Chapter 36

Months and years passed by so quickly. Samuel Goldfield had been making continuous attempts to get in touch with Sonia, all to no avail. She kept ignoring him and didn't want to have anything to do with him. She was twenty-two years old now and was already in the university. She was reading law,as she had always longed to do. Samuel Goldfield tried to trail her one day in school and finally met her one afternoon after one of her lectures.

"What at all do you want with me?" She asked him angrily after he caught up with her,and she moved quickly from him.

"Please Sonia, at least hear me out. Please." He pleaded with her.

"What at all is there to hear Mr Goldfield?"

She asked, addressing him using his surname. He was surprised she had addressed him in that manner. She had always called him Uncle Samuel or Daddy, before she had begun to suspect his relationship with her mother. This new manner in which she addressed him made it clear to him that she was very angry with him.

"But but So Sonia..." He stammered.

"Don't even mention my name!" She retorted angrily.

"Do you have any idea what you have done?"

She asked him and he looked at her in disbelief.

"You had better prepare. Pray very well that my sisters would be found. Otherwise, you would have yourself to blame."

She threatened him and he could see that she was really angry with him. Without any other word, she walked out on him furiously, leaving him standing there in a confused state.

Sonia arrived at her hostel, very tired and emotionally drained. Past memories began to flood her mind and she began to cry her heart out.

"Priscilla, Hilda, where are you?"

She asked herself as though expecting a response.

"No, I can't and I won't lose you both! I would definitely find you no matter where you may be! I'll find you!" She assured herself.

Meanwhile, Samuel Goldfield was still in shock at the words Sonia had hurled at him.

"Had her sisters been kidnapped? Perhaps had they gone missing?" He wondered. He decided to go to the South and pay Auntie Paulina a surprise visit. When he had contacted her earlier, she had told him the three girls were doing well. When he had enquired of their contact, she had just told him that she was not feeling well and had left everything in Sonia's hand. She had even proceeded to give him Sonia's contact information and he had decided to contact Sonia.

Samuel Goldfield had completed the course he was doing at the university. He was now a professional accountant and had started working in a renowned company in Los Angeles; Four Points. He was doing well in the company and had begun to acquire property for himself. He had decided to visit Auntie Paulina to see the girls, however he had been surprised to see different people living there. The people also didn't know about Auntie Paulina or the three girls. Only one person in the neighborhood had given him Auntie Paulina's contact details, and he had contacted her.

"Who is on the line?" She had asked after she had picked up his call.

"This is Samuel Goldfield." He had said at the other end of the line."

"Well, I don't recognize you. However you can proceed to let me know why you called."

She had said in an old cranky voice. Auntie Paulina had indeed grown old and probably had forgotten all about Samuel.

"I'm the one who left three girls in your care. Pearl's children remember? I was going to school and you promised to take care of Sonia, Priscilla and Hilda on my behalf." He had said and Auntie Paulina had been immediately alarmed. She suddenly remembered Samuel Goldfield and who he was. She didn't know what exactly to say to him. She just began to shiver immediately.

"Oh,oh, yes oh..."

"Is everything alright Ma'am?" He had asked her after detecting that she was trembling all over. He had detected it through her voice.

"Yes, yes I'm I'm sorry, no I mean I'm very okay." She had managed to say.

"Okay, so where are you? I would love to visit." He said to her and it sent shivers down her spine.

"Well, I'm very far away from where you are now. However I could give you Sonia's contact if you don't mind." She had said, hoping for a positive response.

"Yes, that would be awesome." He had responded to her heartily, hoping that nothing was wrong as she had assured him. Now Sonia's behavior is communicating something entirely different from what Auntie Paulina had told him. He searched for Auntie Paulina's address which he had saved on his phone.

He decided to travel to the South the next day.

"Who's there?" Adeline asked after hearing a knock at her door. She went to open it and saw a handsome man staring at her.

"Good morning!" Samuel greeted her warmly.

