Protected
By Bebe Ernest
Episode 9
MAGIC.
I am pacing my room, what do I do? Father Lord, am finished.
I can see it, master justice will ask me to pack up and leave.
Where will I go? Oh Lord.
I look at the time, it’s past 7 in the evening, he should be back now and he will be expecting his clothes .
Oh God, this is a typical example of my village old women pursuit me, again what do I do?.
Ok.
I have to get things in perspective.
I have to tell him, I have to apologise.
I glance at the pile of clothes again and I almost loose my wits.
I ironed them after trying to wash them by hand again, I rhino I mad it worse.
Sweet Lord.
Am so stupid, I mean who adds bleach to coloured?
Me apparently.
I gr-ab the perfectly ironed clothes and match to hi room before I loose my mind.
I knock, no answer, I put my ear on the door and listen.
I can hear soft rock music, he is inside, but he can’t hear me because if the music.
I s£nd a silent prayer to God, plea-se let there not be any woman in there with him.
My death will be definite then.
I open the door slowly, I don’t see him, I open it more wi-dely and I see him.
He walking out on the running thing.
I think it’s called a tre-admill.
I stand at the side for a while, i
expect him to notice Me but he doesn’t.
Seems I’m have to suffer for this.
I call out, he doesn’t seem to hear.
I walk to the music pla-yer and press a bu-tton, the music goes up, oh no.
I press another bu-tton and it increases.
Bt this time he has st©pped and is watching me like an irritating bug.
I smile at him nervously and countinue pressing bu-ttons.
How many does this thing even have.
This is not helping my case, my village people o.
He walks to me and holds my wrist as I go to press another bu-tton, he switches the music off and turns to me.
He glances at pile of clothes I am holding and lifts his eye brow.
I yank on the wrist he is still holding and he let’s go.
“Am sure you have an explanation for you being in my room without I calling you in”.
I nod, he walks to the tre-admill and gets his water, he takes a swig and cleans his face with a white towel.
“Am listening girl”
I kneel, I have no other option.
He turns and his trademark single eyebrow goes up.
“As much as I like my women in this position, you are not my woman, and I see no reason why you should be in that position.”
I notice he doesn’t tell me to stand up.
Bastard.
“I ruined your clothes, am so sorry”
His eyes hoes to the clothes and comes back to me.
“Do you know how much they cost?”
“I don’t sir and I promise to pay”.
“Oh you do? ” He asks.
I nod.
“They are custom made, direct from the maker, one cost a hundred grand, and I reckon you ruined 8, do you have 800 grand lying around, girl?”
He says the girl likes it’s a curse.
And hold on, what happened to people getting there clothes at bend down select.
If it wasn’t that miss julliet gave me some clothes I had lanned to go buy some at a used clothes sto-re.
I Definitely don’t have 800 thousand lying around.
I tell him this.
“I thought so”
He peruses me for a while, he is standing over me, am still kneeling.
“Get up”
I wince, am sure he is going to hit me.
He walks to his desk and seats, he gestures to a chair and tells me to take my seat.
Am surprised.
I seat down and he speaks.
“Tell me about you”
Wow, this is a surprise.
“What do you want to know sir”
“How old are you?”
“Am 19, my birthday is December 21st”.
He nods.
“That means you are almost 20 in four months time?”
I nod.
“My birthday is December 21 too”
I smile, wow.
He asks some series of question, some I want to do, my dreams, even if I have a b©yfri£nd.
I blus-h when he asks that and I tell him no.
I tell him everything, as in everything, about kelechi, about my dreams of wanting to be a fashion designer, how I want to go back to school, when am done he nods.
I glance at the clock on his table and I see we’ve been talking for over 30 mins.
“I have friends coming over in an hour, I want you to prepare some appetizers, just fruits or something”
I nod.
“Make sure there is an abundance of whiskey and cognac and a little bit of wine ok?”
I nod.
“Crushed ice too.”
