Chapter 4 * * * * *

It was ten in the evening when Mike and his parents arrived at their home . The maid opened the door for them as Mr. Morgan invited his son in for a cup of coffee . Mike was about to turn the invitation down but changed his mind on second thoughts after realizing that the old man meant more than just a cup of coffee .

Mike was the only son and the second born in a family of three children . Cynthia , the eldest was already married into one of the Mafia families against the wishes of her parents . Despite the long standing feud between the two families , she already had two lovely sons who frequently visited their grandparents . It was rumoured that her in-laws were currently engaged in a bloody warfare with the Kim family .

Florence was Jason's youngest sister . Beautiful and full of life , at twenty-one , she was doing her final year in University , majoring in Law. A go-getter , she was her father's favourite .

" How is Melody doing ?" Mr. Morgan asked after the maid had served them the coffee ." Seeing you today at the launch I couldn't help wondering why she wasn't present ."

" Am not sure how she is doing , but I know she is having her own great time ," Mike responded .

" What do you mean ? I thought you two were an item ? The last time I checked , you two were engaged to marry ."

" We are no longer engaged through mutual agreement ."

" Am sorry to hear so , but what went wrong ? And you haven't told us anything about breaking the engagement ? Don't you think that we are entitled to know ?"

" Am sorry I didn't find it necessary to trouble you with my love-life ," Mike responded , assuming a gloomy tone . " She was a complete slut , cheating on me even after the engagement . I couldn't stomach her whoring nature . It has been six long months since then ."

" Am sorry if my inquistiveness bothers you . However , seeing this empty house and our increasing ages , your mother and I can't wait to see our grandchildren . Moreover , age is also catching up with you . Despite your career advancement , the worthiness of a person is about the kind of family he has brought up . That's not say that we are not proud of your achievements so far , but the matrimonial engagement is missing to complement you ."

" Dad , am aware . You just don't need to belabour the point ."

" Good . If I may ask , are you seeing anybody in particular ?" He asked , his intention being to find out whether there was anything going on between him and Mary . He had also witnessed their flirting during the launch and subsequently discussed it with Mr. Jaz .

" I can't say for now , but I will let you know in due course ," he answered after a little reflection .

" Well , don't keep us waiting ." He was disappointed by his ambiguous response . He had anticipated his affirmation so that he could give him a lecture dissuading him . " Remember , we are family and therefore bound to share each other's burdens ."

" Honestly , while am not prepared to keep you waiting , it is mandatory for us to understand that marriage is a lifetime engagement . The choice of a wrong partner might wreck havoc in the hearts of many . That's the reason why I need to take time not only in finding the right person , but also in studying her character for compatibility's sake , Dad . A wife is not any commodity that I can just pop into a shopping mall and pick . Worse still , in the contemporary setup , women do not only come in diverse colours , but are also possessed of some form of independence that's unparalleled to your time . I really begrudge you your companionship with Mum ."

" Am really mesmerized with your insight into marriage ! It's a pity that you are not yet in . However , I want you to be rest assured that we are not rushing you . You can take your time , but not for so long given the said intervening circumstances of our ages . For now , we can all do with some rest ."

" Thank you , Dad . Have a goodnight's sleep ," he said as he got up to walk to his house . His bungalow had been recently constructed a few metres from his parents' house within the same compound .

After lying on his bed , he had a strong urge to call Mary . He wondered whether she was already dead asleep as he dialed her number .

* * * * *

After seeing Mike and his parents off , Mary had retreated into her bedroom with conflicting emotions . One on hand , there was the echo of Mike's proposal . It was no secret to her inner being that she had always dreamed of him as a lifetime partner , but she had never made it obvious . She understood and related to him exceptionally well and she knew in her mind's eye that they were destined to be together forever .

She had really felt betrayed when he had started dating Melody . When she had introduced the two , she had never imagined that she could try to make a pass at him . She had nevertheless taken a backstage as she watched them progress into their engagement . She had held herself to blame for not intimating her feelings to him . She had consoled herself that if he was not meant for her , there was little she could do to change the situation . 'What a scoundrel he was that he had not even told her about the breakup !' She sighed .

On the other hand , there was flirting Max ! Her woman's intuition told her that he had something up his sleeve from the way he had behaved today . He seemed to be a jolly good guy despite coming from the Mafia family . And , come to think of it , what was it that her father and his were fighting over ? It was conspicuously clear that her father had seemed displeased to see them at the launch . She determined to find out soon .

She was toying with the idea of calling Mike to find out if they had arrived at home well when her cellphone rang . She checked on the screen to find a new number . Wondering about who could be calling her that late at night ,she clicked on the receiver button .

" Hello !" she said .

" Hello gorgeous !" said the voice from the other end .

" Excuse me , but who am I talking to ?" She asked , though she somehow decoded the voice .

" Sorry , I didn't know you hadn't saved my number . This is Max ."

" Nothing to be sorry about . Besides , I don't recall you giving me your number ."

" If I hadn't met you today , I could have adjudged you a sweet lier . But do you remember me giving you my business card ?"

" Yes , I do . However , I haven't had time to look at the contacts listed there . Again , that doesn't explain how you came by my number . Will I be a sweet lier to deny giving it to you ?" She giggled .

