Episode 9
TOO HARD TO LET GO
I got into my room and banged the door, really hard.
After Lucy, another problem I have is my mother. She thinks I’m still a child
I picked my phone and put a call through to my brother, but that one was not making any sense at all.
“If she said they have married for you, then nothing could be done about it. You have to accept her”. He said.
“While still married to Lucy?”. I asked.
“It’s not a big deal. After all, Lucy is nowhere to be found and according to the text you said she sent you, you should move on with your life”. He was saying.
‘Frank, are you taking my side or mama’s. Don’t tell me you’re part of this plan?”. I asked.
He didn’t say a word immediately, but after a while, he cleared his throat and continued.
“The thing is, we cannot just sit down and watch you being eaten up by depression…”. He began, but I hung up on him
I cursed the day I met Lucy. If I didn’t honor that church invitation, my life would still have been in shape by now. I thought.
I woke up very late the next morning, because I have been up all night, thinking.
I quickly got ready for work before coming out to the living room. Deborah was standing in the center of the living room when I came out.
“Good morning sir”. She greeted, but as usual, I ignored her and headed outside.
I got into the car and had almost started the car engine before I remembered that my mother said she would be leaving that day, so I got down and went back to see her.
By then, Deborah was sitting on the cushion arm, browsing through her phone. I walked passed her to the visitor’s room. The door was slightly opened, so I pushed it and looked in. Mother was not there. I walked in and knocked on the bathroom door, but there was no response.
I came out to the living room.I never wanted to talk to Deborah, but I had no choice then.
“Where is mama?”. I asked.
“She left”. She replied.
“Come, why did you not go with her?. Why will a full grown woman like you be behaving like a f0ol?, why are you allowing yourself to be used by an old woman?”. I asked.
She kept mute.
I sighed and left for work.
Before I returned from work that day, I had made up my mind to frustrate Deborah.
“I won’t tell her to leave, but she will carry her bag and run out on her own”. I had smiled to myself.
I left office and went to my usual place, from there I drove down home around 7.
I started from the door.
I knocked gently for few minutes, before I banged at it.
“Who is there?”. I heard her tiny voice, asking from within.
“You’re asking who is there, in my own house?!”. I thundered.
She opened the door immediately and stepped back. I could see the fear in her eyes.
“Wel..come”. She stammered, as I walked in.
“Is this what I will be passing through in my house?. Firstly, you made me stand by the door for almost two hours, then you came out and started asking who is there?. Did you even receive any home training at all?”. I asked.
“Am… I’m sorry, I was in the kitchen, I didn’t know you were knocking”. She apologized, in shaking voice.
“N0nsense”. I muttered, as I went into the room.
I smiled happily to myself.
“She never see anything, this is just the beginning”. I said.
The next day, she opened without asking.
“Welcome back”.
“Is this the way you were brought up?, or you’re just naturally dumb?”. I asked, as soon as I stepped in.
“What have I done again this time?”. She asked.
“How could you just open door without asking who?, what if it were thieves?, so this is how you would have let them into my house?”. I asked.
“But, I saw you drive in”. She replied.
“And so?, you think that justifies your f0olishness?”. I insisted.
I tried to read her expression for a while, before I sighed and walked to my room.
I came out again after I took my bath, just to torment her more before I sleep.
She was sitting in the living room, watching a movie when I came out.
I sat down, picked the remote and changed to a news channel. Then, I turned to look at her.
“This is all you cared about, movies all the time. Do you even have any plan for your life?. The person you said is your husband came home from work and you don’t even care whether he is hungry or not”. I quarrelled.
“You never eat my food, why should I trouble you with that?”. She asked.
“You see your problem, so because I refused breakfast, you now decided not to try dinner?, your behavior on this house, is really stressing me out”. I continued.
She stood up and went into the kitchen.
I smiled to myself. I knew she must be cursing me in her heart then, but that was exactly what I wanted.
She came out some minutes later and placed a plate on the table.
“Food is ready”. She announced.
I looked up at her.
“What food is that?”. I asked.
“garri and melon soup”. She replied.
I sighed.
“So, you want me to start eating swallow, by this time of the night?. This girl, do you ever make use of your brain?”. I asked.
“What is wrong with swallow?”. She asked.
“You won’t know, I don’t blame you”. I stood up and went to the table, washed my hands, as though I really wanted to eat, then I opened the plate and let out a loud scream, I was sure any neighbor outside would have heard.
“What do you call this?. For goodness sake, is this how soup looks?. I asked, covering the plate, a pushing it away from me.
…. You think I would allow you poison me?”. I asked.
She opened it and looked into it.
“What is wrong with this soup?”. She asked.
“What is right with it?, that should be the question”. I replied
She shook her head, carried it and went into the kitchen, angrily.
I got up and went back to the room, with a satisfied smile on my face.
I continued making life miserable for her, day by day, but she wasn’t making any attempt to leave my house. Instead, she started wearing revealing dresses.
“She just cannot seduce me”. I would mutter to myself.
But as time goes on, I found myself always longing to go home from office, just to taunt her, always sitting out so late in the sitting room, watching her run around to make food I knew I was never going to eat…. I enjoyed every moment of it.
I just hope I don’t start catching feelings for her. thought to myself, as I lay down in bed one night, reminiscing over the moments we have had together.
The thought of developing feelings for her made me very angry…..first, at myself, then at Lucy for deceiving me all these months.
I’m not going to spare that lady. I had sworn
Deborah and I continued acting dramas, until I was bathing in the bathroom one night, when I heard the door clicked open. I quickly washed off the foam from my face and opened my eyes.
Deborah was standing there, with a white towel tied from her chest down. Before I could open my mouth to speak, the towel went down and she stepped into the shower with me…
Typing 10….
