Chapter 8
World Best Mother
As much as Rowan wanted to make it up to everyone, especially his mother. He couldn't withstand his daughter. It was because of her, that he lost the love of his life, his greatest treasure but people didn't see that side of the story. They only saw their side of the story. He needed a listening ear too. His side of the story should be heard too. This among many other things was what he was thinking when his mother left his room.
Eating dinner with her and Aliyah was one of the last things he wanted to do at the moment but he couldn't resist because he knew his mother. She hardly said what she didn't mean. Although he hadn’t had anything to eat after the lunch he had with Leticia, he hardly even took a spoon out of the meal that afternoon but the food was never part of what was wrong with him.
The thought of Leticia came to him again, he smiled as he remembered her look. Her red hair was perfect. He hope she was the Vanessa he had been praying for but for now he needed to go downstairs before his mother came for his head.
He sluggishly unknots his tie and threw it at one side of his bed. Next, he took off his shirt slowly and turned on his television before he left for the bathroom to take a shower then shortly afterward he went to the dining to continue another round of the same discussion.
Aliyah and his mother were already in the dining making some necessary arrangements before she decided whether she was going to go back upstairs and drag the hell out of him.
“Why don’t you let me do that for you?” Aliyah said trying to get the plate from her.
“Thank you very much but if I may ask do you have a boyfriend?” she was as serious as possible and Aliyah, on the other hand, was caught unprepared.
“No, I don’t have one for now,” she muttered.
“Seriously you don’t have a boyfriend? What is wrong with your kids these days? Don’t you see life beyond work and making money? Don’t you want to have a family of your own? There I was schooling my son upstairs not knowing that his secretary is single too. What do you kids gain in being single because I don’t get you all at all.” She snapped.
“I want to have a family and I am working on it,” Aliyah said sweetly.
“Working on it! The same reply from everyone, so you are also working on it. Why do you have eyes and you don’t see? Are you telling me my son Rowan isn’t good enough for you?” she yelled.
“It's—"
Rowan cleared his throat and walked down slowly.
“I guess you are talking about me,” Rowan said.
“What is there about you to talk about, as if there is something you have done worthy of praise? God saved your ass that you came downstairs at the right time. If not I would have smacked the hell out of you this night!” She replied.
Rowan came down from the steps and stood.
“I thought we were supposed to have dinner?” he asked.
“No dinner will be served to you while standing. Go get yourself a seat!”
“You can sit over here, sir,” Aliyah said as she prepare a seat for him.
“Don’t worry I am fine here.” He pulled the seat closer to him.
“Shall we have our meal now?” he asked with a half smile.
“Aliyah why don’t you serve the meal, you can do it better,” his mother suggested.
“Okay, I will do that right way,” she said as she jumped on her feet and served the meal to everyone. She sat down after serving the meal to dig hers and his mother continued.
“Wow, what a wonderful meal we got here,” she said.
“Thank you very much,” Aliyah said with a smile on her face while she continued eating her food.
“You mean you prepare this all by yourself!" She exclaimed dramatically and Rowan rolled his eyes. "It's been like two years since I have eaten a delicious meal like this. I don’t mind eating this kind of meal every day...” She said wiggling her brows.
“Mother I thought we came here to eat!” Rowan gritted.
“And are we not eating? We are enjoying this wonderful meal or isn’t it delicious?” she asked.
“Your talk is affecting my taste bud, it is making me feel uncomfortable mum, I think it will be good if we maintain decorum.”
“Okay enjoy your meal I wouldn’t say anything again just make sure you eat as much as you can and I will not also mind spoon-feeding you. This kind of meal isn’t supposed to be in the bin." She paused for a while as she munched on her meal, all this she was doing just to pass a message to Rowan that Aliyah was a good person for him to start a new life with.
After a short silence, she continued again, "Aliyah I know your mother will be a great cook look at what she gave birth to, what an amazing creature...”
“Mother, what is wrong with your table manners? what is wrong with it? Can’t you be silent for once mother?” Rowan snapped, he had taken enough of her talks.
“Okay I will stop talking but Aliyah isn’t complaining about my talking and why are you so pissed about it?”
“I enjoy every bit of your conversations ma'am,” Aliyah replied.
“Did you hear her? she enjoys every bit of my cover...”
“Mum, can you please stop? Just stop right now unless you want me to leave the table for both of you to have your sweet long conversations. I am not in the mood, don’t you get It, mum!" He yelled
“Okay, Let's continue our meal I promise not to say anything again.”
There was silence for a long time. But not long enough.
Rowan was about to drink water when his mother started again, “Rowan do you know Aliyah is single?”
Rowan immediately spits the water out of his mouth. “Mother, are you for real, I think I am done eating!” He snapped as he left the dining angrily.