Eggshells (Episode 7)

Jessica got up from her daughter's bed as she heard a knock on her door. She wondered who would want to see her that early on a Sunday morning. She walked to the sitting room and took the keys from where it was hung on the wall and unlocked the door. The man who stood outside was a man she knew so well; a man who had been in her past, Tunde Balogun himself. He was dressed in a white Ankara fabric as his car keys were in his left hand. He was holding a nylon bag which looked like a gift pack he had got from a children's store in the other hand.
Jessica gave him a straight face.
"How can I help you? It's too early to come to my house."
"I didn't come to see you. I came to see my daughter. Is she in? Can I go in?", he said and tried entering.
Jessica blocked him.
" Are you out of your mind? Who is your daughter? No one is in here so leave now."
Tunde laughed.
"You don't have to be so defensive, Jessica. You and I know our daughter is inside. So let me see her."
"Now she is 'our' daughter?! How are you so sure you're her father. What if I terminated that pregnancy?"
"I'm ready to take a DNA test."
Jessica shook her head; he really had some nerve, didn't he? The idiot now wanted to threaten her with a DNA test.
She chuckled. "There is no way I'm going to allow that and you know it. Does your wife even know you're here this early when you ought to still be in bed with her by now?"
"Why are you so scared of letting me have a DNA test. Are you hiding something from me?"
"I'm not hiding anything from you. What do you want from me? Just leave me alone. Aren't you a married man now? Stop visiting me."
"You and I both know the reason I'm visiting you. I want to make up for the lost time. I know you probably hate me now because of what I did to you but I'm sorry. Believe me, I truly am."
"I don't hate you. I just don't want you coming to see me anymore. And you don't have any daughter anywhere."
"Mummy, who is that?", said Amanda as she walked to the door where Jessica was standing.
She and Tunde were meeting for the first time face to face. Tunde couldn't believe his eyes; the girl who stood before him looked exactly like him.
" Hello princess", he said as he bent on his knees to meet with her height.
"Hi sir. Who are you and what are you discussing with my mummy?"
Jessica made a face to Tunde not to mention anything about him being her father. Tunde seemed to have gotten the message.
"I am your mummy's friend. You can call me uncle Tunde."
"Okay. Mummy, why is your friend standing outside?"
"Uhm...Baby, he was just leaving. Right, Tunde?"
Tunde was quiet for a second.
"Yes I was. I got this for you", he said and gave Amanda the nylon bag.
She looked at Jessica's face before she accepted it.
"Can I collect it mummy?"
"Yes Baby and go inside. I'll join you soon."
Amanda collected the nylon bag and uttered a thank you to Tunde before she went inside.
"Don't come here again", Jessica said to him.
Tunde smiled.
"Even a blind man will notice the resemblance between that girl and I."
"She is not 'that girl'. She has a name", Jessica said angrily.
"Well, how am I supposed to know her name if you don't tell me?"
Jessica shook her head.
"My daughter's name is Amanda."
"Hmmm, Amanda! Lovely name but I've got a better one for her; Oyinkansola. That's the name I've always wanted to give my first daughter."
Jessica shook her head.
"You sicken me", she said and slammed the door.
After locking it with the keys, she went into her daughter's room. Amanda was on the bed with her new doll which was what Tunde had got for her. Jessica furiously collected the doll from her and threw it out through the window.
Amanda was surprised and was almost in tears.
"Mummy, why did you do that? I thought you said he is your friend?"
"That doll is cheap; cheaper than the ones I've ever got you."
"But mummy you've never gotten me a doll even when I told you I wanted the Barbie Doll my friend in school had."
Jessica screamed at her daughter.
"Is that your problem?! A doll? Don't I feed you? Don't I clothe you? Don't I pay your school fees?! Do you think it's easy to do all that? And you are here crying because of a doll?!"
Amanda started to cry.
"Mummy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm very sorry mummy."
She got up from the bed and went to hold Jessica where she was standing.
Jessica had tears in her eyes too. She carried her daughter in her arms and went to sit with her on the bed.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you. I didn't mean to. But mummy doesn't like it when you collect things from strangers and you know that, right? I love you, okay? I love you very much!"
She drew Amanda close to her and wrapped her arms around her. Both mother and daughter were in tears for a while until Jessica pulled from the embrace.
"Let me go and prepare breakfast okay?"
Jessica got up and went into the kitchen. After she closed the door behind her, Amanda got up from the bed; walked slowly to the window that Jessica had threw the doll through and stared out.

