Chapter Twenty–nine: After the Dinner
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Chapter Twenty–nine: After the Dinner
“Thank you,” I responded with a warm sinile at her after she had settled on the seat.
I turned to Thomas‘ aunt and gasped “hello“, Before turning to the wine glass in front of me.
“Hello,” She responded so indifferently that I was crushed. I did not dare look at her again. And yet. our hands would touch involuntarily when we both wanted to pick up the same wine glass or a piece of silvery utensil.
“Hey! Regina.” Williams rested his hands on shoulders.
Gosh! I hated it when he did that.
It’s been over a decade since I had seen him and he still hasn’t changed a bit. Whenever I and Thomas hung out, I always ended with a migraine after I had constantly held my face in a smile.
I surely wasn’t ready for any of that, not the constant tease and lame compliments Williams would. say whenever I walked into the room. With his droopy dead eyes like that of a basset hound bulldog. And his smile revealed his dentition. He was the goofball that enjoyed clowning around. When I had first seen him on the day Thomas had asked me to marry him he had given me a first impression of an aloof person. His frivolous conduct had made me turn him down several times when he asked me
to the dance several times that night.
I jerked bit and smiled at him for a while.
Hey Williams, it’s been a while.”
“Yeah, Thomas stole you away from everyone.”
“Yeah but I’m not married to Thomas anymore and you know that. And I’m engaged to someone else.”
I was distracted from the beeping on my phone a text came through from Evans.
Hey baby, I finished the surgery quite earlier than I expected. I would make it just in time to take your home. Send me the address. I am driving down now.
My mood enlightened up as soon as I saw the message, at least they would get to see Evans and know.
that he is real.
“Alright, Regina is here now. Let’s begin to eat but first we need to share the grace before we eat. Thomas‘ aunt said, smiling at everyone. Williams grabbed my hands in his. He had masculine hands, I could feel the rough lines on his hands and his extended long fingers. I faced the lady beside me avoiding her eyes and slowly held her hands by my side. I felt the raised strong veins in the back of her palm, buried in her weak aging flesh. We rose up and closed our eyes as she blessed the meal. Dinner was brief, I spent most of it sipping from a glass of water which I later replaced with a glass of
wine.
Most of the time, I heard Williams’s voice, a baritone, low resonant voice. It was masculine and
Chunter Twenty–nimic. After the Dinner-
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dominant among other voices. I heard him laugh as the echoes of his laughter shook my stapes continuously. Sometimes he would grab me by my shoulders while laughing at his jokes or hit my back when gesticulating. The more he would hit me, the more I felt I wanted the dinner to be over. I wanted to be able to feel my back again and I wanted to be in a more quiet place so that my stapes. could finally stop vibrating.
Finally, dinner was over, I was the first to walk out of the table, after I had echoed the final amen.
“Are you ready to go now ma’am?” I jerked from her streams of thoughts from the impact of Ana’s
cool voice.
“Oh yeah, the Queen’s treatment.” I nearly forgot about it.
“No, I’m not at the moment, just stick along a little longer.
“Okay ma’am,” Anna, still in her black and white outfit, walked out into the darkness.
I leaned backwards, placing my back on the soft sofa chair. Moving her eyes around the living room. I was the only one obviously not paired at the moment. She watched everyone; one hand clutched to the wine glass and the other gesticulating as they spoke. I watched their lips smack and widen in smiles. The red lipstick stained their glasses as they sipped from it. The wrinkles underneath their eyes. I watched as the cool wind from the large windows nudged their hairs that rested on their sides. I saw Williams in a corner with his hands tucked in his sides pockets laughing out loud. I could still hear his laughter. His laughter was like a boisterous sound birthed from joy.
“Hey, Regina.” Angela said, walking over to me with two cups of bubbling wine. She handed one glass to me and watched me sip from it.
“Hmm great wine“. She said, smacking the rims of her lips together.”
“I know right?” Have you spoken to him yet?”
“Who do you speak of?”
“Thomas?”
“And why would I want to do that? I didn’t come here for him.”
“But you just had dinner with him and his family.”
“It’s more like a farewell dinner and Evans is cool with it. By the way, I got a text from Evans, he is on the way here. I wonder why he hasn’t arrived yet.
Just then, I held a look over her shoulders for a while as she noticed.
“What are you smiling at?” She asked, looking backwards.
“Oh I see.” Evans walked in but he was caught in between the elderly as he talked to them.
“Talk to you later girl, I need to go get my man.”
swe
Evans and I became the talk of the people from time to time. I would catch Thomas‘ eyes on us as we displayed our love publicly.
Chapter Twenty–nine. After the Dinner
“Take me out of here,” I whispered and he married me off my feet in his arms as he led me towards.
the car.
“Anna please take the car home, I would be going with Evans.”
“Okay, ma’am.”
“I see you finally got an assistant.”
“Just one,
still getting used to being driven around by someone that’s not me.”
“I understand but with time, you’ll get used to it. How did the dinner go? I’m sorry I missed most of
it.”
“At least you came, thank you for coming.”
“Anything for you.
“I think I have a secret admirer, Evans.”
“Wow!”
“Yes, I have been getting these letters, gifts and text messages anonymously. I even got a love note today. Anna brought it in with the dresses you sent. She said a mail guy gave it to her.
Really? Can I take a look at it?”
“Yeah, I brought it here with me.” I handed over the piece of written note to Evans and watched as he moved his eyes with each word.
