The Wife ESCAPED!

Caro and her chubby potential benefactor arrived at their final destination at dusk. It was a gigantic compound in a quiet and ultra-modern environment. When they stepped past the gate, Caro was awed by what she saw. A modern three-story mansion, several expensive-looking cars, a fountain, a little garden and a swimming pool were among some of the things her eyes first caught on and she couldn’t help but stare at them open-mouthed. The woman laughed and patted her on the back.

“Surprised, eh? I told you I wasn’t used to those miserable means of travelling, but a friend of mine took me to go see another friend and one thing led to another. The end result was that I had to make my way back home without a car. At first, I thought I would manage just fine, but… you know how that turned out. Come on, let’s go in,” she said, pulling the still awed and dumbstruck Caro by the hand.

“Rennie!”, the woman called as they entered the house.

Caro stood beside her, more awed than ever as she looked around at the enormous sitting room which was decorated with every luxurious item money could buy. The small things like the AC were very small, smaller than any she had ever seen while the big things like the sofas were huge, bigger than both of her grandfather’s fishing canoes (one of which was once rumored to be stolen property).

“Rennie! Mabel! Where are you guys?”, the woman called again. A young woman, probably in her early twenties, rushed into the sitting room to meet them.

“Sorry, ma. The children were making noise, that’s why we did not hear you.”

“Yeah yeah, you always have a ready excuse. By the way, where are those kraperknuckers? Don’t they know I’m home and that it’s time to jet off to do their homeworks?”

“Emm… they… they are…”

“Anyway, show this young lady to the bathroom in one of the guest rooms and get her a clean dress. Preferably one of those new ones of yours. (to Caro) Come on dear, go with her. You should have your bath and get something to eat. It’s been a tough day. And by the way, I never found out your name.”

“Caro… Carolina Benson.”

“Okay, Carol. I’d like to thank you again for saving my life. I’m more grateful than you can ever imagine.”

“It’s nothing, ma,” Caro mumbled shyly.

“And by the way, my name’s Trisha; Trish for short. Don’t forget to toss the ‘Ma’ into the sink before you leave the bathroom. Now, you can follow this young lady.”

Caro curtsied, but was quickly stopped by her host.

“Uh uh. We don’t do that here. I’m not your mother and this is not an African village. We’re all equals here. We’re friends. Remember that, okay?”

Caro nodded, heavily embarrassed.

“Good girl. Now, off you go. I’ll be waiting here for you.”

Caro followed Rennie and the older girl led her to a tastefully furnished room and showed her the bathroom, promising to return with a clean dress as soon as possible. Caro thanked her and she left, shutting the door softly behind her.

Caro was now alone in the room. She took a careful but quick look around at all the fineries: the plush rug, huge bed, beautiful curtains… in fact, it looked like the rooms in those five-star hotels she’d seen in magazines – everything so classy and expensive.

Well well, she wasn’t here to admire furniture. In reverence to the wealth and class all around her, she almost tiptoed into the bathroom. Everywhere was white and sparkling clean. There was a tub and a shower, but since she wasn’t used to the former and also because there was no time for frolicking, she opted for the shower.

As she stripped, she couldn’t help but wish that she was the one who would occupy the room. She would then have a chance to try out the tub as much as she wanted! But all those were fantasies. She knew she would only sleep in the kitchen or anywhere else she would be working from now on.

***

When Caro came back to the sitting room, she found that everyone was at the dining table, except Rennie. She was a little confused, not knowing what next to do. She knew she had to clean while waiting for them to finish, but where could she find a cleaning cloth and what on earth would she clean?

“Oh Carol, you’re done,” Trish said, gesticulating with her fork. “Come sit down beside me.”

Caro’s eyebrows shot up, but she knew better than to argue. She went over to the chair and sat down lightly. But right in front of her was a covered plate of food. She wondered whose it was; Rennie’s perhaps?

“Come on, eat your food, dear,” Trish said, gesturing at the plate.

“Hmm?” Caro was more surprised than ever.

“Sorry we started without you, but we keep a strict timetable, you know.”

Again, Caro knew better than to say anything. Tentatively, she lifted the plate and was presented with a sweet-smelling and sweet-looking meal along with some cutlery, most of which she wasn’t used to. She stared at the plate in mild confusion. The “food” was actually a small square of rice-colored chocolate-like substance and a few leaves. It looked more like a carpet or curtain decoration than something edible. With how famished she was, she wondered how this cube would satisfy her. It was only when someone dropped an apple in the empty cover-plate beside her that she realized that half the table was staring at her.

Recovering herself, she picked up the spoon, the only cutlery she could eat with, and started scooping the soft part of the food into her mouth. She would try to remember not to use her fingers on the tough part (which felt like meat), just like they did in the village. Had she even washed her hands? No no, she didn’t need to do that since she was eating with a spoon. But how would she handle the tough part of the food? Whoa! She was getting ahead of herself now. One step at a time!

“Stop that, Ian, or you’ll feel my knuckle on your head,” Trish warned suddenly, addressing one of the little boys seated around the table. Ian must have stopped doing whatever he had been doing because there were no more threats from his mother.

Caro was now comfortable enough to look around at the three unfamiliar faces seated around the table. There were two little boys, obviously twins since they looked so alike and a much older girl who looked a little like Trisha, though slimmer. Caro wondered who she was to the woman. Daughter? Sister? Distant relative? But overall, they all seemed nice. No one was giving her a ‘bad eye’, at least not yet.

“Great food,” one of the boys said, dropping his cutlery into his empty plate and raising both hands with a smile, showing his incomplete front teeth.

“You have Mabel to thank for that,” his mom replied.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

“Thank you, Aunty Mabel,” the boys chorused.

“You’re welcome, guys,” the older girl beamed.

Caro could see that almost everyone had finished their meal. It would not do to be the only one to be left behind. She had to stop eating like a White woman and eat like a bonafide African lady.

Taking a quick look around, she picked the meat and threw it into her mouth. Good thing she didn’t swallow it immediately because it was actually much softer and tastier than she thought, so she chewed it as quickly as she could. Then she drank down a glass of water, doing well to drink it in a civilized manner and not make those funny sounds they used to make in the village with plastic cups. As she rose from her seat, one of the boys pointed to her plates.

“Your apple,” he simply said. She nodded softly and grabbed the fruit, then she dropped it again and reached forward to gather other plates.

“Oh don’t bother about that,” Trisha stopped her. “The boys will handle it. Come sit and let’s talk a little before you go to bed, so the food can settle down, you know.”

Where was it settling down to? Caro thought as she followed her to the sitting room. All the food she had eaten melted and vanished before they could leave her tongue to her throat. If hunger could be measured, she was feeling a thousand watts of it! But she was never one to complain, so she followed her host quietly.