A WIFE FOR HIRE
Episode 9
By AMAH’S HEART
I walked into the gym house to find Tessy and Angie exercising, amidst loud sounds of laughter.
It was beautiful just standing there to watch them laugh and play in a way a mother and her young daughter would.
I have to admit, the past two months with Tessy has been so wonderful and worthwhile.
Tessy made me realize so many things I was missing as a man who is actually married, but living single.
For the two months Tessy has stayed with us as my hired wife, she wakes up every morning to ensure that breakfast is ready and that we all sit to eat together as a family.
She also ensures that Angie is physically and emotionally fit through gym exercises, and motherly attention which Sophie had deprived Angie of, for the six years of her life as a child.
Should I talk of the number of times she has spent the nights in Angie’s bedroom, telling her bedtime stories until she sleeps.
Honestly, I can’t thank her enough for all she has done for my daughter’s happiness.
Now, Angie tends to smile, laugh, talk and play freely without a care in the world.
Talking of Angie, she has grown too attached to her as though she is her biological mother, which she of course thinks Tessy is.
This gets me scared sometimes, my fear is on the possibility of Sophie been able to win her over when she finally comes back from the states.
I’m also scared of Angie’s reaction when she gets to find out that the woman she has lived with for the last two months and has grown to love as a mother, is actually a hired wife.
Eitherways I heaved and push the thoughts behind me, as I walked towards them in my white jersey which exposed most of my hairy chest.
Tessy soon stopped what she was doing as she was pratically staring at me down to my chest region and I can swear I saw her swallow some saliva down her throat.
Well I knew I was well-built and handsome to look at. This is evident in the many stares and love requests I get from women I come across, even upon knowing that I am a married man with a daughter.
I reached where they were exercising and Angie jumped on me as she kept chanting happily
” Daddy! daddy! daddy! Mummy was teaching me how to do squats, she says it helps to increase the bumbum area.. is it true daddy?” Angie asked innocently as she looked expectantly at me for an answer
” yes Angie.. it does but it is mainly for adults and not children” I said as I looked at Tessy in amusement and said to her in a serious tone than I intended to
“..wow! Tess I see you are now teaching my daughter how to grow bumbum… Keep up the good works you hear?”
” Thanks Ton.. sure I will keep it up and you are welcome to join us as well” Tessy threw back at me in a mocking tone
” Mummy you mean daddy needs to grow his bumbum too?” Angie inquired turning to look at Tessy who shook her head in the negative
” No Angel.. I was just pulling daddy’s legs, men don’t grow bumbum like women” Tessy said shrugging
” I’m glad you actually said ‘women’ and you’ve clearly seen that Angie isn’t one… the Sophie I married would never have done that!” I uttered before I could stop myself
” Daddy, mummy changed her name from Sophie to Tessy which means mummy is the same person”
” Yes that’s true Angie.. probably the name change is why she is behaving like a completely different person”
” please daddy, don’t be angrry with mummy anymore… I was the one who had insisted on her teaching me how to do squats when I saw her doing it on her own”
” Angel this is adults talk so please let daddy and I settle it okay?” Tessy said to Angie who nodded in understanding and immediately kept mute.
I watched as Tessy walked closer to me and whispered inaudibly in my ears, so Angie wouldn’t hear what she is saying to me
” you are right Tony!.. we are two different people with different personalities, perspectives and characters.
“..she is your legal wife Sophie while I am your hired wife Tessy.. even our names are different, same as our faces, so never you make the mistake of comparing me with anyone ever again!” Tessy concluded and walked out of the gym boiling in ánger.
I stood watching her as she walked out on Angie and I.
Guilt slowly crept in and Angie’s sorrowful face wasn’t helping issues either.
Angie and I soon walked back to the main house in a sulked mood. Honestly, I did not need a soothsayer to tell me that my daughter was ângry with my actions towards Tessy.
As she entered the sitting room and sat down on the sofa, I realized the need to make things right between Angie and Tessy who is probably in her bedroom sulking.
