THE BLACK MARRIAGE
© Ralph Angel
EPISODE 20
Andy jerked Sonia’s hands away with so much force that her hands hurt. He stood up looking totally confused and alarmed.
“Jess, it is not what you think” he managed to put the words together though he was totally devastated and confused.
Jessica was not sure she could hear anything that was being said. The scene before her was so frightening and she was hearing loud screaming in her head. She was not sure what was going on.
Sonia adjusted her cloth and jumped up. “Yes, it is what you think Jessica. Your womanizing husband here was trying to rape me”
“What?” Andy’s head rotated.
Jess was just frozen to the spot.
“I came in looking for you and all of a sudden he grabbed me” she made a teary face.
“You are insane woman; what the hell is your game here?”
Andy was roaring and he wished he could beat the living daylight out of the woman. He faced Jessica. “Jess, you have to trust me. I can never do this to you; never”
“Oh yeah? Then tell me, why did you both do a one year contract wedding then?”
Jess gasped, now listening attentively. How did Sonia know? Andy was bewildered. “You did not want to marry the woman brought by your father because you can’t bear being tied to a woman. You like the idea of sampling every skirt that comes your way and that is why you chose gentle and unappealing Jessica, while you go on with your escapades with other girls”
“If you don’t cut this bull shit, I surely would lay my hands on you”
“Oh, just like you were about doing before Jessica entered?”
Jessica felt this cold chill that would not go away. Her blood seemed to freeze. “Tell me, is that not the reason why you don’t stay in the house? You go out very early and come back very late using work as a pretense, is that not because you have concubines all over the country? You were with a woman at Convy Hotel some days back, what were you both doing? It must be the wild thing right?”
“What is all these? She is one of our major contractors”
Andy saw red at the infidelity accusation.
“Oh, really? I came majorly to talk with Jessica about this but it is no longer necessary. Now I see that Jessica has her eyes open and tries to dress appealingly so I would not be surprised if you have gotten into her pants already”.
Andy did what he had never done before; he swung his hand and slapped Sonia’s face so hard.
Jessica could not take no more; she turned and fled the house.
“Jess… Jessica” Andy ran after her with his heart racing with dread. He caught up with her and held her hand.
“Leave my hand” she yelled, snatching her hand forcefully.
He held her shoulders, forcing her to listen to him.
“Believe me Jess; I don’t know what is going on here. Sonia came and-”
“And what? Jumped on you?” she laughed sarcastically. “You know what Andy, I am done” the tears that she had been guarding against started coming and she started rubbing them away furiously. “I knew from the start that this was a huge mistake. Yesterday, last night, this morning; everything was a mistake. A stupid, irredeemable mistake, but it is fine.”
“Jess please, don’t say that. Don’t do this” Andy pleaded and his heart bled when he saw her furiously wipe away her tears again.
“Don’t worry, I would not do anything or take anything. The 20 million; I don’t need it”
“Jess…”
Jessica started walking away, and then started running. The waves of the hair she had just fixed bounced after her.
Andy was about to run after her when he remembered that Sonia was still in the house. The anger that bubbled in him was so intense that he charged into the house smashing the flower vase that stood in his way. He searched the entire house but did not see Sonia. She must have sneaked out while the couple was arguing. He swallowed hard, still trying to come to terms with what had just occurred. For the first time in years, something new occurred in his life that brought joy to his heart and it shattered before it even@begun. He grabbed his car keys and his shirt and left in search of Jessica.
Jessica walked the side of the road as rain poured down. She was just going like a robot. She was not sure if her brain was working at all. Events of the past just replayed in her head like the clips of a movie’s advert. This was not the first time that she would find her man with her best friend.
The first man she ever dated cheated on her with her best friend. The horrifying scene of catching them in the act flashed through her mind as she walked, oblivious to the rain that had glued her cloth to her skin. Being left at the altar and the death of her entire family still remained the most horrifying of her entire life until this evening but as she walked the sad road, she could not remember ever feeling this broken in her entire life. Sonia’s words kept coming and coming until she felt she was going to go crazy but she just kept on walking.
No part of her body felt alive as she walked on the darkened and wet road, not even the legs that carried her.
She did not know if she should put the blame on Sonia. She had come visiting and almost got raped in the process. Tears rolled down her cheeks ceaselessly but no one would have noticed since the rain water was all over her face. Her purse which she took to the saloon was clutched in her hand as she held it like a weapon at her side. She had no idea where she was going but she just went wherever her feet led her to…………..
TO BE CONTINUED…
Too bad