*** THE VOW ***
EPISODE 4
© Jennipher Duru
The three ladies had been chatting and laughing. Cynthia looked at her watch and shouted “Hmm, it’s almost 18:00; I need to rush home to be with Gaby”. Monica started laughing.
Sara: Why are you laughing?
Monica: I am just surprised. So this is what is called marriage? And so what if it’s almost 6pm? Will he kill you?
Cynthia: Of course not, but I just want to be there when he arrives home. I am sure he has had a long day at work and I need to make sure that he gets the rest and love he needs. I want to be there when he is having his dinner.
Monica: My God! Don’t you think you are exaggerating? I mean, Gaby is not a baby. You need to stop being too overprotective.
Sara: Cynthia, please my dear don’t listen to this lady. Take your bag and rush home to meet your husband. Monica doesn’t know what she is talking about.
Cynthia laughed, took her bag and hurried to her car. She arrived just in time. Gaby had sent her a message to inform her that he was on his way. Cynthia went to the kitchen and warmed food for him. She was preparing the table when she heard the sound of Gabriel’s car in the parking lot. She ran downstairs to welcome him. “Hi baby. Welcome back. I missed you so much” she said as she took his briefcase from him. Gabriel put his hand on her shoulder “I missed you too love. How was your day? “He said. “My day was fine. I had a nice time with the ladies” Cynthia answered.
Gaby was about to go straight to the bathroom to take a bath, but Cynthia pulled him back. “Hey Mister, calm down. I have prepared some warm water to massage your feet. I am very sure that you have been moving up and down with them like a kangaroo. Come sit down here as I massage them before you take your bath” Cynthia said. Gabriel smiled “Hmm, honestly, marriage is good. I have now become a king” He said. “You’ve always been my king. Now sit down as I cool your feet down your highness” Cynthia said.
Gabriel sat down as his wife gently massaged his feet. He felt really relaxed and joy filed his heart. After the massage, he took a bath and came to the dining room to have his dinner. Cynthia had prepared his favorite meal: Beef stew with vegetables and mashed potatoes.
Gabriel: Hmm. This is delicious. Compliments to the chef!
Cynthia: Thank you sir. Anything for my king! How was your day today?
Gabriel: You are simply amazing. My day was fine. I had to gather a lot of information in order to get a perfect pitch.
Cynthia: What is a pitch?
Gabriel: A pitch is a writer’s description of a potential story to an editor. So in this case, I was trying to get a pitch for a documentary on health issues encountered by rural communities. I proposed one to the Director and he loved it.
Cynthia: Oh ok, that’s great. I am proud of you.
Gabriel: Thanks darling. And you? How was your outing with your friends?
Cynthia: It was fine. We had fun. We had so many things to talk about.
Gabriel: How is Sara doing? I hope she is getting along with her new job.
Cynthia: Yes she is. She told me that she will soon be travelling to Switzerland for training at their Headquarters.
Gabriel: Wonderful! She deserves it. She is just a wonderful person, unlike the other criminal
Cynthia: Hahaha. Stop calling Monica a criminal. She just has a big mouth, but she is a good person
Gabriel: A good person my foot! She can’t even control her mouth, always pessimistic and jealous. You need to be careful with that girl my love
Cynthia: Don’t worry baby, she is harmless. I know her very well
Gabriel ate to his satisfaction. He felt like the happiest man on Earth. Cynthia was really proving time and again that she was the woman of his dreams.
A few days later, Gabriel went to his office and was summoned by the Director. He entered the Director’s office, wondering why he was being called. He also found the Human Resources Director seated.
Director: Gabriel, please take a seat. On behalf of the entire Management crew, I would like to thank you for the wonderful job that you are doing. I am humble enough to tell you that ever since you joined this TV station, our viewership has greatly increased. This is as a result of the attractive programs that you have put in place. I have personally received calls and emails from many companies congratulating me and asking for more time to be added to your programs so that they can insert their advertisements. And for that, we have experienced a great turnover. This is why Management thought it fair to make you benefit from the profits we have been recording by promoting you to the position of Director of Programs. We sincerely believe that you will do a great job. Congratulations
Gabriel: Oh my God! I really don’t know what to say. I am so grateful. I believe that I should not be the only one to take the merit. You all received me well in this Company and gave me the liberty to express my talents. I appreciate you all
HR Director: You are welcome. That’s not all. As a Director, the Company is offering you an Official car to help you carry out your duties properly as well as an Official Residence. The Admin Assistant will show you a couple of houses and then you can choose the one you want. I advise you to bring your wife along, because women have better taste for houses than you men.
