CHAPTER EIGHT

Patricia stood before the mirror naked. There had been some changes in her body in the past few days. And she has been feeling feverish. She couldn’t eat that much. There was softness to her belly, pressing fingers on her pubic bone, she could feel the firm wedge of muscle. Her breast were rounder, the areolae darker and smaller. She was due for her monthly period since the past three month but it has become a needle that fell into a pool of water. The possibility of being pregnant came to her mind, marrow chilled in her bones. She held her stomach as it tightened. Sammy came into the room unnoticed. He came to ask her about something but could not keep his eyes away from what he is seeing. Full rope breast, thickening waist and a dusting of weight on her hips. Something he couldn’t understand which has added dimension to her femininity. Patricia turn to find him looking at her. She hugged herself tightly. She was ashamed. She rushed to the bed and drew the blanket over herself. He stood still, a dark flush emphasizing his taut cheekbones.

“I’m… I’m... sorry.” He stutters. “I came here to ask about something but I could not keep my eyes away. Is there something you want to tell me?” He said softly.

“No, please leave my room.” Pat responded.

Sammy went on his knees pleading like a child that was refused honey. “Patricia, please if you’re pregnant tell me. Please don’t keep my child away from me.” He pleaded.

“Sammy, please am not feeling well. I need to rest.” Pat said looking the other way.

Sammy creep nearer to her bed. “Patricia, please talk to me. There is something about you this days I could not explain. You lost your appetite and will not eat much. The other day when Alicia brought her native soup, immediately I opened the plate you felt nauseous. Let’s go and see a doctor and if my instincts are wrong, I Won’t bother you anymore.” He said.

“Can you stop embarrassing me? Get up, please.” Patricia said angrily.

She couldn’t define the exact reason for her anger. This guy was asking then right questions. He at least should know about his child (if there is any). Something is burning down in her tummy. Something she could not spit out.

“Pat am not ashamed to do this. Ever since I was a child, I wanted siblings but my parents never gave me. And I never had something that belongs to me all my life. My career, the houses, the cars including me belongs to my parents. The child will be the only possession I have.” He said, sweat beading on his forehead.

“You want a child from me because you want something to own to yourself? Sammy you’re selfish. What will happen to me afterwards?” Patricia burst into tears.

Yes, in truth, what would happen to her? He wasn’t going to marry her. He has a lady whom he loved and promised already. He wouldn’t even love her dearly. Lisa was all he’s got. She really needed ponder on this matter well. Bearing this child might reduce her value to another man who would want to marry her in future; she thought. No man would want another man’s leftover. More so, she dreaded the idea of becoming a single mother. As a child, she has always dreamt of a “la crème de la crème” wedding setting. How her prince charming would come to take her off on a white horse. Those dreams could become mere fantasy if she decided to carry Sammy’s baby.

Pat reads a lot of magazines. The symptoms of pregnancy she had read are similar to what she is feeling now. Sammy climbed the bed and sat beside her.

“Patricia, I promise I would take care of you. Please if you’re pregnant don’t terminate it. I will pay you for it if you so wish.”

“What? You’ll pay me?” She reacted angrily.

She gave him a horrible stare and wrapped the blanket beneath her armpits. Tears were ready to roll down her eyes again. Patricia had always been a cry baby from childhood. She cries at the feel of the slightest pain. Her emotions give her away freely.

“What have I got myself into?” She held her head with her two palms.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to hurt you. I just don’t know how to persuade you.” Sammy threw her into his embrace as he apologized.

“I haven’t been feeling well this days. Do you know how it hurts to deal with this alone? I don’t want to be miserable.” She continued sobbing like a child.

Sammy lips caught hers before she could say another word. Her brain could not register what was going on. She does not know what to do. She wants to push him away. Just like the other day, she wanted him but thoughts keep running through her mind about her fate. He will take Lisa back. He had promise her they are done but he has always been saying such. It’s just a little misunderstanding and they will soon be back together again. The humiliation from the other day is also another factor. He still can’t erase it from her mind.

She tried as much as possible to forget the past but could not. She barely made eye to eye contact with him after that day. So would sneak out of the house to work very early and retired to her room very late in the night when Sammy must have gone to his room or out in the evening. She also eats out to avoid bumping into him in the dining room. Until few days ago when she was trying to sneak into her room. There was no light in the living room so she knew not Sammy was sitting on the couch in the dark.

“Are you hiding from someone?” The masculine voice stuttered her.

She immediately changed her posture as the light came on. She could not give a response because she was startled. She bit her fingers, her body was trembling.. He sat comfortably on the couch with his arms spread apart on both arms of the couch.

“Come and sit here.” He taps the free space beside him on the couch.

He wants her to sit beside him but she was too scared. Sammy must know how frightened she was. She rather sat on the couch opposite Sammy instead.

“I prefer to sit here.”

“It’s okay. If you’re comfortable sitting there.” He said pausing to read her expression. “Pat, I noticed you’ve been trying to avoid me.” He continued. “You go out very early in the morning and come back late at night. You don’t bother to do the things you do for me anymore. What have I done wrong?”