I think I can do this.
I nod.
“You can leave now”
I stand up but hesitate, he raises an eyebrow.
“What do I do about the clothes sir?”
He waves an hand.
“Throw them away, use them as nightclothes, I don’t care”
I nod, how rich is this guy that he can throw away 800 thousand worth of clothes?
I pick up the clothes and exit.
I think I and master justice are officially friends.
Yay.
***************************************
I think everything is going well, I have served him and his friends thier drinks and appetizers.
It’s past 10 and there are no signs of this coming to an end.
Am standing on standby incase he wants to something else.
Am so sleepy.
Maybe it was the sleep that made me make a mistake.
But what I got I totally did not deserve.
He calls me in to the dinning and I see he has about 5 friends over, I greet and turn to him.
“You called sir?”
“You peon”
Am taken aback, i know what that means.
“Is there anything in that head of yours? Is there anything you can do right?”
“Sir…..”
“You moron, I told you to offer whiskey not whisky, what is wrong with you?”
I hear some of his friends swallow thier laughter and I feel tears rush to my eyes.
“I didn’t.know….”
“You never do, do you? That’s why you were almost killed…..”
I g@sp, the tears spilling out.
“Get out of my sight, I don’t want to see you, fool.”
I run upstairs, crying.
O God.
My che-st.
I think its going to break.
I cry and cry and cry untill I finally fall asleep.
Tomorrow, Tomorrow
Protected
By Bebe Ernest
Episode 10
MAGIC.
It’s morning, I don’t come out of my room, I can’t find the will to, am tired.
I glance at the clock it’s past 6, I have to go prepare for Alec to go to school, it’s a Monday morning.
I stand, as I pas-s my mirror, I st©p and stare at my self, what exactly about me tells people am stupid.
Don’t I look good enough?
I have long black hair, it’s almost to my w@!st, I have silver eyes, a nice b©dy, don’t I deserve some respect?
I sigh and make my way out.
I go to the kitchen and make some coffee, I get Alec’s backpack and food flask re-ady.
I make a stack of pancakes, I take them to the dinning with freshly squee-zed jui-ce and some maple syrup.
I set the table and I see Mr Justin enter.
“Good morning Magic”
I nod.
“You not going to join us? I noticed you haven’t for a while now”
“Am fine sir”
He nods, miss julliet comes, i greet and exit to go get Alec’s backpack.
As I enter I see Alec alre-ady sitting and Master justice entering.
I stiffen.
“Yo, magic, you not going to join us?”
I shake my head, my eyes on the ground.
“I will be in my room If anyone nee-ds me”
As I exit I glance at master justice and I see him re-ading the news papers looking unconcerned.
I vaguely note that Mr Justin and miss julliet are watching me.
***************************************
JUSTIN.
I watch magic leave and I turn to my A-hole of a brother.
I don’t normally concern my self with things like this because am a person who observes rather than talk but my brother is acting like a little bit-ch.
“What did you do?”
He just keeps re-ading, I pu-ll the paper out of his hands, he slowly lifts his head.
“Keep her away from me Justin”
“What’s your deal with her? You are an a-hole but never to this extent”
I hear julliet cough.
“Baby on board brother kin”.
She points at Alec who is staring back and forth at I and justice.
“I am an a-hole we have made a fact out of that, then what makes you think that I would be kind to your little stray”.
“Well maybe I thought you would at least have some human feelings”
He just rolls his eyes.
What happened to my brother when I was gone? He was always so free and out going, down to earth, always re-ady to help.
This greedy, snobbish man In front of me is person I don’t know.
“What happened to you brother?”
Julliet leans forward, waiting for his answer.
He looks me in the eyes and says.
“The day you tell me where you go to every Saturday and Sundays, that is the day I will sit and talk about my feelings with you. ”
He waits but I don’t reply, that is one thing I can never talk about.
He seems to get that.
