WHEN I FALL EPISODE 5

BY RUTHIE LEE

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Kathleen remained in my house, doing nothing in particular, but was just seated at the edge of the living room couch.
Each time I pass the living room, her eyes were on me. Watching my every move and step.
I gave Mary her morning bath, dressed her in her baby clothes and brushed her soft and scanty hair.
I made breakfast for her, one of those baby cereals.
Just when I was feeding her in our room, though the door was opened but I heard a knock and I looked up to see Kathleen.

“You should be gone by now!” I sighed, I don’t want to sound rude.
She shook her head. “Not leaving now, unless I’m sure there’s no passers-by”
She talks weird sometimes. Her statements are just mixed and crazy.

“But sir, Joseph don’t you think Mary should be taking a proper breast milk from her mother?” Kathleen tilt her head.
“Oh so you know things Like this but you didn’t know what a daycare centre was.” I shook my head.
“things that happens between Mother and child is a very common thing every body must know, I will be a mom too… Hopefully, if I don’t die before then, so why shouldn’t I know about this?” she smiled.
If she doesn’t die before then, see what I said about sick statements.

“Well sadly her mother left us!” I said.
“Left you to where?” she asked looking befuddled.
“I don’t know; Any where!” I shrugged.
“Okay but she’s supposed to take that milk cause it’s important!” Kathleen said like I didn’t know, I turned to Mary who was dipping her index finger in the cereal.
“No don’t do that Mary!” I said removing her hand.
“Mary is the cutest baby I’ve ever seen, since when I came here, well I haven’t seen much babies, only Mary though, but she’s the cutest I suddenly want mine too!” kathleen expressed and my eyes looked up at her.
“I think it’s time you take your leave, you’ve been here for two hours, and even my family can’t stay here for more than thirty seconds!” I exaggerated.
Well none of my family does expect my mom.
“Sir, jospeh, to make things clear, I’m not living here until night falls, I can’t go out!” she smirked.
“What do you mean you can’t go out?” I asked.
“It’s bright and it’s day.” she huffed.
“I don’t understand, do you have a skin allergy under the sun or what?” I asked.
“I don’t, I’m just not living here until night falls, so thank you for inviting me over sir, Joseph!” she smiled and skipped away.
I didn’t invite her over.
Why did I let her in, in the first place.
What have I gotten myself into.
I finished feeding my baby and let her stay in her crib with her stuffed toys while I went to prepare breakfast for myself.
As I made a simple omelette, I almost jumped when I noticed a figure at the entrance of the kitchen, but calm down when I know it was Kathleen…
She’s just walking out on me like some creepy ghost.
“Can you stop following me around, you’re a guest here, you stay in the living room till you get bored and leave!”
But she ignored what I said and asked. “What are you doing?” she seemed pretty curious as she watched the eggs morph into one inside the frying pan.
“Making breakfast!” I answered without a choice.
“Oh wow, so what is that?” She asked referring to the eggs.
She doesn’t know??
“it’s an egg!” I said slightly glancing at her to see her full focused on the eggs which had already morph into one.
“Oh so this is what people do with eggs?” she asked.
What people do with egg? Where the hell did this girl come from.
“You haven’t had an egg before?” I glanced at her.
“I have seen an egg, hold an egg, but haven’t eaten an egg before, so that really came out from thst round egg!” she looked very innocent learning this for the first time.
She watched me fry the bacon next and then watch me toast my bread. And boy I haven’t answered so many questions in my life…
Or maybe she has lived a horrible life where she was locked up in some kind of cage, she didn’t know things like this?
I sighed with different thoughts running at the back of my mind.
*
I set my food on the table and told Kathleen not to touch anything cause her eyes wouldn’t leave the food.
I brought Mary to the living room, at least even if she’s not eating what I eat, she should be beside me.
Seated on the couch, I start to eat but got uncomfortable immediately because Kathleen was watching my every move.
Mary starts to cry as she saw me shove food in my mouth.
Her dad eating and she wasn’t.
She pulled down my hand as I took another bite and I laughed and shove a tiny part of the egg into her small mouth.
She stopped crying immediately and with a funny expression she started to chew the egg.
I looked up to see Kathleen looking at me but then she looked away.
“Do you want some?” I asked.
“Can I?” her eyes widen as she walked closer to the table.
I moved one of the plate to her that had the omelette bacon and toasted bread.
She took a bite of them each and sighed. “This is my least favorite, it has always been, I hate bread and this one is so dry!” she shook her head.
“It’s because it’s toasted, so you’ve had bread before but you haven’t had an omelette or bacon!” I scoffed.
“This is nothing it’s just like meat!” she said pointing to the bacon.
“And you don’t eat them separately, like me, I eat them all together.!” I said and helped her make a sandwich out of everything on the plate.
She took a bite out of it and sighed.
“It’s delicious, but still not as good as my normal daily food!”.
I gave Mary another bite and she seemed more than happy.
It was delicious but Kathleen managed to finish the whole plate.
I couldn’t take Mary to do the dishes so I dropped her on the floor to let her crawl but Kathleen suddenly picked her up and smiled at her.
As I packed the dishes on the table, I glanced at my daughter having the best time with Kathleen. Kathleen was making weird baby noise and touching Mary’s nose making her giggle showing all her gum and four teeth.
I left them for the kitchen, after doing the dishes I walked to the living room to see Kathleen and Mary on the couch still having their playdate.
Somehow I felt at ease, and I left them to enjoy their play date, I went into my room so finish up my paper work at least Mary is having fun with Kathleen.
But still I left the door slightly open so I could see them, I still didn’t trust Kathleen.
And just like that I rounded up with my paper work, all needed all this time was someone to look after Mary while I work.
And since then I haven’t heard Mary cry, and also speaking of crying I haven’t heard Mary’s voice.
I shoved the arranged papers into my drawer and left for the living room, there I saw Mary fast asleep on Kathleen’s body.

