“Hey, my love.” Aaron said as Zera stepped into the kitchen.
She had entered the living room and smelt the wonderful aroma of Ghanian-spiced turkey, and she immediately knew it was Aaron’s handiwork. She didn’t even go to the bedroom to set her bag down; she immediately approached. She remembered her dream, and it made her heartbeat unsteady, but Aaron’s voice, which came from within the kitchen, told her he was the one inside. She released a sigh, at ease with him, and walked over to the door to stare at him.
She found him there in a white singlet that hugged and showed off his toned body and an apron around his neck and middle. She would never tire of seeing him.
“Hey,” she replied with a small smile, happy to see him, “did you go to work?” She asked curiously.
“What do you think?” He asked instead, and she frowned.
Since when did he answer questions with another question? Still, she answered.
“You don’t look to have gone to work today. Am I wrong?” she raised a brow at him.
He covered the pot and turned around to stare at her with a small smile on his face. “Not really. I used Zoom for the conference meeting. So yes, I didn’t go to work, but I went to work.” He chuckled.
She rolled her eyes. “What did you do all day at home?”
“Nothing much, hun. Read, work, and here I am making dinner.” He answered and used his hand to gesture towards the cooker and sets of pots.
That was spot-on already. It wasn’t a lazy day for him, despite staying at home. “And Zion what’s he up to?” She raised a brow.
“He’s in his room doing homework.” He answered before asking, “What about you? How was work?”
She smiled a little, and it came off as weary. “Pushing through.”
A look flickered in his eyes, and she had seen it a few times in the past, and in those times, he had done something wrong. Here, however, he had done nothing wrong, and she didn’t understand why he would have that look on his face. The more she tried to figure it out the more lost she felt.
He stepped over towards her and said, “You will push through because you’re a fighter, and you will fight and come out of this phase.”
She nodded. “Yes, I know I will. Thank you.” She told him.
He said nothing; instead, he leaned in and kissed her lips softly. “Go shower and change; I’ll set the table.” He tells her, and she nods and doesn’t wait to be told twice before leaving.
As she made her way up the stairs, she couldn’t shake off what she had seen on his face-the look of guilt. She didn’t think it should be there because, as far as she knew, he hadn’t done anything yet.
Perhaps he felt guilty for letting her leave for work this morning, despite how she was. He had sworn to protect her and couldn’t do that. That could have been his reason. Her job wasn’t what she had survived on so far, but it helped take her mind off a lot of other things, one of which was having another baby. The job was an escape, and she didn’t want to lose it yet.
She showered and changed into a comfortable and simple sunflower dress before heading into Zion’s room. He had left for school before she finished getting ready this morning, and they never got to meet and say hello.
She knocked on his door, and he beckoned to her. She pushed open the door and stepped in. There, she found him on his table on the left side of the room, and he had his books opened before him and his pen in his hand. Aaron was right; he was doing his homework.
“Hey, my love,” she said as she stepped closer to him.
His head lifted, and his hazel eyes, the same shade as Aaron’s, settled on hers. A smile followed right after. “Hey, mom.”
“I see you’re doing your homework.” She said this and lowered herself to sit on his bed.
He nodded. “Mathematics and basic science.”
“Nice. Having any difficulty?” She asked with a raised brow, “I was pretty good at mathematics throughout my school years, you know.”
He shook his head and said, “No, mom, I’ve got it covered.”
“Oh, okay.” She almost forgot he had her intelligence and dry humour.
“How was work at the university?” he asked.
She nodded. “It was okay.” She answered, and they became quiet and remained that way for over three minutes. In the meantime, Zion did his homework and finished up.
After he shut the textbook and returned it to his bag, “What about your friend Quincy?” She asked, and that made his eyes light up.
“He’s great, mom; I told him I’d invite him for my birthday.” He answered with a bright smile on his face.
“And what did he say?” Zera asked, interested in this new discussion.
“He said he’d ask his dad if they could come, and if they could, they would.” He answered and zipped his bag close.
“I think they will come. It’s still over a month away, so that gives us enough time to actually plan it through, right?”
He bobbed his head in excitement, and that made her even happier. A small knock came on the door before it opened to reveal Aaron there.
“I do not mean to interrupt your little talk, Mr. and Mrs. Hart, but dinner is ready.” He said, and Zera rose from the bed.
His eyes lingered on the dress she had on, and he looked happy with whatever he saw because his cheeks heated up, and he tried to keep a fixed gaze but failed miserably.
“Are you done with your homework yet?” He raised his brow at Zion, who nodded without uttering a word. “Great then, let’s go.”