Chapter 5 Who Is He?

• At noon, Bianca suddenly noticed the three brothers walking in with a fallen expression. Their fallen countenance drew her attention as she inquired what the problem was.
• Anthony the eldest refused her an answer, he instead threw himself on the sofa, took the IP, ad and proceeded to play his favorite car race game.
• "Anthony, Anthony," she called severally he merely refused Bianca an answer.
• "Mum, I'm good, it's nothing, feelings change." She wasn't surprised at his answer, she knew Anthony concealed a lot of things more like an adult. She drew Callan and Bernard closer to herself and inquired what the problem was.
• Callan, who was much more emotional among the boys, had begun to shed tears. She had to draw him close, and pacify him as she placed him on her lap.
• It was only then did they open up that their neighbor whom they played ball with suddenly spoke back calling them bastards and collecting his ball so that they do not have access to it.
• Bianca felt broken after listening to those words, she wondered what to do to at least ease the children the pain of thinking about their father.
• "Don't bother, I'd get you guys new balls okay," she tried pacifying the boys by patting their heads while they took their exit to their room.
• "Mum, what about dad?" Anthony asked from where he sat, leaving Bianca speechless.
• "Just as I thought," she mutters to herself. She walked up to him and took her seat by his side on the sofa.
• She took hold of his little hand and clasped it in hers. Staring into those little ocean blue eyes just like that of Brant. "Anthony, very soon we will meet your dad, okay? You all should exercise patience with mummy while she sorts things out, then we would all go live with dad."
• She replied further staring into his eyes, trying to figure out if she won his heart over. Of all five, Anthony was the toughest, but if she could succeed in winning him over, he knew how best to handle his siblings. Anthony projected a smile from the corner of his mouth, rising on his toes as he carefully smuggled himself into Bianca's embrace.
• Bianca's heart melted, and tears trickled down her cheeks as her nose became watery as she sniffed. She was careful enough to keep the tears as she wiped her face with the back of her palm.
• Anthony was however smart enough to notice her sniffing. "Mum, are you okay?" He asked, withdrawing from her embrace with a worrisome look.
• "Anthony, I'm fine. I just love you all." Tears trickled uncontrollably this time.
• "We all love you too mommy," Anthony whispered into her ears, planting a kiss on her left cheek.
• The girls appeared and swarmed around their mum, begging to be carried in her embrace. As soon as she noticed them approaching she was smart enough to wipe her tears.
• Emma and Debby were so engrossed in what they came for as they began to gist with her about the storybooks they read back in there. Bianca listened and laughed tirelessly.
• The way they spoke with their infant voice and the strength at which they put into showing the action of which lifted Bianca's burden. Thereafter, the boys also came running out asking all sorts of questions, yea childish questions but yet she always did her very best in answering them no matter how dumb it was.
• Every little thing they saw or heard built curiosity in them and she does her very best in satisfying the curiosity. Their presence was the first thing that triggered happiness in her.
• After a while, Amy requested their presence as she had already prepared them lunch. She was about to take a turn from her position when she heard a knock on the door.
• She wondered who the visitor could be. She wasn't expecting anyone nor had she made intimate friends who could come visit. The knock was insistent and she decided to take a look.
• She opened the door and before her stood a middle-aged tall lady with long light brown hair.
• "Bianca," the lady screamed in excitement.
• Bianca raised a brow trying to figure out where she knew the familiar face. She hadn't thought for long when the face flashed back into her memory. It was Annie, her very close friend back in college.
• In an instant, the two ladies smuggled themselves into each other's embrace. Bianca let her in fast, offering her a seat. Annie was her bosom friend back in her college days, not just friends but close friends sharing many things in common.
• After graduating, somehow they each lost contact.
• "So tell me, Annie, how did you get to know I lived here?" Bianca asked, still fascinated by the happiness of meeting her old friend.
• "I didn't know you live here, I only came to apologize for what my sister's son did, and how little he spoke of your kids which is rude. Wait - - a minute Bianca don't tell me all of those three boys are your sons."
• "Yes, they are," Bianca replied with a broadened smile all over her face.
• "OMG, Bianca, do you know I've always had the thought that the parents of these little kids are really lucky to have them, they look cute." She explained with a yell, readjusting herself on the sofa with a reddened cheek.
• "Wait a minute Bianca, there are also two small identical girls I see around, are they your daughters too?" Annie's jaw hung In the air begging to be dropped, as Bianca gave a nod.
• Bianca smiled, taking a hold of Annie's wrist, and led her to the dining. "You can be sure I'm telling the truth, Annie," Annie screamed in excitement, almost passing out on the spot.
• "They are my quintuplets," she smiled carefully, admiring her kids.
• "Oh my gosh! Quintuplets at once, that's so cute." Annie was surprised that she took a second glance at the kids who sat at the dining table engrossed in their lunch.