“She fell asleep and left me all alone!” Kathleen sighed.
“Babies will always be babies!” I smiled a little as I took Mary from her.
“Thank you!” I said.
“for what?” she asked standing up.
“For helping me with Mary today!” I said.
“Helping with Mary? But I was just playing with her!” Kathleen said.
She doesn’t get it.
She doesn’t get anything at all, does she live in a barn?
“Mary being with you helped me focus on work.!” I stated.
“Oh” she said, slightly looking at me and then looking away, just like my expectations.
“Then I can babysit her tomorrow, trust me with Mary and you’ll never regret it!” she smiled.

“Trust, I’m just having faith in you, I am not trusting you!” I tell her.
“It’s still the same thing!” she said.
It’s not!.
But I have no choice.
“Anyways I have to put Mary to bed!” I said and she moved closer to me.
“I like the way you smell!” she said.
What?
“Okay… This is weird, I have to go!” I said and walked into my room, closed the door, locked it and carefully went to place Mary on our bed.
It’s not like I’m wearing any cologne or anything? Why would she say that!. What a weird person.
Suddenly a knock came in, on my room door and I sighed.
I knew it was Kathleen right away.

I walked to the door, without opening it I asked.
“What do you want Kathleen?..
my daughter and I are trying to have our afternoon siesta here!”
“What is a siesta?” she asked from the other side and I sighed.
She also lacks knowledge of the daily Common words.

She has been resting on the door, cause when I opened the door she almost fell. But luckily I caught her.
She suddenly grabbed my hand and sniffed it.
“There is this fruit, I eat back at home when I was little, I don’t know the name but you smell like that, it was the sweetest fruit ever!” she said looking at my hand like she was going to eat it.
I quickly moved back.
“Don’t you think you should go home now, I’m trying to sleep here!” I said nervously.
She’s starting to creep me out
“I can’t go out now it’s so bright outside, but I’ll leave once it’s sun down I promise!” she smiled.
“But I can’t sleep now and let you just wander about in my own private home!” i stated.

“But I’m going to stay quiet I won’t wander about I promise, I can even watch you sleep without saying a word if you want me to!” she stated like she just said a normal thing.
“What?” I was scared to death, what kind of person have I gotten myself entangled with.
“No thank you, but you have to leave!” I said and placed both my hands on her shoulder and starts to walk her out of my room.
“Sir, Joseph, I made a promise, I won’t wander about, just sleep!” she said as she walked out being pushed by my hand.
“No thank you!” I said.
“Don’t make me do this,” she sighed.
I almost lost it. “Make you do what?” I nervously said.
she swiftly Turned to me held my collar and dragged me down to reach her height.
Our face at the same length our eyes piecing into each other’s.
“Now sir, Joseph you will fall asleep!” she said and slowly, little by little, my eyelids got heavy and so did my eyes, and just like that I know I drifted to sleep.
.
T. B. C
BY RUTHIE LEE 🌸 🌸