Deborah's Eric

chapter seven

Chapter seven

Though Eric was not in support of the idea of a house help,but considering my condition, his mother and conditions attached to his work, he had no option than to welcome the idea.

We both agreed on the house help to leave three months after when I might have deliver my baby.

Looking for a house mad was not an easy task for me. No show up to apply for the job three good weeks that I placed the notice at gate outside. Aghata suggested that we should go and see her aunt who is doing nothing at home, she said the woman once asked her to look for kind job for her. To me having an elderly person working for me I wouldn't have welcome the idea, imagine sending her up and down, someone that can even be old enough to be my mother in the name of job, but now that no one show interest for the job, I have no option than to accept whoever I see. On reaching her aunt house, she was not home so we decided to take our leave but her daughter said she will soon be back, so we had to wait for her.

We waited close to half an hour before she came, we told her the aims of our visit to her but she said she is no longer interested, because she had been offered a job at the local government secretariat, her job is to sweeps some offices there, so she can't cope with the one am about to offer her.

We are about to shout the door,when we had a call, it was Belema, the woman's daughter, the same person that welcomed us earlier. I can do the house mad work, she said. She is currently doing anything at home, she is done with her secondary school but she have not gotten admission to further her educations yet. She will do the job pending when she will gain the admission into the higher institution. So I offered her the job. Belema was about seventeen years old.

She resumed work the next day,I tested her in so many ways and indeed she is good for the job.

She always come early in the morning and returned home after finishing her house chores in the evening, sometime if she finished her work early she do leave around 5:pm or thereabouts.

Belema is a kind, obedient and respectful girl, she don't wait for instructions before doing what she had to do, if she see something that she needed to do, she will do that before I sometimes noticed it. That make me to see her beyond just a house mad, I must say she is hardworking. I can't tell if her mother can do better than her if she is the one employed.

My mother in-law like her and enjoyed her meal she confessed.

I was surprised the day Belema presented to me a weekly feeding time table seeking for my approval. What I failed to do over the years. She said the time table is to reduce the stress of thinking of what to cook everyday. I approved her time table just that I did a little adjustments in the feeding combinations. The time table is actually of a good help to me and to her as well,because it enabled her to know what to cook even for the whole week,so if she needed any ingredients to cook in the next day and if it's has finished in the store,she will buy it before coming to work in the next day, not that she will come before going back to look for it to buy.

Belema hard work and kind gesture made me to take her as part of my family, I made her feel at home and comfortable. I paid her more than the agreed amount and her salary had not been delayed. Sometime I paid her a week ahead before month ends,because I understood that someone who do anything for you to be paid, do that because of a conditions around him or her, and no matter amount you give her can not be compared to the services render to you, and so such person shouldn't be delayed of there hard end money.

Belema closeness to my family turned to be a hard moment to me in the other way that I was not aware of. A neighbor once complained to me of seeing Eric and Belema together at the late hour she said, she suspected them of having an affairs, but I do not gave her a listening ears,all my thoughts was that it's just a normal family friendship we had with Belema and I don't see anything there to be jealous at. What will Eric possible see in that small girl to attract him I said and I forgot about it.

But as time goes on, the complains were too much,they were coming from different angles,so i started suspecting something.I wanted to confront the girl but how can I? I don't have an evidence. so I decided to report it to my mother in-law even though still I don't believe my husband can do such a thing to me. But still I was more afraid if it's true that something is actually happening between the two. I remembered, I was warned to have enough rest because of my child so let my mother in-law handle it, what ever it may be I trust her for that justice.

Eric returned home and swear that he had nothing to do with the girl after being confronted by his mother so I believed him.

Because of that no one bother confronting the girl again.

One month later,Belema stopped coming to work,so I decided to and find out what the problems is. I went two different occasion but I didn't see her at home. So I decided not to go the third time. days later, Belema mother came asking of Eric while he was at work. I asked her if any thing the matter. She didn't respond rather she asked if my mother in-law is at home, so she could see her,I directed her to where she was, they spent close to an hour discussing before she left. thought I have no idea of what they discussed.

My mother in-law later informed me that Belema is pregnant and she claim Eric is responsible for her pregnancy, the woman said. I felt as if the sky has fallen on top my head but I controlled myself not to let my mother in-law notice about it because she will be worried that I may hut my unborn child if I act otherwise.

Eric returned home in the evening and heard the story but he couldn't denied it. He rather bursted in tears and he was apologizing to me but still I don't understood him clearly, I was expecting him to denied the pregnancy but he said he did. He said it wasn't intentional and he can't actually tell what lead to the affairs they had. He was suspicious that Belema use charm on him. I don't know what to say or to do,rather looking nervous and lost.

One thing that prompt me to believed my husband is that even when we were on courtship, he didn't cheat, so why must it be now that we are married expecting a baby? It's maybe true Belema used charm on him as he accused her so I forgive him and the Belema as well even though the pain is still inching me deeply.

I gave him the go ahead of taking the responsibilities of his did but he must not marry the girl. These are my words.