Deborah

Episode 20

She had finally sent him a message….after the long wait, this was his opportunity to find out more….who was Morganna Esio and why did she look so familiar?

‘Hello darling’ Morganna typed…
Andy rolled his eyes…

‘Hello Morganna…sup’?

‘Have we met before’? she typed….

‘Nope…why is that’? Andy replied….

‘You look very familiar’….she continued…

‘Wow….honestly I don’t think we’ve met dear’

‘Ok, I have to go now’ she quickly dropped her phone as she spotted Selene …

She felt a bit of relief….or was he playing her? But he didn’t act like he remembered anything, she would keep her fingers crossed.

‘Hi babe’ she called to Selene…

‘Dear how you doing’? she embraced Morganna…

‘ I’m fine love… I have so much to tell you’ Morganna began….she had to play her game fast…

‘Wow I’m all ears…’ Selene eyed her room…the girl had a good taste in fine things…

‘What brings you here? you haven’t visited for a very long time’ Morganna observed…

‘well…I missed you’ Selene hugged her again but her friend didn’t return the hug…

‘Why the face Morganna’?

‘You are lying Selene and you know that’

She gave up…throwing her hands in the air, she explained how annoying her kid sister could be…

Morganna wasn’t surprised, I can totally relate to that…but she would grow up eventually, give her time’…

Clara hadn’t been rude to her no, but she gave her signals that she didn’t like her either. Morganna had wondered several times, why the girl hated her…

‘So what gist do you have for me’ Selene gulped the brandy offered her…

‘ I’m pregnant’ Morganna announced proudly…

Selene almost dropped the glass in shock….wow! that would move their wedding plans faster…

‘Congratulations…have you told my bro and mom’?

‘Yes I’ve only told Ani…I don’t know if it’s a good idea for me to tell your mother’ she wondered…

‘Of course she’d be so thrilled’ …

Selene now understood why Ani had been acting strange…wasn’t he happy about the whole marriage thing?

‘I have to go Morganna…I wanted getting something from blue mountains, the latest jewelry shop’

‘that’s nice…what’s the jewelry for, you already have enough’

‘For someone special’ Selene winked …

Yes, though she was a maid, she was special…
‘By the way you should drop over the house…been a while’

‘Okay Selene…what if we leave together? Your bro isn’t picking his calls’

‘Who goes there’? Ekanem Briggas dropped her fashion magazine as her daughter in-law to be walked towards her with open arms…

‘You completely disappeared Morganna’ she welcomed her…

‘Mum I really missed you…I’ve been working on a case that has consumed my time… I’m sorry about that’ Morganna rubbed the woman’s shoulder.

She loved this woman genuinely….it was difficult at first but she’d come love the woman as her own mother…

Surprised Selene was alone; Ekanem inquired about her other children… ‘they’re still shopping I guess’ she answered her mother…

‘Did you guys fight?’ the woman was constantly disappointed at her grown up children but she wasn’t in the mood for this…

‘Teju’! she called one of her maids…who came hurrying like a squirrel…

‘Tell Ateri to fix something up for us’….she bit her lip realizing her mistake… ‘Deborah I mean’…
Selene gazed at her mother ….this was the third time she was mentioning that name? What was that about?

Just then, Ani drove in with Clara….they had spent more time that he’d expected…Clara was very choosy…

‘Here comes the witch’ Clara sighed as she walked towards the trio…

Ani fingered the floral dress he’d bought her… he hoped she would like it… but he’d warned Clara expressively not to divulge the fact that it was him who’d bought the dress… he didn’t want no issues…

‘Good afternoon mother’ he kissed her and walked towards his bride to be… She smiled …eagerly waiting for her own kiss…

Ani didn’t know what had come over him but he wasn’t in the mood for any sort of romance… ‘Let me take a shower, would be right back’ he dropped the dress with his sister and left…

Morganna felt hurt he’d ignored her that way…he’d been acting very different for days now and she blamed it all on work…maybe it was stress but something was definitely not right with his behavior…

‘so what did you guys buy’? Selene glared at her sister angrily…

Surprisingly she gave a polite reply this time around… ‘Many things and a dress for Debora’

‘A dress for Deborah’? Mrs Briggas was amazed at her daughter’s generosity
Selene rolled her eyes, her mother was definitely thrilled by the idea which was quite disturbing…

Mrs Briggas never sanctioned any dealings between her children or family members with her domestic staff….but here she was acting all jelly at the mention of the new maid…

‘Who’s Deborah’? Morganna was lost; the name had been mentioned quite a few times…it was a really long time since she’d visited the family…

‘Debbie is our new maid’ Selene answered….hoping her plans would work…she was so beautiful…

‘Oh here she comes’ Mrs Briggas beckoned to the young girl who always looked nervous…she didn’t blame her, her tough exterior frightened many people…

‘Good afternoon’ Deborah greeted, meeting the cold eyes of Ani’s wife…she stared at her with so much hatred…. She averted her eyes quickly and focused on setting the table…

‘Oh…I see’ Morgana feigned surprise ….but they’d met before…so she was the new maid…. ‘your food smells nice…I bought you a dress’ Clara chattered….
Deborah smiled and her dimples appeared….so she really meant to buy her a gift? ‘Thank you very much’ she smiled and got the parcel…

‘You cook well’ Mrs Briggas complimented ….

