It was Saturday. Jonathan Wright just finished taking breakfast , his favourite dish of warm oat mixed with different kinds of fruits, as prepared by his wife, Rebecca just the way he loved it. He sat on his favourite sofa , watching the CNN Channel on the big TV screen while he flipped through a Newspaper when his daughter walked in. Alone. He couldn’t remember the last time she visited alone. Ever since she got married, she had always visited with her husband, Kelvin.
Kelvin worked as a Mechanical Engineer in the Transport and Storage department under Wright Midstream Oil & Gas Company and he wasn’t doing badly at all. He got a constant report from Kelvin’s line manager. Though he wasn’t doing anything outstanding for the company , just coasting along and doing enough to earn his salary. Jonathan wasn’t bothered much as long as he took care of his daughter but the stories of Kelvin’s randiness among the women in the company that was reaching his ears was alarming. He chose to turn a deaf ear to the grapevine as long as Evelyn wasn’t complaining. Marriage wasn’t a bed of Roses and even Roses had been known to have thorns in them. He could only hope the younger man would change for better before it was too late.
“Hey, Dad.” Evelyn crossed over to kiss his cheek and gave him a bear hug.
“Hey, darling. What brought my princess to the palace today?” A smile spread across his face as he touched her cheek. “What have you been doing to yourself? You look thin.”
“I am not thin, Dad. I am just slimming down and I love it.” A giggle escaped her lips and it washed over him like warm wine. He missed her. They hardly had time to simply sit and talk these days.
“Okay oo. If you say so.” He threw up his hands in mock surrender and she grinned at him. “How have you been?”
“I am not fine.” She sighed. “By the way, where is mum?”
“She is in her garden, attending to her babies.” There was a fond smile on his face. Rebecca had always had a fondness for flowers and he wasn’t surprised when she started a greenhouse five years ago when she retired actively from her business. The Greenhouse was blooming under her care and had turned into another source of income. The woman never ceased to amaze him.
“That is fine. I will see her later.” She turned to her father and Jonathan listened as his daughter narrated the ordeal that was her marriage. His heart ached for her. “I want a divorce, Dad.”
He sighed as he closed the newspaper he was holding and placed it on the tool beside him, “Evelyn, I am sorry for what you are going through. I am sorry he hurt you.”
“But?” There was anxiety in her voice as she stared at him.
“Marriage requires work from both sides. You can’t crave divorce at the first sign of trouble. He is cheating on you. Do you know why? Have you been the best wife you could be to him?”
“Dad, Men don’t need a reason to cheat. They cheat because they lack discipline and they can without consequences. I don’t want to turn into a nagging wife. I just want to have peace in my life. I don’t understand you. Are you on his side or my side?” She glared at him.
“I am on the side of your marriage, Eve. Have you told him your mind? Have you sat him down and had a heart to heart talk with him? You should look for a solution before thinking of a way out. Looking for or Craving another man is not the solution to the problems in your marriage. You have to sit him down and work things out.” Jonathan had been glad when the Cabman stopped coming to the office to pick his daughter. He was a distraction his daughter didn’t need in her marriage. Kelvin wasn’t perfect but who was? He and Rebecca had their lapses and had been on the brink of divorce more than once in the first decade of their marriage but his daughter didn’t need to know that.
“What do you mean, Dad? Are you accusing me of infidelity?” Her eyes were cold as she stared at her father.
“No, I am not.” He got up from his seat with a struggle and went to sit beside her, taking her rigid hand in his own. “I am sorry if it sounds that way. Your marriage is just two years old, Eve and you are just getting to know each other. Has he ever laid his hand on you?”
“No”
“Did anyone matchmake you with him? Are you not the one who told me he is the one you want and I supported you?’
“Dad, I know. I made a mistake and I want to retrace my steps. Why can’t you understand me?” Snatching her hand away, she shot to her feet and glared down at her father.
“Give it time, Evelyn. Give it like six months and if you are still unhappy in your marriage, we will discuss this again.”
“God! I am so upset right now. I am not sure why I even think you will ever support me in my decision to be happy.” Tears filled her eyes as she picked up her bag and stormed out of the house, nearly colliding with her mother on her way out.
“What did you do to our girl? She is very upset.” Rebecca went to sit by her husband and peered into his face. He sighed heavily. “I heard everything and you are right. Don’t beat yourself over it. She will make the right decision at the right time.”
“She hasn’t been happy for some time though. I see through the facade she and her husband presents to us every time they visit but she chooses him. I asked her to reconsider then but she said he was the one she wanted .”
“Well, life is about choices and its consequences. She is living through her own and will be better off for it.” She leaned over to kiss his cheek.
‘I can wring Kelvin’s neck. He shouldn’t give my daughter an STD.”
“Well, maybe you can have a discussion with him but I doubt if he will change. He is just an irresponsible boy.” Rebecca muttered with a shrug. Jonathan nodded in agreement and they sat in silence for a while. “She has eyes for that Cab man before she even gets married. If only she had waited a bit before making her choice.”
“What? Really? How do you know?’ Jonathan turned to stare at his wife. There was a knowing smile playing around her lips. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”
They both laughed at that.
