Contract Marriage; Fated Love

He glanced at his expensive wrist watch. There was still more time before his father came home. He continued his stroll and stopped in front of the pond. He admired it for a while and moved to the green meadows.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“The Meadows where we play,” he mummered and smiled.

He used to be a playful little boy. Once, he had played for straight six hours with his friend Jessy in the meadows. They climbed all the trees in the garden, swam in the river, played with the frogs and the bunnies. They even uprooted a beautiful plant which earned them a great shout from his mother and she sent them out of the garden in anger. That brought the play to an end. Shd however forgave them when they apologized and gave them pizza to eat!

“Hahaha,” he laughed at the memory.

He looked at a tree close by and saw a funny drawing on it. He had made it with Jessy and Mabel. He took a deep breath and continued walking. When he was done looking at and admiring the river, he walked back to the bench. On his way back, he plucked his mum a rose flower to send to her grave. He sat down once again on the bench and admired the garden from his position.

After some time, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned and saw his mum seating beside him on the bench. The exact place she used to seat when she was alive. She smiled sweetly at him and called,

“Lala.”

Lala was her pet name for him. Noah smiled back and hugged his mother tightly.

“Mum, how did you get in here?”

“Through the gates. I came to see the garden just like you did. It’s lovely, isn’t it?”

“Yes mum. It is.”

“Just like the past years, Lala.”

“Yes.”

“I am sorry I left you early.”

“Mum, I miss you,” Noah cried tears falling slowly down his face.

She smiled.

“Look how grown you are now. The achievements you have made. I am proud of you.”

She held his hand and squeezed them gently. No other word was exchanged. They just enjoyed each other’s company in silence, holding hands while seated on the bench.

Someone tapped him again on his shoulder and his eyes flew open. He looked beside him and the bench was empty. No one was holding his hands but the tears had actually fallen down his face. It was all a dream. He had cried from the dream world into reality. He missed his mum so much. The person tapped him again on the shoulder. He turned and saw his father.

Had he slept for a long time? He didn’t even mean to sleep. He took a discreet glance at his wrist watch. He had slept for three hours!

“Good evening dad.”

His father studied him for a while and said nothing. He simply moved to seat beside him.

“You are crying,” he pointed out. Noah fumbled in his pockets for his handkerchief. His father was faster. He handed him a handkerchief. Noah stared at him, wondering why he was offering him a handkerchief. Their relationship didn’t permit that. His father surprised him further by helping him wipe his tears. He was too stunned to utter a word. He just sat there like a lamb and watched his father treat him like a baby. When he was done, he inhaled sharply and asked,

“Why did you come home?”

When Noah didn’t say anything, his father continued.

“You didn’t enter the house.”

When Mr Joshua drove in, he noticed Noah’s car in the garage. He was surprised because Noah never came home until he sent for him. Other times he came to see him for one reason or the other, he always came when he was around. Noah knew his father’s schedule very well. He entered the house and found out that his son didn’t come into the house. He came out and asked the servants where he was. They didn’t have any idea where he had gone but they knew he was still in the compound. Mr Joshua guessed where he could be and he wasn’t disappointed. He was in the garden, sleeping on the bench just where he had expected him to be, although he didn’t expect to see him sleeping.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t come to the house. I only came to visit the garden.”

“And the flower in your hand?”

“I…” He wanted to tell him what it was for but he changed his mind.

“It shouldn’t bother you.”

He dropped the flower on the bench and noticed the blood on his hand. The thorns had pricked him while he was asleep.

“Go in and treat your cut.”

Noah took out his handkerchief and wiped the blood from his fingers. He turned and faced his father.

“Why are you suddenly being nice?”

“I have always been nice to you, Noah.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is son. You have just failed to see that because you refused to. You keep drifting farther and farther and it ails my heart. You are my only child.”

There was silence for a minute and it seemed they both pondered on the words and let it sink in.

“We used to be closer, Noah. Very close. We played in the garden, went on a ride together, had so much fun, and I had the best son in you. Everything changed when you turned fourteen. You distanced yourself from me.”

“That was after my mother died.”

“And why did her death have to ruin our family?”

“That’s because there are things you are not telling me. My mum was pregnant before she died and she was almost due to give birth. What happened to that child?”

“Noah, I have told you times without number that the child died.”

“I know that isn’t true. I don’t believe you. There is something you are hiding.”

“Damn! What is wrong with this boy? Can’t he bury this topic? Every time we talk about this he believes something is fishy.”