A mother
1495 Words
When Ethel woke up the morning after her wedding, she was alone in bed. Her husband was gone and all he had left behind was a note saying he had some things to attend to urgently.
He assigned guards to protect her every day and a driver to take her everywhere.
She did not know why she needed guards. Ethel realised she knew almost next to nothing about the man she had just married.
She left the hotel and headed to June's house.
Upon her arrival, Ethel noticed people she met along the way were treating her differently. Almost fearfully and respectfully in some cases.
She knew there was something she was not aware of and intended to get the answers out of June.
June was not home. Ethel called her and June told her to find her at the new building next to the mall ten minutes away.
When Ethel got there June was waiting for her outside and she said "Tadaaa..." arms spread wide open and pointing at the building.
"What's this?" Ethel asked looking around. It was a beautiful beautiful. Very tall, and covered in blue glass.
"Look at the fourth floor " June pointed.
Ethel saw it then, a sign that read "Magical transformatins cosmetic surgery hospital. "
Ethel gasped and covered her mouth. Then she screamed "Oh my God!".
"When did you do this June?"
"I didn't. Your husband did."
"Adriel did this!"....Ethel's eyes opened wide in shock.
"Yup. " June said. He started working on it while you were running around preparing for the wedding. "
Ethel folded her fingers into a fist and punched June on the arm.
"How could you not tell me?".
"He said it was a surprise. Let's go in. It looks even better on the inside. "
While they toured the hospital June kept looking over Ethel. She even checked her neck and sniffed her.
"What are you doing?" Ethel asked.
"Just checking for something. " June said.
"You should be more specific. "
"Did you have s*x with Adriel?" June blurted out.
Ethel looked at June with a horrified face. " How can you ask me that in public? The guards can here us."
"Ignore your guards just tell me what you did."
"I will tell you later when we are alone." Ethel replied and hurriedly walked away.
"Well I hope you have don't have any urgent honeymoon plans because you have patients lined up from tomorrow."
"Already. " Ethel looked excited.
"Yes." June laughed. "I think we had both forgotten just how famous of a doctor you are."
"I opened up an online page for us, included your picture and address for the hospital and we have up to ten people booked for this week already ." June was very happy as she said this.
"How much are we paying in rent ?" Ethel asked her.
"Ten thousand a month. "
"What!" Ethel's jaw almost dropped to the ground .
"That's too little for a place like this. What's the catch?"
"No catch. " June said and patted Ethel's shoulder.
"You just married the owner of the building. Congratulations land lady."
"This building belongs to Adriel." Ethel said.
"Just how much of this city does he own?" She asked June.
"Well the mall over there belongs to him as well." June said.
"Just so you know, from now on you are covering the bill when we go out little rich lady."
"It's his money not mine." Ethel reminded her.
"We should go home. I have to prepare if we are to start working tomorrow. Ethel turned around heading to the car.
"About that," June said. "All your things have been sent to Adriel's house. "
"Of course they have." Ethel replied softly.
"See you later June. Better yet, come by the house tonight. Maybe we can talk about my wedding night. " Ethel laughed and left.
Ethel did not need to tell the driver where she was heading. He drove her to the house which was off a small dirt road. It was a big magnificent house surrounded by trees.
" Not the woods." Ethel said with a horrified look on her face.
When the car stopped, she stepped out with her legs shivering.
Someone opened the door to the house. It was a woman in her fifties or forties.
"Welcome mistress, she said politely."
"Who are you ?" Ethel asked.
"I am Sara. I am your house keeper. I do all the cleaning, laundry and cooking. You look tired, I will show you to the rooms upstairs. "
Sara was cheerful. Ethel was still horrified however.
" Great." She said.
Stuck in the woods with a stranger she thought to herself.
The room Sara showed her looked to be occupied by someone else.
"This is the main bedroom. You and the master will be sleeping here."
The room was masculine. It smelled like Adriel. Ethel clearly remembered what Adriel smelled like.
The walls were black, grey and mostly bare.
There was only one painting of a midnight black wolf.
Ethel saw that her bags had been unpacked, clothes hung up in the closet neatly next to Adriel's.
Ethel wanted to change a room but she remembered they needed to appear as a normal couple who got married because they were in love.
" Where is Kai's bedroom?" She asked.
Sara led her to a room right next door.
"It's this one." She said
The room was painted white. the walls were bare. There were no paintings on the wall or toys on the ground. This was not what Ethel pictured.
"This is not what a child's bedroom should look like." She said.
" When does Kai sleep over?" She asked.
" He has only been over a few nights." Sara answered.
Ethel had always taken her responsibilities seriously. Adriel had married her because Kai needed a mother and she was certainly going to fulfil her role.
She knew Melinda was bringing Kai over in the evening so she made plans to take him shopping.
Time passed while Ethel arranged her belongings and her schedule. She did not believe in wasting time.
At around four o'clock in the evening Sara knocked on the door and told her Melinda had arrived.
She had Kai and a small suitcase along with him.
"Ethel honey, you look lovely. " Melinda came close and hugged her.
" Thank you Mrs.Wang."
"Don't be ridiculous, call me mother. You are married to my son and that makes you my daughter. "
Ethel smiled and said " Yes mother, I will."
"How are you liking the house?"
"It's a little lonely to be honest. " Ethel replied.
"Don't worry I have brought you some company. " Melinda said and handed Kai over to her.
After a ten to fifteen minute conversation Melinda left.
Ethel and Kai were left in the living room alone. He stared her with those big green eyes and she was filled with love in her heart.
She picked him up and hugged him.
"You are such a cute, little precious thing."
Ethel reached into her pocket and took out a lollipop.
" Do you want this?" She asked.
Kai nodded and accepted the sweet.
She carried Kai out and asked the driver to send them to the mall.
" We are going to decorate your room sweetheart. You can pick anything you want. "
For a boy who did not say much Kai was very much aware of what he wanted.
He picked out blue toys, blue stickers, blue pyjamas. Clearly his favourite colour was blue.
When Ethel tried to buy him yellow pyjamas he said in a small voice while shaking his head "No."
These were the first words Kai was saying to Ethel from the first moment she had met him.
She was so excited she almost bought every blue item in the toddlers section of the mall.
She even called June and told her Kai had finally spoken to her.
When they got home, she personally fed Kai, played with him, bathed him and put him to bed.
Ethel realised she was lonely. The house was roo quiet, June had not been able to come over.
She started to miss Adriel. If he were here he would be annoying me but at least I would have someone to talk to.
She picked up her phone and called him.
"Hello."
Ethel did not respond for a while.
"Hello," the voice called again. " Ethel are you there."
Ethel finally responded " Yes." and said nothing else.
"Well, re you going to say anything else?" he asked.
"When are you coming back?" She asked.
"In a week's time. " He said.
"Are you missing me?" he asked.
Ethel did not respond to that question.
"So you are not going to say it, huh?"
"I was just checking on you." Ethel denied. She did not notice that she was smiling sweetly as she said this.
- Writer
