After finishing their meal, Chioma walked to her bag, retrieved a brown envelope, and placed it before her mother. 'That's my salary for the month, 30,000 naira... I hope you won't refuse it,' she said softly.
'Chioma, I don't think I'll need it...' Louisa hesitated.
'Mum, please,' Chioma whispered, her gaze filled with tenderness that Louisa couldn't resist.
Andrew piped in, 'Since Mum doesn't want it, maybe I should have it. Need some branded western attire for my candlelit dinner date with Chisom, you know.' His voice held a playful, mock-desperate tone.
'Chisom got her salary too,' Louisa suggested, turning to Andrew with a smile.' Maybe you could collect hers and use it to buy the clothes.'
Andrew laughed in a way that was more like crying and said, 'Chisom will see me as a handicapped man if I do that...'
Chioma couldn't help but chuckle. Then, looking at her mother, she said, 'Just take the money, okay?'
'Okay...we still need some groceries. Your salary should cover it,' Louisa hesitated briefly but eventually accepted the money. She had no intention of using it for herself; she knew there were essential household items that needed to be purchased.
Chioma didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but a warmth bloomed in her chest. She understood that mothers put their family's needs first. With a smile, she decided that next time she would buy a gift instead of giving her mother money. She then began clearing the dishes.
Later, in the dimly lit bedroom, Chioma approached Louisa from behind, wrapped her arms around her mother's neck, and hesitantly began, 'Mum, I'm sorry for keeping this from you... I hope you won't get mad... Yes, I am now in a relationship with that mysterious man. I'm aware of my lowly background, and I feel unworthy of him... but my love for him is genuine...'
After Chioma spoke, she lightly kissed Louisa on the cheek, hoping to soften the impact of her words. Louisa looked at Chioma and smiled. She wasn't angry, which surprised Chioma.
'Is he planning to bring you to the church?' Louisa asked, causing Chioma to blush. 'If he's the one you love, then I support you,' Louisa affirmed.
'You're not mad?' Chioma raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Louisa chuckled, a warm, reassuring sound. 'No...' Louisa smiled. After a brief pause, she added, 'Just remember that his family might reject you because of your social status.'
Chioma sighed. 'I know what I've gotten myself into... I'm willing to stand by my decision and cherish this man for the rest of my life.'
'Where did you learn that line? Seriously... kids these days know how to talk nonsense,' Louisa joked, eliciting a sweet smile from Chioma. 'How's Daniel?'
Chioma hesitated, unsure if her mother still considered him an option.
'Don't worry, I'm not asking you to be his girlfriend,' Louisa reassured her, sensing her daughter's apprehension.
Chioma let out a deep breath. 'He's fine... He recently broke up with his girlfriend, and he has now been branded a superhero...' A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
'He'll find someone else sooner or later,' Louisa assured her with a smile. She changed into her nightdress and headed towards the bed.
'Mum, why didn't you object to my relationship with Michael?' Chioma was still surprised by her mother's lack of reprimand.
Louisa smiled. 'Because it's exhausting to try and separate two people in love... I know I won't succeed, so why should I fight a losing battle? The best way to save myself the stress is to approve of the relationship... I'd only exhaust my energy if I fought against your relationship with him,' she explained. Chioma broke into a sweet smile. 'Just be careful and never let him take advantage of you,' she cautioned, yawning before crawling into bed. 'Goodnight.'
Just then, a notification buzzed on her phone. It was a WhatsApp message from Audrey, accompanied by a picture of a bouquet of flowers. It was a photo of the same bouquet of flowers she had rejected earlier from Peter.
Confusion clouded Chioma's mind. Why would Audrey have a picture of those flowers? She thought. Could Audrey be the boss Peter mentioned, the one who gave her the flowers? Chioma quickly dismissed the idea; Audrey wouldn't be so secretive about it.
Before Chioma could formulate a response, another message popped up from Audrey. 'Isn't the bouquet beautiful?' it read.
Taking a deep breath, Chioma crafted a cautious reply. 'I love it...' she typed, leaving out any mention of the person who had brought the flowers to her at Star Restaurant.
'If you love it, why did you reject it?' Audrey's response was swift and pointed.
At that moment, Chioma realised that the flowers had come from Felix.
'I didn't know they had come from you,' Chioma carefully avoided mentioning Felix's name. 'I'm sorry.'
Audrey's response arrived instantly. 'It's yours. You can have it anytime.'
The conversation ended there, and a few seconds later, a new WhatsApp status update popped up on Chioma's screen. It was a picture of Audrey holding the very same bouquet of flowers, captioned 'for my brother's girlfriend.'
Chioma stared at the status and didn't know what to say. She wanted to tell Audrey about Michael but didn't have the courage to do so. Instead, she wrote, 'Audrey, you look beautiful in your jeans and round-collared light pink sweater.'
'You're good with words,' Audrey responded with a laughing emoji.
Chioma smiled but chose not to reply. However, as she looked at her WhatsApp messages, she felt a knot tighten in her stomach. She seemed to be contemplating something, perhaps considering a better way to explain her relationship with Michael to Audrey.