FOREVER MINE.

Chapter Twenty-one

After a relatively long time without Jina appearing, the visitors considered taking their leave.  Melissa and her sister who had been helping Esther out in the kitchen entered the living room and sat along with her. She was now remarkably in a chilly mood. It seems that her mother's call had soothed her.

"Richard," Mr Wabua said, his eyes scoping up the staircase. 

"It appears Jina has drifted into a nap. We'll come back to check on you some other brighter day," he smirked and held his wife's hand. Mrs Wabua rubbed it and strutted across to bid the girls goodbyes exchanging hugs with all of them. "Always treat one another as family, hm!" she said pleadingly as a reminder, shook hands with Richard and said, "It shall be well, my friend. To be honest, I am disappointed in Jina, but don't scold her heavily. You will know how peevish she can be. Show her the right way with the light of your love, hmh! We shouldn't encroach on your time any longer, go and retrieve the situation." She smirked, giving him a slight push.

Mr Wabua beckons the girls with his hands. They sprinted over and he hugged them with a smiling face and reckoned, 

" All of you deserve equal treatment. We are all God's children." He said stroking their hair.

"Yes, uncle, '' responded Melisa with vitality and tangled her younger sisters in her arms. Esther after a short time was all smiling again. With the company of her cousins and the Wabua's, she felt worthy again.

"Aye, Richard, all the best, '' Mr Wabua yelled as he waved goodbye, and the two headed out holding each other's waist.

Richard went over to the girls who had just turned on the screen to watch a fantasy fiction cartoon movie and distracted them.

With a broad smile and a clap of hands, he attracts their attention and reckons, 

" You should prepare dinner first. She must be feeling tired." He gestured upstairs to refer to Jina. 

"Dinner is ready, should I serve it now?" 

Richard snapped his eyes wide open and asked,

"Is that so? How did you do it so fast?"

"They did, not me, uncle." She said and motioned to Mercy and then Melisa in turn with an imposing grate. Richard was stunned. It was a great relief to know that they were harmonious and getting along progressively.

"Wow, I'm proud of you. You are such a bunch of three lovely bubbly angels." He chuckled after the flatterers.

" And you are the best dad ever," Melissa said and turned to the others as if demanding clarification from them. Richard felt delighted. They were honest. 

"If only Jina would have the same attitude!" He wished and stared at them with a glimmer on his face.

"So, dad…" Esther stopped feeling embarrassed. 

"Oh, no not again! Esther, you are always messing up." She thought and bit her fingers. Richard's heart leapt. The feeling of her calling him dad enthralled him. It thrilled him immeasurably. 

"How I wish you would say it again and again! He thought and his face shone.

The word slipped her mouth. She must have been carried away by the sudden overwhelming feeling towards Richard. He noticed that she shrunk at the mention of dad and snuggled over crouching in front of her. With a bright sparkle in his eyes, he held her hands and inquired, 

"Why did you stop? You didn't offend anyone." Briskly he turned to his daughters and asked,  "did she?"

"Not at all, dad."

 They responded at one go and flashed smiles.  Esther blushed and cowered.  Richard lifted her small face with his hand and spoke in an eloquent tone full of passion and pursued. 

"You can call me dad, hmm. It doesn't matter whether you are my daughter or not. To me, you will always be a part of me-us, Ok?

As for dinner, let's wait for a few minutes, alright?

 They conceded and he claimed upstairs with enthusiasm hoping to cheer up his wife. Suddenly he remembered something and swivelled to notify them,

"A delivery man is coming. Make sure to open for him  as soon as he arrives."

"Ok, dad. Melissa replied smirkingly. He walked with an aura of gait and entered the room.

Esther stared at him as his figure rescinded upstairs and her heart rejoiced. She adored and respected him so much. Working for him was an opportunity hard to come by and she was content with just calling him uncle though they weren't related by blood.

Mercy was intrigued and curious to know why all of a sudden there was an expected delivery. She quickly leapt off the chair. Peering through the open window she said, 

"I will go and wait for the man outside." Melissa gazed at her with a hawk eye and smirked.

"I will go with you." rejoined Esther springing into action. The two went out and waited at the balcony. It hadn't been long and the bell clinked. They were gripped with curiosity and ran in haste and peered through the hole, but there was no human form to be seen. Just a cloud of a bouquet of beautiful flowers whose sweet fragrance hit their noses. Esther sighed. The scent was replenishing to the soul.

"Hold on!" Mercy said to the invisible figure that was shadowed by flowers. She quickly opened it and they descried the short man with a bald patch in whose arms was a beautiful burden.

"Hey, Sir Richard sent for these." He spoke with briskness and handed them the flowers.

"I will now take my leave," he said politely and disappeared.

"Wow, how beautiful they look, ah!" Esther exclaimed, inhaling the enticing scent. 

"Seldom have I seen flowers as beautiful as these. They must have cost a lot, don't you think so?"

"Not really, just a reasonable amount. Once in a while, dad buys them for mom." She said and sniffed them and then noticed a small card inside. 

"I would like to know what the card entails.  She said and reached for it."

"No," Esther thwarted her. "It's not right to read people's letters. 

"Hurry!" Richard yelled at them with the signal of his hand. He was happy; so happy that he couldn't hide it. 

"Hurry up!" Esther pesters her as she fidgets, sticking the card to the flowers. 

"She's right. I shouldn't have attempted it. Esther is wiser than her age." She thought and peeked at her adoring her nature and character. 

As soon as Richard held the flowers, his eyes twinkled. 

"They are so beautiful. I hope Jina will like them. We must make up tonight. He muttered and ran upstairs with anxiety.