Morgana lowered her lashes and assessed the girl…. She was incredibly beautiful…what if Ani fell for her charms; that was a huge possibility…

Her appetite fled as more possible scenarios filtered her brain…she feared greatly, worse still Mrs Briggas seemed completely taken in by the maid…

She had to do something….

‘Are you okay’? Mrs Briggas was worried about the look on Morganna’s face…she looked unhappy….

‘ I’m fine….’ She stuttered …

‘Don’t you think it is time you told her’? Selene whispered…

‘Told me what’? her mother was scared…had something bad happened…

‘I am a month gone’ she rubbed her palms together….

‘Wow…unbelievable! Deborah get glasses and a bottle of my favorite wine’
she turned towards Morganna….this was going to be awesome! Her plans had worked…

‘Soon I’m going to be a grandmother’ the woman whirled around singing songs of joy… ‘excuse me’

Clara eyed Morganna suspiciously and left…. Her plans had failed…

‘Call your elder Brother for me’ her mother was too enthralled by this good news…

‘What’s the noise for’ Andy peered out….rubbing his face as the loud laughter had awoken him…

He saw Morganna…something was up, he got dressed quickly and left for the kitchen… he had just come out of a dream about Deborah…
He smiled to himself as he climbed down the stairs….she now stalked his dreams…was he in love?

He was still confused… but now he’d dreamt of her, now his thoughts revolved round her, he knew it…what he’d been scared to admit… he had real feelings for her…

‘What’s with the grin’ Clara felt pissed at the news…her brother was definitely trapped….she was now sure…

‘ I’m in love baby cousin’ he grinned wider…

she ignored him and left for Ani’s room… ‘Whatever’ guessing she was in a mood….

He increased his steps as he heard an argument in the kitchen…

‘Why are you this mean….i don’t remember offending you in any way’ Deborah was upset…Teju had refused giving her directions to the cellar amidst her begging…

‘Why don’t you ask Andy your boyfriend to show you the way’ she hissed and walked away…

This was too much for her… she broke down unaware of Andy’s presence….

‘Why are you crying darling’? he drew her near him…. She wiped her face with her hands…he couldn’t see her this way…

‘I need to take some wine to your aunt…I don’t know where it’s kept’…

‘Is that what the argument was about’? he rubbed her hands gently….

She nodded and looked away from him…

‘Follow me’

‘What’s going on downstairs’? Ani stared intently as his mother danced and screamed atop her voice…

‘well your wife is pregnant’ Clara answered unable to look at him…Why did he have to marry her?

‘Mother wants you in the garden’ she closed the door loudly behind him….

Ani sighed and braced himself up. He was a man of his word; he had promised to be by her side, he couldn’t go back now…his body was stuck with Morganna but his soul was somewhere else…

How would he explain that? He hated himself more for going along with his mother’s wishes…

He had loved Morganna once…but his heart was somewhere else… and he would die with his feelings for her…

He got downstairs in time to catch up with the toast….then he saw Deborah, she looked more fragile than before with those same eyes drawing him near…

Their eyes met again…. He felt his blood boil…she was intoxicating him with desires…..

‘Ani have a glass’ Morganna offered… but he wasn’t hearing her… his eyes were locked with the maid’s…

With full determination, Deborah looked away and left for the kitchen…Andy had been waiting for her…

Ani ran his fingers through his hair… this was going to be difficult for him…

His mother hadn’t noticed it neither did Selene… they were drowned in the heat of that moment… but Morganna had seen the look that passed between the two…

She swallowed the wine and winced as its sour taste slapped her cheeks… she had to act her part… no one could take Ani away from her… he was hers’ and nobody could change that….

That maid really had the nerve….looking all innocent and harmless…but she would beat her to her game…

‘We need to hurry with the wedding plans’ Mrs Briggas suggested… she had about twenty wedding gown designs that would fit Morganna perfectly…

‘I agree’ Ani forced a smile and kissed Morganna’s fingers…this thrilled her greatly …

‘ I also think it would be wise for Morganna to move in with us…so the baby can bond effectively with her parents’ Ekanem was so excited she would be having a grandchild…

‘Mummy how do you know it’s a girl’? Selene was amazed at her mother; when had she become a fortune teller?

‘I just know it’s a girl’

Morganna smiled and leaned on Ani’s shoulder, who rubbed her belly in turn…

‘Are you sure about moving in’? he asked, not liking the idea; he needed time to figure out his feelings…

‘Yes am very sure…don’t you want me here?’

‘Of course I do….when you’re ready just come in…’

Morgana closed her eyes and imagined that day he would finally be hers… for now, she had many battles to fight… the greatest was protecting her secret.

She prayed earnestly that Andy had been honest about not remembering anything about her….