#THE_MIRACLE_I_nee-d_2
EPISODE 20
Eric could guess that she was curious about his conversation with Pete, “Yeah. We were sitting next to each other on the plane. I even said I was going to invite him and Kathleen over for dinner only if it was okay with you,” he said, turning to look at Kimberly.
Dinner? “Wasn’t it awkward, since you know about us? What exactly did you both talk about? And why did you think of such a dinner invitation?” Kimberly asked as she shifted in her seat uncomfortably, ma-king Eric smile at her fondly as he st©pped in front of his gate and honked the car horn.
“You don’t have to be uncomfortable talking about this with me. He apologized for taking advantage of you and said he owed you an apology too. I think he is a nice guy, and I wanted us to invite them over because of your friendsh!pwith Kathleen. She is a nice person and I like her.”
“Yes, she is. I like her too, but I don’t know if I can be comfortable around him,” Kimberly confessed with a slight frown.
“Well, you won’t know if you don’t give it a try, right? You nee-d to forget whatever you both did in the past. So try and face it, okay? To be honest with you, I was kind of upset when I ran into him. Or maybe I was just jealous that he t©uçhed my wife before I got the chance. But after he apologized, and I noticed how genuine he was, I just let go of the grievance. If you’re going to be friends with Kathleen, I have to make an effort and be friends with him too,” Eric explained and drove in when the security man opened his gate and greeted them.
“So you were jealous?” She asked, still looking at him.
“Of course! Who would have a stunning and wonderful wife like you and not be jealous? I’m even jealous of the nurses that gave you your first bath,” Eric said, ma-king Kimberly laugh out loud as he knew she would.
“You’re not serious.”
“Of course I am,” He said with a chuckle as he got out of the car while she got down too.
Once again Kimberly was stunned by how large the compound was, and the model of the cars parked in the compound. This was really Eric’s house? Eric’s cars? Her husband? It seemed like she was yet to digest the fact that her own Eric was really Tunde Obasan. She wasn’t sure she could ever get used to the idea even if she lived here with him for long.
“Is something wrong?” Eric asked when he got to where she was standing and noticed how she was looking at the building and cars.
Kimberly shook her head, “I was just thinking that I can’t get used to the fact that you’re this wealthy.”
“There is no hurry. We have all the time you nee-d to get used to it. Let’s go in,” he said, intertwining their hands as he led her inside.
Once they walked inside the house they saw Chuka running down the stairs like he was in a hurry to get somewhere. His steps faltered when he saw Kimberly, and he flashed her a sheepish smile, “Hi!”
“Hello Tunde,” she said dryly, ma-king both Chuka and Eric wince.
“My name is Chuka. Chuka Jesse Ossai,” he corrected awkwardly and moved back when Kimberly took deliberate steps towards him.
“Oh! So you’re not Tunde Obasan anymore?” Kimberly asked with a straight face, and Chuka s£nt Eric a ‘Save My Soul’ look.
“Babe…” Eric called in a pleading tone.
“It’s nice to meet you Chuka,” Kimberly finally said, extending her hand for a handshake.
Chuka glanced at Eric anxiously before moving forward to take her hand, but once he was close enough Kimberly punched his upper arm, “This is for going ahead with his stupid plan!” Kimberly said with a satisfied sm-irk when he gro-an ed.
“You want to hit me again, or are we good now?” Chuka asked with a wince as he mas-saged his arm.
“We are good now,” Kimberly as-sured him before turning to look at Eric who was grinning now.
“Thank you. I will get out of your hair now. I nee-d to go somewhere. See you another time, friend-in-law,” Chuka said with a wave as he headed for the door.
“Where are you rushing off to?” Eric asked curiously.
“Well, I’m going for a friend’s birthday slash engagement p@rty. She says I have to be there since I pla-yed a role in their relationsh!p. Wait, you know her, right? I mean Kathleen?” He asked Kimberly who exchanged a look with Eric.
“I told you she was the one,” Pete told Kimberly with a big smile.
“I’m off,” Chuka said with a wave as he hurried out of the house.
“It looks like your friend has a role to pl@yin everyone’s relationsh!p,” Kimberly said dryly ma-king Eric chuckle.
“It looks like you still haven’t forgiven him,” Eric said as he moved closer to her and wra-pped his arms around her w@!st before k!ss!ngher slowly. He pu-ll-ed back once she started leaning into him, and flashed her a smile.
