THE BLACK MARRIAGE
©Ralph Angel:
EPISODE 5
After two days and Andy continued to go to work, Jessica became fed up with the pretense. She felt bored and useless in the beach house so she decided to go and see her friends. If Andy wanted to be unreasonable, she would show him that two can play his game. She sat at the owner’s corner at the back while the driver which Andy had assigned to her drove the car. She had argued that she needed no driver but he won when he found out that she hadn’t perfected her driving skills. After their little drama at the beach, she and Andy had barely talked.
The house had almost been as silent as a grave yard and for the umpteenth time, she regretted the decision she made.
She sighted the small shop a few feet away and smiled.
Lizzy was a fashion designer who rented the shop in front of her rented apartment for her enterprise. She was a graduate who had no interest in working for anyone. Jessica always envied her independent lifestyle. She had wanted to visit Sonia but she knew that she would be at work. Sonia worked in a bank and was almost always unavailable. Paulina, just like her motherly nature, teaches in a big primary school and she seems to find fulfillment in the work. Only Jessica seemed to be lost in this equation. After her entire family perished in one day, leaving her all alone in a crazy and meaningless world, she had changed her mind from being a lawyer to being a doctor. She studied medicine in the university, thanks to her uncle and his supportive wife but after working for five years in a hospital, she finally decided that she hated the job. Initially, she felt that if she could be a doctor, she could save a family from dying but later she discovered that hospitals reminded her of what she had lost.
18 YEARS AGO…
Jessica bounced up and down the sitting room, expecting her family to return. It was the beginning of a long vacation and her parents had gone to pick up her brother from the boarding school which he attended. She had missed her brother immensely and she longed to play the computer games with him so she could show him how much she had improved. She smiled at the thought of beating him at the games. Even though she knew the sound of her dad’s car horn, she checked the gate every time she heard a horn.
“Settle down Jessie, when they come, you would see them”
Miss Boluke said. Miss Boluke was their house help. She was more or less like a family and like a big sister. She turned and frowned at her.
“I have no home work since I am on holiday and the TV is so boring. I have nothing to lose by checking the gate a million times”. At 11, Jessica was a very bright and sharp kid. She was so mature.
“Yes you do. You are too small to develop high blood pressure. Come and help me in the kitchen”. Jessie groaned and Miss Bolu raised her eye brows. “I am baking some snacks; you know how much your brother loves them…”
Miss Bolu did not need any other words; Jessie bounced into the kitchen. The both of them talked and laughed together like two adults and Miss Bolu marveled at the questions the small girl asked. She had successfully diverted Jessie’s mind from the tense state it was in but when silence reigned some minutes later, Jessica asked. “They would be here soon right? They are taking too long” Jessica looked worried.
Miss Bolu was also slightly worried but she hid it well. Mr and Mrs Adams never stayed so long whenever they went to pick up Mark. She assumed that they got stuck in traffic and told Jessica the same thing. Lagos’ traffic was always unpredictable.
They removed the brown snacks from the oven and Jessica stared longingly at it. Miss Bolu took one look at her face and laughed, extracted one, placed it in a plate and gave it to her. Just as she was savoring the taste, the residential intercom rang and she flew there.
“Don’t touch that phone Jessica Adams” Miss Bolu roared.
She had her mind set to disobey that order but Miss Bolu smacked her hand which was already on the phone.
“Hello” Miss Bolu said, knowing that the person speaking was at the gate. “Yes, this is the Adams’ residence… ok” she dropped the intercom and turned glaring eyes at Jessica. “I don’t want to see you outside, do you hear me?”
Jessica nodded with a meek smile, only she should have known that the ever stubborn Jessica does not listen to anyone.
Miss Bolu stepped out and opened the main gate. “Good afternoon” she greeted the man in front of her, who was looking like someone who just left the battle front. “Please, how may I help you?”
“My name is Tony; I came to deliver information.” He became silent. Miss Bolu urged him on, feeling dread creep into her system. “Actually, there was an accident along the express and after checking the valuables found on the victims, we noticed that they are the Adams Family”
Miss Bolu had frozen as her pale face stared at the equally pale face of the reporter. She did not hear the gasp behind her as she grabbed the pedestrian gate for support before she fell from the blow. An image caught her eye and she spun with alarm as she stared at Jessica who stood rooted to the ground……..
To be continued….
