Bethany’s mother who had noticed how Duke was screening the house with her eyes, asked,
” Are you glancing to see if Bethany is at home?”, she said holding out the laughter she was feeling in her neck.
Duke feeling embarrassed by the question, bit his lower lip and gave out a funny smile.
“Let’s get a taxi back home, this sun is burning my skin”, Eva suggested and Bethany bought the idea without any arguments.
They had entered a taxi to the house through the distance was not that far.
It has been a long day and Bethany was feeling so hungry, as she could not resist the yawning from finding its way out of her mouth, and also the fatigue was overpowering her.
” You need to get some rest Betty if not you could fall sick and you would not want that to happen now right?”, Eva sked her touching her head to ensure that she was okay.
Bethany nodded in confirmation to what Eva had said and she was somehow worried as she was not having any news about her mother’s state at home.
The cab driver drove again for some time and they were almost reaching Bethanys house when Eva noticed a car that was parked in front of the entrance to Bethany’s house.
Calling out her friend’s attention to what she was seeing, she asked if they were to receive any visitors with such an expensive Vehicle.
Bethany blinking her eyes in confusion responded to her friend with a no.
She was as confused as Eva was not knowing what a car was doing in front of her house.
“Might be it’s a relative or a friend to your mother’s”, Eva let out turning her gaze towards her friend.
Bethany told the cab driver to drop them as soon as possible and they got out of the car, paying him quickly hand walking towards the car.
” Could this be Sir Duke’s car?”, Eva asked with a doubtful stare making Bethany wipe off the sweat that had formed on her forehead.
“Why will it be his car, what will he be doing in my house, and how does he even know my house?”, Bethany asked in total confusion.
“Betty you seem to have a short memory, as you have forgotten that Sir Duke dropped us at your house the other day when your mom was at the hospital?”, Eva raised a question laughing at her friend.
Bethany raising her eyebrows in remembrance, looked at her friend and said that she doesn’t think that Duke is the person who has the car.
She wondered why he will have to come to her house when they have nothing I’m common talk more of being friends.
Eva looking at her nails and whistling, told her friend that there was only one way to find out whether or not Duke was the person who was inside her home.
Taking her courage into her both hands, she walked into the house with the bags that she had brought from the grocery store.
As she had finally entered her house, her brother Bryan was the first person that she saw at the door smiling like the leader of an electoral party that has won the elections to his opponent.
“Welcome back Betty”, Bryan helped take the bags from his sister as he saw her walk into the shack with Eva.
” Thank you Bryan”, she said taking off her shoes and stretching her neck into the house to see who was inside.
Eva had retained her breath for what was about to happen if Duke was the person who was in the house as Bethany was not going to appreciate it one bit.
Bethany on reaching the living room, saw her mother talking to someone but she could not see his face yet as he was seated on the sofa that was backing the entrance leading to the living room.
When her mother saw her coming to the living room, she happily called out her name asking her to come and greet their guest as he has been waiting for her for some time.
Turning around to see who the person her mother was talking about is, she opened her mouth in shock as she saw the person to be the one that she was not expecting not even in her dreams.
Eva who had entered behind her greeted Mrs. Marvin and on swiveling to greet the person she was talking with, she saw Duke sitting comfortably like he had been visiting that house for ages.
“Good day sir Duke, welcome to my friend’s house as it is an honor to have you here”, Eva narrated shaking hands with him and telling her friend to greet Duke with a smile.
Bethany not still believing her eyes were touched by her mom asking if there were any problems and why she stood there like she has seen a ghost.
She immediately came back to herself and greeted Duke with shaky lips.
Duke was very delighted to see her as he could not keep his happiness hidden.
He asked Bethany where she had been and what she had been doing, and she responded with all the things she had done for the day.
Bryan who had been excited about everything that had entered the house that day came out with an apple in his hands crunching it as he had never eaten one before and going to his mother to give hers that he had sliced in a plate.
Bethany, who was standing there, wondered where the apples she was seeing were coming from.
Before she could ask her brother where the apples he was eaten were coming from, Eva who had been exhausted from all the walks she and her friend had done that day, asked Bryan to bring her apple walking towards him.
Bryan laughing said that there was enough in the kitchen as Mr. Duke came in with so much food from the grocery store and that he was going to bring hers.
