At Denise’s Apartment
On Sunday morning, as early as 6 AM, Freya drove into the compound without hindrance because the security guard had left the gate open.
She parked, got out of the car, looked at the unmanned gate, and called out to the security man, “John.”
The Security guard, who had been at the Boy’s Quarters chatting with the janitor, appeared from the back of the house.
“Yes, Mrs. Anderson. You are welcome.”
“Thank you, John. How are you?”
“I’m fine, Mrs. Anderson. It is good to see you,” he answered happily.
“Why were you not at the gate, John?” she looked into his eyes and asked.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Anderson.”
“Why was the gate not locked? Are you sorry too?” she asked with an angry face.
Now, John was speechless and Mrs. Anderson continued, “Be careful, John. If you must leave the gate, make sure it is locked.”
“I have taken note, Mrs. Anderson.”
“By the way, where is your boss? His car is not here.”
“He is off to walk.”
“Work! Why so early?” she asked as she looked at her wristwatch and John corrected her, “No, Mrs. Anderson. He left yesterday. He is on PM Shift.”
“Oh. I see.”
She said and walked to the door. She attempted to open it with her key but to her surprise, the door was not locked. Then, she pushed it and walked in.
While inside the sitting room, she muttered, “Why did he leave the door open? This is quite unlike him.”
Now, she walked to the dining table, opened the dishes, and remarked, “He did not even eat before leaving for work.”
She hissed and climbed the staircase leisurely to the bedroom and was amazed.
“A girl? In Denise’s bedroom?” She exclaimed when she saw Olivia lying helplessly on the bed.
Then she walked in to take a good look at her, but what she saw scared her out of her common sense.
“What?” She shouted.
At once, she dropped her purse on the bed and rushed to her, raised her hand, and attempted to lift her.
“Oh my God. Why should Denise be so careless?” She thought and rushed Olivia to her car.
Instantly, she drove off hastily to her family doctor. The two domestic staff who Denise entrusted Olivia into their care watched her drive off. They never had the wisdom to even give him a call to inform him of the latest.
At Freya’s Family Clinic
“What is her name?” The nurse asked when she attempted to fill out the patient’s card.
Freya hesitated but the nurse insisted and repeated, “I mean her name, Mrs. Anderson.”
Freya reluctantly supplied a name that was suitable for Olivia’s looks.
“Angel.”
“I see. The surname, please.”
“Denise,” she said and saved herself from the embarrassment.
The nurse filled out the form and left it in a jiffy. Later, the doctor invited Freya to his office for a chat.
“Mrs. Anderson, there is no cause for alarm. Everything is under control,” he encouraged her.
She breathed freely and he continued, “She needs a lot of rest and ensure that she takes her drugs. Let her eat more fruits and vegetables.”
“I got it.”
“When you get home now, give her a warm beverage and let her take a warm bath.”
“It is noted, Doctor.”
“Good. Kindly collect her prescriptions from the pharmacy.”
“Thank you so much, Doctor. We will be on our way.”
At that point, Olivia was starving, but she could walk. Then, she began to sob as Freya guided her to the car and encouraged her, “Stop crying, my dear. Everything will be all right.”
Now, Olivia hated herself. Between Friday night and Sunday morning, she had passed through unexplainable trauma that she could not imagine. Meanwhile, Freya drove to the grocery shop and parked.
She looked at Olivia, who was looking dejected, and announced, “Dear, excuse me. I will be back.”
Olivia nodded and attempted to dry the tears that were flowing uncontrollably down her cheeks. A few minutes later, she got out of the grocery shop with bags of fruits and beverages, joined Olivia in the car, and drove off.
After a while, she cast a glance at her and encouraged again, “Stop crying, my Angel. You will ruin your beautiful face.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Olivia said with a cold voice.
She was already at Denise’s house when she got a call from her husband. Likewise, She parked and picked up her call.
“Hello, Hubby,” she greeted him.
“Hello, baby. Kindly get some candy for Daniel.”
“It is all right. See you later.”
“It is okay.”
When they got into the house, Freya pushed the previous day’s food, which Denise had prepared, to a corner of the dining table and served her hot tea. Apart from that, she sat beside her.
“Please, endeavor to finish your tea and take your prescription,” she urged her.
Despite the situation, Olivia tried to be strong, she collected the drugs from her and took them obediently.
Afterward, she appreciated her, “Thank you, Ma’am.”
“You’re welcome. When you are through, you go to the bathroom and take a hot bath and afterward have a deep rest.”
“Thank you, Ma’am. Please, where is the bathroom?” She asked while trying to get up from the chair.
Freya looked at her in astonishment before she informed her, “In the bedroom, of course.”
Olivia got up and walked a bit before she asked again, “Sorry, Ma’am. Please, where is the bedroom?”
Freya was more surprised but gave her the description all the same, “Walk into that corridor, take a left turn, and you will see a staircase that leads to the bedroom. Wait, I will show you,” she said and took a step.
“Thank you, Ma’am. Don’t bother, I will be fine.”
Olivia followed the description and walked to the bedroom. Now, Freya was alone and she began to imagine all she could about the situation.
‘So Denise has a girl, and he would not even let me or Mom know about it. Guys of nowadays! They are so smart and secretive. But I like his choice. She is beautiful, despite her condition. That is why I gave her that name at the hospital. She looked like an Angel. I know Mom will like her too.’
Nevertheless, Denise, who was off work, drove into the compound. He expressed worry the moment he sighted Freya’s car. He packed and got out of his car. Then, he looked at the security, hoping to get any clue as to what awaited him in the house, but could not get any.
“Welcome back, Boss.”
“Thank you, John. I hope there is no problem?”
“No problem, Boss,” he answered even though Freya rushed Olivia to the hospital.
Denise looked at Freya’s car again and walked into the house. He saw Freya coming out of the Kitchen and she looked sternly at him.
He searched her countenance before greeting her joyously, “Good morning, Big sister. Good to see you. How is Daniel? I expected you yesterday, but…”
Freya interrupted him and inquired, “What is the meaning of this, Denise?”
Denise was astounded and asked, “What are you talking about, Big sister?”
“I am disappointed, Denise. How can you be so secretive, to the point that you would not allow any member of your family to know what you are doing?”
“What am I doing?” He asked her but she ignored him and continued, “What if she had died in your house, and you know her condition? Wouldn’t you have brought her over to my house so that I can take proper care of her?”
Denise smiled and corrected her, “Sister, it’s not what you think,” he pointed out and sat on the couch.
She overlooked his claim and continued with her sermon, “Think of our family reputation, your position in the society…”
She smiled too when she saw Denise smiling and continued, “You are smiling. Anyway, since you don’t want me to know, there is no problem.”
“Know what?”
“Aha! Don’t bother telling me her name, for I have given her a name.”
“And what name did you give to her?”
“Angel. Angel Denise.”
Denise laughed aloud to cover up the tension in him and said, “Wow! That’s lovely.”
Thereafter, Freya picked up her purse to leave before she advised, “Take good care of her. I have taken her to see my doctor, and he said there is no cause for alarm…”
“Another Doctor? When?” he asked worriedly.