AND THEN THERE WERE TWO
Micheal walked Annabelle to her home and they discussed many things. Step by step they had begun to build their friendship. Guadeloupe noticed the boy that walked her home and when Annabelle got in, she dragged her to a corner of the house and began questioning her.
"A man? So quickly" Guadeloupe stressed angrily.
"He is just my friend Guadeloupe" Annabelle said shocked at Guadeloupe's reaction.
"That is what men say all the time. Before you know it, he'll get under your gown and boom! You're on a 9 months journey alone and forsaken. That's why I don't trust men and neither should you!" Guadeloupe stressed angrily and then Annabelle laughed hard.
"What is funny Maria?" Guadeloupe asked confused.
"We are just friends. We have known each other for two days. We don't even feel love or anything of that sort for each other" Annabelle said.
"How sure are you about that?" Guadeloupe asked sternly.
"Trust me, I am sure" Annabelle said and then she began laughing.
"Nine months journey alone and forsaken" she teased mimicking Guadeloupe.
"But it's true. Men are not to be trusted" Guadeloupe stressed.
"What about John?...the man I saw you with the first time I came here" Annabelle asked worriedly. There was a moment of silence until Guadeloupe decided to open up.
"Like I said, men are not to be trusted" she said sadly as she sat on her bed.
"You did not know he had a wife?" Annabelle asked concerned about Guadeloupe's tone.
"And two children. He lied to me. In my 45 years of life I have never been called a slut" Guadeloupe said as she jolted into memory lane...
FLASHBACK
"You should be ashamed....slut!" John's wife cussed with disgust afterwards she spat on the floors of Guadeloupe's cruck house.
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"I am so sorry Guadeloupe. I understand how you feel. But I assure you that Micheal is a good man and we are just friends that is all" Annabelle said as she went to sit beside Guadeloupe and consoled her.
"Just be sensible in whatever decision you make Maria" Guadeloupe advised and Annabelle agreed.
Micheal got to Ole's bringing back three loaves of bread along with him. Ole was shocked that he brought three instead of two. Micheal explained to him all that happened.
"So there's a girl in your life now?" Ole asked blushing.
"We are just friends Ole, nothing more" Micheal said sternly.
"In that case, my youngest sister; Daphne is going to be visiting. Might I add, she's looking for a husband. I feel like you would be a perfect fit" Ole said smiling.
"Perfect fit? I don't even have a job or a house of my own" Micheal stressed in distraught.
"You need not worry Micheal. You both can live here with me after all, if not I rescued you, I would have been all alone. I'll speak to Pa Simon about hiring you as a salesman. I'm sure he'll need some extra hands in that bakery of his" Ole said and then Micheal smiled.
Ole kept to his words and days later, he began working at Pa Simon's bakery. Annabelle would always come over and lend a helping hand and the three of them would talk and laugh all day long. The feelings Micheal and Annabelle had for each other began growing. When they looked at each other, they would smile and then Annabelle would look away abruptly and bite her lower lips as she blushed. None of them wanted to come clean about the feelings they had started developing towards each other. Pa Simon who recognised it all just smiled because he knew that little by little, he was winning the bet he had with Elliot.
Micheal got back from the bakery to meet Daphne; Ole's younger sister. Ole introduced them both to each other and Daphne smiled.
"You are very handsome Micheal" Daphne said as she blushed, bringing her hands out for a kiss.
"And beautiful you are, Daphne" Micheal said sternly as he grabbed her hands gently and kissed them.
"So why don't you two take a walk and get to know yourselves more" Ole suggested and then Micheal walked up to him and whispered into his ears.
"Ole I get that she's your youngest sister and that you were my refuge in time of distress, but I am not ready for marriage" Micheal stressed.
"I am not rushing things with you son, whenever you're ready to marry her, you go for it. The other girl you made mention of...you have no feelings for her, correct?" Ole asked making sure that he was not coming in between Micheal's love life. Micheal hesitated for a while before he answered.
"She is just a friend, correct" Micheal said and then Ole smiled.
"Alright then, off you go" Ole said as he pushed Micheal to Daphne and they both went out the door for their walk.
"So, how did you and my elder brother meet?" Daphne asked as she walked down the streets.
"Ole saved me. If it were not for him, I would have been bears meal" Micheal jeered.
"That's my brother, the hero with a big heart. When I was little, whenever I lied would tell me that God was watching me. Whenever I cried, he would tell me that God was there for me and whenever I laughed, he would tell me that God has done it for me. He's a lover of the man above the sky" Daphne said with a smile.
"Very true. He prays like there's no tomorrow. So, what about you, what do you do for a living?" Micheal asked.
"I am a journalist. I travel around the world just to gather news for the man I work with. He pays for everything all I just have to do is make sure I get news that people would want to read" Daphne said.
"Wow, with all that I feel ashamed to say that I am a baker" Micheal said sadly.
"Don't say that Micheal. I was very lucky to have gotten that job. God really did it for me. So I don't judge people when they tell me that they rear cattle or that they are hunters or-or bakers like you. Even though I live a very comfortable life as an upper-class lady, in the end, I am just like everyone here, a peasant" Daphne said and as she spoke, Micheal looked at her smiling, admiring the way she spoke.
"Micheal, why are you smiling?" Daphne asked confused.
"Your family. You are all such good people. I wonder why I was never like this" Micheal confessed sadly.
"Do not be hard on yourself. So, not to sound impatient or anything like that, would you please introduce me to the people you work with?" Daphne asked but Micheal was reluctant. He kept on giving excuses like the bakery was closed but Daphne insisted and he took her to Pa Simon's bakery. Guadeloupe who was returning from fetching water from the village well spotted Micheal with Daphne. She secretly followed them until they had reached the bakery. Micheal knocked on the door and Pa Simon answered.
"Micheal, the bakery's closed son, what are you doing here?" Pa Simon asked with a sleepy eye.
"Sorry to disturb sir but I just came to introduce someone to you. Meet Daphne..." Micheal said but she interrupted him.
"His future wife" She said smiling as Guadeloupe stood agape with a pail of bucket in both her hands.