Chapter 10: Chapter 10

I strolled back in to see Hannah setting up the table for lunch, Juliet sat at the same position she was in the morning and I went to mine, " UK, Jade said you were in charge of the house while he was away, why don't you seat at the head table and have your lunch?" Hannah asked. " no Hannah, I don't think that's appropriate, don't worry, I'm comfortable here." I replied. I noticed Juliet looking at me with the corner of her eyes but acted as if I wasn't aware of it.

After a silent meal of braised fish and garnished rice, Juliet went out to play with her doll, I took my plates and accompanied Hannah to the kitchen. I didn't get here during my self tour, it was a big modern kitchen, furnished with the best equipments and utensils.

I helped Hannah in doing the dishes.

" You know I've been with Jade for over 15 years and I've seen him bring different kind of women to this house but not once has he brought any of them to live with us. With you, he has done things he has never done before," Hannah said.

"Really? Like what?" I asked.

" First, you're a black girl, I don't know what made him hate blacks but you changed his belief that not all blacks are bad people. Then you're a teenager, he'd always brought women of about 22 years, you're not upset with Juliet's behavior. I was testing you when I said you should sit at the head table and you passed the test, I think great things will happen to this household now that you're here", she replied.

"as nice as it sounds, I'm not here to act as a wife, I came to study and I wouldn't be able to do any wifely duties you may expect from me. Jade is my guardian, like a father, nothing more. Thanks for the meal, I'm going to take a nap". I left the kitchen.I had a dream, I was at home on a Saturday morning, we were preparing to leave to the farm before the sun came out. I, my mom and my sisters, we were going to harvest cassava to make garri and also get some pumpkin leaves. "How would you cope without garri and soup when you get to New York?" my eldest sister asked, " I'll get used to the food there and besides, I could make some of our food there like rice and stew, yam and egg sauce, dodo and custard, beans and yam and my favorite pepper soup rice with the different flavors. I'm sure I'll find the ingredients in the supermarket or grocery store".

I woke up feeling homesick, I hugged my pillow and cried till I had no tears left. I heard a knock on the door and Jade's voice sounded from the other side of the door, " can I come in? "

" give me a minute please," I croaked and rushed to the bathroom, I stared at my reflection on the mirror, my eyes were red and my cheeks were swollen. my voice refused to get better, I splashed water on my face and tried to look presentable.

I laid on my tummy on the bed with me feet upward, I took a novel and pretended I was reading. " come in, " I called out and he came into my room still on his work clothes. "How have you been doing?" He asked. "I've been okay, thank you . Have you had lunch, I could ask Hannah to get you something to eat", I answered without taking my eyes off the book, I didn't want him to notice I was crying.

" is someone worried I'll starve to death?" he asked. Without looking I knew he was smirking, " keep dreaming. I'm only asking out of courtesy, don't think so high of yourself" I replied.

I didn't even notice when he came close to my bed. He held my chin and turned my head to look at him, I could see his eyes widen, " why were you crying?", he asked in a deep voice, it was different from the one he was using few seconds ago. " ouch, you're hurting me," I said, struggling to break free but he won't budge.

" you've not answered my question, why were you crying?" he asked again

"in as much as I appreciate your concern, I'm not your girlfriend so stop acting like I am. I was just feeling homesick, no biggie."

" are you sure? No one disturbed you when I left?"

" yes dad", I answered sarcastically.

He didn't say anything else, he left my chin and went out, he stopped on his track and said, " get ready, we're eating out tonight, me, you and Juliet. Hannah's coming to call you by 6". With that he left the room, closing the door with a soft click sound.

I checked the time on my phone, it was 4:26pm. Ok, I had about an hour or so to prepare, i didn't have to dress in a fancy way. This is just dinner not a date, dinner not a date, dinner not a date. I kept saying in my head.

5:45pm, Hannah came to my room, "are you ready to leave?" she asked

"yeah, all set", I replied.

"They're waiting for you downstairs" Hannah said,

I went downstairs and met Juliet sitting with her teddy bear on the couch, she was on a green gown with a big black bow on the waist.

Jade looked handsome in white T-shirt and leather jacket, " you look really beautiful", he said and I blushed, thank God for my dark complexion, he wasn't aware of the effect his compliment had on me.

I was just wearing a simple purple gown which stopped few inches above my knees, it had no design on it.

" let's go"There was a black Mercedes waiting for us, Juliet ran in first and called Jade to sit with her and I got in last, when she noticed that I was sitting close to him, she got up and sat in between us and rested her head on his thighs.

" Sit up!" Jade said sternly and she got up sluggishly. One of the bodyguards took the passengers seat and the other sat behind the wheel.

"Daddy, where are we going tonight?" Juliet asked

" We're going to an Italian restaurant" Jade replied

"oh no!" Juliet exclaimed

" UK, do you love spicy food?" Jade asked me

" yeah, very much" I replied

" dad, can I get something spicy too?" Juliet asked

" no pumpkin, Broccoli Khichdi for you", he replied

The rest of the drive was in silence. The car stopped in front of a beautiful building, we went in with the bodyguard behind us.

Jade must have made a reservation earlier because we were escorted right away by a smartly dressed waiter.

Our table was in the VIP section, it was a big hall but we were the only people eating there. Jade exchanged words with the waiter in Italian and he left, few minutes later 4 waiters came in with trays of food.

I was surprised to see plates of cheese and crackers placed in front of us, I looked at Jade confused and he laughed," it's an appetizer". " oh, ok", I replied and picked up a cracker"

When we finished eating, the table was cleared and plates of salad were placed. I could make out cabbage, carrot and the rest only looked and tasted nice but I didn't know what they were.

The next food looked like some kind of yellow paste with tomato sauce on it. Jade called it Polenta with Ragù and Habanero, the sauce was really spicy and I loved it, "can I have more?" I asked after finishing my share. " wow, you're so good, I can't even finish mine", Jade said looking shocked. A bottle of white wine was served, over the food Jade talked about the tutorial classes he has arranged for me.

Meanwhile, Juliet was secretly picking out the broccoli from her food without her father noticing. When he did notice what she was doing, he reprimanded her and she forcefully ate them up.

Jade's phone rang so he excused himself and left the table, I knew that Juliet wasn't enjoying her food so I asked her, "what would you like to eat?" " huh! uhm... I really want to have a plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce but dad won't get me anything from the adult menu" she replied. I asked the waiter if he could quickly swap her food and he agreed, he was back in no time with a big plate of spaghetti and tomato sauce. " but I can't finish this?" Juliet cried. "I don't mind leaving mine and sharing your food", I told her. "Then what are we waiting for, dad will be back in no time", she said and we started eating. It tasted like the type my mom usually make when she's in a really good mood. "Thanks UK for this, I'm sorry I was rude to you this morning. Can we be friends? please" Juliet said.