Chapter 15
Colin was stepping out of the shower later at night after he had gone to drop Becky at home when his mom summoned him to her room from the intercom. “Colin Blake, come right now!”
“Mom, what is the problem?” She never called his full name, except there was some trouble.
“Colin Blake,” she repeated. “Come right this minute.”
“Okay, give me a minute. I just stepped out of the shower. I need to get dressed.”
Mrs. Blake disconnected the line.
“Eunice called me,” she pointed her phone at Colin the moment he entered his parents’ bedroom. She was referring to Eric’s mother. “She was congratulating me about your forthcoming wedding with Becky. Why did you tell your friends at the workshop that you are planning to wed Becky?”
“No.” He shook his head. “No, I only introduced her to a few people as my fiance, I said nothing about planning a wedding to anyone.”
“Why do you have to introduce her to people in the first place?” His Mom retorted. “You will not get married to her!”
“Yes, I am going to get married to Becky, mom.” He sat down on the love chair in the corner of the large room.
All the blood drained from Mrs. Blake’s face. “I have never insisted that you do anything, Colin. Can’t you do this for me, for once?” She shouted angrily at the top of her voice.
“Mom,” Colin said. “Keep your voice down. Everyone in the estate can hear your voice.”
“I don’t care!” She flung her phone on the bed angrily. “Stop telling people Becky is the one you are going to marry, period!”
“Maria, why are you shouting?” Mr. Blake, who had walked into the room unnoticed, asked. “What is going on here?”
“Eunice Fabian just called me,” she started saying, and told her husband what was happening.
“Really?” her husband asked casually. He removed his eyeglasses and dropped them on the nightstand.
She waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. “Is that all you are going to say?” she snapped at her husband, really…?”
“What do you want me to say?” he said with a hint of a smile on his lips. “Leave Colin alone, let him marry whoever he loves, stop meddling.”
“So I am meddling?” She sat on the edge of the bed. “Looking out for my only child has now turned to meddling?”
With a deep sigh, Colin settled further into the chair, trying to make sense of his mother’s attitude. “Colin,” her voice was gentle now. “Please, marry Debbie. Do it for me.”
“I can’t,” Colin replied. I have no feelings for Debbie, so why am I being forced to marry her?
“Colin!” His mother’s voice rose again. “Because she’s the best woman for you. Better than Becky.”
“Alright, dear!” Ben was fed up already with all the drama going on. “Calm down, is there anything you are hiding from us?” he asked his wife.
“Yes, yes,” she thought to herself. She spurned around to face her husband. “Why are you asking if I’m hiding anything from you?” She swallowed hard. “Are the reasons I have been giving all these while not valid enough?”
“I’m asking because I can’t understand this obsession of yours,” he settled back on the pillows. “Like Colin asked, why is it compulsory that he must marry Debbie ?”
“It is compulsory that Colin marry someone we know.” She snorted. “Yes, he’s our only child, our heir, for the sake of all that is good!”
“Don’t you think that is selfish? Why should he marry someone we want because he’s the heir? That is nonsense.”This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.
“It is not selfish, and it is not nonsense,” her tone was argumentative now: anticipating how her husband would react. When he said nothing, she said, “I am his mother, and I know better.”
Her husband said nothing still, knowing they would go nowhere with the arguments in the state she was at that moment. He signaled to his son with his eyes to leave them. Colin nodded and left his parents’ room.
“Come,” Ben held his wife’s hand. She was now lying down. “Let me rub your back for you.”
“Get your hands off me,” she pushed his hand away. “I don’t want a back rub.”
He smiled and returned his hand to her back, and kissed her shoulder.
“Dear, you have to take it easy with your son. He’s an adult. You can’t force your choice on him.”
“Okay,” she pushed his hand away again. “Leave me alone then,” she switched the light off from the wall beside her. Turning the room into darkness. Her husband switched the light on from his side.
He smiled at her stubbornness and pulled her to himself. “Trust me, he has made the best choice.”
“Debbie is the better choice,” she insisted.
“Then you either don’t know your son well enough,” he nibbled on her earlobe. “Or you are deliberately lying. Can’t you see how happy he’s been since we returned? And he’s been as productive as ever in the office, too.”
“You can say what you like,” she replied, although she knew her husband was telling the truth.
His hand traveled up her body. He cupped one breast through her nightdress and kissed her shoulder again.
“Let me sleep,” she groaned.
“You are going to sleep,” he turned her around to face him and kissed her on the mouth.
“Oh, Ben,” she moaned into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck.
He pulled off her nightdress over her head and dropped it on the floor. He stood up to undress and joined her back on the bed.
Several minutes later, Ben finally rolled off her with a contented smile.
“You still have it, dear. You are Da bomb!” He snuggled up to her body. Maria held onto her lover, closing her eyes now as she savored the aftermath of the pleasure they just shared. She smiled as he told her sweet nothings.
After they had snuggled for a while in silence, they both got up for a quick shower.