"Good morning and how may I assist you?" Adeline asked, not knowing who he was.

"Well, I'm in search of one wonderful woman who has helped me greatly. I would like to express my gratitude to her." He responded to Adeline, getting her more confused.

"Adeline, who's at the door?" A cranky old voice asked.

"Mum, it's a man." She replied.

"That must be Auntie Paulina right?" Samuel asked her.

"You know my mom?" She asked him, surprised.

"Yes, I do know her very well. She's the reason why I'm here. Can I come in?" He asked her.

"Oh sure, yes you may come in." She said to him, leaving the doorway so he could enter.

Auntie Paulina's daughter seemed to be doing well. She lived there with her two children and her mother. Her husband was a pilot and so was almost always not around. He only came home once or twice in a month.

"You are welcome. You may have a seat."

She offered and he sat in one of the sofas there. Auntie Paulina had just gone to the kitchen for a glass of juice and came back to the living room. She saw Samuel Goldfield and immediately she froze.

"Oh Mom, you're here. This man is here to see you." Her daughter said heartily, not knowing that the very person her mother didn't want to see was the one she had allowed in.

"Oh, Auntie Paulina! How are you doing today?" Samuel asked after sighting the older woman.

She was mute and couldn't say a word. She just kept watching Samuel as though her world had come to an end.

"Mum, are you okay?" Adeline asked after seeing the confused and terrified look on her mother's face. Just then, Samuel was convinced that all wasn't well. He remembered how he used to send Auntie Paulina money continually for the upkeep of the girls.

"Mum?" Adeline called her and went over to where she was standing to help her get seated. She wondered why her mother was behaving in that manner.

"Good morning Auntie Paulina." Samuel greeted her again, this time expecting that she would respond. He was there for a reason and he needed answers to the questions on his mind.

"What have you come here to do?" Auntie Paulina asked him in a shaky voice.

"I already told you that I have left everything to Sonia. So why are you pestering me?" She asked him again, causing her daughter to become more confused.

"Mummy, do you owe him?" Adeline asked, very much perplexed.

"Yes, she owes me a lot of answers to the questions I have decided to ask her." Samuel replied.

"Someone should help me out. I'm confused here. What's going on Mum? Why are you not saying anything? Why? At least say something."

Adeline pleaded however Auntie Paulina just kept mute, looking like a child who had just been caught stealing.

"Actually, I gave your mother three girls to take care of." Samuel told Adeline, and went on to tell her all there was to know, beginning from his search for the girls, what Sonia had said to him and his earlier telephone conversation with Auntie Paulina.

"Mom, are these words true?" Adeline asked Auntie Paulina who had bowed her head in shame. "So you wouldn't say anything Mom? Where are the two other girls Mom?" Adeline asked again and sighed deeply.

"I'm sorry Samuel. I'm sorry." Auntie Paulina apologized, while attempting to raise her head. Samuel was quiet, trying to make sense of why Auntie Paulina was apologizing to him.

"While they were still young, not too long after you had left for school, I saw an advertisement in a newspaper. A rich couple was looking for a child to adopt."

She cleared her throat and continued. Adeline was looking at her with surprise.

"Out of greed, I decided to give Priscilla and Hilda out for adoption."

Her words hit Samuel like an arrow had been shot in his heart. His daughter was involved here and he had really looked forward to seeing her. All this time while he was away, he had believed that he'd come back to take his daughter and the other two girls to be with him.

"What? You sold my daughter for money?" Samuel asked Auntie Paulina.

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me." Auntie Paulina pleaded, shedding tears of regret.

Samuel tried to calm himself down so he could at least get the address of the two sisters.

"Can you at least help me with their addresses? Who did you sell them to? I'd like to see them."

Samuel said straightforwardly, without any feelings whatsoever.

"Samuel,it has been a long time. Besides, these couples would not agree to me having their contact addresses. Definitely they wouldn't want me to go back to them to demand that they give the children back to me. I don't know where they are."