Eva could not wait for Bryan to get into the kitchen to bring hers, she went in there and helped herself out.
Bethany turning to her mother asked how she was feeling after waking up and how her body was reacting.
Her mother told her not to worry as she was feeling better and added that Duke has been keeping her company.
Bethany’s gaze clashed with Dukes as he looked at him wondering why her mother has to be complementing him that much.
Duke who was satisfied after seeing the person for whom he had come there, told Mrs. Marvin that he will like to take his leave.
Mrs. Marvin that was already fun of Duke begged him to stay again for a while so that they could have dinner together.
Duke’s hesitation to honor her plea made her add that Bethany was an excellent cook and she was going to make a delicious soup for him.
Bethany who thought she had heard her mother wrongly, screamed out of shock,
” What did you just say mother?”, she asked in dismay thinking that her mother was just joking with what she had said, but her mother made her sign to accept that she was going to do it.
Duke looking at Bethany in the face, thought that she was going to decline the offer that her mother had made to him knowing fully well how strict she was.
Bethany had no choice but to yield to her mother’s words and please her as she was like a commander.
Besides, she was not going to do it for him, but it will be for everyone as she had to still make dinner whether because of Duke or not.
Her mother asked her where she had been and she explained that she had to get some drugs for her from the pharmacy and also to get some food as there was not much left.
Duke admired how she loves her family and also the fact that she was ready to do anything for them.
Bethany excused herself as she had to get inside to drop her mother’s drugs and come out to make dinner immediately.
When she went inside and came out again, she asked Duke if he cared for some snacks before waiting for dinner.
Duke who had denied taking even a glass of water before, accepted those because Bethany was the one offering them.
Mrs. Marvin could see the burning desire he had in his eyes each time he looked at her daughter.
Bethany went into the kitchen to start the preparation while she found Eva and Bryan having a feast with everything that they could help themselves with.
Arriving at her friend’s place, Mrs. Chase, walked to the door as she came down from her car ringing the bell to her friend’s house while waiting for the door to be opened.
“Welcome Mrs. Chase”, a voice came from inside and it was Lena the maid.
Mrs. Chase smiled at Lena as she welcomed her into the house.
” Where is your Mistress?”, she asked walking to the living room to sit down on a couch, that was facing the whole sitting room.
Lena excused herself to go get her Mistress, to tell her that her friend was downstairs waiting for her.
Mrs. Chase waited for her friend to come down as they had a lot to talk about.
Mrs. Tobago walked down her stairs sighting her friend sitting in the living room waiting for her. She called her in contentment,
“Michelle Chase my Friend”.
Mrs. Chase immediately put her head uprising to her feet as she said,
“It has been a while since you visited dear, is everything okay?”, Mrs. Chase said to her friend as they hugged themselves happy to see each other.
” Don’t be offended my dear friend, I have had so much work to do these past few weeks, and I was at your house the other day, but I was told that you were not around as you had gone to the hospital to visit a friend who was involved in an accident”, she narrated as they both sat down.
Mrs. Chase searched her head to remember what her friend was talking about, then she suddenly remembered that she had gone to the hospital to visit Mrs. Brighton as she was hospitalized from the accident that she had that made her body ache so much.
“You are right my dear friend but no one told me when I got back home”, she said wringing her face.
” It is no big deal, what is essential is that we are here in front of each other, chatting and laughing in good health”, Mrs. Tobago spoke softly.
She asked her friend what she will like to take while she called out for Lena’s inaudible voice.
Mrs. Duke thinking of what she could take, ask her friend what she had to offer in her mansion and she answered that she has everything good for the Torso.
Mrs. Tobago asked Lena to bring a glass of fruit natural juice and some snacks for them.
Also, she instructed Lena to make chicken soup with peas as it was Mrs. Chase’s favorite meal.
Lena answered and left them both for the snacks and Juice.
Mrs. Chase, inquiring about how Mrs. Tobago has been and how her daughter was faring, apologized for her son’s attitude towards her daughter and pleaded to make amends for the emotional damages he must have caused her.
“Never mind my friend, I can understand that you wanted to unite both Children but your son seems not to be interested in my daughter and she too has lost interest in him”, Mrs. Tobago, explained as she tried to be as sincere as possible with her friend without using any hard feelings to express herself.
