ALESSIA
“Good morning, Ms. Alessia!” Isla greeted me cheerfully as she entered the bookshop.
Isla had been my constant companion since I established the bookshop over four years ago. I was still pregnant with Adrian at that time, so I needed someone to help out in the shop. Isla was just graduating from middle school when I hired her. She is almost the same age as my younger sister, Lia. With the job I offered her, Isla managed to save enough money to pursue her college education. Now, she is in her third year of college, taking up a degree in Education.
Isla juggled work and studies. In the morning, she manned the shop, and in the afternoon, she attended school.
“Good morning, Isla! Take care of things here, okay? I’ll be inside because I have some work to do. Just call me if you need help,” I instructed.
“Okay, Ms. Alessia.”
I went into the small cubicle that served as the shop’s main office. There is an office table, a swivel chair, a mini-sofa, and a steel cabinet. I laid my drawing pad and tote bag on the table and took out a pencil and eraser before I started sketching. I am designing the interior of the house Claude bought for us.
I regretted the amount Claude would pay the interior designer, so I decided to do it myself. Plus, I preferred to work on it myself to ensure that everything was to my liking.
After two hours, I finished designing the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Only the bedroom and bathroom were left. I took a break and glanced at Isla. I noticed we had customers in the shop. Someone was reading in the reading corner, two people were browsing the shelves, and three were lined up at the counter. I smiled at the busy scene.
Isla could handle the shop on her own or with minimal assistance, so I went back to my cubicle. I took a sip of water before resuming my work.
By exactly twelve noon, I finished all the designs. I had lunch with Isla before returning to my station. I needed to find sample pictures of furniture and items to show Claude later in the evening, so he could easily buy them.
It was already five in the afternoon when I finished gathering the pictures. Customers were flocking to the shop, so I helped Isla. We closed the shop past six.
Isla and I walked home together. We parted ways when Isla reached her house a few meters away, while I continued on to Pia’s house.
“Mom!” Adrian greeted me happily as I entered.
I hugged him and kissed the top of his head. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up, and then we’ll have dinner,” I said.
“Okay, Mom!” He hopped with joy.
After bathing and dressing Adrian, I changed into casual clothes, and we both headed to the dining table.
“When will Claude pick you up, dear?” Pia inquired as we were eating.
“Sometime this week. I’m not sure of the exact day. He hasn’t told me yet. I’ll probably ask him later when we talk.”
“It’s getting close. Have you packed yet?”
“I already packed Adrian’s things yesterday. Tomorrow, I’ll pack mine too. Then, I’ll also organize the shop’s inventory the day after so Isla won’t have a hard time when I’m gone.”
“What do you mean?”
I sighed. “I’ll just leave the shop to Isla to take care of. I feel guilty leaving her, but I’ve decided to focus on my family first.”
“That’s good then. Isla would suffer if she doesn’t have a source of income. She relies on the shop for her school expenses and to help her family,” Pia replied.
“Yeah. That’s what I thought, so I decided to entrust the shop to Isla’s care.”
“True, you don’t need the money, dear. Your husband is wealthy. He can provide everything you and Adrian need. It’s probably easy for him to support you in your new business.”
I just smiled at Pia’s words. I hoped Claude would indeed support me in my business. I hadn’t told him about it yet.
After we finished eating, I cleaned up and washed the dishes. When I was done, I called Adrian, who was watching TV with his grandmother. Once we were in the room, I tucked him into bed and then grabbed my laptop. I didn’t wa kont to wait for Claude to call; I was too excited to show him my designs.
It was only eight in the evening, so it was still a bit early. I hoped he was still at the office.
I made two calls on his social media account before he answered.
“Good evening, Sweetpea!”
“Good evening, Claude. Adrian is here with me. Say hi to him too. He might miss you later,” I said happily.
“Hello, baby! How are you?”
“I am doing great, Dad. I already ate earlier.”
“Oh, really? That’s good that you already ate. How about school?”
I let them chat for a while. After Adrian bid goodbye to his father I took my cell phone and sent Claude the pictures of the designs I made.
“Wow, the design for the interior looks amazing. Has Adrian seen it yet? He must be excited,” Claude said.
“I haven’t shown him yet. I’ll just show it to him once you take us there.”
“Yes, baby. I’ll pick you up on Friday. So, get ready with your things.”
“Yay!” Adrian bounced on the bed. I didn’t realize he was still listening to our conversation. Eventually, I stopped him when I noticed him spinning around, afraid he might fall.
“Okay, baby. You should rest now because your mom and I still have some things to do,” Claude said.
I felt nervous at Claude’s words. What was this trickster up to?
“What are you going to do? Can I join?”
“Sorry, kiddo. What we’re going to do with your mom is only for adults.”
I raised my eyebrows at Claude’s response.
“Why can’t I?”
“We’re just going to practice because she’ll be making your sibling. So, go to sleep now.”
My eyes widened at Claude’s explanation. I glanced at Adrian. He is seriously focused on the screen.
“Are you really going to make my sibling? I want a little sister. Okay, I’ll go to sleep now. Bye, Dad!” I almost choked on my saliva.
“Bye, kiddo,” Claude replied with a grin, winking at me.
I was almost about to laugh when I saw Claude’s expression, especially when I noticed that our son had already closed his eyes, lying beside me.
My son is really obedient!