Chapter 7

Every beautiful Sunday morning was blessed with the chirping of birds in trees, or the chittering of squirrels, sharing their nuts or worse, protecting them.

The sun peeking through the rails of clouds, blessing the weather. It gets more beautiful when there's soft music that wakes you from sleep, when your family members are awake, so they make you breakfast.

It could have been the same in Heritage's apartment except for the fact that, clearly her best friend had woken up way too earlier before her and was almost setting the kitchen ablaze.

Nothing would have ever disrupted her beauty sleep except probably the house was on fire, which at this point, well, the frying pan was on fire.

And Ava was nowhere in sight.

So who was cooking?

Her panic state rose, pushing adrenaline through her blood. But she remembered how one of her pupils had shared her story back then of hoe she watched her mother put out flames from the pan like this.

With sprints, she quickly turned off the stove and slid a lid over it, ceasing the flames. Then, she reached out to open the windows, to allow the air that had been restrained from entering.

There was more than just the air that met her face when she stuck her head outside.

A truck was outside her home, with tons of boxes, and a couple of men.

And there was Ava.

In a normal sense, it might have been that either was flirting with the other because even if they looked like movers, she was with one of them, giggling and slapping his arm so often.

This lady had almost set a house on fire, and there she was, smiling with this man. Nobody did the flirting business better than Ava anyway.

Heritage resisted the urge to shout and instead made her mind to give her a piece of her mind outside. But she couldn't. Shrek definitely looked prettier than she was in this state, and her hair could pass for a vulture's nest. She stomped back to her room instead.

After what seemed like forever, Ava made her way in. The boxes had been stacked neatly in her sitting room and she didn't seem to be unpacking anytime soon.

Heritage came out again, this time, freshened.

"What's all those?"

Ava laughed. "I think I should run this instead of you. I'm putting so much effort and you don't even know what's in the boxes"

"How am I supposed to know? I wasn't aware you ordered anything, and here they are, in my living room. Hello?"

Ava waved her off and sat down, pulling out her phone.

"Perhaps, you might want to check what you were cooking," Heritage added dryly.

"What was I cook… fuck!"

She made sprints to the kitchen and returned back to meet a Heritage with folded arms and arched brows.

"I'm so so sorry, guy, I terribly forgot"

"Of course darling, you were there, flirting with those men!"

"No, I wasn't!"

"Yes, you were! I saw you!"

Ava sighed. "I wasn't, it's not bad to actually engage in a conversation, I'm sorry I almost burnt the kitchen and..."

"Not just the kitchen, the whole house!"

"I'm sorry, okay?"

Heritage shook her head and turned to leave.

"Aren't you going to check what's in those boxes?"

"Could be a bomb, so no"

"Be serious, will you?"

She dragged her feet back to where the boxes were, and after a few dismantling, her eyes grew wide.

" Ava, what's this?"

" Uh, what does she look like?" She laughed, feeling impressed.

" No, I'm for real, what are they for?"

" Did you change your mind on running a nursery?"

" Fuck, Ava, this is extreme. I'm just babysitting, not a nursery. I thought we talked about this!"

" Did you just say fuck?" She laughed.

" I'm serious now. I do not plan on opening a daycare for fifty children. Look at me, how many children do you think I can handle?"

" Uh, I dunno, you've handled at least thirty kids at a go."

"Shut up. Listen, my type of nanny isn't for babies. I'm not changing nappies here Ava, I wouldn't. These cots, all these toys, aren't necessary. There's even baby powder. Ava! I'm not dealing with more than 5 children. What am I even saying? 3 max."

" But still…"

"No buts, I understand you have so much money, you don't even know what to do with it. Charity would be beautiful, my dear. But buying all of these like I'm about to run an orphanage, N. O."

"First, I agree I have enough money" she giggled "But really, I thought you would need these things. I could quit my job if you want me to"

Heritage sighed and sat on the couch next to her.

