Chapter 74 Paul and Herty - Caught?
Herty woke up refreshed from a long sleep. Her body craved it. She too had not slept throughout yesterday. However, joy cruised through her. She had fought it for so long. Paul wasn't the only one who suffered thinking about her. She too has had her fair share of sleepless nights, thinking about him and how impossible their love would be.
She knew that her parents would never accept Paul. They want her to marry from the church but she doesn't have to marry him. She can be his friend. A close one and see what the future holds. When the subject of marriage comes in, they would cross over. Just as she came out of the shower, a maid brought her a parcel.
"A delivery guy brought this for you." It was unexpected. She has never received anything like this. This was her first time experiencing this part of life. It could only be from one person and she was right.
She unwrapped the gift and pulled out a beautiful black knee-length Versace dress. It was beautiful but a little shorter than her usual style. She preferred her dress to be below her knee but for tonight, she would adjust. A smile crept onto her features. The maid took the cue and left. There was also a shoe to match it with a beautiful sparkling necklace.
Her stomach did a flip. This was her first date and she couldn't hide her excitement. Her parents were still away but she would enjoy what tonight held for her. It was exactly 7 pm when the doorbell rang. Herty was ready. She ambled to the door and pulled it open. Paul grinned at her transformed look. She had even put on a little make-up and curled her long black hair. Paul wore a black suit, matching the black dress he picked for her.
"Shall we?" Paul asked, stretching his arm towards her. Herty nodded and took it, her stomach doing another flip as Paul led her to his car. It wasn't any of Loney's cars. This was his car. A range rover. He loved ranges. He opened the door to the passenger seat for her and buckled her seat belt.
"Where are we going?" Her curiosity piqued. Paul looked so yummy, she was having thoughts she never had before. She could feel the blood rushing through her cheeks, turning them red at the mere thought.
"It's a surprise." His baritone voice gave her a vibe.
He drove her to the luxury restaurant where he had already made reservations. Herty was from a wealthy home but never took leverage in places like this. Today, it felt good because she was with a man who made her heart flip. She also felt safe around him. At least, he was a best friend to Loney, her best friend's husband. That meant he could be trusted not to take advantage of her. The mere conviction relaxed her.
Paul was a gentleman and he respected her greatly. He didn't order anything crapulous because he knew she wouldn't like it. Tonight was hers. Every wine served had no tinge of liquor so Herty felt even more livable around him. But Paul didn't drink much because it wasn't his kind of drink yet for as long as she liked it, he was happy.
"So, when was the last time you went to a place like this?" He tried to break the silence from the click of fork, knife and ceramic plates announcing their presence.
"Never." She gave her honest response.
"Your parents?"
"My dad is a retired attorney. My mum, an evangelist. They spend their latter days travelling the world for evangelism."
"I see. My dad was a Bishop. My mum was a housewife." Paul found himself opening up to her. It made Herty feel that her decision to accept the date was worth it.
"Where are they?"
"My dad died eleven years ago and my mum, a week ago." He let out a bitter smile as if recalling something. Herty was taken aback and somehow, she felt narrowly restrained.
"You never told me."
"I didn't think you would care." He honestly said. Her behaviour in the past gave him that assumption.
"That hurts," she pursed her lips. Paul's response was so direct, she felt bad.
"I'm sorry."
"Can I ask a question? A sensitive one."
"It's your lucky night," Paul gazed at her.
"Your dad. If he was a bishop, then why do you hate the church?" Silence is carved out like a cage. Then, he cleared his throat,
"He headed a large congregation for years. Changed lives, but hardly had time for us. He made lots of sacrifices for the church. One day, a woman went to his office for counselling and tried to seduce him. When she couldn't succeed, she framed him with charges of attempted rape. The church committee believed the woman's words against his."
The back of Herty's eyes simmered as she was forced to hold back her tears. She could relate. It happens a lot. She didn't utter a word so Paul continued.