“You can take a look around and see if there’s anything you will like to change in the house, while I get what I c@m£ for,” Eric said before hurrying up the stairs.
Once he left Kimberly sighed. She was going to have to call to wish Kathleen a happy birthday and also congratulate her on her engagement. She was going to leave that for later since she knew Kathleen was probably in the middle of her p@rty and might not be able to receive a call.
She walked around the living room taking in everything, and thinking of possible changes she could make. She turned around when the door opened.
“Good afternoon,” Aunty Martha greeted with a wi-de smile as she stepped inside the house dressed in a flowing Ankara go-wn and matching headgear, with her handbag and a mas-sive Bible in one hand.
“Good afternoon ma,” Kimberly greeted, bending her knee slightly.
“It’s good to see you again. Have you seen my boss? What can I get for you while you wait?” Aunty Martha asked, ma-king Kimberly wonder if she it was the woman’s default setting to want to serve every visitor in the house.
“Good afternoon, aunty Martha,” Eric greeted as he hurried down the stairs and joined them, “You’ve met Kimberly before, she is my wife. Babe this is aunty Martha, she is my second mother and has been the one taking care of me and my house,” Eric said as he joined them.
“Your wife? When did you get married? I thought she was…” Aunty Martha let her words trail off, but that was enough for Kimberly to realize that she didn’t know about the game Eric and Chuka had pla-yed.
“Don’t worry, we will tell you about it when we get back. We are heading to Abuja now to see my parents,” Eric explained before taking Kimberly’s hand.
Aunty Martha smiled, “Okay. You’re welcome Madam,” she said giving Kimberly a polite bow.
“Kimberly is fine ma. Thank you for taking good care of him,” Kimberly said ma-king the woman smile happily.
“Thank you for thanking me,” She said with a smile. She greatly approved of Kimberly.
“Let’s go then,” he said to Kimberly as he led her to the door.
“Have a safe trip,” Aunty Martha called after them as she watched them leave.
Every nerve in Kimberly’s b©dy was tense as the plane landed at Abuja. Her heartbeat quic-kened and her palms suddenly bec@m£ we-t. Although Eric had tried his best to as-sure her that his parents loved her and accepted her alre-ady, Kim couldn’t seem to bring herself to relax.
“What if I say something wrong?” She asked Eric as he led her to the parking lot where he knew the driver and Wumi was waiting for them. He had asked Wumi to come along with the driver so that she could help him distract and calm Kimberly until they got to the house. He feared she might have a panic attack if she continued to worry at the rate she was going.
Eric st©pped and turned to her, “They are not expecting you to say everything right. You are going to do just alright, trust me, okay?” He pleaded and placed a k!sson her forehead.
“Sister-in-law!!!” Wumi screeched happily as she ran towards them and embr@ced Kimberly who was too surprised to say anything.
“You’re not longer angry with me, right?” Wumi asked after she pu-ll-ed away from Kimberly.
“It’s okay. I think I un-derstand better now,” Kimberly said with a shaky smile.
“Thank God! Let’s hurry then. Bro, I’ve missed you,” Wumi said as she wra-pped her arms around Eric and hvgged him ti-ghtly.
“Why didn’t you take permission from my wife before hvgging me that way?” Eric asked jocularly ma-king Kimberly laugh while Wumi glared at him.
“Really? Kim, did you hear him?” Wumi asked with a pout, looking at Kimberly and j£rking her head in Eric’s direction.
“Quit acting, and don’t pester my wife,” Eric said, trying to pu-ll Wumi back to himself pla-yfully but she scoffed and moved to Kimberly’s side instead.
“Leave me alone. Talk to me, Kim. How have you been? Mom was over the moon with joy when Eric announced you were both visiting. They both can’t wait to meet you,” Wumi said, ma-king Kimberly tense again.
“I can’t wait to meet them too,” Kimberly said with a stiff smile and st©pped when they st©pped in front of a Rolls Royce Phantom. This was the car they were leaving in? Kimberly blinked in surprise. For a family that loved exotic cars, how did they manage to sl!pbelow the radar of mas-s media?
“I know you’re feeling nervous, but don’t worry. It isn’t a big deal. We are not going straight home,” Wumi announced, surprising Eric, and catching Kimberly’s attention.
