The Rosalid Factor II-By Edward Maroncha

(Continued from The Rosalid Factor I)

Sam gets to the office early, as he always does. He has always been a workaholic, and the fact that he even finds time to entertain multiple women is a wonder. His close friends call him ‘Clinton’ a moniker that associates him with the US President with a similar sexual appetite, one that nearly destroyed his presidency. Sam has however never let his extra-curricular activities get in the way of his work.

This morning, when he gets to work, Sam finds Rosalid in his office. That is a first. It is 5 am, and in the time he has known her, she has never reported to work a day earlier than 8 am. She also leaves at 5 O’clock, and not a minute later.

“Good morning sweetheart,” she says cheerfully. “Today I have prepared breakfast for you.”

She takes his hand and leads him to his desk, and sits him down on his massive chair. Then she walks to a small table where his ten O’clock tea is usually placed and gets a flask that Sam had not noticed. She pours him a cup of thick tea. She applies margarine on three slices of bread, and places them on a platter. Then she opens a hot dish and serves him two sausages. A banana materializes from somewhere and lands on the platter as well.

“Enjoy,” she says with a smile as she places the platter on his desk. Rosalid has a sweet and charming smile that momentarily reminds Sam why he fell for her. Rosalid is chocolate brown, with a small nose, small round eyes, a round face and a perfect set of pure-white teeth. She has the body of a model, save for the height. Most models are usually tall, but Rosalid is barely 5’1.

She is also young, at 22, and can be seem to be naïve when she wants to. But as Sam has learnt, she is anything but. She is smart and very calculating, and her moves are often made way in advance. For instance, this breakfast is not in vain. There is something that she wants and he probably won’t know until it is too late.

“Thank you Rosalid…”

“I don’t like the way you are calling me Rosalid these days. When did I stop being your babe?”

“You know we don’t use pet names in the office…”

“It is 5am Sam, nobody is coming here.”

Sam is smart enough to know that if he doesn’t apologize, she will ruin the rest of his day.

“I am sorry baby girl,” he says smoothly. “I have not woken up properly, so my brain is still loading. But you know I love you, don’t you?”

“You don’t tell me that often enough,” she replies with a pout.

“I love you baby girl. I will always love you.”

Rosalid looks like she wants to say something, but then changes her mind. Sam knows she wants to bring up the subject of marriage again, and he assumes that she has decided not to ruin the breakfast she has so elaborately prepared, because that discussion always ends up with a fight. And that makes Sam wonder once again what goal the breakfast is meant to achieve. Has she poisoned it? But how would his death benefit her?

“Won’t you join me for breakfast?”

“I have not poisoned it, if that is what you are afraid of,” she replies, laughing. She takes a bite of his bread and sips the tea and chews slowly.  “I have no intention of bringing up my child as a single mother, so I need you more alive than dead. But to answer your question, yes I will join you. I packed breakfast for two.”

She walks back to the other table and serves herself.

Sam starts eating slowly. Normally, he takes his breakfast at eight, and he normally takes it at the hospitality cafeteria. But the sight of food and awoken his hunger and he eats hungrily while Rosalid looks on like a proud mother. She is eating as well while scrolling on her phone. Sam finds himself wondering what would be so wrong in having her as a wife. She is beautiful, that is without a doubt. She can cook, which has always been important to Sam. He has taken quite a number of meals in her house, so he knows that she is an excellent cook. She is very intelligent; he doesn’t struggle to hold conversations with her because she grasps issues very fast. Were it not for poverty and the associated lack of proper schooling opportunities, Rosalid would have been a fine lawyer, doctor or architect. She is neat, and she is efficient. She knows her work and she does it with the precision of a soldier. Sam knows that he is a better CEO because of that efficiency. She loves him; no, she adores him. What more does a man want?

If it is losing his job, that is not a big deal. There are many institutions that  would be scrambling for his services, given his experience and his qualifications, if they knew he was available. True, many of them may not pay him as much as the hospital is paying him, but he can always set up his clinic and get back to practicing medicine as a consultant physician. That will be hectic, but it will do.

There is the Margaret question as well. But why is he so afraid of her? If she doesn’t want a co-wife then she may as well pack her bags and go. But there is Jane as well. Jane has been very cool with the idea of being the hidden second wife, but how will she react to the news that he is bringing another woman to the harem? She is only okay with being ‘the other woman’ because she knows that Margaret got into his life before her, even though her first born is older than Margaret’s first born. But how will she react when she learns that she is losing her position as the official mistress to another woman?

On the other side of the coin, what is the worst that will happen if he calls out Rosalid’s bluff assuming that that is what it is? He could come out and admit that he had sexual relations with his secretary and ask for forgiveness. If the church wants to fire him, then fine. He will just find another job, and maybe start his clinic. This route actually gives him the chance to beg for Margaret’s forgiveness and maybe she will forgive him. And if she doesn’t, he will just elevate Jane to the wife status. Other women such as Rhoda and Clare may come out of the woodwork, but he can always deny knowing them. Rhoda and Clara actually don’t bother him a lot because he is convinced that they are not interested in him. They have never reached out to him or made any demands. They probably even got married and got their husbands to adopt their children. 

