Chapter 3
1112 Words
"That must be my husband. I think he's back. Excuse me" Mrs Margaret said, immediately she heard the sound of the horn.
Betty grabbed the chair and slowly rolled her down the stairs while Jully leaned close to the wall and watched them keenly.
While the whole family sat at dinner. Jully was invited to join them. It was the first time she was eating with a family after leaving home.
The setting of the dinning table reminded of her of the Tony's. Everyone played and made jokes during dinner It wasn't an acceptable table manner but, they didn't mind. The Tony's made and broke a lot of rules when it comes to family. She remembered Mike and how they rubbed and threw food on each other. The family would give out a loud laugh except Mrs Lilian Tony who was bothered about them not eating anything. She loved their play and jokes but would not have them play with their stomach.
She would always say
"Food should always be given its own time. You can continue with whatever you think is important after that"
" Yes Mama" the whole family would chorus including their Father, Mr Tony Roberts Lindon.
Mr Tim Adam watched Jully with a concerned look and wondered if she was okay.
She has been staring at the food since she got to the table.
Mr Tim Adams coughed in order to alert her of their presence.
"Are you okay, My dear" Mrs Margaret asked
" Yes Ma'am. Sure. Thanks for inviting me to dinner" She said and gently sat down on her sat.
Betty opened the plates and sumptuous meals greeted their sight.
The sight of Jully's favorite meal made her stomach dance for Joy. Baked fish, butter sauce with rice and tomato soup.
She dished her own food and began to devour it hungrily.
For some minutes, they all ate in silence before Mrs Margaret chose to break it.
" Mr Tim, Chris... Pls meet, Nurse Juliana Evernear"
Mr Tim warmly welcomed her. But, Chris took a quick glance at her and muttered faintly
"You're Welcome, Nurse"
She didn't know if she should appreciate his kind words or eat her food quietly. But, after some hesitation she chose the former.
"Mum, thank you for the food. I will be in my room" Christopher Adams blurted out
"But, you've not eaten enough dear"
" I have Mum. I need to get some rest" He stood up, pushed back his chair and climped up the stairs to his room.
"Why won't this boy take his time to eat. Just why"? She worriedly asked
" It's okay Honey. I believe he has eaten to his fill or maybe he ate at a restaurant"
Mr Tim Adams assured her.
Chris and Jully's coldness towards each other grew by the day. He was always busy at work and seemed not to notice her. She on the other hand, was always busy taking care of Mrs Adams health.
It was a job she had great passion for but it irked her badly that she wasn't caring for people in a more professional place like a hospital or a health Care centre.
She noticed Mr Adams travelled more than he stayed at home and felt his frequent absence somehow contributed to Mrs Adams illness.
She also thought of Chris busy-ness at the office and found more convincing reasons to stay and take care of her for the time being.
"Jully, can I ask you something"?
"Sure Ma'am"
"Are your parents controlling? I mean, when children seek to create and live their own life, sometimes it's because they want to see the world in a different perspective from the way they've been made to see it"
" Not really. I came from a very loving home. My parents are really good people. But, sometimes people just decide to choose their own path"
Mrs Adams smiled and assured her of her support and a listening ear if she ever needs guidance
"You're very a very confident woman. I like that about you" Jully face beamed with smiles at Mrs Adams compliments.
Jully loves her conversations with Mrs Adams and wished it wouldn't stop.
Jully and Mrs Adams were sitted at the garden. She told her beautiful stories on how the garden came to be and how she met Mr Adams.
"He was such a perfect Man. It was love at first sight even though I had never believed that such things exist" She laughed
" You know, I was a tough and ambitious woman. All I wanted to do was to chase my dreams and live my life to the fullest. I knew who and what I wanted to be and to be honest..." She brought her hand closer to her ears and whispered
"Family was the last thing on my mind" Jully Chuckled
She found it funny that a woman who has so much love for her son and her husband never wanted to raise a family at some point in her life.
The stories were so relatable. Whether she wants to start a family or not is one thing she wasn't sure of.
Mrs Adams continued her story
"You know, he won my heart with his support. He was so passionate about helping me achieve my dreams. He saw something in me that no one else saw"
While she was still speaking, Jully noticed that her countenance had changed. She didn't know why, but somehow wished she could understand the reason behind her mood. After much hesitation, she gathered the courage to ask why she felt bad when she got to that part of the story.
"What happened Ma'am"?
Mrs Adams sighed and placed a finger on her forehead with her eyes halfly closed.
"I feel like he's a changed man. A lot has changed after I got sick. You know, the trips he embarks on...we used to do it together. I feel so trapped here. I feel like it's my fault that he changed"
She bent her head over, avoiding an eye contact with Jully.
Jully who already had tears in her eyes, squatted and grabbed her chair firmly. She brought her mouth closer to Mrs Adams ears and whispered
"You're the strongest woman I know"
Mrs Adams raised her face up and smiled.
"My son, will be needing the services of a qualified Nurse at the company. When he mentioned it last night... I told him you would be the best person for the job" Mrs Margaret Adams said
Jully's face brightened up and she smiled
She just cannot wait...
Finally a life at a work environment begins. But, with her son?
- Writer
