CHAPTER 31

After a total of 4 weeks, Maria, little by little began questioning my stay in that apartment. She wasn't rude about it, and she didn't ask me about it for obvious reasons. She asked her husband and she did make sure not to sound agitated by it.

"Your sister in law asked how long you'll stay with us.", Jonathan told me on our trip to the grocery store.

"What did you tell her?", I asked him.

"I just told her that we're looking for a job and as soon as you get it, you'll leave.".

"Thanks. But are you sure she understands?",

"She does. Maria is a very understanding woman.".

In this world, every person is an actor, but there's no greater actor than a woman with something stuck in her chest. I'm a woman too, and my instincts started to whisper words I didn't want to pay deeper attention to. 

…

Since I started doing chores in their house, I only made meals I knew pretty well. I mostly made Tanzanian meals and she was the first at the table since she 'Loved them so much'. It made me want to cook more for them, you know? But most American foods were a bit challenging and sometimes I'd write the ingredients on the list, but nothing would be bought. I had to work with what we had in the pantry and the fridge.

I had felt a little bad for Maria since she lived with the both of us. Sometimes me and Jonathan would be conversing in Swahili and she wouldn't be able to contribute since she didn't understand. It wasn't a good thing and so I asked Jonathan that if we're in the living room with Maria, no matter what we talked about, we should use English. She really wants to be part of every conversation. She needs to be included.

But I also asked him for another favor. Sometimes I think that's where our misunderstanding officially began. I had asked Jonathan to ask Maria that if there's food she misses and she wants to make, she can. I'm not the main cook in this house, anybody can make anything they want. By the way, it was their house, not mine. I don't know if there was a problem with the translation when Jonathan spoke to her, but she misunderstood my point completely. 

I usually woke up at 9 am, and would be in the kitchen making breakfast at 10. When I got to the kitchen that morning, I found frozen Italian sausages at the kitchen counter. There was nobody home. Both of them had gone to work. I then texted Jonathan to ask him about it. I needed to know if somebody accidentally left it there so that I could put it back in the freezer.

Your sister in law is going to make dinner tonight. She'll use the sausages, so leave them outside.

I read that text and my lips curved into a smile. My first thought: Thank God I'm not on dinner duty tonight.

They came back 30 minutes apart. Jonathan arrived at 4:30 pm, and Maria arrived at 5 pm. Her first stop after she took the shoes off and hung her bag, was the kitchen. The sausages were perfectly defrosted and so she began making dinner. The kitchen and the living room where I was, were side by side, so I could see her and what was going on. 

She seemed angry, and I thought something must have happened at school. She made dinner and as soon as she finished, she began heading to their bedroom. It was now 7.

"Dinner is ready.", she told me as she walked past me, "I hope it's to your liking.".

"Thank you.", I answered happily.

I got to the kitchen and she had made pesto penne pasta with the sausages. I'm not a big fan of pasta but I did eat a whole bowl. The food was good and simple. While I was eating, my eyes were locked on the TV, but my ears did catch wind of an argument going on in the next room, their bedroom. What's going on? Did they have a fight or something? Well, I didn't want to involve myself in that matter. Dinner was good. My show was even better.

Next thing I know, Maria stormed out of the bedroom and came to the living room. My bowl was now empty and she grabbed it and threw it in the kitchen sink. I was too surprised to speak. She turned the tap on and started washing my dishes. I mean, what's happening?

"I was going to do that.", I said, kind of offended.

"You wanted me to make your dinner. I might as well wash your dishes.", said Maria.

"What are you talking _".

I was interrupted by Jonanthan's arrival in the living room. He was as worked up as she was. And I was sitting on my couch looking at them like a deer caught in headlights.

"That's not what she meant.", Jonathan told Maria.

"I have a job, okay? I deal with kids from 8 am to 4 pm. I'm always on my feet, going back and forth and I am tired! I can't be coming back here and making dinner too. It's not fair. Your sister doesn't have a job. She just sits all day. I don't know why she thinks this is okay.".

I mean, it was not even in my thoughts. I never wanted her to do any chore in that house other than her own laundry. I did the rest. I never asked her to start making dinner for us. It's not what I said. And the worst thing is that, I didn't know what to say to defend myself. I was ready to anger Jonathan, but not her.

And she didn't want to hear any explanation from me, so as soon as she finished washing my bowl, she went back to her room. My instincts whispers were gradually getting louder. And now they were saying;

She doesn't want you here.

***