached to them and their betrayal is cutting me in places I thought I had sealed from any person. Lawyer going after my best friend and corrupting her. Julian bringing me here in the hands of the very man who has killed my father and wants me dead.
I hate this feeling. I would do anything not to have it. The moment Gertrude leaves the room I crawl on the large soft bed on all fours and lie on my side with my palms under my head and close my eyes. I don’t want to start feeling like the weight of the world is coming down on me right now.