Nora
I was supposed to start working today. I opted to forfeit it because of two reasons. Firstly l poured water on my employer's son. My embarassed self recoiled at the thought of meeting him regularly when he visited his mother. The second reason was my employer, her offer put me off. If l got married, it would be for love, not convenience.
I watched as Maxwell Ratliff bounded up the steps. I mentally observed my house from a stranger's perspective, chipped blocks, rusty roof, a house that appeared ready to give up the ghost anytime. His presence made me uneasy, to meet me at his workplace was one thing, to follow me home and witness my living conditions was another.
My cheeks flamed with embarrassment. He halted in front of me, l peered at him.
“ Hello.”He greeted, his voice deep and resonant.
“Hi, armored SUVs, is that not an overkill?.” l joked to hide my uneasiness.
He looked over his shoulder,“ no it's not, my father was nearly killed sometime ago. The culprits mistook him for me, so they are a necessary devil.”
My eyes widened,“ you are a Mafia Lord?.”
His deep throated laughter surprised me, his scowling face yesterday made me think he was incapable of such an act.“ I'm not but l have Mafia friends, we had a meeting that day with one of them, my dad went home while l finished up at the office. They ambushed my car and nearly offed him.”
“ Jeez, you live a dangerous life. What brings you here.?” I got to my feet and eyed him quizzically.
“ Can we go inside and talk?.”
I hesitated for a moment, the inside of my house was as bad as the exterior. I took hesitant steps towards the door and opened it,”come in.”
He stepped inside, his eyes roamed the interior, he opted to keep quiet, which l was grateful for. We remained standing, with his stature, his ass would sink in my old sofas, which were stuffed with old pillows.
He watched me closely before he intoned,“ you and l started on the wrong foot, i'm sorry for slapping you. The reason i'm here is because l thought about what my mum said. I have done my research, your grandmother is very sick, l can help but you have to help me in return.”
My mind churned, help him? How? I had nothing in the world. I wrung my hands, nervous. “ My living conditions are bad, as you can see. l don't have any way to help you unless you're thinking of helping us. I can pay you bit by bit. You know l got the job yesterday."
Max tossed a mysterious smile my way. “ What I have in mind doesn't require much effort from you. You were not listening to what l said just now. I said l have thought of what my mum requested of me. I agree with her. I will marry you, but it will be a contract marriage.”
My face heated, my hands trembled, l hid them behind my back, fury took over my senses. “ Rich people are the pits, you have money, you can help without expecting anything in return but no, you have to extract the last drop of my blood. See yourself out.”
I turned to go to my bedroom, a door slammed, a walking stick hit the floor hard, my granny shuffled into sight. “ I heard voices, hello young man.”
Max's baritone filled the room as he returned the greeting.
My grandmother sat down and studied Max with a keen eye. “ Take a seat, young man.”
Oh granny, why? The only seat left was the worst in the house, if Max sat there, it would take strength to haul his ass out of that sofa. Max looked at the sofa dubiously. Eventually he sat down and his ass sank right in. His long legs flew into the air and hit the floor with a thud. My hand flew to my mouth, a giggle escaped me.
Max's expression was priceless, it served him right for imposing himself in a world foreign to him.
He introduced himself and granny did the same. “ Mrs Reidy, the reason l'm here is l want to marry your granddaughter, it's not a common marriage. I need to get married for reasons you will know later. I'm aware you need a kidney transplant. I can help but your granddaughter has to marry me first, she is giving me a hard time, this is where you come in, please let her see the arrangement is beneficial for both of us.”
Lord, this man was a snake, my grandmother’ s brain must be whirling with images of her under the knife, with her new body after the surgery. Good job Maxwell Ratliff. Granny monitored my reaction for sometime, l had none, my gaze fixated on the old clock on the opposite wall. She patted the sofa,“ come, have a seat.”
I planted my butt on the sofa and sulked. Granny’s gaze went back to Max,“ can you give us a minute?.”
Max nodded, tried to get on his feet, he could not. I grudgingly helped him up. He strode out and closed the door. Granny and l sat in silence for a minute, when it appeared she had no intention of speaking l encouraged her,“ what is it granny? You sent Max out for a reason.”