They all laughed. Gabriel shook his head to show how surprised he was. He couldn’t wait to inform his wife.
“Oh my God! Baby, are you serious? I have always told you that you will make it big in life. I am so proud of you. Let me take a taxi and rush to that place so that I can choose a house fit for a king and queen. My car has finally broken down” Cynthia shouted.
They visited 5 houses and Cynthia finally chose a grand standing apartment that overlooked the sea. It was in a beautiful closed Residence with a common swimming pool and some sports facilities. “This is what fits us baby. I can’t wait for my friends to see this place. Awwwww” Cynthia said as they left the house.
“Yes indeed it’s a beautiful place, but don’t invite your friends until after your birthday next week, because I want to spend it with you alone that day” Gabriel said. Cynthia was excited.
It was on a Saturday afternoon. It was also Cynthia’s birthday. Gabriel was organizing a surprise party for her. He had asked her to go and buy some few items for him at a nearby supermarket while he secretly invited a couple of his friends as well as Monica and Sara. “Oh my God! Your house is beautiful. Congratulations Gabriel. You guys really deserve the best” Sara said as they entered the house. Monica looked around the house quietly as Gabriel led them to the living room. “Hahaha, I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she sees this. I had to lie to her that I am not in town” Sara said. When they arrived in the living room, they found Sasha who was going through their wedding pictures. Sara gave her a hug and greeted her. Monica just said hi and sat down next to Sara.
“I don’t like the color of her furniture. Why would she choose the color white as if she is from the village” Monica whispered to Sara. Sara pretended not to have heard anything and continued talking to Sasha. Monica pinched her and whispered again “Honestly, Cynthia has no taste for colors, why are the curtains green? She could have used black and white colors”. Sara was getting irritated. She whispered back “I like the color combination and I think it looks very beautiful”. She stood up and went to admire the flowers next to the TV stand, in order to avoid Monica’s gossip.
Gabriel called his friend Collins on phone “Hey, Collins, you can bring the gift” he said. A few minutes later, Collins entered the house. “It’s done bro”. Collins said. He greeted the ladies and sat down. “Hi Sara, how are you doing? It’s been long since I saw you. I think the last time was during Gaby’s wedding, right? You look very beautiful” Collins said
Sara felt shy. “Yes indeed. I am doing very well thank you. Yea, that was the last time we saw each other” She said, looking down. Monica went to sit beside Sara again and whispered “I hate this guy. He looks like a real player, with his ears that look like a rabbit”. Sara kept quiet.
Cynthia finally rang the bell. Gabriel and the others went towards the door. Gabriel opened the door and they all shouted at once “Happy birthday Cynthia”. Cynthia laughed and hugged Gabriel. “Oh men, you guys are not serious! You really got me there!” she said.
The party started. Gabriel had ordered a lot of food from the nearby restaurant. They danced and had fun. Gabriel spoke “Dear friends, I think the time has now come for me to offer a gift to my beautiful wife and confidant. I must admit that there is nothing I can offer you in this world that can show my appreciation for being the woman that you have been to me. Cynthia, I love you and I wish you all the best in life. Happy birthday my love” Gabriel Said. Cynthia was already shedding tears. Gabriel covered her face with a cloth and asked her to follow him. The others also followed, wondering what gift it was.
The walked down the staircases and arrived at the parking lot behind the apartments. Sara and Sasha were already screaming when they saw the gift. “Awww. Awww”” they screamed. Cynthia was getting nervous. She couldn’t wait to see what it was. Here you go, you can now see your gift” Gabriel said as he removed the cloth off her face. Cynthia opened her eyes and screamed. It was a brand new red Chevrolet Malibu with a huge ribbon fixed across it. Cynthia ran towards the car. Gabriel laughed and handed her the keys. She entered inside the car and sat down, still screaming. Some neighbors from the other flats had come to watch. They laughed along as she shouted for joy.
“Baby thank you. Baby thank you” She cried, putting her head on Gabriel’s shoulder. Sara and Sasha gave her a hug “Congrats baby girl. You deserve it” Sara said. Monica smiled and they all went back inside. “Why did he have to buy a red car? Red is not a good color” Monica whispered to Sara. Sara got upset and said “Monica, can’t you, for once, just be happy for Cynthia? This is a beautiful car. Why do you always see evil in a good thing? Would you refuse to accept this car if someone offered it to you?” She said
Monica: I would definitely refuse. I can’t accept a red car.
Sara: Well then, just shut the hell up, because it is not yours, but for Cynthia and she loves the color red
Sara stood up and went to discuss with the others.
To be continued…
Monica this your mouth hehh