***********

Stanley awoke from his sleep and opened his eyes on the bed as he noticed his environment. He wasn't in his house. He looked around and saw that he was in a room of which its occupant was a female. He was about to get off the bed when the door opened and Franca entered. She was wearing nothing else apart from his shirt. Stanley then noticed he was wearing just his boxers. He also saw Franca's clothes and underwear scattered on the floor. The clothes were what she wore the night before.
"Good morning, sleepyhead!", she said as she jumped on the bed.
"Where am I?"
"Are you serious?"
"Of course I'm not serious. I know exactly where I am. What I don't understand is how we got here."
"You were so drunk that you couldn't drive so I drove you to my house."
Stanley smiled.
"You naughty little thing! I didn't forget what happened all through the night though."
"I'd kill you if you did", she said and they both laughed.
"I'd like to continue from where we stopped", he said and drew her closer to him.
"But I'm boiling something in the kitchen. Let me go and turn it off."
He held her and kissed her lips.
"No way. Let it burn", he said as he continued kissing her.
" Stan..Stan...Stanley! Gas is expensive these days", she said as she managed to disentangle herself from his kisses and got up from the bed. She left the bedroom and returned almost immediately.
As soon as she got in the bed, Stanley unbuttoned the shirt and kissed her passionately as they both made love.

**********

Prisca knocked at the door of his hotel room. She knew what she was doing even though she had been pushed into doing it. She knocked again and the door opened. Felix yawned and was in a singlet and boxers as he stood at the door. He was surprised to see Prisca.
"Good morning brother Felix. I came to check on you. I know you'll be going back to Lagos today right?"
"Yes dear. This is so early in the morning to check on me. Anyway, come in."
He allowed her in and shut the door behind him. Prisca sat on the bed as he switched on the light in the room.
"The AC here is bad. The mosquitoes have feasted on my body all night."
He remained standing.
"Sorry about that. That's how it is in my hostel too. We're just managing."
"Why don't you get a mosquito net?"
"Yes. That's what I use to sleep at night or else I'd be down with malaria fever all the time."
"Better. I can imagine what you're going through. It was worse in our time when I was a student here."
Prisca smiled. She got up and moved closer to Felix where he was standing.
"I just want to thank you so much for everything you have been doing for me. It means a lot to me.
"Don't mention Prisca..."
Before he could complete his statement, Prisca had planted a kiss on his lips. Felix was shocked. She deepened the kiss and held him tightly. After a few seconds, his hands were on her waist. They continued kissing till they both fell on the bed. Prisca smartly pulled down his boxers and felt his hardness on her thighs.  She was already wet too. He removed her blouse and unhooked her bra. He placed his mouth on her erect nipples and sucked on them as he rubbed her buttocks. She had already taken her skirt off by herself. As he sucked on her nipples, she parted her legs as he penetrated into her. She let out a loud moan; the moan was more like a cry. It was her first time. Felix continued to penetrate deeper until he was fully inside her. He then began to stroke gently for a while till he switched to a faster pace. She moaned endlessly; sometimes telling him to take it easy. He felt he was about to ejaculate so he tried to quickly pull out. It was late however as his sperm had been released before he could. He eventually pulled out and he laid on the bed for some minutes. Prisca also lay naked on the bed and they were both silent for a while. He spoke when he saw that the sheet had been stained with blood.
"Are you a virgin?"
"I was", she said and smiled.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"No, it's okay. I caused it. I wanted it."
"You did?"
"Yes and I don't regret it. It feels great to know that you're my first."
"But what I did was wrong. You're my wife's sister. You're just like my little sister."
"I am not your little sister. There is a difference. Felix, I think I've fallen in love with you."
Felix was astonished. He had never seen Prisca that way. It was like she was on drugs or something.
"You need to clean up."
"Yes I will."
She got up and took a wrapper to cover her body.
"And please don't say you are sorry again. Don't ruin my moment", she added and walked into the bathroom.
Felix was flabbergasted. That was not the Prisca he knew; something about her had definitely changed.

********

Donald didn't want to tell Stella about Jane. He felt that it was unnecessary for her to know about the woman he had almost married. Stella was on the laptop at the dining table in the sitting room when Donald walked in. He had been in the bedroom.
"Do you need anything?", she asked when she saw him.
"Not really. I just came to join you."
"Oh really. I'm just here; chatting with my cousin in the UK. You should know her - Tina."
"I think you've mentioned her before", he said and sat down on the chair in front of her.
"You don't mind hanging out tomorrow, do you?", he asked her.
"I don't! Where exactly?"
"It's a surprise. Tomorrow evening; after work."
"That's nice. I don't mind that at all."
"Alright", he said and stood up.

To Be Continued...