She fidgeted with her walking stick. “ Nora, my granddaughter, don't think l'm being selfish but my will to live is strong. I want to live. Maxwell is giving me that chance. I have suffered all my life, with you being a Dr l thought my life will change for the better, fate had other plans for me before you even got your certificate. l need a break. Please baby for my sake accept his offer. I'm begging you.”
A sharp pain assaulted my chest, my breath hitched, l put a hand on my chest to calm my spiralling emotions, marry Maxwell, how? The man was a total stranger, our initial meeting showed me he was a jerk, he slapped me at the first provocation. His act marked him as a physical abuser, if i married him, l would be going into the lion's den open eyed, l did not want that for myself.
I held my granny’s frail hand in mine, “ granny, l want you to live that's why i'm going to work tomorrow. I don't need to marry a stranger to take care of you, we will get there, don't worry.” I rubbed her hand softly.
“Baby, time is not on my side, the dialysis is taking its toll on me, l don't have much time, please.”
I removed my hand from hers, my gaze went to her old face, crisscrossed with numerous wrinkles. At 72 she was not too old but the hard life and sickness had aged her. I decided to give in for this woman who gave up her middle age to raise me, who forfeited the chance to find love to nurture me. “ I will do it granny.”
My grandmother threw the walking stick away and hugged me for a long time. “ Bring the young man in, let's tell him the good news.”
NoraI found Max pacing up and down on my porch, his anxiety showed through a deep frown and slitted eyes. I called him in. He remained standing. “ I will marry you.” I mumbled, my eyes on the floor. “Sorry what?.” I raised my voice, almost shouted, “ l said l will marry you.” A big smile split his face, dammit he was a handsome beast. Granny got up, “ well kids, l will leave you to talk, l need to rest.”Max went to her and shook her hand, “thank you Mrs Reidy, I will start the ball rolling, before the end of the week you will have your surgery.” Tears of gratitude filled my granny’s eyes. “ Thank you young Ratliff, you have no idea what you have done.” Max patted her back and steered her towards her room.He came back and towered over me, “ let's go to the Ratliff Restaurants, we will talk there.” “ Why can't we talk here?.”He eyed the sofa like it was a poisonous snake. “ Ok let's go, let me fetch my phone.” I informed my granny we were leaving.As we approached the cars, a
MaxMy secretary Zoey Catland and l settled into Ted Reese's office. We haggled over the price of one of my helicopters Ted wished to hire for a year. You see, apart from the airplanes, l owned helicopters. Three were leased to the government, on a yearly basis for an astronomical amount.Ted needed two. AS we went back and forth with the negotiations, Ted’s landline phone rang. He answered and passed the phone to me. I frowned, irritated. The phone call floored me, my wife was at the reception area, looking for me. My wife? Since when? I hoped Nora was not going about telling people l was her husband. What did the troublesome girl want now? I gave permission to let her come up. She arrived in a fluster, her face flushed, hair all over the place, she resembled a Tasmanian devil. Her eyes raked over Zoey before she greeted everybody. So that was the reason Nora followed me to the meeting? Zoey? Women and their endless tricks, which included monitoring.It was one of the many reasons
NoraOn Sunday morning, my best friend Cathy, brought a salon to my house. The whole works. By the time the lady finished, my usual lackluster hair gleamed with health like Max’s. The makeup lady would come tomorrow morning before I got married. “ So, how does it feel to marry a total stranger.?” I boxed her ears," don't start, you know why l'm doing it.” “ l know but, knowing doesn't make me wonder less. Where is granny's dress?.”“ Move your ass, you are squashing my dress. Use your head, granny is very sick. Max's mother has invited us to her restaurant after the signing. You can't come, family only.”Cathy pouted,“ but l'm your family, l will stand in for granny.”“ Nope.”“So, tomorrow night, please check everything and report back to me. From size to style. I want the dirtiest details.” I put on my earrings, looked at Cathy’s face in the mirror, “find your own man, get married, l'm not the kiss and tell type.”Cathy pursed her lips in disappointment. Intimacy between couples
