HIS WHAT? ( PART TWO ).

"His what?." Jane asked, screaming her lungs out.

"My what?."   Chris screamed standing up alongside Cass. "Dad are you for real?." He asked with a rhetorical tone. "How can you pick her as my wife?." He asked again in a terrified tone, pointing at Jane.

Jane stood rooted on the floor, her mind and heart were still in shock at what she heard, she never made a sound or move an inch. Her mind was still in turmoil at Chris's dad outburst.

Why would he present her as his wife without her consent? Without informing her first. She didn't say she was interested in marrying him. She won't accept it, liking Chris doesn't mean his dad should wake up one day proclaiming she was his wife to be.

Gwen walked down from the mahogany dining area which was adjacent to the sitting room. She was still in shock at what her husband said. How can he point Jane as her son's wife to be without consulting her first?.

He used to talk to her first before doing stuffs but he didn't tell her Jane was the one he found for their son, he only said he found a woman for him. She was angry not because Jane was the woman he found for their son but because he didn't discuss it with her beforehand.

"What do you mean his wife to be?." She asked, not believing her ears.

"Yes, she's the one right for our son." Her husband replied still beaming, not minding how others felt.

"Why didn't you talk to me first before announcing her as his wife to be?." She inquired, pointing at Jane.

"I wanted to make it a surprise."

"Surprise!?." Chris thundered. "Make it a surprise by picking her as my wife? Of all the women in this world, you pick HER." He said emphasizing the her.

"You told me to find a wife under two weeks. Two weeks is not over yet, you went and found a bride for me without telling me first to know how I feel about it?." He demanded, ready to rip his dad apart if he was given the opportunity to. He couldn't control the fury burning inside of him. "But let me make one thing certain I will never get married to her."

"Son calm down." Gwen said, walking up to her son. "She's still your friend right? You shouldn't talk that way in her presence."

"What way?." He demanded. "That  she goes around getting close to whoever that is close to me. First was Rose, now dad."

Those words of his hits Jane as a knife piercing in her heart ripping it into pieces. Meanwhile Rose was no longer in the sitting room cause she sing sang I'm gonna get my portrait done inside her room.

Mrs Gwen hated it when her husband and his son get on each other nerves, the once quiet house has turned into a heated one 'cause her husband and son can't stand the sight of each other and even if they do. They will end yelling at each other.

"Son, whether you like it or not. This marriage is going to take place." His dad finalized.

"Sir?." Jane called gently earning his and his wife attention including Chris and Cass who stood not moving or saying a thing at the drama before her.

"Sir you don't even know me, my background. Where I live, you don't even know a thing about me, who my parents are and you just proclaim me your son's wife to be." She reasoned. "You only met me months ago."

"A day, a week is enough to know someone. Talk more of a month." Chris's dad inserted. "As for your parents I'm going to meet them and discuss the marriage preparations."

He's too calm with his words as if its not a big deal.

"Sir this sounds like a force marriage than a love marriage and it's so ridiculous."

  "Yes you're right." Chris's dad said in affirmation. "My son needs a force marriage not a love marriage cause he doesn't believe love exists anymore."

"But sir, did you have a thought of how I will feel if you'd say so? You didn't even tell me first." She pointed out calmly.

Mr Bruce saw reasons in what she said. He didn't tell her the reason why he has been coming close to her, he didn't tell her he was planning to get her married off to his son but he had to do what he had to do when he first met her.

What would he have done. Walk up to her and say , hi Jane, nice to meet you and I'm here to get you married to my son. That will chase the poor girl away, he had to follow her gently to get her trust him.

But this was the first time of her coming to his house and this is how he welcomed her by proclaiming her as his son's wife to be. He felt like an idiot for saying those words but the milk has already spilled and there was nothing he could do to rectify it.

"You don't even know if I like your son or wants to be with him." Jane continued, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You told me to deliver this work to your house." She said pointing at the framed painted portrait lying on one of the couches.

