Susan ekerete [completed] Season 1

Season 5 years ago

Susan ekerete [completed] Season 1

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susan managed to get through her day without breaking down even once. It was alarming how the slightest thing could push her to tears these days; something as minor as a broken nail was enough to get her eyes leaking. And on a day such asthe one that had just passed, it was a miracle she had not lost her cool.The day had started early for her, becauseher pregnant neighbour called her on the phone by five a.m., before the sky outside even lightened. Groggy, she listened to the woman cry as she screamed obscenities at her husband, who she claimed was trying to beat her up. Susan had wearily tied a wrapper on her chest and gone overto their house to settle the quarrel. By the time she left them, the couple were had made up and were cuddling, but one hour of Susan’s short day was already gone. She reminded herself to continue a searchfor another house; her neighbours were driving her crazy with the incessant fights she had to break up.She dashed back into her house and took a quick shower, running over her plans forthe day in her head. She was glad she hadtaken time to fuel her car as she returned from work the day before. It would cut out most of the time she would spend driving her daughter to school and then heading to her office where she and her best friend partnered as surveyors. She stared into her wardrobe, and briefly fingered a red dress.

The soft material reminded her of those days when she had been a sexy, desirable woman. These days she was thepicture of an overworked, single mother, battling to make ends meet. She sighed and dropped the red dress, picking a simple dark-blue gown, which she lay out on the bed. It may not be sexy, but it was comfortable and sensible,appropriate for work. She wasn’t looking for male attention anyway.Her day as a single mom had begun. She roused her daughter, Cherish, from her own bed, dragging the little girl to the single bathroom of the two-bedroom apartment. The girl remained in a state of half-sleep as her mother vigorously scrubbed her down. Susan dried her daughter off and then gently dumped her on her bed.“Good morning, Mummy.” The girl mumbled, rubbing her eyes. Susan smiled at her daughter as she watched her struggle into her socks and underwear. Nomatter how often it occurred to her that life was difficult and she may have been better off not breaking up with her ex-husband, whenever she looked at Cherish, she felt fulfilled. She knew she had made the right decision to leave an angry, bitter, possessive man who had tried to stunt her career and make her his punching bag. Cherish would grow up to know a woman deserved a life that excluded battery and being oppressed. Her daughter would be evidence that goodthings came out of bad situations.Thoughts of her Asuquo stayed on Susan’s mind as she drove through the streets of Uyo, navigating through the bustle of private cars, cabs and tricycles filled with people rushing to work. She stopped at Cherishes school and watched,smiling, as her daughter scrambled out of the car with a quick goodbye. She waited until the girl’s figure disappeared through the school gates before she moved on to her office.Traffic was mercifully light, as it usually was in Uyo. She patted herself on the backfor her decision to move to the quiet town before she established her business. It was one of the best decisions she had ever made.“Hi, Susan.” Her friend smiled at her when she walked into their office. They shared aquick hug. Eka was Susan’s closest friend;they had attended University together and both graduated with a degree in Quantity Surveying. Susan had been urged into marriage by Asuquo when she was twenty-two, and had let her career lapse after she had Cherish. Eka had stayed single for longer and eventually married a few years later. She was still childless andvery attached to Susan’s daughter.Susan hugged her friend for a little longer than usual, as thoughts of her ex-husbandcame back to her. Eka had been a rock when the marriage had hit the rocks, thereto give her good advice and a shoulder to cry on. She had offered to partner with Susan so they could establish their surveying office. One year after, the small company was growing.Eka broke the embrace when the secretaryin the reception area paused her typing to stare at them in curiousity. “To what do I owe this early morning love o?” she asked,grinning.Susan smiled and sq££zed her friend’s hand, dodging the question and bringing up another topic of discussion, as they both walked into their inner offices. She was determined that the day would not start with emotional discussions. She had a lot of work to do and she had to cover asmuch as she could before it was time to pick up her daughter from school.Her plans were interrupted by midday when she received a call from Cherish’s school. A few minutes of terse conversation had her grabbing her car keys, popping briefly into Eka’s office and then flying out of the office, leaving the secretary’s query hanging in the air.Her day wasn’t even half gone, and disaster had already struck. What had her precocious daughter done this time?