Chapter Three

It was a Wednesday morning, she had texted Nicki yesterday morning about accepting the deal, but she hasn't replied yet.

After breakfast, while doing the dishes her phone beeped and it was Nicki.

A church member had visited her mum that morning and Gina knew they were going to talk for hours.

She took the opportunity to meet with Nicki.

She left telling her mum she was going to buy groceries.

When she pushed open the restaurant door, she saw Nicki sitting by the corner, busy with her phone. "Hey", she said and they greeted and she couldn't wait to get everything started.

"So, you've decided huh? what made you change your mind?", Nicki asked her,

"Well, I was overly motivated to leave that house", she said with her fingers wide in the air, just to explain how overly motivated she is.

"Why, what happened?",

"Just Nora and her attitude", she said, "and mum slapped me cause of her",

"Wait..Nora's back? Oh girl",

"Yea",

"Well, am glad you changed your mind, cause we almost lost the deal, I called the guy this morning and he sounded like he's no longer interested, but I told him that I've found someone for him", Nicki said and Gina nodded.

Nicki wrote down his number and address of where to meet him and gave it to her.

"Here, listen, this, this is just like a simple task, all you have to do is, do it right and walk away happy. Meet the guy, listen to him, get the stuff in and nine months you'll be free and a millionaire", Gina smiled while she looked at the address and number.

"Thanks",

"No, thank me later", she said picking up her bag, "inform me about everything and anything okay, talk to ya later", she pecked her and left.

Gina sat there thinking of what next to do. She has to think of a plan, of a lie to tell her mom. She looked at the time and hurried to the grocery store.

By the time she was back, her mum was on her usual sofa, crotchetting. She looked at her through her eyeglass, "was there traffic in the grocery store?", she asked, "No momma", she said and off loaded the groceries.

After placing the groceries in the refrigerator, she went and sat beside her mom. She stopped what she was doing and stared at her,

"what?!",

"Well mom, while I was buying the groceries, I met an old friends sister, that's why I took so long to get home",

"so?", her mum said and went back to crotcheting,

"well, we started talking and I told her that I am looking for a job, so...she offered me a job, in her cousin's company", her mom stopped,

"What job?", she asked,

"Well...she said its a marketing company, uhm.. a sort of import-export company, if I pass the interview, then I'll have to work as an office clerk. So its a clerical work, she said that I am lucky and the interview is on monday, next week, so, I have to leave by weekend in order to make it", she finished her lie and waited in silence.

After few seconds she asked her, "where?",

"where what? ", Gina asked confused,

"Where is the job or company located?",

"oh.. ", she never thought of it, "New York", she said as her mom dropped what she is doing.

"That's too far from here!",

"Yes, I know mom but its worth the take", she said followed by another silence,

"Well I don't know, you got to talk to your sisters, see what they say",

"mom, I don't have to tell them everything, Stephanie is busy as it is with her family, she doesn't need to think about me getting a job, its just an official job where I have to deal with papers and etcetera ", "What are you saying? We are family we need to know every detail about each other", then she went on and on about family and God and togetherness and love and bible quotes.

"Alright mom, I'll tell them but I need to leave by weekend and I need to prepare for it", she said getting up,

"but you've never gone that far before", she said looking up at her,

"mom, I see this as an opportunity, I need go out and travel and stuff in order to get married", "Well... ", her mom said and curled her lips. Gina knew at once that she got her, she can't let herself be blamed for her not getting the job and the fact the she mentioned marriage, she knew her mum's even surprised.

She jogged up to her room, happy she was able to tell her a good enough lie, finally she's going to have a breakthrough, just few days away.

She just wished that the lie was true instead of surrogacy.

While she put on the play of packing and preparing for the travel, Nora couldn't believe Gina was truly leaving and by the weekend, that means she's staying home with their mom, alone?

She went to Gina's room, Friday night, while she was finally packing her remaining stuff,

"so you're really leaving?", she asked Gina leaning against the wall,

"Yes, tomorrow",

"What did you say the job is all about again?",

"Clerical position in a marketing company", Gina said still busy packing her box.

"What's the name of the company, are you sure they are real? I've heard things like this before, where people are tricked into doing this kind of thing, I have friends in New York, they can ask around", Gina stopped packing, annoyed,

"Well Nora, am sure its legit, thanks for caring", she started packing again,

"Then ask your friend's sister to help me get a job there too",

Gina dropped her clothes really annoyed by what she said, but she held herself back,

"See Nora, am kinda busy and stressed, Freda is my friends sister, who's trying to help me out, I can't ask for more, she's done enough and I've not even gotten the job yet",

"All you have to say is you don't want to, you don't need to explain",

"What? ",

"Why are you then getting worked up cause of a job you've not even gotten, that's if its really a clerical job like you said", she said and left.

Gina felt anger rush through her, but she told herself that its just a matter of hours.

Nora had come back all of a sudden that week claiming she's done with college with photos of graduation and stuff.

Their mom never doubted her, Stephanie didn't care. She knew she was lying, but nobody would listen to her even if she tried to prove it.

She shoved the thought away as her phone beeped, a text from the deal man, she had sent him a text explaining herself as the girl who took the deal.

He sent her a text to meet at LA Luna hotel by four pm tomorrow. She deleted the text and went downstairs.

She joined her mum and sister in the dining table. At first they ate quietly, but Nora decided to break it.

"Mom, what do you say about Regina and the job she's talking about?", Gina slowly looked at her trying to figure out her new scheme.

"I mean, this is your old friends sister, out of nowhere, just decided to give you a job, in this far place, it doesn't really make sense to me", their mom didn't say anything, she just continued eating, "Am just saying, I've seen those kind of things before, fraud is everywhere, just to be careful ", she said shrugging.

The table went quiet again.

After dinner, their mom called them for a quick conversation,

"Well you see", she started,

"I've lived life and I've seen a lot, of which y'all know about, I might have made mistakes but I still know where I stand and I stand with the Lord. Y'all are grown ups and knows what's right from wrong. I married at a young age, when I met your father I knew nothing, that's why things turned out like this, unlike the world we live in now. Am not trying to take this long, I just want to say that, whatever you do is upon you, the path you chose you shall walk, when you leave tomorrow, you're taking a new path, my job now is to wish you well, I've done my part", she concluded with stories of people who has lived a good life and so on.

Gina lay on her bed thinking of what she said to them. Actually they've all been through a lot, especially their mom.

Her main goal once was to make her mother happy, but things never work out the way you wanted it to.

Sometimes her mom can be a pain in the ass but before that, she was her mom and nothing will change that.

She turned the other side of the bed, trying to get enough sleep before she set out for tomorrow.