RESILIENT HEARTS

CHAPTER FOUR

After breakfast, I had my bath and changed into a casual brown two piece vest and knickers and came to the sitting room and met Nora, she was cleaning the sitting room.

“Good Morning Nora” I greeted her sitting at the side she's cleaned and dried.

“Good Morning Miss Jasmine, how’re you doing?” she asked all smiles.

She’s a young woman in her early thirties.

“ I’m well and you?” I asked.

“ I’m doing great, Miss” she replied.

“How’s your husband doing?” I asked again.

“ He’s fine” she replied.

My phone vibrated and picked it up to see Nicky calling.

“Hey, Good Morning bro” I greeted happily.

“How’re you doing baby” he asked I guessed he was smiling.

“I’m well bro, you?”.

“I’m okay, how’s Celine?”.

“She’s fine, how’s Maureen?”.

“She’s good, can you come over to the family house?, May and I came visiting, we’ll be going back tomorrow” he asked.

“of course bro, but I’ll go back today cause Celine and I have somewhere to be in the evening “ I told him.

“Its fine dear, just come over I need to see you” he requested.

“ No problem, I’ll be there very soon, Celine will drive me” I told him.

“See you soon dear” he said and hanged up.

Celine was already seated there, she was on a black romper and tied her hair with a brown hair scarf.

“Nicky called, he said he’s at the family house with May and they want to see me” I told Celine.

“Okay, I can tag along right?, cause I don't want to stay here all alone” Celine said almost pleading.

“Yes of course, as a matter of fact, I told him you’d be driving me” I said to her.

“That’s even much better, but we’ll return early to get ready for the party” Celine reminded.

“Yes, the party, I didn’t forget at all”. We went back to our rooms and changed into more suitable dresses, at the time I came out Celine was already waiting for me, she was on a black long sleeved gown while I was on a purple sleeveless gown.

“Nora, please make dinner before leaving just in case we didn’t return early, okay?” she instructed Nora and we left.

The drive from Celine’s to our family house was about 45 minutes plus the traffic on the road.

On getting to our house, I could already sight Nicky’s metallic blue Nissan car.

He got it recently after hitting a big contract.

I’m very happy for him because things has been going on well for him and his wife and soon enough he will launch his own pharmaceutical brand.

His wife Maureen is also a very supportive one, she’s an event planner and she also has her own hair brand.

She’s about 27 years of age.

Celine parked her car beside Nicky’s and we got in.

“Here she is!!” Maureen screamed and rushed over to engulf me in a tight hug.

She’s such a sweet soul.

“Good Morning May, you’re really glowing” I complimented her.

“Its all thanks to your brother’s love” she blushed.

“I could see that” I joked.

“How’re you fairing my dear?” she asked in a caring tone.

“I thank God for everything though” I replied and went over to greet my brother and parents.

“How are you doing Celine?” Maureen asked hugging her too.

“I’m well, and you, well I don’t need to ask cause it’s written all over you” Celine joked and we all laughed.

“its been a while, Celine, hope all is well” Nicky said while embracing her.

“I’m doing great, you don’t look bad yourself anyways” Celine complimented and proceeded to greet my parents.

“Cel, how was your night?” Mummy asked.

“We had a good night rest” she replied all smiles.

“You just kept my baby away from me” Mummy joked.

“Come on mummy, it was high time she left, and it happened” Celine replied smiling.

“ How’re you doing, daddy?” I asked as I sat close to my daddy.

“I’m well my daughter, at least I’m much better than yesterday” he replied.

“You’ll get better okay?” I said to him.

As I turned around, Maureen approached me with a very big shopping bag.

“Have this it’s a little stuff I got for you” she said and I took the bag from her happily.

“You’re joking right?, A little stuff you call this?” I said and embraced her.

You know at times when I look around me and see people around me I forget most of my worries and problems, my parents, my brother and his wife, Celine, her boyfriend and her family, like it’s so much for just one person. I receive gifts now and then from them, even on days that aren’t my birthday, I can’t even remember the last time I went shopping for dresses, footwear or even bags, accessories and wigs.