Samuel was embittered by her words. They sounded as though she didn't care and he was very much disappointed.

"You were a devoted person in the Church. You were also close with Pearl. Therefore I trusted you with the upkeep of the girls. To even think that you still took money even after you sold them, tells a lot about you. I'm very much disappointed in you. I never thought you could do this. Just pray that I find the girls. I regret leaving them with you."

Samuel said angrily and left the apartment. Auntie Paulina sobbed bitterly as Samuel's words hit her. Her daughter's facial expression made her feel worse about herself. She could see that Adeline was very much disappointed in the blunder she had committed.

Back at the Bakers' residence, Sonia was feeling uncomfortable. Henry, the Bakers'first son, had been looking at her with eyes that had been filled with lust.

He monitored her every move and she even made sure to lock her room and the bathroom inside her room whenever she was going to get a bath.

"Sonia, just give me a chance. You know you're very beautiful." He told her one day.

"You don't need to tell me. I know I'm very beautiful!" Sonia retorted angrily.

"I'm very uncomfortable with how you stare at me these days. Please stop it!" She warned him.

"How can I see someone so beautiful and refuse to look upon her?" He asked her, making her feel more uncomfortable.

"I guess I have to leave now." Sonia said after seeing that he hadn't made up his mind to stop his continuous staring.

"Wait!" He said and held her hand.

"Let me go!" She shouted and made an effort to free her hand from his.

"What's going on here?" Mr Baker asked as he entered the living room. Just then, Henry left Sonia's hand.

"Good morning Dad." Henry greeted and left angrily.

"Is everything alright?" Mr Baker asked Sonia.

"Errmm Sir? Errmm yes please, everything is okay." She responded, unsure of what to say. She wondered why Henry had to be angry. After all, she had the right to agree to like him or not.

"I would like to go to my room, Sir." She told Mr Baker, who just kept watching her as though she had stolen meat from a pot of soup.

"These children, there's something going on. They just don't want to tell me. I'm sure there is something going on. They must let me know." He told himself and Mrs Baker walked in, seeing Mr Baker deeply lost in thoughts.

She went to sit beside him on the sofa, and he immediately became aware of his surroundings.

"Oh honey, you're here. For how long have you been seated here?" He asked after seeing his wife.

I just got in here and I saw that you were thinking about something. What is the problem?" She asked him and he smiled.

"Smart woman. I saw something unusual going on between Henry and Sonia. So I was trying to figure it out." He told her.

"Oh that!" She said and he looked at her questioningly.

"What do you mean Dear? Do you know anything about what they are up to?" He asked her.

"For some time now, I have observed how Henry would look at her as though she were a piece of fried chicken." She said to her husband and he understood what she said.

"Really?" He asked and she nodded her head in response.

"Then we have to do something about it." He said.

"Why haven't you told me all this while?" He asked her, perplexed that she had hidden such information from him.

"At first I wasn't sure. I wanted to be sure about it before discussing it with you. However, now that you have also observed something, I'm more convinced about what exactly is going on." She responded to him.

"Henry must marry the Governor's daughter. It would cause our wealth to increase more." Mr Baker said and Mrs Baker nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes oo, he has to. In fact, I think we should speak some sense into his head before he does anything horrible." Mrs Baker responded.

"You are right my Dear. Let's go straight to his room." Mr Baker suggested and they both headed towards Henry's room. Henry heard a knock at his door and wondered who it was.

"Come on in." He said and the door opened to reveal his parents. He wished he had slept off earlier. He was just tired of hearing the same thing over and over again.

He was seated behind his study table, and they took a seat directly opposite him on his bed.

"Henry, your Mum and I decided to check up on you to see how you are faring." Mr Baker began and Henry just looked straight ahead, without giving them any eye contact.

"Have you checked on Rosalinda lately?" Mr Baker asked, and Henry got furious.

