TOBY.
"Hi," the bimbo giggled.
"You're in my way," I said, trying to get past her.
"I just wanted us to chat for a bit."
"We can do that at the table," I said, shutting her down.
"What I have isn't polite dinner conversation," she whispered suggestively. She moved closer to me, pressing her body against mine.
"This is disgusting," I said pushing her away.
"How dare you treat me like trash, when you're the trash Toby Daniel or should I say Yasmin's baby daddy, "she said. Birds of a feather do flock together. She sounded just like Yasmin, resorting to threats when she couldn't get away.
"Why you would pursue trash is beyond my comprehension," I said, leaving her dumbstruck. Her threat wouldn't work on me, I was sweating but I wouldn't show her that.
I join the others at the table and she shows up moments later all red in the face. She must be dying in mortification.
"It's always better to go for a merger rather than acquisition. It's friendlier," Ruby said, contributing to their conversation and surprising all of us.
"That's how women do business," my dad laughed and his friend joined in.
"It's a strategy and it works. Being on good terms with people has its merits and that is why there are so many female CEO's out there right now eating up their male counterparts who do business with this eat or be eaten mentality. Bringing a woman's touch to the table is an advantage," she said, holding her own and gaining my respect.
"You are just full of surprises aren't you?" I said as we rode up to our apartment.
"What surprises?"
"The way you spoke up at dinner,"
"Oh that, when I started talking I just couldn't stop," she said shyly.
"I didn't know you were into a business like that. Everything you said was so smart," and you looked so sexy while saying it but I didn't add that part.
"What did you think? That I was fat and dumb too," she said and before I could reply to her the elevator doors opened up. She ran through them immediately and I walked into the living room just in time to witness the handover. She had discarded her jacket and washed her hands in the time it took for me to take a leisurely walk from the elevator to our living room.
"Mummy's back," she said to a sleeping Jeremy as she dried her hands on a tea towel. The nanny handed him over to her. I stood behind the couch she sat on and watched as Jeremy snuggled into her chest. A small smile spread across the infant's face before he opened his blue eyes and just stared at us.
"How was he?" Ruby asked the nanny. I watched as she fiddled with his closed fists. Tried to pry them open but he shut them right back each time.
"He's a good baby," the lady said.
"And there was no excessive crying?"
"No." Ruby pouted at the woman's reply.
"Why aren't you being good for mummy then? Ruby asked looking down at Jeremy. "That's strange, he's been crying a lot lately," she said, looking at the nanny.
"There's nothing to it, he's a baby sometimes they cry more than other times. You just have to listen to them and give them what they need." The woman continued but she lost me at the point where she started sounding like the baby whisperer. Ruby listened on with rapt attention but most of it sounded like a load of bull to me. Do this when this happens, this means this and all that crap. I left them to their discussion and went up to take a shower.
"We were just about to take a walk to the park for our yoga classes, would you like to join us?" My mother asked when I finally came back down. She came over while I was taking a nap.
"Sure," I said.
"Let's wait for Ruby then," she said. Jeremy was already buckled up in his stroller and his bags were packed. In less than a minute Ruby walked into the room dressed in a tie-dye exercise set consisting of yoga pants and a top.
"I'm ready," she said.
"Let's go then," my mum said.
"You're going with us?" Ruby asked when I stood up.
"Yeah, so you have a problem with that?"
"No, you strike me as someone who would prefer the gym to walking and yoga doesn't seem like something you'd participate in." I do prefer the gym I was only going because I wanted to be out with them but I don't say that.
"What are your plans for your second anniversary?" My mum asked a few minutes into our walk. We were just rounding a corner and the park was in sight. So it had been two years since our forced wedding, huh?
"There are no plans," Ruby answered.
"Don't be silly, just because you got out of having an anniversary party the first year doesn't mean you'll get out of this one too."
"But it feels like just yesterday when we had a party for Jeremy," Ruby whined.
"Now it's time for a party to celebrate the both of you and then your birthday and graduation follow right after."
"My birthday and my graduation are where I draw the line, Clara, there will be no party."
"We'll see," my mum said. I doubt she could get out of it my mother could be pushy.
"I'm serious," Ruby said. They continued to bucket as we strolled into the park, I could spot our security detail a few paces behind us. Ruby complained that she didn't want security on our faces so now they gave us some space.
When my mum sat me on a bench and sat Jeremy and his stroller in front of me it dawned on me that I was here as the help. A lot of women who came for the yoga classes had nannies out with them too. A few of them tried to engage me in conversation but I kept my face looking forward. I watched as their yoga class started and this particular instructor kept adjusting Ruby. Her form was perfect and there were so many women doing the wrong thing but he only ever touched Ruby.
I lost it when he walked up to her from behind when she was waist down and touching her toes. The way he was behind her touching her waist in that position looked so sexy and it made my blood boil. I had pushed Jeremy to where they stood in seconds.
"What the hell is wrong with you? That's somebody's wife you're feeling up, like that," I said, pulling the man back.