“That’s what I thought, this is my house and I make the rules, you don’t like it, leave”.
He stands up calmly and leaves.
I sigh and lean back in my seat.
Well Hell.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
MAGIC.
By two pm, am more than hungry but I can’t just go downstairs.
Ugh, I hate this.
I turn again on my be-d, am wearing one of justice’s sleeves, I mean I can’t let it go to waste can I?.
And also the man is so big, his sleeves almost get to my knees and the hand encompas-ses all of mine.
I hear a knock on my door.
I stand and walk to it, I open and see julliet standing there with another woman.
“Miss julliet, how may I help you?”
The woman with her speaks.
“You were right julliet, she is beautiful”
I blus-h, she is talking about me, that feels good.
I turn to miss julliet and I see her looking at my choice of wardrobe .
I blus-h again.
I open the door wi-der and they enter.
“Magic, meet Sandra Jacobs, she is the sister of my fiance”
I shake her hand, she is as beautiful as Mr sage is handsome.
“Magic is a very cool name, who are your parents?”
“I never knew them”
“Aww, that’s $h!tty, I love mine, I can’t imagine not knowing them.”
I nod, even as I blus-h at her cuss word and she smiles,.
“We are going to the pool to do some manicure, you want to come?
Miss julliet asks and I know Master justice must have told them what happened for her to come try to cheer me up.
I shake my head no.
“There will be champagne and strawberries”
I shake my head again, Sandra pu-lls me.
“Actually you don’t have an option, Justin told us to kidnap you”
I blus-h, feeling good, I see julliet grimace, she must suspect I have a crush on mr Justin.
They pu-ll me down the hall, I am still wearing master justice’s sleeve.
They pu-ll me to the pool and we get comfy.
Sandra starts on my hand and starts filing.
“You have lovely f!ngers”
I thank her and she continues in silence, miss julliet plies me with chocolate and strawberries and champagne.
I love.
After a while miss julliet asks.
“So do you have a b©yfri£nd?”
I don’t respond but I lift my head when I feel both of them watching me.
“Are you talking to me?”
. They nod.
“Oh no, I don’t”
Sandra nods.
“Do you?”
I feel compelled to ask Sandra.
“I am going to get married to Justin, he just doesn’t know it yet.”
I still, she is mr Justin’s girlfriend, I feel julliet watching me.
I nod. “that’s good”
“We are not d@t!ngyet, but we will”
I frown, i.dont un-derstand.
“He will fall in love with me, just watch.”
I laugh so ha-rd , I like this woman, she knows what she wants.
Julliet joins me.
I mistakenly spill champagne on me and squeal.
“What? are you alergic to liquid?”
I nod.
“I hate cold water”
I say this while cleaning my b©dy so I did not see them share a look.
I am so surprised when I am pu-ll-ed and pushed into the pool.
My nail polish will be ruined but it was funny so I bur-st out laughing.
Am thre-ading water and doing so.
I feel good.
I climb out, soaking we-t and they are laughing at me.
I push Sandra in and I squeal as she splashes water at me.
“St©p!”
She doesn’t, miss julliet is laughing untill I push her in.
I laugh so ha-rd my eyes burn with tears.
Ha.
***************★★*****************
Justice.
I watch her, she is beautiful.
I look away again, am standing at my window, they can’t see me .
I look again , I can’t help myself, she is laughing.
I remember how she felt in my arms the other day, I like how she looks in my clothes, I remember her smell on my pillow.
I take a step forward, I st©p and shake my head, I can’t do this again.
I can’t like someone again.
I turn away.
I walk out of my room and down the stairs to the kitchen, I turn the corner and bu-mp into her. Magic.
She squeals, laughter in her voice.
It dies when she sees it’s me.
I feel something, I don’t like it so I lash out.
“Stay the hell away from me girl, are we clear?”
“Crystal clear sir”.
I watch her walk away, head down, hurt, i dont care.
Or so I tell myself.
***
Tbc