MARRIED TO MR CRIPPLED

"So....." Mrs Bailey turned to her husband after breakfast, a smile plastered across her face.

His brows furrowed.

"So, are you ready to call him now?" She asked him, but she noticed that it seemed like he didn't really entertain the idea.

"I'm not sure." He replied with a hesitant expression on his face.

"What is it?" She inquired, impatiently. "Don't tell me you want to back out now." She gave him a stern look.

"No, that's not it. It's just that I've been thinking about it, but I don't think I have the number anymore." Mr Bailey said, sadly and his wife sighed.

"You know it's been a little over a year now, and my previous phone got lost, or stolen maybe. I don't even know which one it is, but all I'm trying to say is that I have no access to that phone." He explained further, his expression calm, but calculated.

"Oh no. I totally forgot." Mrs Bailey remembered, sounding disappointed.

She bit her lip as she tried to think about a way out, but got none.

"So, what do we do now?" She asked, searching his eyes for answers.

"I don't really know. I think I might have to check my journal to see if I wrote it there, but I highly doubt it." He said to her, and she nodded slowly.

"Okay, let me help you with that. Where is the said journal?" She asked, her eyes fixated on him.

"It's in the room, I guess." He answered, wiping his hands with the napkin.

Surprised, she said, "You guess? You're not even sure?"

"Well, I'm not sure. I'm sure I said so before." He answered, shrugging.

"Come on, Andrew. You're not helping matters here." She complained, getting a bit upset.

"But I'm just being honest. I'm not sure where I kept it exactly." He repeated, and his wife shook her head in displeasure.

"You know what? Since you're not sure of where you kept it, let's go and search for it then." She got up swiftly, but he was reluctant to get up.

"Hurry up, honey. Time is money." She said, grabbing his arm as she tried to pull him up from the chair, but he refused to get up.

Now completely offended, she yelled. "Why do I feel like I'm the only one in this? 'Cause you're making it feel like I'm the only one who will benefit from this if it works out."

"No, that's not it. I just feel unsettled about this whole arrangement." He said, gently.

She hissed loudly. "I just knew that you were already having second thoughts!"

"Look, I don't care if you want to end up on the streets by the end of this month when the bank requests for the loan repayment, but my daughter and I won't! I won't let it happen!" She wagged a disapproving finger as she spoke angrily.

"So the earlier you get up and let's start searching for that journal, the better it will be for us all!" She snapped at him.

"I'm sorry." He muttered, and she just stared at him.

"I don't even know why you're trying to be sentimental about this whole thing. After all, we're not selling her off. We're only using her to save ourselves, better our future, and maybe hers too in the process." She said, in a more calmer tone, and he began to think about it for a while.

"Fine. Let's go, and search for it." He finally succumbed, and she broke into a smile.

"Now, you're talking. Let's go." She pulled him by the arm, and this time, he got up immediately.

As they got to the room, he sat on the sofa, and she stood beside him.

"I think it should be there." He said, pointing to the bottom of his bedside drawer.

She then immediately began to search for his journal.

While she was still searching, his phone began to ring. He checked the caller ID, and seeing that it was an unsaved number, he frowned.

Noticing his expression, she asked, "who is it?"