"Mom, Dad, I can't be coerced into marrying someone I don't love! That girl is not even beautiful! She even irritates me with her mere presence! Why should I marry her when I don't love her?"

He asked angrily.

"Enough of all this Henry! Don't you dare raise your voice at me. Remember that I'm your father!" Mr Baker retorted angrily and Mrs Baker tried to calm him down.

"It's okay Dear, it's okay calm down. He is just being naive. He's still a little boy."

"I'm not a small boy Mum. I am old enough to make decisions on my own." Henry said.

"Would you just shut up, young man? Shut up your mouth." She retorted in anger.

"Your father and I just want the very best for you. The Governor's daughter is a good girl. She would make a good wife for you Henry." She admonished him.

"There are many good girls out there Mum!" Henry said to her.

"Do you know better than we do?" Her mother asked him. "Rosalinda is not only a good girl. She is the daughter of the governor. You must marry her at all costs. When this is done, the wealth of their family would be ours. Don't you see that the governor has got only two girls?"

"Don't be greedy Mum! So because of wealth, I should be forced to marry someone?" He asked angrily.

"Woman, your son just called us greedy! You had better talk to him or else he would face the consequences!" Mr Baker warned and left Henry's room in great anger.

"You see what you caused? You had better make up your mind before it's too late. Do you know how many men are dying to have this opportunity? You have to make sure you call Rosalinda. You have to!" Mrs Baker warned Henry and also left his room.

The days that followed were torturous moments for Sonia. Neither Mr Baker nor Mrs Baker paid her any attention. It appeared as though they were avoiding her. She wondered what exactly was going on. She decided to confide in Seth, the head of the servants.

"See Seth, I don't understand what exactly is going on. Our Bosses have been very unfriendly towards me these days." She began. "When I greet them, they no longer respond. I'm already getting fed up. Is everything okay with them?"

"Oh, don't worry about our bosses. They just get into that state whenever they don't get what they want. They are a set of ambitious people and they always want to get what they want. That's how they are. Very greedy people." He said to her, and she looked at him confused.

"Greedy? Our Bosses are not greedy. They have helped me and I know that they do help people too. Why do you think they are greedy?" She asked him and Seth laughed.

"Sonia, I have been working with these people for over twenty years now and I know them very well. Listen to what I'm about to tell you." He advised.

"They only decided to take you on as a maid so that you would personally attend to Mrs Baker. They saw that you are very intelligent and they wouldn't want such an intelligent person to slip off their hands. Whenever they help people, they have a goal in mind. They don't just get up to help others. They look at the benefits they would gain before helping you out." He cautioned her.

"Right now, they want their son Henry to marry a Governor's daughter just because of the wealth they are going to get in return. Henry doesn't want to listen to them, and that's why they are angry."

He told her and she gaped at Seth in wonder.

She suddenly began to connect the dots.

"Perhaps, was that the reason why Mr and Mrs Baker didn't want to mind her anymore? Was that the reason Henry got angry after Mr Baker came on the scene the other time? Had he suspected she was having something to do with Henry?" She wondered. She was deep in thought. Seth's question brought her back to consciousness.

"Is everything okay?" He asked her after seeing that she looked worried.

"Oh yes, yes errmm I, I was just thinking about what you just said. It's like a surprise to me." She told him and he was convinced.

"We the workers here know these bosses very well. Therefore we understand all that is going on." He said to her. "However don't be too worried. Just be cautious around them. Be cautious around their sons too." He added.

"Thank you very much, Seth. Thanks for letting me know all this."

"That's okay. You can let me know whenever there's anything that's bothering you. I'm here to help." He offered.

That evening, Mrs Baker told the cook that they were expecting a visitor in their home. She therefore asked her to quickly prepare delicious meals fit for Kings.

Just after 6pm, Rosalinda arrived in the Baker household.

"Oh my goodness, you are welcome Rosalinda. You look so pretty." Mrs Baker welcomed her warmly. Mr Baker also came to welcome her.