"Ava, I really do appreciate everything you do, but this one, this is extreme. I plan babysitting for a couple of hours, either here or the child's home, depending on the choice of the parent. Not run an entire school. I'm sorry but all of these, you'd have to take them back"

Ava rolled her eyes in return. "I saw this coming."

She stood up to go to the kitchen. "You appreciate my efforts but you don't want them. No? Okay. Okay. Okay, no problem" She put her hands up.

Heritage slumped in her seat. Ava would never want to pick a fight with her, instead she'll go her way and sulk about it all day, ignoring Heritage and talking to herself as well as complaining to everyone she could as long as it was within Herit's earshot.

Talk about petty.

"I'm sorry Ava"

"Nah, it's fine, I'll just make breakfast here in the kitchen"

"Nah" Heritage stood up laughing, that was the fakest laugh ever "I'll do breakfast. You've done enough breakfast today already. You go freshen up"

"Ha!" She scoffed. " Now you think so lowly of me to make a mess again, just an accident, you wouldn't let it go. I'm still the better chef here, Herit, jsyk"

"Ava, I don't think lowly of you, just stop blabbing and go take your bathe"

"Oh now, you think I stink"

"Actually, your hair does" she muttered under her breath " I do not think you stink, Ava. Let me just do this"

"Whatever you muttered, I heard it loud and clear"

"Are you sure I said something?"

"I know you did" Her stares on Heritage would have melted her if they were lasers.

She smiled at her. "Just bathe, I'll take care of this."

She watched Ava turn to head inside and she breathed out of relief. Ava should actually get a boyfriend. All of these arguments, she was sure to slump one day in the middle of it.

She made breakfast, and was almost done eating by the time Ava came down to the kitchen. She flashed her a smile and pushed a plate to her, then poured her a glass of milk.

"Enjoy"

She headed back to her room and brought out her phone.

Her Todo list for today had few events,

First, she had to waybill back those jewelries, eight sets. All of them.

Then reach out to a couple of neighbors who had just one or two children, hoping that they could use a nanny. Then also, give Zoey a call. It had been 3 days since she met them. Muffins...she smiled.

She reached on to her drawers and brought out all the boxes. One thing her ex was good at was buying jewelry. He bought to his taste, what he felt was good, and what he felt wouldn't embarrass him.

Even though none of them were from her choice, she still liked them, mostly the three piece jewelry he had gotten for her recently.

A neck piece, earrings and bracelets that could be clasped with just one press at the end.

They were royal blue, like an orb, that even glowed in the dark. The spheres had silver laces entwined just beneath it, making it look like a lost jewel.

She wondered how much that must have cost, but no matter how much she loved it, she wouldn't trade it for an unhappy marriage. What had to be done had to be done.

After polishing each of them one more time and admiring them for the last time, she stacked them in their boxes and placed them neatly in a bigger box.

Ava seemed to have finished her food because just then she walked in.

The type of Ava that just had an argument with Heritage would have ignored her and let her do whatever she wanted for that day, but she seemed more concerned than angry.

"Whatchu doin?"

"What does it look like? I'm packing them up. Need to return them"

"Why? Don't you like them?"

"I do, c'mon, don't ask me all those questions"

"Does he want them back?"

"Well, he hasn't asked for them yet. But the last time he was here, he asked for the keys to the car he lent me, which I never thought he'll need again" She chukled "So I'm not giving him another chance to walk back in my life asking for any other thing, I'm returning all of them"

Ava's eye's fell. "You poor thing"

"Meanwhile, you could start telling your colleagues that your baby is in business!" She cheered, trying to change the subject.

"Yen yen yen bleh bleh bleh" she mimicked her.

"Aw, sweetheart. How long do you plan staying mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you. I'm not that childish"

Heritage just laughed and started sealing the boxes.

"I love you regardless" she added and carried the box out.

She

returned back a couple of minutes and took out her purse. She searched for the card she had gotten a few days ago from the woman from the mall. She promised to call, and that she would do.