“Thank you very much May, God bless you”I prayed.

“Amen dear, and you too, and this is for you too Cel” she said handing Celine a smaller shopping bag.

“Oh, Thanks May” Celine said and collected the bag.

“So now, let’s go have breakfast or brunch anything you’d call it” Maureen said ushering us to the dinning room.

. We all sat at the dinning room to savor May’s delicious meal of stir fry spaghetti with French salad and steamed chicken.

The meal tasted so good, we ate and made merry.

After the meal, I helped May clear the table and do the dishes.

She already bought food stuffs to make sauces and soups for my parents.

I also aided her to prepare them and store them in the freezer.

We later joined the others at the sitting room to see movies.

It was a really good time and for once my dad felt genuinely happy, ever since he was diagnosed with the heart disease he’s been all locked up and cold but today I could see he was really happy, at least what more could he ask for, he has a very successful and industrious son who is happily married to a woman as sweet and kind as Maureen.

Whenever she came visiting, even when they were still dating, she’d clean the whole house, make food for us and do the laundry.

At first, I thought she was just seeking validation, but I later realized that she is just like that, because you know one can't hide in their shell for long before they show their true colors.

She’d get gifts for mummy, daddy and myself and when she found out how close I was with Celine and she was always here like almost all the time she started getting her gifts too.

One wouldn’t believe that a very rich woman like herself could be this humble.

I guess God made her specially for our family.

She’s from a rich family of four siblings and she’s the third, her parents are late, she has two elder brothers and a younger one.

She’s the only daughter, her first two brothers are Medical doctors while the last is an Architect.

When it was almost 5 pm, I went to my room with Celine to pack my stuff and get going.

“Girl, I can never get enough of your sister-in-law, she’s too sweet abeg” Celine complimented the second we got to my room.

“I too can’t get enough of her, I’m really happy for Nicky” I said whilst folding my dresses in the wardrobe.

“If only Mark’s wife was half as sweet as May I wouldn’t even complain” Celine lamented.

Mark is her second elder brother, he got married two years earlier, and she’s been complaining about how his wife won’t help with anything, whenever they travelled to their hometown.

“You know everyone can’t be the same, you just have to accept her the way she is, I know she can’t be that bad” I tried to make her see reasons.

“Very true dear, but girl, your sister-in-law gifted me and this is not the first time, I can’t recall the last time my sisters-in-law gave me anything” she came again.

“Well, that’s because they know you’re loaded and do not need their gifts” I told her laughing.

“But I should at least be enjoying last born privileges, I have two sisters-in-law and two brothers in-law still I rarely get gifts from them except on my birthday, that’s if they remember” she said.

“ You’re a successful last born, have that in mind” I told her.

A knock was heard on the door and I guessed it was mummy “Come in” I said and the door opened slightly but it was May.

“Hope I’m not interrupting?” she asked gently.

“No, not at all” came Celine and I at the same time.

“Okay” she said and sat by the bed.

“Nicky told me everything that happened and how you couldn’t get your job back, I’m really sorry about that” she said calmly.

“ No problem, it’s fine, I’m just hoping on God” I told her.

“ So dear, you really want an office job that relates to your course of study right?” she asked.

She put it that way because Nicky has a countless time asked me to come work with him while he pays me handsomely, after I told him the amount I earn in a month, but I refused because I wanted something that’s related to my course.

“Yes” I replied “I’ll see what I can do for you okay?, by next week hopefully” she assured.

“Thank you very much May” “You are welcome” she said and left.

“Gosh, can you imagine that, God of sisters-in-law, locate me nah” Celine said and I laughed heartily.

“You’re just hilarious, Cel” I told her.

After packing my dresses, they were about two boxes and the other ones still remaining so I had to just fold them and leave them in the wardrobe.

Celine helped me with one and I took the other one and headed for the sitting room.