Samba And Joy

9 Chapter 9: Samba and Joy

That evening, Mr. Jack attended a party and danced with various women, unaware that Angelina had secretly planted a micro camera on him.

As he enjoyed himself, Angelina watched the footage at home, her anger and suspicion growing.

Before Mr. Jack got home, Angelina decided to lock the doors to the sitting room and kitchen, contemplating what she could do that he wouldn't like.

Upon returning home, Mr. Jack found the door locked from the inside and knocked.

Angelina, relaxing on the bed, responded in a low voice, "I won't get up from the bed. If you want, break the door."

Mr. Jack knocked and called her name, but she didn't answer. He knocked until he was fed up, then tried calling her phone, but she didn't pick up.

"Is this woman not around? I called her number but she didn't pick up. Maybe I should try calling her again."

He called her phone again, and this time, she answered.

"Hello, dear. Please come and open the door for me."

"Mr. Man, you went out and danced with ladies while you have a woman at home. Maybe you should go back to where you came from because I won't open this door for you."

"Who told you I danced with ladies outside? Stop believing what people say. I was just coming from work, believe me."

"I already know you're a liar. Now I'm coming to open the door for you, I just pity you. Wait, I'm coming."

Reluctantly, Angelina opened the door for him. He entered the sitting room, and she played the footage of him dancing with other women on the television.

Mr. Jack defended himself, "Dancing with ladies doesn't mean anything. They wanted to dance with me at the party; it doesn't mean anything."

"Come on, shut up! Do you think I'm a fool? Tomorrow, I won't let you go anywhere."

"You're joking. Let's watch and see."

"Okay, we shall see."

The next morning, Angelina woke up to find Mr. Jack gone. Unable to locate him, she eventually spotted him at a hotel with another woman.

As she watched them kiss, Angelina, now holding a broken bottle, attacked the woman, only to wake up and realize it had all been a dream.

When Mr. Jack woke up, Angelina shared her nightmare with him.

He reassured her, attributing the dream to her lingering doubts about Jennifer's presence in their home.

"Angelina, don't worry about Jennifer again. I can never cheat on you, trust me. What you think about can manifest in your dreams."

"Okay, I heard you. I won't think about it again."

Angelina took a deep breath, determined to focus on rebuilding their relationship and leaving the painful events of the past behind.

She was overjoyed when Mr. Jack rented a small shop for her. She eagerly used the space to engage with customers and build her business.

A month later, Mr. Jack found himself struggling financially. With limited food in the house, Angelina stepped up and used her savings to buy groceries to ensure they had enough to eat. She also loaned her husband money for his daily expenses and transportation to work.

At the end of the month, Mr. Jack repaid the loan and restocked their pantry with food and drinks.

Angelina smiled, knowing that their bond had grown stronger through the challenges they faced.

With their commitment to one another renewed, Angelina and Mr. Jack looked forward to the future, eager to support each other through life's trials and celebrate its joys, hand in hand.

*****

Five years passed, and Mr. Jack decided to change their location. They settled into a three-story building, renting a flat on the second floor in Festal Town.

They also found a new school in Festal Town and registered Samba and Joy.

Samba and Joy were given a test at the new school, and the headmaster decided to place Samba in Basic Five and Joy in Basic Two.

One day, they brought home a letter from school and handed it to their mother. Angelina asked Samba to read the letter aloud, and she began:

"This is to inform you that there will be an open day on the 7th of June. Please, we would like you, ma/sir, to come and check the performance of your children on that day. Thanks."

After Samba finished reading, Angelina asked Joy to read the letter as well.

Joy struggled to read beyond the first sentence, which disappointed Angelina.

She was very sad about Joy not knowing how to read. Samba offered to teach Joy, and Joy was overjoyed and eager to learn.

The girls changed out of their school uniforms, and Samba did her best to teach Joy how to read.

As time went on, Joy read fluently. When Angelina noticed, she became happy and felt grateful for the close bond between them.

********

Mr. Jack took the opportunity to attend the open day at Samba and Joy's school.

As he went through their books, he noticed that Samba performed significantly better than Joy.

He was pleased with Samba's performance and rewarded her with snacks and some money, causing Joy to feel jealous.

Upon returning home, Joy expressed her unhappiness to her mother, prompting Angelina to confront Mr. Jack about his favoritism.

"Honey, why did you buy snacks for Samba and not for Joy?"

"I just felt like buying snacks for her because of her good performance in school, while Joy's performance was poor."

Angelina was saddened by what Mr. Jack had said and tried to convince him that both of them were his children and he needed to treat them equally.

He explained that he believed his actions would motivate Joy to improve her academic performance.

He then shared his plan to surprise both girls with special gifts if either of them achieved first position in their class. Angelina agreed with Mr. Jack's plan.

"And I don't want you to be jealous if only Samba takes first position."

"Why wouldn't I be jealous?"

"Dear, you have to love Samba as much as you love Joy. I want you to know this: if Samba becomes great in the future, she will take care of you as well as Joy."

Although Angelina felt uneasy about the situation, she agreed with Mr. Jack's proposal.

Mr. Jack called Samba and Joy to share the news, and both girls were excited and determined to work hard for the reward.

By the end of the term, Samba secured first position in her class, while Joy managed to place third.

Seeing their results, Mr. Jack took Samba shopping and allowed her to choose her gifts.

Samba picked out a laptop, an Android phone, and some snacks to share with the family.

Witnessing the preferential treatment once again, Angelina couldn't help but feel jealous.