27; GIRLS WITH PRETTY FACES ARE THE WICKED.

That day she never focused on class and kept thinking of the handwriting and the notes. Somehow she was trying to connect the dots between the person who did the assignment and the person who wrote the notes to be the same person but at the same time, she didn't know how the handwriting of the person who did her homework looks like.

Evening came and she came home earlier. She asked her househelp if there was someone in the house yesterday at night but her aunt told her that she was there alone. When she asked her again, she mentioned the gardener who helped with her plumbing. The househelp was new to their house and didn't know Andrew very well.

"A gardener? Mr Beneth is dead? Did they replace him with someone new? " Catherine asked her household who in turn didn't have an answer because she was also new to her job.

Catherine decided to take it up to herself to go wake up Sam her chauffeur. 

Sam explained to her that Mr Beneth's son is the new gardener. That night, she went up to Andrew's house and knocked wanting to see Andrew. Luckily Andrew was not asleep, he was perusing through some books when he heard a knock on his door.

He walked to the door, fixed his shorts and t-shirt before opening the door.

"Catherine! Catherine?" He called her twice making Cathrine shocked as to how Andrew knew her and she didn't know him. Looking at Andrew, he had a natural handsome chiselled body, his abs, he looked like he had been working out a lot. Catherine wanted to touch his body but her hand resisted and she let them stay where they belonged. 

"Excuse me, Miss?" Andrew called again respectful.

"Am...... am sorry," Cathrine said swallowing her saliva. 

Andrew just nodded while thousands of were questions running through his mind.

"What is she doing here at this time?" 

"Is she mad that l?" 

"Did he do anything wrong?" 

He wanted to ask her a lot of questions but he decided against it and cleared his throat to say something but Cathrine beat him at it.

"Can I please come in?" Catherine asked passing through Andrew in a hurry avoiding his gaze.

She went straight to the lamp that Andrew had set up for his reading and saw his books on the table. 

"Guess I don't need to know who did my math assignment last night cause am seeing books on your table Andrew, Andrew right?" Asked Cathrine perusing through his books.

Andrew stood there aimlessly, he just looked at her going through his books. He hoped that if she sees the thirst he has for education, she will be willing to help him get the textbook for his grade.

"Where do you go to school Andrew?" Asked Cathrine settling herself comfortably on Andrew's desk with her legs on top of each other seductively chewing the tip of Andrew's pen.

Andrew being this naive boy, raised as an altar boy by his parents respectfully avoided her gaze and bowed his head down the floor 

"Finalizing my high school this year Miss." He said worriedly.

Catherine couldn't understand what happened to him a while ago he courageously shouted her name at the door but right now he looked like a dog rained on.

"You know," said Catherine while walking closer to him, "if you don't want me to tell my parents you did my assignment, you can do it every day and I wouldn't say a thing." She told him seductively to his ears.

Chills run down Andrews body, his emotions were mixed up, he felt excited with the tingling sensation when Cathrine whispered to his ears but at the same time, fear washed his face with the threat that Cathrine pronounced on him.

"Am so, sorry, I just didn't want you to fail in your exams miss,"  

"Call me Cathrine, Andrew no need for formalities okay?"  Catherine insisted and Andrew nodded his head to comply with her.

"Look Cathrine, I just need a favour," begged Andrew snatching her right hand into his. "I wanted to ask you to get me some textbooks since I can't go to school in exchange I will help you with your homework and show you everything." Said Andrew calmly.

Catherine thought of it and was surprised by his brilliant idea.

"You can just go to school and get textbooks, Andrew," said Cathrine sitting on Andrew's chair.

"I need to work and save money for my college, so I can't go to school." Said, Andrew.

Catherine later agreed to Andrew's proposal and they started hanging out every day. Cathrine in turn found comfort in Andrews presence. Andrew was always there, understanding, caring a good tutor she has ever found and she easily understood everything when it comes to Andrew.

She even invited Andrew to her recitals and piano playing when her parents couldn't make it.

She felt she had known him for all of his years but they had been friends for only six months.

Catherine's parents were not around to notice that their child was changing slowly by slow. She was never lonely when her parents were away. She sometimes would sneak and sleep in Andrew's house Andrew hesitated at first but Later after Cathrine pleaded with him he allowed her to.

It wasn't until graduation when Cathrine's parents found out.

Early that morning, they had come home to surprise their daughter to surprise her for her birthday and graduation but couldn't found her in the house. They assumed that maybe she slept at her friend's house in preparation for graduating high school.

When her father went outside to receive a call from his associate, he saw her daughter coming out of the servants quarters house. She was all smiley and giddy. All that dropped when her eyes landed on her dad who was now furious.

He shouted at her and even called her mother to come and witness a whore her daughter had turned out to be.

Other servants have never had a problem with Andrew and Cathrine hanging out, they just told them to be careful Of Cathrine's parents.