I sat beside Angie and turned her to face me directly
” Angie, daddy is sorry for what I said to mummy.. I know I should have acted differently but I overreacted.. don’t be angrry with daddy anymore okay” I appealed and watched as her angrry face slowly dissolved into a pity face
” I’m not angrry with you daddy.. I just feel bad because I was the one who insisted on mummy teaching me the squats, and now mummy is angrry over what you said to her, I just feel like it was my fault!” Angie expounded and I sigh in understanding
” you don’t need to feel that way baby… I will go to mummy’s room to apologise to her so please cheer up Angie.. you know I don’t like seeing you unhappy” I promised and stood up to show Angie how serious I am
Slowly, Angie’s face lit up in a smile and jumped down from the sofa she sat on
” I will love to go with you daddy… I believe mummy will forgive you easily when she sees me too” Angie happily suggested
” Okay Angie.. lets go” I said and immediately Angie ran ahead of me towards Tessy.
I smiled as I shook my head at how tight their bond has become in such a short while.
I reached Tessy bedroom door, knockedd and after an approval from her, I opened the door and stepped in
Stepping in, my face changed into a frown at the scene I saw before me
As usual, her bedroom was in a disoriented state; her clothes, shoes, panties, bedsheets and sanitary napkins were scattered everywhere on the floor.
I wonder how a woman as beautiful and smart as Tessy would be externally disorganized and untidy.
Two months of staying with us made me see this imperfections of hers, her personal space is usually disorganized.
Even in the kitchen after making meals for Angie and I, the kitchen would be left in such a disorganized state with utensils and food crumbs scattered everywhere
And being someone who doesn’t fancy disorganize places, I end up tidying up and arranging everywhere afterwards.
Oh! that’s what makes me love my wife Sophie so much, not only does she know me too well, she equally loves organized places and everything is always in place with her around.
I heaved as I realized that I am still making the same mistake I did earlier, the issue of comparison and generalization of which Tessy is still angry with me about.
Normally, I do hastily react with words on her habit of leaving things in a organize state and sometimes even compared her to Sophie without mincing words.
But for today, If I need to apologise to her for Angie’s sake, then I will need to overlook this instead of adding to what I said earlier.
This issue would have to wait until some other time, for today let me focus on what I came to do which is to tender an apology to Tessy.
Angie’s little laughter made me look up from the scattered belongings on the floor, I looked across the room to see her playfully throwing Tessy’s clothes from the bed to the floor, without a care in the world about the appearance of the room.
Tessy on the other hand was tickling Angie on the waist region, while playfully trying to snatch her clothes back.
I guess that’s what makes children easily lovable, they don’t judge nor do they see errors.
” I’m sorry Tess for what I said earlier.. I know it was wrong for me to have compared you with someone else” I said as I stood in front of her and Angie.
I watched as she ignored me and continued with what she was doing as though she hadn’t heard what I said.
” I’m sorry Tess.. please do pardon me, it won’t happen again.. I promise”
She stopped what she was doing and turned to look at me in amusement
” Are you talking to me or Angie?” Tessy asked sarcastically
” Mummy please pardon daddy.. he is sorry for hurtinng you with his words.. mummy please” Angie said pleading on my behalf, whilst pulling at Tessy’s fingernails
And just as expected, Tessy heaved before saying to me
” It’s okay.. I forgive you Ton but don’t do that again.. it’s fast becoming an habit for you to compare me with someone else at every little provocation” Tessy confessed and I nodded in understanding
” It’s okay Tess.. I promise it will never happen again”
” Okay Ton.. I believe and forgive you”
” it’s okay but why is the whole place so disorganized? where you searching for something?” I asked and she nodded in the affirmative
” yes I was.. my only jumpsuit was missing, I thought I left it behind but thankfully I’ve found it now” Tessy confessed
I nodded in understanding as I began picking the clothes one after the other, while Tessy looked at me in surprise
I ignored her and Angie’s surprise look as I was more focused on arranging and putting her stuffs in their right places
Whenever I was confused on where some of her private stuffs were kept, I asked her and made sure to arrange it neatly.
Soon afterwards, I was done with the arrangements and the room was looking organized as it should be.
Tessy later excused Angie and I to go prepare lunch for us in the kitchen, as she usually does.
After lunch, I went to the kitchen to arrange and organize things which had become a routine for me, because I believed that as usual it was in a mess after the meal she just prepared.
I walked into the kitchen only to meet it in almost the same organized way I last saw it, just a few crumbs on the kitchen counter which wasn’t so bad compared to the other times.
The kitchen is not fully organized but at least it was way better than the other times.
I was wowed and also impressed.
I’m guessing what I did earlier touched her, hence the impromptu improvement without me having to shout or call her attention to it as always.
I was happy as I walked back to the sitting room to show my appreciation and if possible take her out, because she surely do deserve it for being a good hired wife to both Angie and I.
