88. Richard said ‘our child’ without even thinking about it but Macy was listening and she broke the embrace and looked at him.
“What do you mean?” She asked and Richard realized that he had blundered.
As much as he wanted to tell Macy the truth, it was not yet the right time.
“What I mean is that your child is my child. I will take your child the same way you have taken Mel as your own,” he said and Macy relaxed.
She was confused about all the signals Richard was giving but she was confused because she thought that she was reading things that were not there into things because she knew that she had already fallen for him even if she denied it.
There was no denying the fact that she was in love with Richard and every little thing he did for her made her fall even deeper.
“Where is my phone?” Macy asked remembering that she had been in the dark since last night.
“Oh, here,” Richard said producing it from his pants pocket.
“I switched it off after people started calling nonstop,” he said and she nodded.
“I also don’t want to receive any calls.
I just want to call grandma just in case she saw everything and she is worried about me,” she said as she switched on the phone.
When she input the password and the phone picked up network, messages started trickling in.
They looked at it for a whole two minutes as it dinged with messages.
“I will have to call her quick because they will know I have turned it on and start calling again,” she said and Richard mm-ed an agreement.
Macy dialed her grandma’s number and as she thought, it didn’t even ring two times before the call was connected.
It wasn’t her grandma’s voice but her mom’s, “Macy, child, where are you? We are worried about you.”
Macy kept quiet not knowing what to say.
Did that woman just say worried about her?
Macy almost burst out laughing but since she had called her grandma’s phone, she was sure that the elderly lady must be with them and so, she measured her words.
“Where is grandma, can I talk to her?” She asked in a cold voice and there was silence in the other side then after a long while, she heard the other woman say an okay and then Macy waited.
“Macy, darling, how are you?” Her grandmother’s voice came from the other end and Macy smiled.
“Old woman, why do you sound like you have a sore throat? Did you not take care of your health?
What about the chine medicine I gave you? Don’t you take them?” Macy complained and her grandmother laughed.
“Who is the grown one between you and me? Why are you reprimanding me?
I am not sick. I just miss you.
Will come home to see this old woman?” Old Mrs. Philips asked in a fond voice and Macy knew what she was doing.
“Yes, I will come,” Macy said then hesitated.
She didn’t know what to say so as to start the conversation she wanted with her grandmother.
All along, she never told her grandmother anything about what was happening to her because she was worried about her health.
She thus bore everything alone but she guessed that her grandmother knew seeing that it was her mother who picked her grandmother’s phone.
“Nana, you know everything, don’t you?” She asked though she already knew the answer.
“Yes child. And I am angry at you,” the old woman said and Macy sighed.
“I know and I am sorry. It’s just that… I … didn’t want to worry you Nana.
As long as you are healthy, that is all that matters to me.
You love me, don’t you?” Macy asked the older woman.
“So much child. I love you so much and that is why it hurts me to finally know what you have been going through.
Why did you never tell me anything?” Nana accused and that made Macy shed tears.
“It’s because I love you Nana. I was also the stranger in that house and I did not want you to be at odds with the people you call family.
I am sorry but I am fine. Look at what your granddaughter turned out to be an amazing woman,” Macy attempted a light note and her grandmother sighed.
“Come home. I want to hug you and see you. I want to apologize in person because I never saw all what was happening before my very own nose.
Come home child,” Nana said and it was Macy’s turn to sigh.
How was Macy to tell her that she could not live under the same roof with those two she called her parents
But she decided that she would look for an excuse later and tell her.
“Nana, I will come to visit and talk to you but now I have something I need to do. After I am done, I will come and tell you some good news I have,” she said in a light voice and she could tell that her Nana was happy too hearing that she was willing to go home.
“Okay. Nana will be waiting. Call me if you need anything,” Nana said and after pleasantries, Macy hang up the phone though she could hear her mother on the background begging to talk to her.
“Don’t worry about them. We will deal with everything one step at a time. I will always be behind you supporting you and I won’t let anyone hurt you,” Richard said the longest most romantic sentence he has ever said to Macy.
Macy looked at him and the words left her mouth before she had a chance to think.
“Why are you so nice to me?” She asked him and for the first time in a long while, she saw him smile.
“Marry me,” Richard said and Macy froze with her gaze still on him.
“Richard wasn’t what people would exactly call romantic. He was a man of action.
He showed his love through actions and that was what he had done with Macy.
He was sure that she was clear that he treated her better than he treated everyone else including his family members.
“You don’t have to answer me right away. You can think about it then give me an answer later.
I have to make a call,” Richard said as he stood up and walked to the office table that was behind the couch they were at and Macy didn’t move.
He wanted to break the awkward moment when he realized that he might have moved too fast.
But to according to him, he had to let her know how he felt before they finished all what they had to do and she ran away from him.
He wanted her to know that he wanted her to be his wife and the mother of her children.
As Macy sat there convincing herself that she might have heard her own things, her phone rang and it was a new number.
She looked at the phone and contemplated whether to switch it off or receive the call.
She decided to switch it off because she did not have the energy to deal with anyone right then.
By bad luck, instead of touching the button for ending the call, she received it and since she was startled at what she had done, she almost dropped it and groped at it with her other hand to prevent it from hitting the floor.
While at it, another finger touched the speaker button and they heard a man’s voice say hello.
Macy could recognize that voice anywhere. There was a time she used to love it.
“Hello? Macy? Please talk to me,” Andy said and Macy just looked at the phone and then turned to look at Richard.
Richard was fuming hearing that voice again but he pretended to be looking at his phone and he wasn’t looking at her.
“Macy, please say something. I called last night and a man picked up and said that he is your husband.
He was lying, right?” Andy asked and Macy almost laughed.
“Macy? Macy? Please talk to me,” Andy pleased and Macy looked at the phone again.
“What do you want?” Macy asked and there was silence from the other side.
“Macy, is it true that you are married?” Andy asked again.
“This was the biggest reason why he hadn’t slept at all last night.
He could take Angela’s betrayal but he could never imagine Macy with another man.
He knew he had lost his chance but it was okay for a man to hope, right?
He thus hoped that Macy was still single mourning her losing him and that he would be able to convince her to marry him.
As a business man, he would use the situation at hand to broker a new deal: he would blame Angela for everything and he was sure that Macy would take him back out of pity.
Macy looked at Richard and knew that it must be him who had talked to Andy.
If she was to choose between the two, there was even no competition there.
“Yes, I am married and I would appreciate it if you stopped calling because my husband doesn’t like it.”