Sold (Christian Romance)

Chapter Seven

"Aunty, good morning."

Sisi turned to find Jesse standing by the bed, clad in a pink pajama, and, in that second, she was reminded of her little sister. The two little girls were light-skinned with large brown eyes. Although, she didn't suppose her sister could be described as 'little' anymore.

"Good morning." Sisi smiled. "I need to find clothes that will fit me. Your daddy is a big man, so as you can tell, it is proving to be a frustrating task," she summarized her mission.

"Daddy's clothes will never fit. Try mummy's clothes. Daddy keeps them in this box," Jesse said as she pulled out a box from underneath the closet and opened it.

Sisi hesitated as she stared at the collection of women's clothes. They appeared to have been seated in this box for years, but they remained unaffected by time.

"I guess it's better than trying to find something belonging to your dad that'll fit."

Reaching for a pair of jeans, she pulled out a pink floral blouse before replacing the box. She returned to her room with Jesse in tow, and once she had worn the slightly oversized clothes, she turned to the mirror and pulled her hair into a neat bun behind.

"Aunty, what's for breakfast?" Jesse asked.

"Well, I'm not sure. Mrs Joke should be here by now."

"She only comes three times a week. I think today is her day off," Jesse said, her words filling Sisi with unease. Today was not the day for the housekeeper to be off!—she groaned inwardly. With Remi asleep on the couch and a hungry child on her hands, what was she to do when she couldn't even light a stove?!

"What would you like?" she asked nervously.

"Pancakes!" Two dimples dented her cheeks as she offered Sisi a smile.

"Um..." she breathed. "Jesse..." Taking both her hands in hers, Sisi leaned down. It was best if she told the child the truth; she couldn't cook.

"Yes, Aunty?" The little girl was not only beautiful, but innocent. She almost reminded Sisi of herself when she was a child; before her world turned upside down; before her parents gave her away. She never went through the stages of being a woman; to have her mother teach her how to cook. Perhaps it was why God took all her children away, because even He didn't think she was worthy of being a mother.

"I can't cook," she whispered, as a tear fell down her cheek.

Jesse stood silently for several seconds, her button nose crunched up in a frown. Sisi knew she had upset the child with her words—perhaps it was her tears that upset her. Here she was, being weak again and crying before a little girl.

Mentally kicking herself, she shook her head. "I'm sorry—" The words had barely left her lips when small arms circled her neck in a warm embrace.

"Don't cry," Jesse said, pulling away. She touched Sisi's cheek affectionately, her lower lip protruding. "Is that what gives you bad dreams? You dream about the fact that you can't cook?" she asked, causing Sisi to giggle softly; Jesse couldn't comprehend the reason for her nightmares. "Whenever I have bad dreams, I go to daddy and he prays with me and hugs me until I sleep. You can borrow my daddy when you have bad dreams too."

Laughter erupted from her lips then. She could imagine the look of complete horror on Remi's face if he thought he had to endure another evening with her.

Shaking her head, she straightened. "Thanks, love. I'm fine. We just need to find something for you to eat."

"There's cornflakes." Jesse shrugged, her announcement easing Sisi's anxiety.

Nodding, she took her hand, and the two made their way to the kitchen.

********

Remi pushed himself to a sitting position, his headache having eased from the five-hour nap he just had. He rose to his feet, and his stomach growled in response, alerting him to his hunger.

Turning around, he made his way to the kitchen, a frown immediately claiming his face when he found the pots empty. It didn't surprise him that Sisi hadn't bothered to make breakfast, for he learned—in the short period of living with her—that she was selfish. The thought annoyed him as he reached for the fridge and pulled out a bowl of frozen egusi soup. He made himself a plate of eba, and once he had finished eating, he went in search of Jesse.

It was a few minutes before he found her, but it wasn't the sight of Jesse that stole the air from his lungs; it was the familiar pink fabric he hadn't seen in six years. It was the memories that flooded him as he stared at it; memories that made him forget for a second that his wife was dead; memories that made him desire nothing more than to cross the room to where she sat and pull her into his arms. He wanted nothing more than to cling to her and never let her go. He wanted to kiss her; to spend the rest of his life loving her.

But the woman in these clothes was not his wife, and as she turned around to stare at him, a vicious anger welled up in his chest until he trembled from it.

"What are you doing in her clothes?" he growled, stepped forward, barely able to contain the urge to rip the clothes off of her.

Sisi stared at him, fear clouding her eyes. "What?"

"That! What are you doing wearing my wife's clothes? Who said you could wear them?!"

"I..." She placed a hand on her chest. "Jesse... "

"Your clothes won't fit," Jesse answered.

He motioned to the door. "Jesse, excuse us!"

"But—"

"Now!" he barked. Once she was out of the room, he turned fully to Sisi. "Don't put this on Jesse! This is entirely your fault! You knew the right thing to do, but you chose to go digging where you know very well you are not welcome!"

"I just thought..."

"That is your problem, Sisi, you never think! And when you do, your reasoning is stupid."

Her eyes caught fire, and rising from the bed, she walked past him to the bathroom.

Furious, Remi listened to her slam the door. He stood motionless for several seconds, fighting to regain control of his racing heart. Once he was certain he was in control, he left the room to the living room and settled on the couch. He buried his face in his hands, knowing he couldn't cope with living with Sisi for much longer. He was tired. Sisi was childish, selfish and for a lack of a better word, somewhat damaged. Within the short period of forty eight hours, she had caused more damage in his home than anyone ever did.

Just then, he heard Sisi enter the living room. He raised his gaze to her, guilt stabbing his heart at the sight of the tears that stained her face. She had changed out of his wife's clothes to the same maxi gown she wore when she arrived, and without a word to him, she turned to the door.

Realizing what she was about to do, Remi hurried to her side, grabbing her arm. "Sisi!"

"Leave me alone, Remi!" She jerked her arm, but he tightened his grip, holding her captive.

"No! I'm not letting you go." Perhaps he didn't enjoy having her around, but he had given Abigail his word and didn't want to go back on it. Besides, where would Sisi go if he did? He was almost certain she was homeless.

"Why?!" She turned fully to him, tears streaming down her face. "Because the doctor will be mad? Don't worry, tell her it was my decision to leave, and not yours. Tell her I ran away! Tell her I was tired of staying here. Make up a story; do whatever you want. " She jerked her arm free.

"For God's sake, Sisi, stop this madness! I'm not letting you go!"

"So you'll keep me here and torment me; make me feel useless and foolish like Chief did? No! I refuse to let you continue to humiliate me. Chief might have done the same, but at least he had a right to; he owned me!"

Turning sharply around, she stormed out the door, leaving him standing there confused.