"He was expelled. The house, car, everything they gave him, taken away. He was left without a dime. We suffered. For all the sacrifices he made, no one believed him. A year later, he died of a heart attack. He was never vindicated. He died still known as the pervert bishop."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. Since then, I joined a bad company to get money for the family. My mum was against it but I didn't care. Just like you, she would keep urging me to come to church with her. The new church she joined after my father's death gave some support for our upkeep. I, my two sisters and my mum but that didn't stop me. I heard her a lot of times when she kept praying for God to protect me because she suspected that I joined a gang."
"One day, I ended up saving a man I wanted to rob. He happened to be an FBI agent hunting down some criminals but got shot. Through my means of survival from bad company, I saved him without taking him to a hospital so he introduced me to the FBI and that's where I trained and worked for five years."
"I retired because my family faced threats but then I met Loney and became his trusted friend. I won't go deeply into my relationship with Loney. He's quite discreet about his life so I'll leave it there."
"You've had a hard and interesting life."
"Yes and I vowed never to go to church because my mother always said I was going to be a preacher someday. I'm determined to never let it happen."
Herty felt a tinge in her heart when he said that but she kept herself from reacting, so he continued, "I hate these self-righteous people," He said a bit harshly. Then he came to his senses, realizing that he had yelled at her. "I don't mean you. I'm sorry."
Herty forced a smile. "I understand. People reject others and throw them away, thinking they are doing God a favour but in the end, it's what's in the heart that matters."
Paul nodded. "So you don't mind hanging out with someone like me?"
"I did before but not anymore. At least, Jones spoke some sense into me."
"Jones? I thought the two of you were.."
"No no. He always had eyes on Danica. But then, Daniella came along and they clicked quite well. He's an amazing guy but not my type."
Paul furrowed his brow, reality dawning on him. All his previous misjudgments made him dwindle. "So, what's your type?"
"I don't know. I guess I haven't thought about it."
It wasn't the answer Paul expected but he appreciated it anyway. "Thank you for coming out with me today, Herty."
They continued to chat about random stuff and when he dropped her home, he couldn't hold himself from placing a kiss on her cheek.
She found herself going on another date with Paul at a different place. The third time, he invited her to his house. She felt slightly uncomfortable but she went. Paul had cooked for her. It was a candlelit dinner with a romantic setting. Just like every other date, they chatted and drank but the more time they spent together, the more they wanted to see each other. It was becoming an obsession.
On the fifth date, Paul couldn't help it. He had controlled himself for so long. It wasn't easy being around someone he felt so attracted to and conceivably loved. They sat on a garden chair at night, counting stars and chatting along casually.
"So, who is your ideal man?" He asked since she couldn't answer it the last time. He felt that she must have thought about it now. But what if he wasn't her ideal man? Was he going to change for her?
"Just someone who loves me as much as I love him. He doesn't have to be rich or perfect. We would spend the rest of our lives perfecting each other."
"Is that all?" He leaned a little closer like he was trying to see through her mind.
"I don't think you would like to hear the last part."
"Thanks for the warning then."
"He should be God-fearing. I'm not talking about marrying a Pastor but I just want my man to have respect for God. Even if he doesn't want to go to church, he shouldn't stop me."
"Am I that man?" Herty couldn't answer. Her heart banged so loud, she thought he would hear it. "Am I that man?" he repeated the question.
She found herself nodding. Paul leaned closer and pulled her to his chest. He held her so tightly, he didn't want to let go. I've loved you from the moment I saw you, Herty."
"You do?"
Paul pulled away from her a little. Staring into her teary eyes, he mashed his lips on hers. It was her first time. Her first kiss and she didn't know how to go about it but found herself responding to his movements. It was the sweetest thing she ever tasted.
When Paul drove her home, he walked her to the door and couldn't hold himself from tasting those plump strawberry flavoured lips again. He pressed his lips on hers just as the door opened.
"Herty?" Her mother yelled.