“We are not? Where are we going to?” Eric asked before Kimberly could ask.
“Dad and mom decided to see a movie and asked that we join them at Cinema. So we will st©p over there and have lunch at a restaurant before going home,” Wumi explained as the driver unlocked the doors, and Wumi got into the front seat leaving both Eric and Kimberly to take the back seat.
Eric could tell all of that was for Kimberly’s sake. It was obvious his parents were trying to break the ice so that Kimberly could be more comfortable with them, “That is nice. Let’s just hope we finish in time and leave before it gets very dark,” Eric said, ma-king Wumi giggle as she shut her door.
“I know, right? That was the exact thing I told dad too,” Wumi said ma-king Eric chuckle, while Kimberly looked from one to the other wondering what the joke was about.
“Mom loves p@rtying. Once it gets dark and we are out, she starts wanting to convince us to all go clubbing,” Wumi explained, ma-king Kimberly’s eyes wi-den in surprise.
“Your mother?” Kimberly asked in disbelief, ma-king both Eric and Kimberly laugh out loud.
“She loves to have fun just like you. She still manages to convince her husband to take her clubbing a times,” Eric explained before shutting the door, “Good afternoon Mr. Bas-sey,” he greeted the middle-aged driver.
“Good afternoon sir,” Kimberly greeted too while thinking about what Eric had just said. Her mother-in-law was a clubber? Wawu!
“Good afternoon Oga Tunde and Madam,” he responded politely as he turned on the car’s ignition and drove off.
Fifty minutes later they drove into the mall and the driver found a space in the parking lot and they all got out of the car, “Eric, do you think my dress is okay?” Kimberly whispered to Eric ma-king him roll his eyes.
“Even I didn’t fuss this much when I was going to see your father the first time.”
“That is because you knew who you are!” Kimberly retorted.
“And you don’t know who you are?” Eric asked, c0cking his head to the side.
“You know what I mean. I’m just worried,” Kimberly said with a frown.
Eric sighed, “I’m not going to reas-sure you anymore, so you better get over whatever fear or insecurity you’re having. You’re a very beautiful and wonderful woman. You should exude confidence…” He st©pped talking when Wumi approached them.
Wumi who had been on the phone with their mother joined them, “Let’s go in,” she said as she intertwined her arm with Kimberly’s and walked ahead with her, leaving Eric to follow them.
“Kimberly!!!” Mrs. Obasan skrie-ked happily the moment she sighted them from the entrance where she had been standing waiting for them and hurried over to where both Wumi and Kimberly who had st©pped walking now, were standing and pu-ll-ed Kimberly into a warm hvg before she could gather her thoughts or say anything, forcing Wumi to leave Kimberly’s arm.
Seeing how excited she was, a stranger would think she was meeting a long-lost friend or sister, instead of meeting her prospective daughter-in-law for the first time. The ladies in her social circle would definitely be surprised to see her running around this way because of her daughter-in-law.
“I’ve been so excited to finally see you that I couldn’t concentrate on the movie we were seeing, and I had to run out of the movie hall the moment Kimberly told me you were outside. First of all, you look beautiful and I looooove your jumpsuit,” she said breathlessly, eyeing the off-shoulder Ankara jumpsuit which Kimberly was wearing.
At least now Kimberly knew where Wumi had gotten her behavior from. She was exactly like her mother, and looked a lot like the woman who could pas-s for a lady in her thirties, “Thank you ma,” Kimberly said, looking slightly flvstered.
“It’s so good to see you. How was your trip? How are you? I hope Tunde has been taking good care of you?”
“Seriously mom? Have you even said hi to me?” Eric asked dryly, but his mother waved him away dismissively.
“Let’s go in my dear. We have a lot of catching up to do,” She said as she intertwined her arms with Kimberly’s and led her inside, leaving Wumi and Eric alone.
“Don’t you think she is overdoing it?” Eric asked Wumi who giggled as they both followed their mother.
“I think she is. But who cares? As long as she gets Kimberly to relax, any approach is fine I suppose. I noticed how tense she was,” Wumi said with a grin. It was common knowledge that ladies generally dre-aded meeting their prospective mother-in-law for the first time. She could only pray that her future mother-in-law would be someone as easy-going and thoughtful as their mother. She, because Kimberly was blessed with a wonderful man like her brother, and also very wonderful in-laws who cared about her.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 21