The Enemy Within

New Beginnings

It was Natalie's first year birthday and Nathaniel and Maya were so excited about it. Maya was so happy that she and her children were doing well despite the ordeals of the previous months.

She was able to get a job as a math teacher at Nathaniel's new school and also got a part time job working in a farm warehouse helping them organize and record their produces.

She was really happy in this new town because everyone was so kind and helpful, she had neighbors helping her out all the time with fetching water or running errands.

the farm she worked at always gave her fresh vegetables and fruits for her and the kids.

Maya decided to take the kids to the town's supermarket to celebrate Natalie since there were no fun parks around.

Getting to the supermarket, she met a crowd of people outside. Maya wondered what was happening and decided to ask questions.

"Excuse me ma, why is it so crowded here today?" Maya questioned one of the elderly ladies in the crowd.

"Mr Jason is coming today which means free stuff for a lot of people" the elderly replied excitedly.

Maya wondered who Jason was and why a lot of people were expecting his arrival.

Not willing to join the crowd, she turned to leave but Nathaniel didn't want to, he wanted to get the new toy his mom had promised him earlier.

Maya tried to pacify him but Nathaniel didn't want to listen, he sat on the floor not interested in going home till he got his toy.

"You know you should let the young man get his toy" a strange man said to Maya, she lifted her head to look at him and was stunned by his handsome appearance and excellent physique.

Asides in movies, she hasn't seen anyone this handsome, dressed in a simple polo and jeans with a dark shade and face cap like he was trying to hide his identity, she could still tell how handsome he is, she was lost for words and didn't know what to say to him.

"Hi, I'm J" the strange man stretched his hand to give her a handshake.

"Hi, I'm J, I'm sorry Maya, I'm Maya" Maya replied trying to regain her composure.

"yeah I have been told I have such effect on people" he replied sweetly.

"hi champ, what your name?" J bent over to Nathaniel messing with his hair.

"stop doing that!" Nathaniel shouted removing J’s hand from his hair.

" I'm sorry big man, what your name?" J asked smiling.

" I'm Nathaniel" Nathaniel answered J.

"what's he doing on the floor ?" J inquired of Maya.

" I promised to get him and his sister toys today but I got here and met this huge crowd. There's no way I would allow my children to go in there so I decided to go home but Nathaniel wouldn't leave without his new toy" Maya explained

"Oh I see, I can help with that, I know some other way we can get into the store" J replied, Maya narrowed her brows contemplating if it would be wise to go with him and agreed to follow him.

J picked Nathaniel up and went round the supermarket, Maya was surprised to see another entrance into the supermarket but what surprised her more was how the security guards opened the door immediately J took off his glasses.

"You must be really popular around here" Maya said to him but he shrugged it off.

"What's with the crowd anyway, they're all waiting for one Jason guy, you know him?" Maya asked as they walked to the toys department.

"Uhmm, no I don't" he answered as he looked at some building blocks.

He picked some toys and Maya allowed Nathaniel pick one toy then picked a music box for Natalie.

J offered to pay when they got to the counter but Maya disagreed stating that he had already been so helpful to them but he insisted and Maya let him have his way.

"I can take you home" J offered but Maya disagreed and stayed on her decision this time, he had been helpful but letting him know the house she lived in with her kids was something she couldn't risk, he was a stranger, kind but still a stranger.

She thanked him for his help and he handed all the toys he picked to her explaining to her that he chose them for her children. Nathaniel was so excited that Maya couldn't dare refuse.

She decided to buy a cake with the money she had budgeted for toys and Nathaniel kept on singing a birthday song to Natalie throughout their way home.

Maya got to the farm the next day and found everyone so busy organizing everything. She asked what was going on and they told her they were expecting someone special and she got to find out that they were expecting the same Jason she heard of yesterday.

He was a partner in the farm business and a major shareholder so they needed to organize everything upon his arrival. According to Ma Kate, the farm manager, he was going to sign a cheque for new farm tools and equipment that would allow the smooth flow of production.

Maya saw how excited the ladies in the farm were to see Mr Jason but she wasn't interested in meeting him, she didn't know why she didn't like him even if she hadn't met him maybe because he disrupted her activities the previous day and he must be arrogant to keep people waiting for him like that.

"You know I heard Mr Jason is still single" Ma Kate said to Maya while they were moving some produces to the warehouse.

"Good for him" Maya replied not interested in the conversation.

"You never can tell, he might like you darling" Ma Kate pressed on prompting a laugh from Maya.

"stop it ma, I'm a mother of two children and a victim of a scam marriage, I'm not really a man's idea of a suitable wife" Maya replied.

"I wish you see yourself the way I see you Maya" Ma Kate said to Maya holding her hands, they were distracted by the number of people running to the entrance of the farm.

"He is here" Ma Kate announced excitedly.

"Come, come. We must go greet him" she said dragging Maya out of the warehouse.

Maya couldn't see him clearly because of people blocking her vision so she decided to go back to the warehouse, trying to push past the crowd to move back, she fell to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Mr Jason asked her immediately he got to her stretching out a hand to her.

"it's you?" Maya asked immediately she recognized him.

Pushing his hand away and refusing his help, she stood up and walked past him leaving the others confused.