"If I had known this was why you insisted on me delivering it at your house. I wouldn't have." She said, trying to control the pain and angry building inside of her. "I'm so sorry sir to say this but I'm not a robot, you tell to do whatever you want and it does that. I'm a human and I have a soul." She almost screamed at him.

With that she picked her bag lying on the couch she once sat on and rushed out of the building even when Chris's mom and dad tried to stop her.

  "You didn't even tell her?." Chris asked, disappointed. "When will you stop meddling with peoples life? When will you stop making decisions for others, that I'm a musician well known doesn't give you that right."

"Come Cass, let's leave." He took her hand and left.

*******************

Jane's vision was becoming blurry cause of the too much thoughts on her head. Walking in between the roads as if she just lost her husband, lost in her thoughts not aware of the car honking  for her to get out of the way until the driver peeped out of his side window and shouted. "Will you get out of the way, fool? "

She moved out of the road at the angry voice of the driver to the safe side of the road.

She continued walking, still lost in her thoughts. Instead of going back to her work place, she headed home. She stopped a cab and headed home.

She came home, she was happy that no one was at home yet. Her parents were not yet back from work and Fortune was not yet back from school. She went straight to her and her sister's room, freshened up and laid on their blue fluffy bed that always comfort her whenever she was in distress. Her mind flashed back to the incident that happened at Chris's Father's house an hour ago.

She's your wife to be. Chris's dad's voice echoed in her head.

She's your wife to be.

She's your wife to be.

She used her pillow to block her ears as if he was talking directly into her ears.

"I'm not going to marry him. I will never allow that." She is in love with Chris and part of her loved the idea that Chris's dad chose her as his wife. The dream she always have was finally coming to reality. But proclaiming she is his bride to be was too soon and uncalled for.

Being Chris's wife was something she wanted even in her dreams, she always imagine what it will be like to be his wife, announcing to the whole world that she's his wife. But he doesn't love her and she saw his reaction when his dad introduced her as his bride, Chris will never accept her as a wife.

Her mind flashed to the little moments she had with him the past months and she was going to cherish them for the rest of her life even if she ends up with some one else. She closed her eyes, still imagining things until sleep took her by surprise.

Opening her eyes, she realized she has slept for hours. It was already dusk. She stretched her arms and legs and climbed down the bed. She walked down the stairs to the kitchen, seeing her Mom and Fortune preparing dinner and her dad was watching news in the sitting area.

Her Mom and Fortune turned at the clicking sound of her feet, she leaned on the tiled kitchen counter rubbing the sleep off her eyes. She yawned as she rubbed her eyes once more.

"You're already awake? " Her mom asked. "I was surprise to see the house unlocked when I got home."

"Sis, you come home early today, you even came home before me." Fortune inserted.

"Yeah something came up." She lied, half yawning.

  "Something like what?." Her mom inquired, looking at her directly.

"The building of my work place is being repainted and it's gonna last for three days." She lied again, not wanting to discuss her problem with her parents. She's gonna deal with it herself, she will tell Mr Bruce she isn't interested in his son.

"Okay. Help me set the dishes on the dining."

"Okay Mom." She turned around to accomplish the task given to her. She helped her Mom set the dining with food, onugbu soup with red meats, dried fishes,stock fishes and other particles that made up the soup accompanied with Cassava.

After setting the dishes, four of them settled down to eat. She sat beside Fortune, staring deep into her food as if to make out why all those meat should be in a soup, she digged her hand on the cassava, taking a lump. She remove a moderate circle from the lump, dipping it into the Onugbu soup but instead of taking it out to her mouth. She absently continuous turning her soup with her moulded circle in swirl form.

Her mind and head was clouded with today's event at Chris's dad house.

Jane stop thinking too much. All is gonna be fine.

Her parents and Fortune noticed the change of countenance on her face,  she was moody and worry was written all over her face. They stared at her as she continued turning her soup in swirl form like she was enjoying it.

"Is everything okay?." Her father asked, jerking her out of her thoughts.

Did they see through her cause of the deadly glare she gave to the soup. Yes she was angry at Chris's dad. What was he thinking, that she was going to jump up and down like an eleven years old girl given a new brand big teddy bear. Who is he to make decision to whom she should get married to,he barely knew her and her family and he wants her to get married her to his son.

