I woke up to mother kneeling beside the bed and praying. She was singing a song that sounded so familiar, yet I didn't know the words.

After contemplating on whether to join her or not, I knelt beside her and held her hand, maybe God will help me deal with this new predicament with charles. A smile crept onto mother's face and mine too, then I shut my eyes and listened to her prayers.

She ended with the "lord's prayer "
And while she recited it, I listened aptly to the words and when she got to "forgive our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us", tears filled my eyes. Tears that I fought from dropping to my cheeks. I simply wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and held my other again. When she finished I said amen to her prayers, I knew when to say amen to prayers but had forgotten important prayers.

Mother opened her eyes and I did mine simultaneously, we looked at each other before she wrapped her hands around me and I cried my heart out while she patted my back.

Nnem, why are you crying? Eh what is wrong? "Mother asked

Ummm, nothing mom, I'm just stressed and tired about everything. Not remembering things is killing me" I breathed out still sobbing.

"You know, when you were a child, anytime you were scared or sad, you'd always climb into my bed and wrap your hands around me. I'd wake up to see you and I'd laugh. Sometimes Your father would complain about it, but he got used to it with time. Vicky I am your mother, I know that you have been doing quite well without remembering. What exactly happened to you? "

I smiled at mother's revelation, i never grew from that. Her arms were the safest place then but now they only managed to calm the turmoil in my heart a little.

I wanted to say something but the words wouldn't come out. I cleared my throat and smiled again.

O nweghi, it's nothing mother, I'm fine. I don't want to disturb you this morning with irrelevant things "

"O nweghi? It's nothing and you are here in my room, instead of sleeping with your husband in your own room. You keep rubbing your palms together, nne m I know you. I am your mother, I bore you in my womb, and I've watched you grow. I actually do know when you are lying.

I decided to just tell mother what happened last night and she paid attention to everything I said.

"Did you ask him about it? Marriage is not quite easy but you can always get through things with your partner. Give him the benefit of doubt, let him explain things to you. Find out the truth, don't run from it. Nobody said there won't be heartbreak in marriage. And whatever happens nne m learn to... "

Forgive? " I cut her off there" what if I can't remember how to forgive, what if.. "

"Victoria, you never forgot how to forgive,it is embedded into that beautiful heart and soul of yours."

I smiled and stood up, pulling mother up with me. I hugged her again and left the room.

I went to our room and found out that he had gone to work. I was angry that he didn't even notice anything. I know I tried to hide my sadness from him, but he didn't wake up to his wife. Shouldn't he have waited for me.

I tried to push the thoughts about Grace from my mind and continued with daily activities. When he gets back we will discuss about this and the need for me to resume work.

Mother announced that she was leaving later in the day when I came down. Christy kept begging her to stay and I wanted to beg also but I knew why she was leaving. Father couldn't last up to a week without her. She had to go take care of father.

When Christy left for school, I helped mother arrange her things. We packed so many things into her box including the things Christy and I bought my father.

Mother laughed while she placed some things in her bag. " unu na -emezi ka owu na unu amaro chukwado. You're acting as if you don't know your father. All these things we are packing here, he'll just give them to the children in the village. Headset, cream, osi na nka wu gini Pringles. The phone you gave him was given to chiamaka's daughter. He says he prefers those smaller ones with button"

I laughed as well, father was old school and he didn't want to change.

Later in the afternoon I saw mother off to the park and before she boarded the bus. She hugged me and told me
" nne m jisike, whatever happens hold on to love and find strength, courage in your daughter. You will be fine inugo!! Don't cry again oo. I love you my baby!! "

I hugged her tight again before she boarded the bus. When she sat down she kept waving at me before their bus moved.
Mother always refuses to take flights, she preferred spending hours in the bus.

I got home to an empty home and I decided maybe I needed to speak with Mr Ajayi again, So I left to see him
On the way I bumped into the woman I had threatened in the bus the other day. When she looked up and saw that it was me. She practically ran away from my side, I found it so amusing and I wished that j even told her worse that day.

When I got to the office Mr Ajayi was scribbling things on his book as always. I silently wished that I could tear the book from his hand and read what he was always busy writing.

Today he wasn't wearing his oversized clothes he was back on suits

It's good to see the old you back, I take it that your wife trusts you again "

"Fortunately for my wardrobe she does Victoria, we were supposed to be having our next session next week. "

Yes, but I just needed to talk to you. I thought about what you said and I think I need to find out about my past. "
So what made you come to this decision Victoria? He asked

" I think I can't trust my husband, I feel he's cheating on me or maybe he cheated on me"

Why do you say so? "

I heard him over the phone and I feel that he did, I can't trust him"

"Victoria, it is good that you've decided to find out more about your past but I won't fail to tell you what an old friend of mine once told me.
Trust is like an egg once it is broken, it can never be recovered "that's a practical example but if we look deeper we find out that sometimes the things we face do not always require practicality.

Sometimes we do the unusual. True the egg can't be put back together but does it mean the egg should be thrown away?. We can either be blinded by the fact that the human nature fails to see the importance of change or we can embrace it.

I remember watching these little school children make vim(scouring powder)  from egg shells and I watch my wife make manure from them. We can't put the egg together, but we can always tear it apart and make it better"

"Are you saying I should trust my husband?"

"All I'm saying is that you will figure everything out, you always do. And I believe you will make the right choice.

I always leave Mr Ajayi's office with a new puzzle to uncover and when I got home I was exhausted.

I met Christy in her room with her friend Joyce who had come to sleep over. She mentioned her father coming to look for me in her room in the morning and I told her where I had been. I left them to their girls gist and went to my room.

Charles came back few minutes later and when he came into the room I just lay on the bed and pretended like I was sleeping.

" I looked for you this morning, I went to christy's and you weren't there also. Saw you sleeping with your mother and I felt that you probably needed to stay there, I woke up and you weren't beside me, I missed that ummm, you know waking up to your beautiful face. I had to leave because of an emergency at work, I would have stayed to find out that why you left. That was why I couldn't wait to get home today"he spoke
But I ignored him and continued in my Pretence.

" You don't sleep on that side, you never do. You always sleep on your right side. I know you are awake, I also know that you are angry with me. But I don't know why? "

With that I stood up, I walked to him and hugged him. And when we finally broke apart , I held his face making sure that I could see his eyes clearly. There was no way he would escape from this, his eyes never lie.

Charles are you cheating on me? "

************************************

A/N : 😯😯😯😯can't wait to find out what charles has to say!!!