The news about his niece's arrival could not have come at a better time for Raymond. He had just concluded a promising deal and had called his brother to deliver the good news only for his brother to drop the news about his wife's delivery instead. He had been out of the country at the time and had been tempted to abandon everything else and fly back home to see the bundle of joy that had just been added to their family.
Every other thing from that moment on seemed to be in a blur as his mind was focused only on the fact that his favorite couple just had a baby. Sophie had been heavily pregnant when he'd left and he'd had a feeling she was due anytime soon so the news hadn't come as such a surprise.
It took him three days before he was in the clear to fly back home. He'd immediately booked a flight back and was currently ringing the doorbell to his brother's house, waiting for someone to open the door.
On cue, the door swung open and before he could process it, his niece, Angel was flinging herself at him.
"Uncle Ray!" Angel exclaimed, her hands wrapping around him in a vice like grip.
"Hey darling." Raymond grinned, lifting her up for a proper hug. "Hmm, I've missed you so much."
"Me too!" Angel exclaimed before jumping back down. "You have to see Angel junior. She's so cute!"
Raymond couldn't resist laughing. "Angel junior? Please tell me you didn't give her that name."
Angel grinned sheepishly before turning on her heels and bounding up the stairs. Everything about her mood screamed 'super hyper'. "Everyone's upstairs, hurry up."
Angel was fast on her feet and was already at the top of the stairs before she even finished her sentence. She'd inherited the height that ran in the family so she had the long legs to grace it. At fourteen, she was taller than most of her peers and was always so vibrant and bubbly.
Raymond followed her up the stairs as Angel led him into a room that formerly belonged to him. He guessed that it had probably been converted into the nursery.
Angel swung the door open and announced, "Uncle Ray's here!"
Two pairs of eyes focused on him as Raymond was faced with the remaining members of his family.
"Hey." It was his sister-in-law, Sophie that approached him first and he was once again wrapped into another warm hug.
"Hey," Raymond replied, hugging her briefly before pulling away to observe her. "How are you feeling? Are you even supposed to be walking around yet?"
Sophie rolled her eyes before hitting him lightly on the shoulder. "You and Alex are brothers alright. The hospital discharged me because I'm fine, you know."
"Yeah, but still . . ." Raymond still felt uneasy. How could someone who'd just ejected a life human be so agile in just three days?
"Don't even bother," Alex interrupted, walking over to give his brother a firm shoulder pat. "She won't listen anyway."
"Right," he agreed, moving closer to the crib where 'Angel junior' was sleeping. She looked so tiny and peaceful lying there covered with a shawl, the gentle and steady rise of her chest indicating she was asleep. Raymond couldn't see her full features but from what he saw, the baby looked like her mother. "She's so beautiful."
"She is, isn't she?" Alex said beside him and Raymond didn't miss the tone of pride in it. "You should see her while she's awake though, a real terror."
Raymond chuckled, his eyes still fixed on the baby. "It's hard to imagine."
"Don't worry. You'll be here when she wakes up. You'll see for yourself then," Sophie stated with a chuckle. "If not for mum and Hope . . . It's been just three days and I'm wondering already how I'd have survived."
Alex frowned as if offended, "Just mum and Hope? What about me? I've been taking care of her as well."
Sophie ignored him and continued, "Mum has been with me since I got to the hospital. She and Hope have gone back to pack her things. She'll be moving in with us for the time being to help take care of the baby."
"That's a great idea," Raymond nodded to emphasize his words. "Hold on . . . Hope is back?"
Sophie nodded. It then occurred to her no one had told him. "Yeah. She got back home two days ago."
"I thought she was writing her exams . . . ?" Raymond asked, confused.
"She's done with them," Sophie clarified.
"Oh, okay. That makes sense," Raymond nodded. "We should probably take this conversation outside so as not to wake the baby."
"She's probably going to sleep off the whole day and then keep everyone up all night," Alex pointed out. "But we should probably go outside. We have a lot to catch up on."
The others agreed so they quietly made their way out of the room.
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"You really should come with me," Hope's mum said, dropping the piece of clothing that was supposed to go into her bag and turning to face her daughter.
"For the umpteenth time, mummy . . . No," Hope refuted.
"I can't just leave you inside this house by yourself," her mum insisted as she distractedly threw a wrapper into her traveling bag.
Hope rolled her eyes although careful not to let her mum see. "I'm a big girl, mum. I can take care of myself. You don't live with me in school, you know."
"But at least in school, you have a roommate," her mum countered. "What are you going to be doing in this house by yourself? You know it's not advisable for you to be alone all the time with your condition."
"Anyone that hears you say it like that will think I'm pregnant. Mummy, I'll be fine. Nothing's going to happen to me here. We have neighbors in case of any form of crisis which there won't be so there's nothing to worry about," Hope insisted.
"If this is you trying to reassure me, you're failing woefully," her mum pointed out with a scoff.
"Mummy now! That house will be too cramped for all of us oo."
Her mum shot her an incredulous look that read 'That big house? Say something else.'
"Let's pack your things and get you back first. We'll talk about this later," Hope concluded with a sigh.