Actually, that is what he should do. He will just admit to sleeping with Rosalid, ask for forgiveness from both Margaret and the hospital board and then cut off Rosalid from his life. She cannot continue blackmailing him for life.

He finishes his breakfast and pushes the platter and cup away. Rosalid springs to her feet and takes it.

“There is still more if you want it.”

“No, I am fine. Thank you baby. I need to get to work now.”

“Okay, but let me refill your cup. You can take tea as you work.”

Sam allows her to refill his cup.

“Where are you going to be on Saturday?”

“This Saturday?”

“Yes, this Saturday?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know. I will have to ask Margaret if we have been invited to any event.”

“No, you haven’t. I already spoke to her.”

“You spoke to my wife? What are you doing, Rosalid?”

“Well, I don’t know what you mean by that, but my co-wife and I are throwing a surprise birthday party for you, at your home. Okay, it was supposed to be a surprise. But now that I have told you, you still have to act surprised when it happens for Margaret’s sake.”

“Just stop the nonsense, Rosalid. I am not going to marry you so I demand that you leave my family alone.”

“Okay fine. But I will tell everyone that you fathered my child. Let’s see what Margaret and the hospital board will say about that.”

“Go ahead, Rosalid. Jump and the roof and scream. Even if I get fired, so what? And get it into your head, even if Margaret divorces me, I will not marry you still. Now get back to your work station.”

Rosalid walks to the door and pauses.

“If you think I am going to walk away and bring up my child as a single mother, you are seriously mistaken.”

The words finally hit Sam. She has been throwing hints for a while but it hadn’t really hit home.

“Are you pregnant?” he asks. “Or what do you mean when you say that you don’t want to bring up your child as a single mother?”

“Come on Sam. Pregnancy is the natural thing that happens when a man has unprotected sex with a woman.”

“But you told me you are under a contraceptive!”

“I did. But you are a doctor, Sam. You know that contraceptives do fail don’t you?”

“I do but…”

“If you are going to abandon me just tell me right here and now so that I can find a lawyer to sue you for child support.”

She says the words with such cool authority that Sam pauses.

“We can talk about this like adults…”

“There is nothing to talk about Sam. It is either you acknowledge me as your second wife or I find a lawyer to force you to formally acknowledge your child. And by the way I am still coming on Saturday, and I will bring a few of your friends because Margaret asked me to. So I will see you on Saturday, together with Jane, Clara, Rhoda, Jennifer and Eunice. I think you remember Jennifer and Eunice, the girls whose pregnancies you denied in college. They will all come with your children, who by the way look exactly like you. We have a WhatsApp group where they have been discussing the question of child support and wondering whether they should hire one lawyer to sue you, or whether they should sue separately. I am sure by Saturday they will have figured that out, and I will also have known whether I will be on their side or yours. See you later in the day baby, I am going back to sleep.”

Sam is stunned. How did she know about all those women? And how did she contact them. But before he can say anything, she slams the door shut. He wants to follow her, but she is already out of the outer door and he is definitely not going to chase her along the corridors. She will be back at eight, but what can he do to stop the crisis that is looming?

This girl is a fireball, and he is just about to get roasted.

(Continued Here)

                                                                         *

To purchase any of the books in our e-bookstore (including the latest one, The Sorcerer’s Daughter), you can follow either one of two main ways:

DIGITAL METHODS

1. MPESA Automated Digital Payment Method. Log in to the bookstore- register if you are new-(https://www.maroncha.com/book-store ). Select the book. Add to cart, check out then pay by inserting your number on the space provided then clicking ‘confirm’. You will be able to download instantly from the bookstore. A copy will also be automatically sent to your email.
2. Pay Via Till Number. Log in to the bookstore- register if you are new-(https://www.maroncha.com/book-store ). Select the book. Add to cart, check out then pay via the Buy Goods Till Number provided. Once you get the message from MPESA, insert the MPESA code on the space provided then click ‘Validate Code’. You will be able to download instantly from the bookstore. A copy will also be automatically sent to your email.

MANUAL METHODS

If you are completely unable to use the above two methods, you can still purchase your copy manually. The only disadvantage of this method is that you will have to wait for a few hours before you get your copy. But eventually it will come.

• Pay  Kshs. 100 to Buy Goods Till Number 297264 and send an email to edward@maroncha.com  (or DM Sanctuary Side on Facebook) stating your MPESA name. Use the name of the book as the subject of your email. If you send a DM to Sanctuary Side on Facebook, kindly also include your email address. I will send your copy once I verify your payment.
• Pay Kshs. 100 to Buy Goods Till Number 297264 and send an SMS/WhatsApp message to 0105571156 stating your MPESA name and the name of the book you wish to purchase. I will send your copy once I verify your payment.

Remember you can always DM Sanctuary Side on Facebook, email me at edward@maroncha.com  or send a WhatsApp message to 0105571156 if you have a query or feedback.

 See you all on Wednesday.

 –Edward.