• "Children, I'm Addy's mum's sister. Please forgive him for not letting you play with him. I rebuked him already and such won't happen again." Annie pleaded to clasp her palms together.
• "Aunt Annie, such won't happen again because even our mum promised to get us our balls," Bernard spoke up but Anthony pinched him with his nails and he cried.
• "Learn to be quiet when elders talk," Anthony whispered into Bryant's ear. That singular act astonished Annie as she marveled at their level of intelligence.
• Annie and Bianca retired to her study room where they had the opportunity to chat freely, speaking of what they passed through after leaving college to their internship periods to date.
• Bianca however concealed the identity of the father of her child. She opened up to Annie that she slept with the man when they were both in a state of sobriety.
• Which resulted in the birth of five kids at once, but she never disclosed the identity of their father.
• Annie was glad to see Bianca and she was even happier that she was blessed with intelligent five at once.
• "So how about we go to the club together tonight, I mean today being Sunday. So we could, you know, catch the vibes of old times. What do you say, Bianca," Annie pouting her lips. Bianca went into silence for a while with different thoughts beclouding her.
• She remembered it was the same club she went to for the internship send off and here she is with five kids without a father. Annie tried figuring out what she was thinking.
• "I- - don't think- " Annie cut her short.
• "Bianca, it's been six years now, the only thing I suppose you've done since the past six years is to work and spend your free time with your kids. A day at the club wouldn't harm you," she pleaded.
• "I'm also single, yet I try passing my time at the club on Wednesday or Sundays like today." Bianca thought deeply and finally saw the truth in Annie's words.
• "How about the kids?" Bianca tried finding an excuse.
• "Bianca, c'mon. I learned you have a nanny, my sister is around and should be able to take care of her son, so that side is settled. A part of her wanted to hang out with her old friend, yet she was scared, being that her fears began the first day she visited the club.
• Nevertheless, in truth, she had been bored for the last six years.
• A couple of hours later, they both rode in Bianca's car to the club. Bianca was dressed in a skimpy black dress, coupled with black heels, and her hair was positioned in wavy curls. Her lips weren't left behind as they sparkled in red glossy lipstick.
• Right from time, she was used to dressing according to occasion style. While Annie simply dressed in a cotton blue armless gown revealing her broad shoulders with black heels.
• The effect of the loud jingle could be felt everywhere, with lots of bums and coochies, alongside different men who had come for a nightstand. The loud blaring jingles itched her ears making her uncomfortable, but Annie on the other hand was already used to coming around, none of the activities seemed odd to her.
• Both of them found a seat at the rear end of the club far away from other people requesting the presence of the bartender to take their orders.
• Her lips curved into a smile as she watched different folks dancing. Annie requested that they join the train but Bianca declined, she felt more comfortable watching from far.
• While randomly looking around with a smile, her face soon deepened into a frown when she felt pain across her stomach. She tried suppressing the effect of the pain when she felt a spill in her pants.
• Annie who had an eye on her all this while raised a question. " Are you ok Bianca?" With a line across her brows.
• "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just - - I guess I miscalculated my period. I need some clean-ups." She excused herself for the ladies.
• She hurried to use the ladies to prevent further stains, feeling much more relieved as she took her exit. She got to the pathway and the lights suddenly went off. "Goddamn!" She yelled, opening her handbag to take her phone only to discover she left it on the table. She slightly sighed in frustration left with no option but to groove in the dark while finding her way out.
• Shoes cluttered behind her, her heart leaped with the thoughts of having a partner who could assist with light. She took an abrupt pause. "Hello, can you help with your phone or something?"
• She expected an answer but got none. She began to wonder if her imaginations of hearing footsteps were real. She sighed and tried focusing on her way out when she got grabbed by the wrist and got pinned to the wall. She gasped in panic. "Leave me alone," she shrieked silently praying that someone comes to her rescue. The man before her was filled with an acrid smell of alcohol.
• He deepened his face into her neck. "I know you, you smell more like that lady whom we both had fun with six years back. What have you come for again?" Her heart skipped racing so fast. His smell perfectly fits that of Brant. She couldn't mistake him for another.
• "Let go of me," she shrieked continuously. The figure before her tried getting into her by pulling up her gown.
• "That same fun of six years ago, let's rekindle it." The man laughed, bussing across her neck. She felt a hot sensation from his lips spark up a knot inside of her, but not letting herself get carried away, she could clearly remember where she was, still struggling in his grip. An idea popped up in her mind and she activated it by kicking him on his balls, with the last breath in her.
• He whined in pain as he sprawled to the ground. Hurriedly as fast as her legs could carry her, she pulled off her heels to ease her exit. She got to the main club and the lights came on. "Damn it!"
• The rate of her movement surprised Annie that she almost choked on her drink. Bianca grabbed her phone from the table. "Let's go," she ordered, bolting towards the vehicle.