" Far from it ! I don't think the wherever I got it , or how explains why I called you . But would the fact that celebrities of your calibre's contact information is almost common knowledge suffice ?"

" Flattery won't get you nowhere . Anyway , to what do I owe this august call ?" She assumed a serious tone .

" Well , you put me off-guard ! Nevertheless , I thought it unwise of me to go to sleep without knowing how your day ended . Perhaps , you could say I just wanted to hear your melodious voice . Sleep has eluded me , and who knows ? It could lull me to sweet slumberland !" He gave a vibrant laughter .

" You are funny , you know ?"

" So it has been said of me !"

" We just met today , and you are talking of elusive sleep ? Am sure there's someone who has been lulling you to sleep ?"

" Nothing to lose sleep over !"

" And you think am worthy that ?"

" It can't be overemphasized ! Furthermore , I wanted to request you for a meeting tomorrow to discuss that business proposal I hinted to you ."

" Why the hurry ? I thought we were to ruminate over it untill next week ?"

" Am sorry something urgent has come up in the East that requires my attention . In fact , I intend to travel tomorrow after the meeting , that's if you find it in your heart to indulge me ."

" Sorry for that . How long are you intending to stay in the East ? The point is that I haven't yet discussed it over with my partner ."

" Perhaps it could be better off hearing it out before discussing it with him . Am sure you have no inkling of what it entails yet ."

" You are right , but still I have to explain my absence tomorrow . I will let him know straight away . At what time do you suggest and where ?"

" Would ten o'clock be comfortable with you ? I have an office in my Dad's company here in the city , Kim Manufacturers ."

" I think I have seen it , but didn't know it belonged to your family . Well , let see how tomorrow unfolds ."

" Am glad you accepted . You won't be disappointed . Now , may I wish the most gorgeously brilliant girl a fantastic sleep ?"

Blushing , she simply responded , " You too , good night ."

* * * * *

She did not have to put the phone down as Mike's call came almost immediately .

" Well , what a coincidence !" she answered it . " I was thinking of calling you right now ."

" Were you now , my lady ?" He responded from the other end . " This was my fourth and final attempt . You have been busy in the first three ."

" Am sorry I have been on another call . Hope you arrived home safely ?"

" Yeah , but I had to have a man-to-man talk with my old man ."

" About anything I should know ?"

" Not really , but it was his usual whining about my delayed coupling . He is desirous of seeing his grandchildren before he expires !" He gave a resounding laughter . She joined the laughter .

" Poor thing ! You are really pressed . What are you going to do ?"

" You are well-possessed of that knowledge . Or , am I being too presumptuous ?"

" I don't know . However , may I make a suggestion ?"

" Go ahead , so long as it's not repugnant to my thoughts !"

" Repugnant ? No , it might save you from your immediate desperation ," she giggled .

" I have never known suspense to be your forte

" Sorry , it wasn't my intention to . Anyway , I have heard there's a shopping mall for women desperate to get married . Good thing is that you don't have to pay anything so long as you are a male of sound mind . You just walk in , make your pick and bang ! You are married there and then !" Her prolonged laughter filled his ears on his end .

" You are mischievously outlandish ! What kind of a doctor are you to prescribe such medicine to a smart and healthy person whose only ailment is missing the known medicine of his heart ?" He chuckled .

" You didn't say that you knew your medicine , neither did you tell your Dad as much ! Did you?"

" Guilty as charged ! However , you must agree with me that it could have been vainglorious to say anything not knowing about your response."

" Omg ! Am I to blame for delaying my response for something that is not even a day old? Thread carefully , Mr. Desperate !" More chuckling .

" You can laugh as much as you want , but I want you to know that am not doing it for anybody else , but for us . If we have been inseparable during the worst and longest of our times , aren't our lives destined to be together forever ? Only that this time we will permit ourselves to explore our deep insides ?"

" You are making me sleepy , Mr. Philosopher ," she responded after experiencing a flow of warm feelings through her veins from his last words . It was the first time through their journey in life that he had said sexual connotations to her .

" Are you sure it is sleep , or am I making you horny ? Don't deny it , because it is equally happening here . Besides , I saw it in your eyes earlier and am sure you have the same burning desire as much as I do ."

'Damn you ! Must you put it in plain language like that ?' She thought .

" What are you now ?" She wondered . " A telepathic psychic ? " They both chuckled .

" I haven't been with you this long not to know and understand your every feeling . Anyway , am sorry to have disturbed your sweet sleep , but believe you me , talking with you has been worthy any sleep ."

" Wait . I almost forgot to tell you that I would be meeting with Max tomorrow to discuss that business proposal I told you about . It is my intention to request your company , but am afraid one of us has to be in to handle business."

" Should I be jealousy ? Besides , why is he rushing the discussion on this proposal ?"

" I wondered as much . There's only one way to find out . Perhaps , it could be lucrative to us . And , you haven't been with me all along to start doubting me . Nevertheless , my free advice is that you need not just to be jealousy , but seriously so !" she amusedly threatened .

" Point taken . I will always bear that in mind . Wish you a happy bargain . While am not prepared to say goodnight , am compelled to agree that tomorrow is another day . Mwaah!" he blew her a good night kiss to which she generously reciprocated .

"