Lena arrived with the platter of snacks and two glasses of fruit juice for both ladies and she dropped it on the table and asked if they needed anything else as she had work to complete in the kitchen.
Mrs. Tobago told Lena to go finish her work and that if there is a need for her, she will be called.
” How is Courtney doing now, how is she coping with her life?”, Mrs. Chase asked her friend as they shared.
“She is doing fine she has this new guy that she recently started dating”, Mrs. Tobago, answered back drinking her juice and asking how Duke was doing as well.
Mrs. Chase took some seconds of silence, and dropping down her glass she responded,
” He does not want to settle down and the worst is that part of it is that he does not want me to help him search for a lady”, she spoke with so much pain.
Mrs. Tobago asked why she was stressing herself for such a grown-up man who can decide for himself.
She told her to find not to bother and that he will eventually find someone someday but that if she was too much in a hurry make him settle down, then she can do something about it.
The conversation was becoming serious and Duke’s mother had her ears wide open to listen to what her friend had to say.
“What do you mean by that Tobago?”, Mrs. Chase asked her friend with her body itching to hear it.
Mrs. Tobago, telling her friend to come closer, told her what to do to have Duke settle down once and for all and to also have the grandchild that she has been yearning for.
Mrs. Chase, shook her head as she heard the ideas her friend was putting into her head.
Eva and Bethany we’re left alone in the kitchen. Bryan had gone out to meet his friends and Duke and Bethany’s mother were having their chit-chat in the living room.
” How do you see the surprise visit that Duke made to your mom?”, Eva asked eating the carrots that Bethany asked her to help cut for the soup.
Bethany stirring the boiling pot did not know what to answer to her friend but she knew exactly where Eva was dragging that conversation too and she was not ready for it, not today.
Eva went closer to her friend whispering slowly behind her,
“I told you that Duke is having feelings for you but you did not believe me so tell me why he will come to your house under the pretext of visiting your sick mom”, she continued teasing her friend.
Bethany told Eva not to get her hopes up because she was never going to fall in love with Duke never.
Eva cracked up telling her friend “never say never”, as she walked across the kitchen opening the fridge to get a chilled bottle of juice for herself.
“Just take a good look at all the groceries she brought for you and your family as though you guys were having a feast here”, she proceeded with the explanation to everything that Duke had done that day.
Bethany whispering in a low voice that she does not know what Duke wants from her, but she had a bad feeling that whatever his visit is to her house, she knew that it was not going to bring anything good to her.
Eva touched her friend on her shoulders from behind telling her not to always see the worst in everything that happens around her.
Bethany tasting her murk, asked Eva if she will like to have a taste of it as well.
Eva already spotting what her friend was making an effort to do, she laughed and told her that she will not be able to change the topic no matter how hard she tried.
” You tried changing this topic the last time I brought it up, but it is so obvious now Betty so why are you refusing to see it in front of you?”, Eva asked sipping from her bottle of juice.
Bethany, frowned her face in disturbance as she acted like she did not know what her friend was talking about.
Eva persuaded her friend not to let her anger against rich people ruin her chances of finding happiness, as a person’s character is not measured by how much money he has, but by the way he carries himself around when he is with people.
She told her friend that Duke has not been a kind boss for the records but he is a kind person and the proof was seen when he tried to save your life.
Maybe it is destiny that you both have to be together if not your paths would not have crossed again at the hospital where he came to visit his friend’s mother and yours too was there receiving treatment.
Bethany, looked at Eva as she continued with the sermon as she kept on cooking and making sure that everything was ready for dinner so that she could feed her mother and give her drugs.
Eva stopped talking for a moment when she noticed that her friend was ignoring her words. She took out her phone and started scrolling through her social media pages, watching videos and photos that made her laugh so hard.
Bethany had realized that had friend had turned to do something else, she pleaded with her to bring out a breakable dish so that she could put the beef soup that she was done cooking, checking on the rice that she had just put on the stove.
“Are you mad at me?”, Bethany raised a question as Eva handed over the dish to her without a word.
Bethany decided to make her friend see reasons with her and why she is behaving the way she is doing.
” Eva, I can understand you want me to get involved in a relationship and also to have a happy life, but what if what you are saying is not what he is feeling?”, she asked concerned about the situation.