She looked up to her parents and her sis, cocking her lips into a wry weak smile. "Yes I'm fine, I'm just stressed out."

"You have been working tirelessly everyday." Her dad said. "I always tell you to minimize the way you work. You are a woman not a man."

"That I'm a woman doesn't mean I shouldn't work as a man." She interjected, looking at her dad. Her dad is the nicest man she has seen on earth, trying hard to provide for his family. Making sure no one complains. He has done so much for she and Fortune and it was now her turn to repay all his kindness. She was very glad her father fell in love with her Mom and she was also happy to be born as one of his own.

She always wish to find a husband like her dad, caring and loving. But getting married to a man that didn't like her was totally absurd.

"She takes after her mom." Her Mom chipped in. "Always working hard and the truth is I'm a woman not a man."

They all laughed.

"Sis I'm going to show the fashion designs I've made to know if they are presentable to the tour I'm going."

"When?".

"After dinner." Fortune repliesy.

"Alright."

After dinner, Jane and Fortune took out the plates to the kitchen sink and started washing and rinsing them, discussing about stuffs. Jane hardly said many words only few so her sister won't suspect a thing. They cleared the dining area and set things in order before bading their parents goodnight, heading to their room.

"Sister here's the designs." Fortune said, holding out a complied sheets of paper for Jane to see. Who sat on the bed, trying to work with her Mac laptop. She took the sheets of paper from her sister's hand and roamed her eyes on the designs, flipping the pages to see more designs. She was impressed by her sis sense of design, each of her design contains the idea she was trying to pass out.

She looked at the designs and nods her head in delight.

"Fort." She called, shorting her name. "They're all nice, I bet you will impress the owner and manager as well."

Fort beamed.

  "Thanks sis, I prayed so." She prompted entwining her palms and fingers together as if praying.

"Can you work on every design with your laptop, to detail the designs more." Fortune pleaded.

Jane met her eyes and saw pleas on them. She knew how important this was to her sister, she had always known Fortune, telling her she wants to be a sophisticated fashion designer. It was her dream, drawing and creating designs was her thing. You will also see it cause most of Fortune woven clothes were made up of her own designs expect if it was an already made material.

"OK." She accepted just to get her mind off Chris and his family problems.

"Yeah." Her sis squealed. "That's my graphics artist." She praised.

She smiled, shaking her head at her sister's childish behaviour.

She and her sister used the whole night working with her laptop to create and detail her designs and more designs. They worked tirelessly until she couldn't feel her fingers anymore on the keyboard of her laptop and Fortune kept yawning endlessly as her eyes watered cause of the too much light from the screen. She switched off her laptop and yawning herself to sleep while Fort was already lying beside her, sleeping soundly.

****************

"You didn't do the right thing." Mrs Gwen implied, sitting at the edge of the bed wearing her night dress while her husband was lying with his back on the bed.

"What?." Her husband inquired.

"Taking those children unaware. What would Jane think of us, that we are trying to force her into marrying our son." His wife inserted.

"I have no other option than to do that, she was the woman I told you about, the one I found for our son." He said trying to lighten the mood of his wife.

"So?. You should have told me first." She complained. "You always tell me whatever you wanted to do. Why didn't you tell this one?."

"Like I said earlier, I wanted to surprise you all."

"Well look at where your surprise has gotten us to. Your son is mad at you and Jane seemed mad too. Both of them never like the idea."

"That's the more reason I want to get them married to each other." He implied sitting up on the bed, resting his back on the bed head.

"They need each other, don't you see?." He questioned his wife with a rhetorical tone.

"I don't see anything, all I can see is your stupidity in this." Gwen said, blatantly.

"He needs her to teach him the morals of life, to make him believe things again. To believe in God once more cause he doesn't even believe there's such being as God. And she needs him to break her from the shackles of quietness, from being too timid and too scared. That girl is talented, have you seen her dance or sing? she's just amazing."

"When did you become a matchmaker?".

