Before she poured herself a glass of water to quench the fire burning in her body system, mother placed the glass down on the kitchen island, stood still and gazed intently into Bob Lee's eyes, an indirect communication demanding for appropriate answers.
"Today," Bob Lee answered, apparently on a low spirit after noticing the attitude his mother depicted.
"How?" She asked more with a threatening attitude, so seriously on her face.
With shyness written all-over him, hesitantly he stated, "m mom it's not right to keep your adult son on his toes like this..., somethings are better off not said," in a low spirit he said.
Bob Lee wasn't at all ready to tell his mother how he started messing in between Ishtar's thighs. It was embarrassing to tell her. Since his mother was a very sensitive person, she suspected.
"Did you take advantage of her body? I need to know; did you release your pants down on her?" Suspiciously, she asked, gentle in her voice.
"She has always wanted it mom!" He replied.
"Would you shut up!!!" His response angered mother so hard, "Is this how you've chosen to pay for that girl's simpleness?!"
"Before you even thought of bringing her down on her back, did you manage to brief her about how you have the sharpest spear, recklessly having one night stands with each and every beautiful girl that crosses your path?" Angrily his mother asked.
"Mom, this is marriage we're talking about here! Am marrying Ishtar mom!"
"Don't even mention _ we both know you don't mind about her!"
"But I promised her, and am ready to protect her feelings!" Insensibly, he tried to defend himself, talking back at his intelligent mother.
"You're crazy...? Are you even aware that all along I've been protecting that girl from seeing all your dirty moves? Yes, I know how much she had always yearned to have you to herself; but again, I knew how you chose to be a boy instead of a man _ I was pushed to hiring a spy who monitored you around, and every time you hooked up with a girl, I made sure Ishtar doesnt know."
"Do you want to know how I did it?" Mother continued to disclose details, "Whenever the information came to my attention, I gave her an urgent call to come back home. Since she's very obedient, it took her no time to get to me."
Ashamed, Bob Lee signed so discouraged.
"You don't love Ishtar; infact, you've never cared about her at any point in life. No matter how much she had sought for your attention, stalked you for years, done all crazy stuff like setting up several fake phone calls in your presence to pretend talking to a lover out there, thinking you were going to be touched and maybe show concern! But all her efforts went in vain."
"Mom!"
"Yes! I've been watching both of you closely and I know that you only talk to her when its about office and maybe maid matters."
"But mom, that's people's privacy, it's not right to....!"
"Same as am your mother, am her guardian as well," before he even finished talking she cut him short, "I can't stand watching you drive her through life hell... unless am out of life, you will never hurt that innocent soul."
"I don't have any intentions of hurting Ishtar, trust me mom!"
"If that's what you think, am sorry for you," she pitied him.
Bob Lee heavily Sighed.
His mother wasn't done with him yet, "How could you be so heartless to forget that Ishtar has greatly been a strong pillar in lifting the company, surpassing all the competitors and putting you on top of the game, now a billionaire CEO at a young age; that's who you're _ bossing on her skills."
"That's why I proposed to her mom, I will prove it to you that am not heartless. For your information, we are even engaged now."
"Wait, pro what?" This shocked his mother to hear, "Over my breathless body... You must take that back!" mother couldn't tolerate her son's recklessness every moment he spoke.
"I can't mom, Ishtar is my fiancée now!"
"You're mad," she angrily said, "you mean with all the girls you've taken advantage of in your noble suite at the family hotel none of them qualifies enough to be your wife?!"
"No mom."
"Not until you learn to keep your pants tight up in your waist on beautiful girls, you'll never recieve marriage blessings from me _ more importantly," she restricted him, "forget about marrying Ishtar!"
"Mom, mom...!" No matter how desparate he kept calling, mother sealed the conversation and on a very annoyed face she hurried to go back upstairs, forgetting the water she was about to drink.
As she was walking, before stepping on the staircase, she saw Ishtar upstairs, peeping down at her. Mother pretended not to have seen her. She stopped walking and looked back over her shoulder at her son.
"I know about Nadia Browne too; that girl from the cinema. Let me hope it's not what I'm thinking," then she stepped on the stairs, climbing up, back to her bedroom.
Bob Lee was so shocked. He couldn't believe the extent at which his mother was informed of his issues which were meant to be private. "What is it doesn't mom know about me?" He wondered at the back of his mind.
Nervously, his face was twisted in shame.
However, all along Ishtar was listening. When she saw mother coming upstairs, she tiptoed quickly to Bob Lee's room where she closed herself, not to be seen.
On a downcast face, Bob Lee followed his mother's way back up on the stairs, but this time round, to the side where his bedroom was. By opening the door, Ishtar, whom he had left half naked in a red bra and panty, was found fully dressing up, ready to leave.
"Where are you going? I thought we agreed to spend a night together and share more of a precious time!" He smiled, touching her softly with a little romance.
"Am sorry I've changed my mind, I have to sleep in my quarters," she said, markedly emotional, distancing herself a step away.
"Wait," Bob Lee sensed something wrong with her moods, not warm as expected, "did you... by any chance come out; I mean, have you heard the conversation between me and my mother?"
Ishtar kept quiet, with looks of indifferent, "Is it because of that?" He asked like he knew it.
"I'm just your maid and your secretary, that's what I am to you. How stupid am i to forget too easily and raise my hopes so damn high!" She needed to cry.
"Please, ignore everything my mother just said earlier," he tried to caress her.
"Is there anything she said wrongly? We both know she's a million times right," emotionally, tears began coming out.
"By not embracing our engagement, she's very wrong," He said, trying to bring her close in his chest.
"Tell me," Ishtar distanced herself from him further more on a miserable face, "was your mother right when she said you sleep with any beautiful girl that crosses your path?"
Damn!" He cursed in silence.
Wearing shame, Bob Lee faced aside to avoid direct eye contact. But Ishtar insisted. She kept a sober eye on him, waiting for an answer.
"Yes," he finally admitted and stepped closer to atleast give an explanation.
"See, I'm not going to be that jerk of a guy anymore I promise," he told her in gesture of humbleness, "I've already made up my mind and once we take those wedding vows at the altar, we are going to be the most amazing couple on the block."
His words brought Ishtar to laugh indifferently at herself, "I truly understand why am hurting so stupidly deep inside," she said, "it's funny how your mother is trying hard to protect my feelings, and it's the same feelings that I have failed to control."
"What are you insinuating?" Bob Lee asked. He went ahead to assure her, "look, I know my mother can hardly believe me, but am ready to prove her wrong and in the end, she will be proud of me."
Ishtar heard him talk but she couldn't listen to his words because her mind was loitering in torments. Suddenly, she pulled the diamond engagement ring out off her finger, "I'll keep the necklace and the earrings, and maybe the bracelet..., but not this ring, am sorry."
"D Don't take that move Ishtar, please!" Bob Lee tried to prevent her but the torment was more powerful.
"Just keep it for now," Painfully, she placed the ring on top of the chest drawer right on the bedside, and on fast feet she got out of his room, shading tears.