"We have been looking forward to seeing you Rosalinda. We are so glad you're here." He welcomed her and she smiled.

"My Dear, tell the cook that our visitor is here. She should set the table immediately." Mr Baker said as Mrs Baker hurriedly went to the kitchen to alert the cook. She also went to Henry's room and asked him to come down for dinner.

"Make sure you behave yourself. Please don't allow any error." She warned him and he said nothing. He just got himself dressed and went downstairs to meet with Rosalinda.

"Oh Henry, you're here." His father said joyfully after sighting him. He was happy about the fact that Henry seemed to be following their instructions lately.

"Come and welcome our honorable guest, Rosalinda." He told him and Henry gave her a warm welcome.

"You are welcome Miss." He said, not making any effort to sit beside her. His father was watching all that was happening and he spoke up.

"If I were you, I would have sat beside this beautiful damsel. I can see that you're shy of her."

He said and Rosalinda smiled. Mr Baker was glad that she had smiled.

"Okay, the table is set now. Mrs Baker said and the family walked to the table. Henry pulled a chair for Rosalinda to sit down and his parents were happy about it. He had however done that so they wouldn't keep looking at him with angry eyes. He hated it whenever they looked at him, expecting that he'd do something.

They began eating when Sonia came in. She had been at the city's library reading. She just wanted to avoid the Bakers and had been thinking they would have retired to their rooms by now. She was surprised to see that they were seated behind the dining table. She could also see that they had a visitor. She knew they had seen her and if it weren't for the visitor, she would have gone straight to her room.

"Oh Sonia, you're here. Come and say hello to our visitor." Mrs Baker said, getting Sonia confused. She suddenly remembered Seth's words and knew that she had to just play along.

She went to the table and greeted them. She also welcomed Rosalinda.

Henry was looking at her again, and it was so obvious to everyone; even to Rosalinda.

"Oh, this is my personal maid. She's called Sonia." Mrs Baker told Rosalinda.

"Sonia, meet Rosalinda. She's the Governor's daughter." Mrs Baker added and everything Seth had said, suddenly began to make sense to Sonia.

"Hello Rosalinda, it's nice meeting you." She said to her.

"It's nice meeting you too maid." Rosalinda responded and Henry gaped at her in astonishment. He couldn't believe Rosalinda had addressed Sonia in that manner. Even if his mother had called her maid, must she also say that?

"Errmm Sonia, you can join us for dinner. Come and have a seat." Henry offered and his parents looked at him with perplexed looks. How could he do that? Sonia saw the looks of disapproval on her boss's face and quickly declined.

"I have already eaten and I'm full. I'll be in my room." She lied and excused herself.

She had an interview the following morning and she wanted to have a focused mindset. She didn't want anything or anyone to distract her.

"Dear Lord, please grant me success as I go for this interview. Please." She prayed, and a still, small voice seemed to tell her: "Forgive Samuel."

She wondered if it was her mind that was speaking to her.

She ironed her clothes in preparation for the next day.

She went for the interview without informing anyone in the household. No one seemed to care about her and she didn't want them to know either.

"Well, Miss Sonia Adams, I'm glad to let you know that you have been granted the job as our Court Secretary."

The man who had interviewed her said. He was so impressed with her performance and he immediately decided to offer her the job.

"Waooo, I can't believe this. Thank you, Sir." Sonia expressed her appreciation.

"That's okay." The man responded.

"We have apartments which we give out to our employees. You are entitled to an apartment and a car."

He told her and she was grateful. Getting an apartment had been one of her headaches and now she had gotten a solution.

After returning home, she decided to pack her belongings and bid the Bakers farewell. She had had enough and she decided to start life afresh on her own.

"Let's keep in touch when you go." Seth told her.

The Bakers were glad that she was leaving. She had been an obstacle in their way. However to Sonia, she was glad that she was independent now. She expressed her appreciation to the Bakers for their show of love and their care during her stay. She looked forward to a brighter future ahead.