Her mum looked like she was about to argue before deciding to drop it. "Fine, but just so you know, this conversation is far from over. You're not staying in this house alone."
Hope knew better than to keep arguing the subject so she decided to drop it. Maybe she could talk to Sophie about it and convince her to convince their mum. She couldn't afford to move in with them in that house where her mum would be monitoring her every move.
They finished packing and ordered a cab back to Sophie and Alex's place. Alex had initially insisted on driving them home and back but her mum had asked him to stay with his family instead.
They soon got to their destination and Hope and her mum made their way inside the compound. Hope turned the knob and the door opened as it hadn't been locked in the first place. Hope followed her mum inside with her mum's bag flung over her right shoulder.
Hope's eyes involuntarily flew over the interior of the house the way they usually did whenever she stepped inside. She'd fallen in love with the house the very first time she had set foot in it. It was a huge house painted pure white with streaks of color that came from the paintings and picture frames around. She loved how it managed to be both simple and elegant at the same time.
"Mum, Hope, you're back," Sophie exclaimed as she sat up from the sofa where she, Alex and Raymond had been sitting and discussing.
Her mother's eyes weren't on her though. They were fixed on Raymond who had also stood up the minute he saw them. Her face split into the widest grin and she spread her arms apart, inviting him for a hug.
His smile matched hers as he walked over so she could engulf him in a hug. "E kaasan ma." (Good afternoon ma.)
"My son," she replied proudly, patting him on the shoulder before releasing him. "I'm so happy you're back."
Hope resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She knew he hadn't been gone for so long so what was the fuss about? Her mum had grown quite fond of Raymond and she didn't understand it. Maybe it was because Raymond and Alex no longer had parents and she'd taken on the responsibility of being their mother but she loved them and treated them as their own. Sometimes, a little too much.
"Me too mum, I've missed you very much." And there came that smile that seemed to always get their mum. She had also insisted Alex and Raymond refer to her as mum and nothing else. He turned the full force of his smile on Hope as he pulled her into a brief hug as well. "Hope, Look at you! You've turned into a big girl already, just growing finer everyday. Are you even sure you went to school at all 'cause I almost didn't recognize you."
Hope rolled her eyes at him although she was smiling. It had barely been six months since they'd last seen each other so she doubted she had changed that much since then but she was used to him teasing her so no surprises there. She was saved from having to reply by her mum who took the opportunity to butt into the conversation.
"Oh, please!" Her mum laughed and arched her hand as if to tell him to come off it. "You should save those lines for all those young girls out there who are good wife material. You're not getting any younger, you know."
"Mum!" Sophie groaned. "Do you always have to bring this up in every conversation?"
"Yes oo," her mum replied unabashedly. "My dream in life is too see all my children prosperous and settled. It's time for Raymond to bring home a wonderful lady to marry. Don't you agree, Alex?"
"Of course, I do," Alex instinctively replied, trying to keep a straight face even though all he wanted was to let go and have a good laugh.
"My good child. I trust you jare." She turned her attention back to Raymond. "Shey o ti gbo?" (Have you heard?)
"Yes mum," Raymond replied for lack of a better response. He looked slightly disoriented. Hope didn't blame him, even she was wondering how the conversation had turned in that direction but then she expected him to expect that and more from his self proclaimed adopted mother.
She didn't look satisfied at his answer but she wasn't chanced to say anything else before a loud and piercing wail pierced the air.
"The baby is awake!" Sophie exclaimed as she practically flew up the stairs, followed by Alex and her mum who were hot on her heels. Hope sighed wistfully at the wonders of a new born baby.
Hope glanced at Raymond who was still wearing a wide eyed and somehow dazed look. He turned to her with said look still present in his eyes. "Is she always that loud?"
"What? No, of course not," Hope replied, shrugging nonchalantly. "That was her being quiet."
Hope watched his eyes almost budge out of their sockets and she couldn't hold back the giggles that escaped her. She wheezed as she tried to form a sentence. "O-oh my God! You should see your face right now."
"Are you messing with me?" He asked, taking on the appearance of a wounded puppy.
She felt herself momentarily distracted but shrugged it off and shook her head as a response to his question.
"Don't worry. You'll see for yourself," she replied with a shrug.
He hummed an incoherent response before going up the stairs to check on the baby as well. Alex was carrying the baby and cooing gentle words to her. She seemed to have gotten a lot calmer.
Alex turned to him, "Sophie's going to come back any moment to feed her. Do you want to hold her for a bit?"
Raymond nodded earnestly. He slowly took the baby from his brother. She felt so small and fragile in his arms and he felt the need to be extra careful so he didn't break her. Raymond had guessed right, she was a replica of her mother, except she was light skinned in contrast to Sophie's dark skin. She was just so beautiful.
"Hey," he whispered to the baby and her wails softened out until they were replaced with a toothless smile that showed off her dimples and chubby cheeks. She stared at him with a mixture of confusion and affection, like she loved him although she had no idea who he was. His throat clogged and for a split second, he wondered how it would feel to have this all to himself.