It’s true she does not do the things she does for him anymore. She used to prepare their breakfast and also package his lunch for him. Amanda, the house help makes dinner. Pat would sort his clothes. The dirty ones would be taken to the laundry. The ones he would wear for the week were always selected with the matching shoes and jewelries. She also used to help him keep and arrange those files he keeps carelessly on his reading table in his room. But this days, she neither did all these nor cared to check on him. Patricia tried making an excuse in response to his question but her brain will fail her. There was no ready-made answer to counter it. She stammered like a child who was caught stealing from the soup pot.

“Please let’s go back to how we use to be. You’re my best friend and you know everything that goes on with me. I can’t afford to stop talking to you. Please, don’t hide from me anymore.” He shook his head like Barney from the popular cartoon series.

Patricia is the only one who knows about his relationship with his parents. Sammy has never told anyone including Lisa about it. His parents are domineering. They somehow play a big role in determining his progress. They decided most of his steps too. He had to fake a marriage with her to protect his music career, hence the contract. They would frustrate him until he did has they wanted. Of course, Sammy, himself always wants to have his way over everything. But his parents? They have his balls on their palm. All those times he would get angry, it was because of the pressures coming from them. The scene at Merit Studio where they first met and also that of him breaking bottles in his office were as results of some of those pressures.

They tried to hinder his career goals. They stopped radio station from promoting his songs with their influence. They also went ahead to terminate his contract with some music companies. She knew all these because she fortunately eavesdropped on one of their conversation one morning they came visiting. She was in the kitchen when his parents came around. She came into the living room to inform him about breakfast. Sammy was angry that morning. He looked more like he looked the day she met him at the office. She immediately sensed that her presence wasn’t needed that moment.

“I’m sorry.” She apologize and turned to leave the room but Sammy’s mother, Mellissa called her back.

“Who are you?” She asked.

Patricia looked at Sammy who was looking down at his feet. Before she could find an answer in her head Sammy’s father, Stephen cuts in.

“Melissa, why are you asking? She must be his girlfriend.” He said chuckling.

Patricia received a lot of pampering that morning. Even Sammy was surprised. They told him it’s no problem if he did not want to introduce his girlfriend to them and they weren’t also angry at how they found out. That they have gladly accept her. Sammy tried persuading; he told them pat wasn’t his girlfriend but just a friend. The old folks laughed out loud at him. They thought it was one of the regular antics of today’s youth. Friend would become wife soon; they joked. In fact, they started discussing how to meet Patricia’s parents so they could fix a wedding date.

After they left, Sammy apologized to her and told her about how he has been coping with them his entire life. He was living his parents” unfulfilled youthful dreams. He was their only child, they believed he is their only avenue to achieve their dreams. He also told her about why he was so angry the day they first met. They had ordered every radio stations to stop playing his songs and also stop companies from doing business with him too. And also threatened to will their property to Charity instead until he does what they wanted him to do. They wanted him to get married at a certain age so they could become grandparents at a very young age.

His girlfriend, Lisa was not ready for marriage yet. She would lose a lot of contracts and her modeling career would suffer if she did. Sammy was disturbed so Patricia brought up the idea of the fake marriage. She had read about it in novels; how a prince from Spain faked marriage to gain the throne. At first, Sammy was scared his parents would find out. But Pat told him to tell his parents to organize a small wedding. By that, he will just go to court with her together with some friends. They shouldn’t even bother to appear so as to suspect less. The church wedding will be done when he is ready to have it done.

The plan worked and Sammy was very happy about the idea. To be guided, they both signed a binding contract just to make sure no one crossed the line. So that no one would go back on their words. He promise to give her the house and some money after three years when his parents must relocated to Canada and betroth all property to him. Patricia refuse the gifts but he insist she took them as a pay for the contract they signed for the stress it will cost. She Won’t be able to have a boyfriend as his parents will make their relationship known to public.

They had lived the fake life this long and so many waters had passed under their bridge. Pat had withstood the most from Lisa who thinks she may turn out to snatch Sammy from her. She would be very protective of her man and suspect every move Pat made. Patricia grew feelings for Sammy but circumstance warranted that she Won’t show it. She nursed this feelings until that fateful night Sammy came in drunk. Now the rest is history. What would she do with the Pregnancy? What would she do to stop Sammy from falling in love with her? How would she kill this burning feeling of love she has for Sammy?

She couldn’t push Sammy away this time. Sammy was already all over her. She found herself wrapped in his arms. By the time she could get manage to hold of herself, Sammy was already in her spot again. She could barely explain how he got there. She succumbed to his pressure again. They made good love this time. Sammy kissed her forehead gently before he quietly made attempts to leave her room. He only came back few hours later to persuade her to come along to the hospital for test. The pregnancy report was no news to them when the Doctor brought it. They both already assumed it was there. It was actually there. Sammy was very happy. The joy was written all over him. The pregnancy defined a new phase in their life no doubt.