Max's POV I tossed and turned, sleep eluded me. Nora Reidy brought out the beast in me, l had no idea why. Tonight l hurt her feelings deliberately, l wanted her gone as soon as possible. The woman who would grace my bed would be my choice, not someone who was thrown on my lap. Marriage was not for everyone, some people like me did not have a fundamental need to reproduce, which was the main reason for marriage. I got s.x whenever i wanted, there was no need to marry for it.Nora was a beauty, with a stunning figure, that big butt made my mouth water, that was my secret to know not hers. The way she glowed today still bothered me, her intoxicating scent refused to leave my mind. Dammit, l was a confused man. Her image refused to recede to the back of my mind, her hurt gorgeous face tormented me. Maybe l went overboard with my harsh comments tonight, l was a rude ass who disregarded other people’s feelings sometimes but tonight l was worse. At midnight as the sleep continued to flee
Roseline Shaman burst through the living room doors of her parent's house. She halted in the middle and screamed, “ dad, mum.”The elder Shamans descended the stairs in a hurry. Angela Shaman tripped in a haste to reach her beloved daughter. Her husband caught her in time, they reached the living in a minute and surrounded their daughter.Angela hugged her, Caesar Shaman patted her back. “ What's wrong baby, tell daddy.” “ Dad l'm done for, my heart is in tatters. Max is married.” “ What?.” Roseline 's parents said in unison.“ Tonight l swung by the restaurant and found Martha there. She told me Max had just left with his wife. He got married this morning, mum l'm dying inside.” Caesar Shaman loved his daughter with all his heart, anything that threatened her happiness he crushed. He had connections in the Mafia, he used those connections as much as he could, to thwart his opponents.Pity Max was out of question, he was his future son in law otherwise he would squash him. He whip
Nora's POV Max left me alone following the botched lovemaking. We existed as housemates, we breakfasted and lunched together but hardly communicated. He fulfilled his promise to my granny, her surgery happened one week after our union. One month after the surgery my grandmother was on the road to recovery, she gradually put on the much needed weight. Max bought me a car, hired a live-in house help. My husband was an enigma to me. He was moody, downright cruel, arrogant, trampled on people's feelings without care but a giver on the other side. His generosity astounded me, l witnessed as he built a house for a handicapped child who lived on the streets. He failed to mention it to me, l saw it on the news like everyone else. Exactly a month after my marriage, l woke up to good news. The results were out, l was at the top of my class. I drove to my granny's house, found her on the porch, knitting booties. I hugged her, kissed her all over her beloved face. The wrinkles were fewer, sh
Nora's POV I sat on the living room floor, my back against the couch, earphones in my ears, eyes closed. Majority of my peers listened to hip hop and reggae. l preferred soul music, it soothed my spirit. Hands removed my earphones, a face appeared in my sight. “Come, let's go to my home office.”Max helped me to my feet. I followed him into his office. My wondering eyes saw a family portrait on the wall, “ who are the others, l recognise Mrs Ratliff, Martha and you.” Max came and stood behind me, his cologne swirled around me, “ the silver fox is my father, on the chairs are my grandfather and grandmother.” “ Do you have to always look fierce? You are scowling in the photo.”Max massaged my shoulders, when did he develop the need to touch me? But deep down l liked it, it was better than our usual cold treatment that we subjected our lives to.I turned and peered at him, “ so, what is it?.” Instead of answering he caressed my cheek, his eyes intent on my face. “ From now on keep a
Max's POVI closed the door, zoomed in on my wife. She back walked to the bed until the back of her knees hit the bed, her eyes watching me wearily. As her butt met the bed, l was upon her. I braced my fisted hands on both sides of her hips and crowded her. Her fragrant breath teased my senses, l breathed into her face. “ What's with the look? Can't l come to my wife’s bedroom to say goodnight?.” She blinked and flattered her lashes, “ we already said goodnight at the door.” “ True, but what if l wanted more, would you give it to me?.”She scooted towards the middle of the bed, her chest heaving. I followed her and pinned her down. “ Give you what?.” She whispered, her wide eyes resembled a trapped mongoose.I pecked her nose, “ come on darling, you know what l mean.”Her gaze turned into a glare, “ if you mean s.x forget it. I still have a big butt, it has not shrunk.”Dammit, my words came to bite me in the ass. I got down from the bed, hauled her off the bed, sat down and tugged