Finding Happiness – Episode 1

Mrs. Edna Ebiere Silva sat with her
daughter in their nicely furnished living
room going through some newly purchased
jewelry from her recent travel to Dubai. It
was quite late in the evening and soon
they would be preparing for bed but Tonye
had managed to convince the older woman
to engage in the jewelry exhibition.

Edna who also had secretly wanted someone to show off to, had given in after a little feigned objection.

The amazement on Tonye’s young face
made Edna smile appreciatively, she knew
she’d selected some really quality stuff,
that would be how her friends would be
staring in wonderment whenever she wore
them. Being the widow of a billionaire, she
had a status to keep and really did try her
best. Women and their tongues could be
unforgiving when they sized one up and
decided one didn’t know how to dress for
one’s status.

Edna painstakingly picked her outfits
because unlike many of the women in her
current circles, she’d not been born with a
silver spoon, neither had she been
groomed while growing up and everything
she had now, she’d stumbled upon. She
was a woman, from the lowest of the low
class who had set out on her own early in
life and had managed to make a quite a lot
out of it.

Being sharp of mind, brilliant and easily
adaptable had helped when at the young
age of twenty five she’d had a newborn to
take care of and three years later, a baby
daughter whose father was nowhere in
sight. She was a strong woman, a survivor,
not given easily to panic but rather
planned ahead.

Life had been great to her
and she was grateful to God even if most
times she felt lonely since her beloved
husband had passed on a few years back.
“Wow mom, these necklaces are something
else, you have got to give me something out
of all these; I’ll take one of them oh!”
Tonye threatened her mother and grabbed
one of the gold necklaces in front of her.
Moving backwards out of her mother’s
reach, she tried hooking its clasp around
her neck.

Mrs Silva held out her hand, sitting up, she
raised her voice a bit, out of annoyance
“Tonye will you hand that back right now?
You can save up money and go and get
yours, these ones are mine! Oya, hand that
back right this minute!” but knowing her
daughter, it was fruitless being annoyed,
she took what she wanted and wouldn’t
return it if she didn’t want to. Even if she
did give it back now, Mrs Silva was sure it
would be missing from her room again by
morning.

Confirming her thoughts, Tonye shook her
head “mom, stop acting up now, you know
I’m a student, it would take me a lifetime
to save up the money whereas you have
the money and many other necklaces
better than this one, let me rock this one
now.” Tonye said the necklace on her neck
now “Mom, don’t you want your daughter
to look expensive too?”

“That necklace is too expensive for you; I’ll
get you a cheaper one.” Edna replied, her
tone still crisp “Besides you are careless
with these things, you’ll get it missing very
soon if they don’t rob it off you. Bring it
back….now!” she snapped before adding
in her most threatening voice “and don’t
let me get off this chair, Tonye!”

Mrs Silva hardly took that tone with her
kids, but Tonye could be very trying
sometimes, she sensed her mother’s
growing anger and began to take it off
“but mom you don’t try sometimes oh, all
this money and you can’t get me some nice
things?” she whined “ just don’t complain
when my boyfriend gets me a nice one like
this.”

Mrs Silva was forced to smile, so she’d
resorted to a little threatening of her own
but Mrs Silva brushed it aside, she knew
her daughter “ You are expecting me to
comment on that but I don’t have your
time. Dare can buy you the whole of the
UAE if he likes, that’s you and his problem.
Just hand that back…. Thank you very
much,” She said accepting the necklace,
her eyes falling on the grandfather clock
that stood not too far away. The time was
far gone.

“How about your brother? Do you have an
idea when he’ll be back? It’s already 10.30
pm.” She asked….

Hang on the Next Episode…..

About Author

Echezonam Ibezim Jk

A chemical engineer with cognitive flair for creative writing . He writes for fun and renders his reportage humorously to keep you entertained . His avid love for food inspires him the most as he hopes to make his blog a real entertainment hub.

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