It seems they forgot to do that.

That same day, Andrew was chased out of the servants quarters, but with naivety, he thought that if he said he has helped their daughter with her classes they will accept him. That did not turn out as expected instead they chased him out and told them never to see his face again.

Catherine was hurt, she never attended her graduation instead, she looked for Andrew all over the city and they run-off together.

Andrew knew that Cathrine loved him and was willing to stay with him come rain come sunshine but he was wrong.

After staying for two years, Andrew couldn't afford a decent place to stay in neither could he afford a decent job to help them keep up and survive. Andrew never managed to sit for his final exams after being chased out by Cathrine's parents. All his earning were spent on the upkeep of Cathrine. Making sure she ate well, dressed well because that was all she wanted.

To make matters worse, Cathrine became expectant. Andrew had to work hard to provide for her and to make sure her condition was okay. On Cathrine's side, she was already fed up, she couldn't see herself with Andrew. She started accusing him of her misfortunes, she reminded him every day that if not for him she could be in her parents' house enjoying their richness rather than feeding like a pig in the pigsty, she blamed him for not going to her favourite university. 

Andrew tried to reason with him and told her that he is going to try and make things work but Catherine couldn't keep up with him anymore. 

She was fed up!

On her due date, Andrew was surprised to see her parents in the hospital.

After delivering the baby, she didn't even give his son a pint of milk from her breast, she left even before holding him. Catherine's mother couldn't even allow him to go near her.

"Let her feed him just a little," cried Andrew.

"She is not going to sag her breast with that filthy for nothing baby. I want you to feel the same way I have felt after these years of taking away my daughter from me. I want you to feel how slowly your baby will fade away from you, you won't get to see him grow up, get any education like you, get married or rather be an adolescent boy, he will only die, die and you will have to burry him like that, without a title like your mother and father and still in his mother's waste watch it." Glared her mother with a graved eyes that tored Andrew's heart.

He cried after her words and looked at Cathrine who was busy walking out of the hospital like a new bride.

"Catherine please don't go, begged Andrew.

Catherine pushed her hair behind and looked at her, "this was a mistake, you were a mistake, this baby was a mistake, you can't take me anywhere, you are a nobody Andrew, no education. I know that thing won't see a light because you have nothing to offer it. I want to make it up to my parents for the two years you took from me," she abashed him in front of all the hospital staff.

Andrew tried running towards her but he was held back by the hospital guard who pinned him down.

"Catherine, Cathrine, please look at me one last time please.....!!!!!" He cried while trying to get himself free from the security men but he did not succeed. The shadow of Catherine was replaced by the light from the hospital doors that were open to let in a new patient.

The security guys after seeing Cathrines's family were out of the view, lifted Andrew and brought him to a room and settled him down.

A nurse came in with a baby in clothes and he was wrapped in a white towel.

"Andrew, right?" Asked the nurse.

"Yes," he replied with red eyes.

"Andrew, you don't have to worry, babies grow fast and they will grow up within time. Don't let their words discourage you from raising this little guy okay," assured the nice sweetly.

"But how nurse, how would I do that? I don't even have money to help me,' said Andrew frustrated.

" Someone breastfed your child and she didn't want to be identified for now you have to look for baby formulas. You don't have to worry about the money or a place to stay, someone has organized a place for you, away from this area and where no one knows you so that you can raise your son with you," said the doctor while holding the baby carefully.

Andrew didn't even know what to say, but he promised the nurse to pay whoever decided to do that for him. 

"But Uncle Drew, how is that connected to Brian's gender identity?" Asked David's who had been ears throughout the narration.

Andrew signalled the waitress to add him more coffee before going on with his narration.

"I had explained to Brian that she doesn't have a mother but one day he came home and asked me whether his mother did an awful thing to me or she decided she didn't want us and that's why she left. I didn't want to portray a bad picture of Cathrine to Brian. Even you, you are also not allowed to tell him. " reprimanded Andrew and David's nodded.

"But it seems someone explained the way her mother left them and he concluded that it was the same with his mother did. So I thought she hated girls because of the way a friend had to explain his experience about their mother and he liked boys.

So when he said he liked boys and not girls I became mad, I started to foresee the words of Catherine and her parents come to be. I hated my son for three good months. I couldn't listen to him say hi, I could just assume him until your father spoke some sense into me. He told me it's normal for someone to be who he wants to be." Finished Andrew with a sip of coffee before continuing.

"So what I can tell you is that sometimes it takes us parents time to accept what our children are and we can't do nothing about it." 

"Finish your ice cream we need to go" reminded Andrew.

"Ooh, shit, I forgot Andrew, I will finish this next time." Said David's hurriedly while handling the waitress the bill.

"Sorry about that time, your story is very painfully" spoke Davids while they were in the car.

Andrew laughed out aloud shocking Davids if he was mentally right.

"Trust me girls with pretty faces are wicked!"