Chapter 31
My daughters can’t hide their curiosity when I arrive home at a quarter past 7 p.m. with an armload of groceries and a bag of six glazed doughnuts. On a normal day, snacks are not allowed after 4 p.m. in my house, but today is not a normal day and I am way too happy to be satisfied with just food tonight. I need something extra sweet to end the day with, and since my children won’t let me eat my doughnuts in peace, I got extra to share with them.
“Thank you so much for staying so late with the girls despite my impromptu notice,” I tell Mrs. B gratefully.
“Oh, please stop it, Uzezi. You know I enjoy being with the children. Besides, it’s what I’m here for, remember?” She says graciously.
“I don’t even know what better way to reward you. You do so much for me, and I want you to know that I appreciate you so much.”
Mrs. B smiles kindly at me. “You’re very welcome, my dear. And don’t worry about additional rewards for me, you already pay me very generously as it is and that’s quite enough. Zino and Kome are like grandchildren to me, so you need not thank me for spending time with them.”
“You bought doughnuts?” Kome asks excitedly when she gets a whiff of the delicious pastry. “Can I have one?”
“No doughnuts before bedtime,” Zino announces obediently, although I can tell that she’s hoping to get a bite too if that’s possible.
“You’re right, Zino. No doughnuts before bedtime, but I’ll make an exception today. You two can eat a doughnut each tonight, but you must brush your teeth again before going to bed,” I inform them.
“Yay!” Zino squeals happily.
“Why?” Kome asks suspiciously.
“Because today is a happy day and we are celebrating our happiness,” I reply to my Miss Smarty Pants daughter. I open the box of doughnuts and offer them to Mrs. B first. “Care for one?”
“Good Lord, no! You know that’s too sweet for me,” she declines with a short laugh. “I don’t want to spend the rest of tomorrow sitting on a toilet.”
“Fair enough,” I say, accepting her explanation. Then to the girls, “You get to take one each. You can eat the rest when you return from school tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Mum!” They scream in unison before descending on the box of doughnuts. After they have taken their share, I take one of the yummy looking pastries and take a big bite. The soft piece of doughnut literally melts in my mouth, making me moan in delight.
“It’s so delicious,” Kome remarks with a mouthful of doughnut.
“So delicious,” Zino echoes in agreement.
We enjoy our delicious treats with more colorful compliments and then we washed everything down with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, thanks to the ever-efficient Mrs. B before we finished off with a glass of water each. The twins kept to their promise and brushed their teeth before going to bed.
Mrs. B eventually offered to stay the night since it has already gotten so late, and I am once again thankful to have this angel of a woman as my children’s nanny. After a leisurely bath in my tub, I towel myself dry and take my time to do my nightly self-care routine and all the while thinking about Dominic and the naughty things we did with each other in his bed this evening. A satisfied smile spread across my face as the sweet memories come back to me.
Dominic was such a considerate and patient lover; he made it seem like my pleasure was the most important thing to him in the world as we made love, he wasn’t in a hurry to ‘stick it in’ and get the heck out. He took his time and made our time together so worthwhile. I used to think that sex was mainly for men’s enjoyment, but after my time with Dominic today, I can now understand why some women can’t get enough of it too.
The moment I lay down in bed to sleep, my phone rings and I grab it off the nightstand immediately. To my utmost delight, I see that it’s Dominic calling.
“Hello stranger,” I answer the phone call happily.
“Hello, you wild thing,” he drawls in response. “Getting ready for bed?”
“Actually, I’m in bed already.”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you’re an early sleeper.”
“I think it’s safe to say that there’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.”
“I agree, and I’ll like to change that.”
“How?”
“Well, contrary to what many people may think about me, I’m an old-fashioned guy and I like to do things the proper way. So, I want to ask you out on a date and then properly ask you to be my woman in a civilized manner.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Are you kidding me? Is that how you asked all your ex-girlfriends to become your girlfriend?”
“The ones I had a real relationship with, yes.”
“I see,” I reply seriously when I realize that he might truly mean what he’s saying. “So, if I understand you correctly, you are saying that you want me to be like… your girlfriend?”
“Yes, Uzezi. That is what I am saying,” he replies, all hint of humor gone from his voice. “I truly have feelings for you, and I want to explore them because I am assuming that you probably feel something for me too, judging by how things played out between us today.”
I blow out a breath, feeling a bit nervous about where this conversation is heading. “Yes, Dominic. I do have feelings for you, but…”
“But?” He prompts me when I don’t continue my statement.
“Don’t you think it’s too soon?”
“Oh, I didn’t know there was a timetable for when two consenting adults can have a relationship in a civilized society,” he says sarcastically.
I chuckle self-consciously. “I get what you’re saying, but it’s just that…I don’t know. There are so many factors to consider here; my family, the children, you know.”
“Uzezi put yourself first for once. Worry about yourself first. Life is way too short for you to spend it worrying about everyone else and putting yourself last. Be selfish for once, trust me, everyone will be fine, and the world will not come to an end.”
There’s no denying that Dominic is right; I can admit that I am overly concerned about what people expect of me, and I seem to be obsessed with my determination to prove to the whole world that I am a good person. Why am I so consumed with the desire to impress everyone? Why am I trying so hard to be perfect in an obviously imperfect world?
“You’re right,” I concede. “I’ve only got one life to live, so, I might as well live it to the fullest, right?”
“Right,” Dominic agrees with what sounds like a triumphant laugh.
“However,” I begin to say.
“What now?” He groans dramatically.
“Is it possible to keep things between us quiet for now? I don’t want my pictures splashed all over social media, accompanied by false news about me. I don’t want to go through that again, please.”
“Yes, I understand, and I will do my best to see to it that our relationship remains as discreet as possible.”
“Good. Are you still going to woo me or are you just going to skip that part altogether?” I ask playfully.
“What are your plans for tomorrow?”
“Same as usual. Get the girls to school in the morning, go to my store, work until evening, and come back home to my children.”
“Ok, let’s rearrange that. After you drop off the girls at school, I’ll have my driver pick you up and take you to the venue of our date tomorrow.”
“Oh yeah?” I giggle. “Where are we having this date?”
“You’ll see. It’s a surprise.”
I feel my excitement building and I secretly wish that the night will go fast, so that tomorrow will come, and the adventurous phase of my life will begin. I cannot remember the last time I felt this eager to go out with someone – it’s exciting and a little scary at the same time.
“Don’t you have work tomorrow?” I ask.
He laughs in response. “I’m too rich to go to work,” he jokes.
“I envy you,” I laugh too.
“My work is supervisory. I have an army of competent hands running my businesses. I don’t need to be personally involved except I want to be.”
“Sounds like fun,” I muse.
“It is, most of the time. Now, get some sleep, darling.”
“Ok, boss,” reply jokingly.
“Goodnight, Uzezi.”
“Goodnight, Dominic.”
I hang up and lay back in bed with a wide smile on my face. Tomorrow can’t come soon enough. I can’t wait to see what Dominic has planned for me, but I know it will be fabulous because he never does anything half-assed. No pun intended!