Have you been following the teasers from Bound to Liberty?
Here's another one from Chapter Two where we get to see Henry and Gloria post-wedding.
Want to read the preceding chapter?
The nutty aroma of toasted popcorn filled the air as James sauntered into the expansive kitchen of the six-bed home he shared with his brother, Henry and his wife, Gloria.
James loved this space with its ultra-modern clean lines of granite worktops, built-in appliances, well-crafted storage units with stainless-steel finishes.
Instrumental in the interior design of the house when his brother had first bought the property three years ago, he’d ensured it had retained the casual warmth for a family with a right-angular breakfast bar equipped with tall padded cream leather stools beneath fancy ceiling spotlights.
For more structured meals, they used the main dining room located next door.
“Sweetie, do you need my help?” James asked, glancing around.
Two white bowls filled with the maize snacks sat on the central island unit.
A year ago when she’d married his brother his sister-in-law could barely boil water. Since then she’d perfected the art of making popcorn amongst other things. She still wasn’t a domestic goddess, but he worshiped her for loving and making Henry happy.
“Grab the bowls,” Gloria said as she took out three bottles of Malta Guinness from the fridge and placed them on a silver tray along with clear tall glasses. Always stylish, today she wore a short-sleeved embroidered emerald tunic with frothy lace hem matched with a pair of white shorts.
James picked up the bowls and shouldered the door, holding it open for Gloria to walk through first with the tray of drinks.
Her leather slip-ons slapped the hard marble as she sashayed past and when she reached the door, she slipped her feet out of the sandals before entering the family room.
Barefooted, James followed. Decorated in varying natural tones of brown and cream, the room was a haven of textures split into two parts.
On the left corner, lay the textured-woven cream sectional sofas, a glass-topped high-gloss black and white LED infinity coffee table on top of a square soft-pile woollen rug. On the accent far wall, a gigantic flat-screen television occupied most of the width, providing a cinematic experience for viewers.
The right side of the room had the wing-back brown leather armchairs, solid wood side tables and a rectangular hessian mat. The far wall, an accent of cinnamon, had an almost life-size oil painting—a portrait of Gloria and Henry.
Being in this room was akin to having a sensory feast, with the contrast of modern and ancient, light and dark, soft and rough. Even the air was scented with leather and perfume.
Glass sliding doors took up the back wall and opened up into the paved patio with terracotta potted plants leading to a green lawn.
They had a formal reception room across the hallway and only used it when they entertained guests. But this was the space they lived in as a family.
Henry sat on one of the wingbacks—in the ancient section, as James had termed it—his bare feet on a short leather stool, reading a newspaper.
James deposited the bowls on the infinity table after Gloria decanted the drinks. She walked out of the room with the empty tray.
“I was talking to Musa earlier,” Henry said, making James glance in his direction.
Musa Danladi was their cousin and the Emir of Katsina.
“Oh, is everything okay?” James asked.
“Yes. He said Jibril has finally agreed to a family meeting to discuss you,” Henry replied.
James didn’t really want to think about this although the news was welcome. Finally the issue of his paternity would finally be resolved.
“When is the meeting?” James asked.
“Next week Saturday,” Henry said as he tilted his head. “How are you feeling about it?”
James shrugged. “This thing has been hanging over my head for so long. I’m almost reluctant to hope that it will be resolved. I don’t want to open myself up to disappointment.”
Henry nodded in understanding. “I believe Musa is keen to resolve this and get you the answer one way or the other.”
What if the answer he got wasn’t the answer he wanted? What then?
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