*****
He missed her. Badly.
His day had been eventful. He had been at the Bar, had a few business meetings with potential clients before he decided to visit his mother. He and Kemisola had been spending lots of time together and he was surprised he trully enjoyed her company. They had visited his mother together and Mama Ayoola was the happiest woman on earth. It was just a coincidence on his part. He was on his way to pay her a visit when Kemisola arrived and they went together. He was sure the older woman was already dreaming of wedding bells. Well, anything could happen but he wasn’t at that point yet. His businesses were doing well and he was rounding up on his Tech courses. He needed a place for an internship.
Evelyn came to mind again. She had never left his mind for a second anyway, not while he was awake and even in his sleep. She was there, lurking in a corner and waiting for anything at all to remind him of her. He missed her smile , the way she talked , her exuberance about business and every other thing around her. She was an introvert but she came alive around him and he loved it. If Only.
A sigh escaped him. He had been staring at the screen without even seeing it. He shut down and went to his wine bar. He poured Cashew nuts into a fancy bowl, and continued drinking as he browsed through his phone. It took him a while before he realised he was looking for a chat from her, on his whatsapp or any update from her social media. He looked forward to their chats and discussion but it had been far and in-between these days. Was she getting tired of him? Well, it would be better that way.
It would hurt though. It would hurt badly if she blocked him. Throwing down his phone in frustration, he gulped down the wine in his wine glass and poured another one. The bottle was almost empty when he realised someone was at the door, knocking steadily and continuously. Damn! He was not in the mood to entertain any visitor at this time. All he wanted to do now was take a cold bath and tumble into bed.
Weaving his way through his sitting room slowly , he peeked through the security hole and his jaw dropped in shock. Evelyn. Oh God! Hastily, he unlocked the door and drew her in, then locked the door after her.
“Why are you avoiding me?” Her voice was solemn with a bit of a slur.
She had been drinking. He could tell from the way she weaved slightly on her feet and the slur in her voice. This would be a disaster if he didn’t dismiss her very fast. He wasn’t in the best frame of mind either but he missed her. Staring at her face, he moved without conscious thought until he stood in front of her and cupped her cheek.
“I want you, Eve. I didn’t want to but I do from the first moment you walk into the bar that night. Being around you isn’t helping me, so I have to stay away from you for the sake of my sanity.” His voice was husky with need as he stared at her naturally pink lips. It trembled slightly and a groan tore from his throat as he moved closer.
A sigh escaped her as her arms went around him, “I understand. I know. I want you too. I sent you a message but it didn’t deliver. I thought you have blocked me.” There was hurt in her eyes as she stared at his eyes.
“I had the same thought this evening. Been looking forward to your calls and messages but it never came. Is something wrong with your phone? Do you want me to take a look at it?” A worry line creased his brow and she smoothed it with her cool finger. He shivered under her touch.
“My hero! My man! Always looking out for me.” Rising on the toes of her sneakers, she brushed her lips across his own and he squeezed her against him. “Kiss me, Ayo. Please.”
“Are you sure? Are you sure about this? I may not be able to stop …” His lips were all over her face, the tip of her pert nose, her ears and the curve of her neck. A moan escaped her lips as her neck arched, giving him more access and her hands crept under the thin sleeveless vest he wore, pressing against his skin.
“It is just a kiss… a kiss.” Her voice was in husky whispers as she panted, but they both knew it wouldn’t be just a kiss. A kiss wouldn’t be enough for what had been brewing between them since that first day in the bar. A kiss wouldn’t satisfy their thirsty souls that had been craving each other.
His lips slid over hers , claiming her mouth, her body and her essence. She trembled for him, even as she responded to his kiss, and the next moments was a blur of deep, deep passion and lust between them.
Clothes flew in different directions, their hands and mouths craved and devoured each other. When he finally parted her smooth, beautiful laps, and drove into the depth of her wet, drippy honeypot, he temporarily went blind with pleasure, his body quaked and a groan torn from his throat, mixing with the sound of her moans. Then he tore into her with slow, measured thrusts that continuously hit her g-spot, eliciting high-pitched moans from her parted lips which drove him a little crazy.
Sleep stole their exhausted minds after several rounds of climax and orgasm but when he woke up in the morning, she was gone!
Finding Solace is available for your reading pleasure on the blog shop.
The Blurb
Araire Falade, a beautiful, wealthy, and single woman in her 40s, is trying to slow down her ticking biological clock, and her boyfriend, Bamidele, has said he will only propose if she gets pregnant.
Seeking help, she approaches the sexy, handsome but married fertility doctor, Chibuike Azuke, and they soon become great friends.
Glowing and pregnant, her happiness doubles or so it seems when Bamidele finally proposes.
All hell breaks loose when Araire discovers she has been duped, not only by the man she was engaged to, but also by the man she had come to trust and love with her whole heart.
Will love find her again or she is destined to remain single and alone forever?
The Chapter Thirteen of the Finding Solace will be posted next week, Sunday, 20th April.
Don’t miss it and don’t forget to leave a comment.
Thank you.