(ARIELLE’S POV)
“You don’t mean it!” Ashley exclaimed over the phone. “I can imagine the look of shock on her face.”
The instant I got to the office and settled in, I got on a call with Ashley to fill her in on the event of the morning. She was surprised and happy, and it reflected in her cheerful laughter.
“For a moment, I feared she was going to lunge at me in anger. She was so shocked. I guess being turned down when she was used to having her way was not such a good experience for her.”
“I know, right? Jared deserves a pat on the back. He should do that often. Let her know she can’t always have her way,” Ashley squealed.
“I wish he could continue this way,” I said, my voice suddenly losing some of its brightness. “It hurts to see him fluctuate all the time. This time he’s defending me, the other, he’s doing all her biddings.”
“Come on, don’t be like that. Didn’t you say he was remorseful last night and apologized?”
“He did, but-“
“No buts, Arielle Smith. I’m sorry to have suggested the divorce, your husband is a good man, one who apologises when he’s wrong. There are not many of his kind in the world anymore. Forgive his shortcomings, and fix your marriage. Do not let her come in between you two ever again. And most importantly, communication between you and Jared should be strong.”
“Fine, I -“
The knock on the door interrupted me. I turned to it, “Rebecca?”
“It is I,” Mr Stone’s voice responded instead.
“Sorry, I have to go, Ash. My manager is at the door. I will call you during lunch break so we can continue this discussion.”
“Oh, it’s fine,” Ashley said, and dropped the call.
I dropped my phone on the table, straightened my skirt, and gave a loud, “I’m coming,” before walking towards the door. I opened it to find Mr Stone standing, his frame towering over the doorway. “Hi, Mr Stone.”
“Hi, Arielle. Can I come in?” He asked, gesturing into my office.
“Sure,” I nodded and let him walk past me.
I closed the door and joined him. “Please, sit,” I motioned to the vacant chair.
“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” he said, waving me off. “I won’t be staying long.”
“Okay,” I responded, my mind already racing with thoughts on why he was in my office.
“I should cut to the chase. I’m here in regards to the culinary scholarship programme, Arielle,” he said, his tone now serious.
Oh, that? I mentally smacked my head for being so forgetful. Since he mentioned it to me weeks back, I have not thought of it, or given him a response. “To be honest, Mr Stone, I have not thought about the offer since the last day we spoke about it. I’m sorry.” “There’s nothing to be sorry about. You must have been occupied with other things that needed your attention.”
I nodded, grateful that he understood.
“I think you should take it, Arielle. Call me selfish, but I want you to. You’ve proven your proficiency and dedication to your job over the months you’ve worked here, and I don’t think anyone else deserves this opportunity other than you.”
For a moment I thought about it.
From the little information I gathered about the scholarship programme, it had mouth watering benefits. From being groomed by the world’s best chefs, to being awarded with a certificate that any restaurant the world would never turn downyour application if you applied to work with them, to the overall best graduating student winning a Grant
of million of dollars to start up their own restaurant, to getting
partnership and ambassadorial
deals.
It was a tempting offer, I must admit, but then I remembered the life growing inside of me. I have always wanted my child to be born in his father’s country, to be a full citizen. Accepting the offer will mean giving birth to my child abroad and I didn’t want that. And there was Jared, will he be willing to relocate with me for the period of years the programme will last? Leaving him is out of the picture, because it means leaving him to Sofia, and I would never take such a chance.
“I appreciate your belief in me, Mr Stone, but I will think about it.” Then I quickly added, “I will think about it this time, for real,” when he gave me a skeptical look.
“Alright. Take your time, the programme is not beginning until three months from now.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
Mr Stone gave me his usual pat on the shoulder, before walking out. After he left, I prepared myself and left for the kitchen to begin my job for the day.
*****
The day came to an end and Jared
came to pick me up as usual. The drive home felt like the good old days, as we filled in each other on how our day went. Jared told me a crazy story of a woman hitting on him at the restaurant where he hung out with his homeboys. He kept ignoring him, but she was persistent, and so he waved his ring finger at her.
“Guess what she did afterward?” He asked, sparing me a glance.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. She stopped trying when she saw the ring in your finger.”
Jared shook his head. “No, you got it wrong. She waved back, and there was a ring on her finger too.”
I turned to look at Jared in disbelief, and he returned the look with an amused one. “Wait, she was married too?”
“Obviously,” Jared responded.
“Crazy,” I muttered. “A married woman hitting on a married man. A really crazy time we’re in.”
“I know, right?” Jared said, as he pulled the car into the garage. We were home now, and to my surprise, I didn’t feel happy about it.
It felt like our bond was always
severed whenever we returned to
the house, with Sofia in it. She had a negativevibe that always caused a drift between Jared and I. For a moment, I wanted us to get back into the car and drive to somewhere else that was not our home.
Because it felt different now-infiltrated.
“Hey, aren’t you coming?” Jared’s voice broke into my thoughts. I didn’t realize he had alighted, opened the car door, and was holding out a hand to me.
“I am,” I responded. I grabbed my bag, and took his hand. He shut the door, locked the car and we headed inside.
We had just gotten to the front door when we heard a blood-curdling scream coming from inside…