"Since the moment I laid my eyes on her on that TV screen, I knew she was the one for my son. My spirit kept telling me she's the one and I went for it." He replied, gesturing his hands in the air.

"What if she doesn't want to marry our son? What if she doesn't want to marry now?." She asked, skeptically.

"She will, who wouldn't want to marry a Rock star and a famous one to be precise."

"Certainly Jane, from the way I look at her. She's not a desperate one like most girls."

"That's why I'm begging you to speak to her, make her see reasons why she should get married to our son. You are a woman like her, only you women know how you work. Make her understand." Mr Bruce pointed out.

"Okay, fine. I will help you but not because you begged me but because I like her and would love to make her my daughter in law. I believe she's good for our son."

"That's why I love you dearie. You understand me very well." He said, pecking her on her cheek.

*******************

"Do you know who the woman my dad got for me?." Chris asked Adam as he paced up and down in his sitting room. Adam sat on one of the cushions and stared blankly at him.

"Who?." He asked, wearing a worried face. "But I thought you said your dad gave you two weeks to come up with bride, what happened to the two weeks?".

"That's the problem." Chris replied,agitated. "He didn't even allow me to find my own wife."

"Who is she?." Adam asked again, wearing a gloom face.

"Jane!!!."

Chris still couldn't believe his dad went behind his back without consulting him first before getting a wife for him. Not any girl but Jane for that matter, he still wonder how his parents got to know Jane and it seemed they have some sort of connection.

His father didn't even find a model, an actress or a musician like him to marry but an ordinary painter- an ordinary girl, he'd only met her parents once and they seemed nice. But what will his fans think- that he got married to a girl who has no status like him, who was not recognized in the society.

He won't allow this marriage to take place, he won't marry her even if his father points a gun on his temple. Jane is only his friend, nothing more. He was glad Jane understood her boundaries and Cass was very angry with him, telling him he already knew his dad brought a wife for him yet he wanted to disgrace her by introducing her to his parents.

He tried to apologize but Cass won't listen, he's a Rock star. He doesn't apologize when he's not at fault, his father was.

"What?." Adam screamed. "You're kidding right?" His eyes bugling out of their sockets.

  "No I'm not. Do you know the reason my dad called me?." Chris asked clenching and unclenching his fists.

Adam shook his head.

"To introduce her as my bride and the wedding is gonna take place next week. Cass felt insulted cause the reason I took her with me was to introduce her as my bride to be."

"But how did your dad know Jane?."

  "I don't know, probably by coincidence but my dad said he gave her a contract to paint his pic and the funny part was that Jane was already there. I don't know if my dad planned this out."

"Jane didn't even know." He concluded.

"You mean Jane herself didn't even know your dad was going to choose her for you?."

"Yes, the poor girl ran away, shocked at what she heard."

"Your dad was wrong." Adam admitted. "She visited for the first time and that was how he welcomed her."

"Seriously I don't know what to do."   Chris said helplessly. "I don't think I can spend the rest of my life with that woman."

"We need to get you out of this. But come to my think of it, what if she actually want to be with you?."

"No, no, no." Chris replied, shaking his second finger in the air to emphasize the no.

"She won't. Cause she wants me to stay loyal to the woman I marry, the last time I checked she lectured me for cheating on my wife." He said, shaking his head slightly. "I mean what kind of Rock star does that, she should know girls flaunt themselves around me not the other way round."

"Mmhmm." Adam tried reading meaning into what he said.

"Even If I end up marrying her and she sees me with another woman, probably a fan and preaches not only to me but the girl. I don't want a woman ruining my reputation, I mean she has done that once."

"But I thought she thinks you are married?." Adam asked, staring deep into his brown pupils.

"Maybe she found out I'm not but that doesn't mean I'm going to make her my wife. What will my fans think? I got married to an insignificant ordinary painter."

"You never can tell,maybe something might grow from there." Adam winked at him.

"You are not serious. My reputation is way more important than any other thing, I'm going to make my dad understand I can't marry her."

"Wish you best of luck." Adam thumbs up to him.