It was about an hour later tht she heard the front door slam. Gabriel! she thought. He had some explaining to do.
She got to her feet and went downstairs and without bothering to knock, she entered his flat.
The place was cluttered as usual,very untidy. Gabriel had knocked down the dividing wall between the dinning room and the lounge, leaving enough space which he had turned to his studio. Canvasses lay everywhere, on easle, stacked on the floor, hung on the walls, the smell of linseed and turpentine hung in the air.
He appeared from the kitchen with a coffee pot and a sandwich on his hands as Sharon picked her way through the artist's debris.
'I will get another cup, but where is my hon?', he said before she could open her mouth and disappeared into the kitchen.
She sat down on one of the old velvet chairs that surrounded the ornate iron fire place.
Her cousin appeared moments later with the extra cup and busied himself with the coffee.
'How are you feeling?' he asked lightly without quite meeting here eyes.
'Why did you tell Bryan?' she countered, getting straight to the point.
'Has he been in touch?'
'You Haven't answered the question. Why did you tell him?' she asked exasperated.
'Somebody had to', Gabriel smiled.
'You? What gave you the right? You shouldn't have interfered'. Angrily, she slammed her cup into its saucer.
'Okay'. Gabriel held up his hands mock defeat.
'I'm sorry. I knew that you would be annoyed but I just felt that you couldn't manage on your own'.
'I could have have managed very well without Bryan Ferdinand's help. Did I not do same with Deborah?'
'He had a right to know, it's his child too and I was hoping that it would be an opening for you to tell him about his first child Deborah but looking at how angry you are, I can tell that you did not take the opportunity to tell him about her', Gabriel repeated what he had said that morning. 'I don't want to see you struggling alone. You take too much on yourself, can't you see that? And now there shall be not one but two babies. How do you suppose you will cope financially and otherwise? You are also punishing a girl you claim to love. Tell her who her father is and let father and daughter bond. You will be happier for it. You did not want me telling him about the baby, he will be out there enjoying his life to the fullest, growing younger and younger because there is nothing to trouble him while you will become an old maid struggling on your own to raise two children who would have been comfortably raised by their biological father'.
Knowing that he had her best interest at heart took some of the winds out of Sharon's sails. 'Well, there is not much chance of my being alone now', she grumbled, holding her cup out for more coffee.
'Why, what happened?' Gabriel eyed her with undisguised curiosity...For a moment, Sharon was tempted to tell him about Bryan's blackmail. But it was not his problem'. He could only worry about her and she didn't want that. 'It looks like I will be married this time next week's, she said grudgingly.
'Good God', Gabriel tried to hide his shock, by adding hastily, 'Congratulations, that's great news'.
'Is it?'
'Of course it is, you silly girl'. He stood up, searching for glasses and whisky. 'We need something stronger to celebrate this'.
Sharon stared at him open mouthed. ' You don't even like him!' she exclaimed. And when he didn't answer. 'Gabriel, are you listening at all? Have you gone mad?'
Gabriel turned his head, smiling broadly. 'Actually, I liked him a lot better today. And I have always thought of him as very brilliant'.
'You... You traitor', she could hardly believe her ears. Even Gabriel was on Bryan's side now. 'If you like him so much, you can marry him', she said, her green eyes glinting furiously.
'You don't want to get married?' Gabriel's smile was devilish.
'No...yes...no, of course I don't', she stumbled damningly.
The smile grew wider. 'Why not? You live him, don't you?'
There was nothing Sharon could say to that.
She went back to her own flat to her daughter and hugged her.
'Mum, what is the problem? Are you okay?'
'Yes I am. I just keep realising how much I love you each passing day', she said and Deborah smiled at her happily.
'Don't worry. You will be very happy soon as soon as you get married to that handsome charming man Bryan. I guess I should be calling him my father because he feels to me that way and since he will soon be your husband, he will definitely be my father as well'.
Sharon smiled with tears in her eyes. She had thought that the best thing would be to run away again rather than get married to this man who seemed too full of himself but he had already captured the heart of her daughter and knew about her pregnancy. She couldn't decide the best course of action.
Most probably, she would just go through the motions of the wedding and stay for a few days to see how it went but after that, if the conditions were not favourable, she would leave with her children. And it was going to be to a place he would never be able to find her at all because she would not even let Gabriel know where she was going or when she left since he was now on Bryan's side.
She lay on the bed with her daughter with her eyes shut but she was not sleeping but thinking about her future. Could she live a life or remain in a marriage where the love is one sided?
'Mum, don't worry. Everything will be okay. Once you give me a daddy, you will see that you will be happier', Deborah said hugging her mother tightly and the tears poured down Sharon's cheek. She wished that it was all so different so that her daughter would be happy with both her parents.
She was going to give it a trial and see how it went and then she would know what to do.