CERTIFIED THIEF

HER SUPPOSED HUSBAND

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    When Cameron got to the sitting room, he quickly cleaned his oily lips and welcomed his daughter and his son-in-law. The twosome greeted him and Sophie said she missed Cameron so dearly. Cameron smiled and said he missed her too. He said Sophie’s mum would join them soon and Sophie nodded her head. “Young man, would you like to take anything?” That was all Cameron said before he was interrupted by Naomi. As soon as Sophie saw Naomi, she ran in her direction and they hugged each other. Sophie held Bella’s hand and they all walked in the direction of the settees.

    When everyone was seated, Naomi asked what her daughter and her spouse would like to eat. As she talked, she hovered her eyelashes around Sophie’s spouse. He was her taste. Sophie said they weren’t famished and Naomi had no option than to let them be.

“Young man, what’s your name?” Cameron said. He was longing to know his son-in-law’s name.

“My name is Maverick.”

“That’s a lovely name,” Cameron said. He asked Maverick other questions and Maverick answered the questions the best way he could. As he talked, he ensured he was careful with his choice of words. He wouldn’t want to disgrace himself in front of his father-in-law. 

“I think I like you. Naomi, what do you think?”

“I like him too.”

   Maverick felt he was on top of the world. He never believed he could win his in-laws’ hearts easily. He was an introvert, but his in-laws’ intonations changed his countenance. He gave a vivid introduction of who he was and everyone listened to him painstakingly. 

“You must be earning well as a banker,” Cameron said.

“I survived by God’s grace, sir.”

“That’s good.”

    Milo stood up from the settee. When he was questioned, he said he needed to go to the grocery store. He also said the store could close anytime soon. Cameron quickly walked his friend out of the house. “See you soon.” That was what Cameron said before he patted Milo on the back. He watched as the car moved in the direction of the gate. He quickly faced backwards and walked in the direction of the entryway. When he got to the sitting room, he could only see Bella and Naomi.

“Where are Sophie and co?” he said as he was about to sit down. 

“I instructed them to take some zizz,” Naomi said.

“That’s thoughtful of you. They need it.”

    When Milo got home, he clutched a black polythene bag and alighted from the saloon gently. He quickly faced the direction of the door and walked in its direction. He knocked on the door twice before he heard Charlie’s voice. As soon as Charlie opened the sliding door, she greeted Milo and collected the polythene bag. She quickly took the bag to the kitchen. She walked back into the sitting room, clutching a bowl.

“Here are some strawberries,” she said, but Milo rejected the fruits. He opted for a banana smoothie instead. Charlie walked in the direction of the refrigerator. She returned to Milo and handed over the smoothie to him. Milo thanked her and she walked away, clutching the bowl.

    As Milo sipped the banana smoothie, he pondered on everything that had happened at Cameron’s house. His mind sank when he remembered Maverick’s introduction of himself. “He can’t be my son,” he finally said, and emptied the banana smoothie. He called out to Charlie and Charlie showed up. She asked what Charlie was doing and she said she was preparing a meal in the kitchen.

“You could serve yourself when the food gets done.”

“How about you, sir? I am preparing toasted rice.”

“I am not famished. You could keep the food inside the refrigerator. Ensure you preserve the fruits too,” Milo said, and stood up from the settee. He walked slowly in the direction of his room. He undressed himself and was putting on only a pair of multicolored boxer shorts and a singlet. He wore his night coat and lay on the bed. He closed his eyes and hoped he would sleep soon. After lying on the bed for about five minutes, he was still awake. He couldn’t sleep because different thoughts ran through his mind. He remembered how he lost his only son and tears ran down his eyes as if he was a custodian of tears.

    Suddenly, he stood up from the bed and used his palm to clean his face. He walked in the direction of his rechargeable lamp. He bought the rechargeable lamp from a mall after the former one spoiled. The room, which was initially darker than a coven, became illuminated as soon as he turned on the rechargeable lamp. He could clearly see the arrangements of his room. On the left were a standing mirror, a house warmer, and a small bookshelf. The room also contained other gadgets.

    He gazed at the wall clock. It was just some minutes past eight. He sat down on the bed and wondered why he wasn’t sleepy. He didn’t take a zizz in the day. He muttered some words to himself before he thought of calling his friend. He looked leftwards and saw his phone lying lifelessly on the bed. It was a techno phone of the latest model. He quickly glanced through the smartphone’s screen. He swiped the phone’s screen and searched for the contact app. The light from the phone formed on his retina, so he had to reduce the brightness of the phone by pressing a long button on the left. When the phone’s apps became blurred, he grasped for his recommended eyeglasses. He was a myopic patient, so he depended on lenses so badly. 

    He stood up from the bed and picked up his pair of eyeglasses from his reading table. He put it on and sat down on the bed. When he stumbled on the contact app, he clicked on it. The network was very bad, so it didn’t go through. After three failed attempts, he decided to try the sitting room. When he got to the sitting room, he sat down on a settee. He dialed a number and his receiver picked up the call. He gave a heavy sigh before they started their dialogue.

    He poured out his worries to his receiver and the receiver promised to come and visit him the next day. After talking for several minutes, he cut the call and went back to his room. He lay slowly on his bed and soon slept off.

    The next day, he was in the middle of his food when Charlie walked into the sitting room. She said he had some visitors in the living room. 

“Really? Tell them I will join them soon.” he said. He quickly stuck some slices of bread into his mouth, he emptied his cupful of tea and walked out of the sitting room. When he got to the sitting room, he could see an obsolete man and a young clad man. He exchanged pleasantries with the obsolete man and they walked out of the house.

    When they got outside, they could see two bathers inside the swimming pool. They were Milo’s neighbors' children. They lived with their parents in the second apartment of Milo’s duplex.

    The pantalooned men sat down on a three-man chair under the marquee. “Doctor, you left me perplexed last night. Do you know this gentleman?” Cameron said.

“I am not sure. Let’s hear from the horse’s mouth.” As Milo talked, Maverick gazed at his mouth. He wondered what business he had with the old man. “I had never seen him before until yesterday. So what do we have in common?” he thought.

“Maverick, can you tell me more about yourself?” Milo said with curiosity.

    Maverick was taken aback by Milo’s words. He gazed at the old man and wondered why the old man wanted to know him more. “I know I shouldn’t intrude on your privacy, but for the sake of God, introduce yourself,” Milo said with a quavering voice when he noticed that Maverick was silent.

“But why do you want to know more about me?” 

“You look familiar?”

“Familiar? That’s crazy. He grew up in Hawaii. So I think there is a mix-up somewhere.” Cameron smiled. He thought it was one of Milo’s jokes. 

“I am sure of what I am saying. I once had a son…”

“A son. How? You don’t even have a wife,” Cameron cut in.

“I once had a wife and a son. My son’s name was Maverick.”

    Milo’s words dropped on Maverick like a bombshell. He looked at Milo. Maybe he could find some hereditary traits, but he found none. “Where is your son now?” he said, as he was now interested in the discussion.

“He went missing about eighteen years ago.”

“Really?” Maverick and Cameron exclaimed.