DANIEL
She looks down, her heart thumping out of her chest. She does not say anything as all of us are eating and chatting around the dinner table. For the first time since my wife died, I am happy to come back home to my kids and have a home-cooked meal. I normally went on business trips with my whole family, including my wife, and this was the saddest and hardest trip I ever had to take without my family.
“I am glad to see the house still in place. I thought I would find it upside down,” I say, making them laugh.
“Well, actually, we had a blast in your house, dad. Had you not called and told us that you were coming home today, we wouldn’t have gotten the house clean. We had a house party with a few friends over,” Anele says so seriously, and the way no one is not commenting or laughing at it makes me want to believe it.
“Is she telling the truth, Thando? Is that what you have been up to in my house?” I stand up, ready to unbuckle my belt. “You brought boys into my house? Yolanda?”
She raises her face and stares at me, unmoved. She does not say anything, but the three of them look at each other, shrugging their shoulders before they break into a loud laugh.
“Relax, daddy. You should have seen your face,” Thando laughs out loud, tossing a carrot in her mouth.
“Do you honestly think that the guards wouldn’t have told you, just like how they have been reporting how many times I have gone out of the house?” Yolanda interjects, focusing on her food. I know that she is trying to be smart with me right now, so I sit back on my chair and cut my steak.
I ordered the guards to tell me whenever she went out of the house, which they did but I have no idea where she has been going, and I don’t think I want to know.
“And you have gone out quite often. I hope that you are preparing yourself for university because it is not high school. Thando, Yolanda; are you ready for your results? Anele?”
“Dad, I am getting my results next week and I know I did well. I don’t know about the two who will be spending their Festive season stressed out and having anxiety over their results coming out in January. At least I will be celebrating Christmas happy,” Anele says, not bothered by anything. I do not doubt that she passed grade eight. She brought amazing results these past three terms.
“That is the spirit, exactly what I wanted to hear. So, Thando; have you decided what you want to do next year?”
“I want to be a YouTuber, dad, and a social media influencer,”
“But isn’t that what you do already?” I ask.
“Dad, to be honest, I am not confident with what my results are going to look like. The exams were hard,”
“I helped you study, so the results ARE going to look excellent,” I say out loud.
“But what if they don’t,”
Honestly, I am not one to put pressure on my kids about what they want to do with their lives, but Thando is just inconsiderate of herself. She just doesn’t care, and she gives up quickly without trying to get to the top.
“Thando, there are no buts here. When you want something, you grab it. So, what if you fail? It won’t be the end of education; you can still go back to rewrite the subjects. Look, I am not forcing you to go to university, but it would be a bonus if you do. Have a plan for your life, but at least have your matric right because that is the most important thing right now, okay? But I believe in you, in all of you, girls. Yolanda, I know for sure that you are going to be an amazing doctor. Do not get destructed by anything out there. Believe in yourselves and remember that I love you,”
Yolanda stands and yawns.
“Sorry, I am tired, and I need to get to bed… if you don’t mind, good night,” She takes her plate to the kitchen before she goes upstairs.
She has quite an attitude today, but I am too tired for her so I will let this pass for now. I have work in the morning.
“Dad, where are we going for our holidays this year?” Thando asks. I tilt my head, confused.
“Uhm, what do you mean? Do you want to go somewhere?”
“Uh, we always go on vacations every year during the festive season, remember?” Thando reminds me, and only now do I get what Anele is asking about.
My mouth drops to the floor as to how I had forgotten about this. By this time, we have already made bookings to our termini around the world. How did this slip my mind?
“Mom was truly an organised woman. If she was here, she and I would have settled our spots at our stops,”
“She was a super mom, I miss her,” Anele says.
“I miss her too, baby girl. Thando, don’t you miss her,”
“Dad, what killed mom — Yolanda’s mom?” I choke on my saliva. Thando and saying wrong things out of the blue.
I take my glass of water and drink half of it.
“Uhm, I had a great time with you, but I have to go and sleep now; I have work in the morning. Oh, and we will discuss the vacation thing tomorrow all four of us,” I say before I head upstairs to my bedroom.
I fight the edge of entering Yolanda’s room as I walk past it and turn to my master bedroom. I am trying so hard to forget about that night that my wife died, and I don’t want to talk about it. It should have never happened, maybe my feelings for Yolanda wouldn’t have come out to play.
I would take a shower right now, but I am too f*****g tired right now, so I just strip off my clothes and take off my shoes before I hop on the bed with only my briefs on.
I take the photo frame with my wife’s photo on the pedestal and just hold it close to my chest. I still love her.
***
I never expected my morning to be as busy as it was. A lot of appointments were made at my facility, and my business partner has gone on his leave, referring his clients to me. Thank God I have an hour break before the next client arrives.
“Doctor Bennett, your client has been calling none stop, and I am really getting annoyed by her, but because I respect you a lot, I was very nice to her on the phone, but I am getting tired!” I laugh at my secretary who is just barging into my office, complaining.
I watch as she sits on the couch and crosses her leg on top of another. I sit back and observe her.
“Who is my client, Petunia?”
“Dorcas, the married woman? She has been calling to ask if you were available, and no matter how much I told her that you went are not available and not sure when you would be returning, she just wouldn’t stop calling,” She whines.
I know why she emphasised “the married” woman. Because that is the woman I f****d, and she wants more of my c**k. Now my secretary is frustrated.
“Tell her that I am available,” I say.
“What?” She gasps.
“Do you have a problem, Petunia? Should I do it myself?” I tilt my head, looking straight into her eyes that she eventually drops to the hands resting on her lap.
“Uhm, no sir; I do not have a problem, I will do it. At what time should I make your appointment?”
“Four o’clock at Manhattan Hotel,” I blurt out. She gasps again, raising her widened eyes at me, but quickly recovers herself from the dismay.
“Oh, okay,” She stands up.
It is best I take Dorcas to a hotel than my workspace.
Petunia walks towards the door but stops midway, not turning. I have a full view of her behind in her red bodycon dress and long pencil heels. She has a banger body I must say, and she is a beautiful woman too. I have never seen her this way before, but now, wow.
“Sir, I am sorry, and I know that this is not any of my business what you do with your personal life but what you are doing is wrong.” She starts, still in position.
I frown but do not say a word.
“You are probably missing your wife, and you think that this will help you move on, but that woman is married, and it hasn’t been a year since your wife died, and as wonderful as she was, I don’t think sleeping with a married woman is something that she would want,”
Mentioning my wife? Big mistake!
I get up on my feet, slowly walk around my desk and stop behind her.
“How dare you talk about my wife, Petunia? When did we get to that level where you can talk to me however you want? What I do with my life does not concern you, do you understand?” She yelps when I grab her waist. Her body trembles in fear.
“You are not married, and you did not say anything about single women. Would you rather prefer me to sleep with you because you are single? Is that what you want, Petu?” I slowly unzip her dress. Halfway done, she has not stopped me, so I unzip the whole thing before I turn her around.
Her doll face is flustered, and her heart is beating out of her chest.
“Is this what you want?” She has the key to stop me.
I slip the dress off her, exposing her soft, yellow skin in her matching black lacey undergarment. She does not look shy, but she is nervous for sure. I run my hands around her stomach, move up to her perky boobs and fondle them.
“Say the word, and I will do it,” I command. Without wasting a second, her arms wrap around my neck before she says,
“f**k me, please.”
Hell f*****g yes!
I hold her waist and let her jump on me before we get into a steamy kiss. The front desk will handle itself just for this time.
Aksara