Episode 6
The UNDERCOVER
When I opened my eyes, it was already morning. I noticed a figure standing by the dresser. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my palm. When I looked again, I realized it was Judith, already dressed to go out and combing her hair in front of the mirror.
I quickly grabbed my phone from the headboard, tapped twice on the screen to see it was just past 6 a.m.
Who is this, and what has she done with my wife?. The Judith I knew ought to be sleeping by now.
As I was still thinking, our eyes met through the mirror.
“Good morning oh?”. She greeted, without turning back.
“What happened to you?”. I asked..
She paused, and turned to look at me.
“What do you mean?”. She asked.
“Why are you up this early?”. I asked.
She smiled, and turned back to the mirror.
“I have an appointment to catch up with this morning”. She said.
“Appointment?”. I asked.
“Yeah”. She replied, nodding her head continuously.
“What appointment is that?”. I asked.
She waited for about a minute before she replied.
“Patrick, do you love me at all?”. She asked.
“Ofcourse, you’re my wife. Why?”. I asked, wondering where that question was coming from.
“Just go ahead and answer the question. Do you love me or not?”. She repeated.
“I do. I love you”. I said.
“If you love me as you claim, there are some questions you ought not be asking. I mean there are things you should always have at the back of your mind”. She said.
I thought hard but couldn’t remember a thing..
“I’m sorry, can you just give me a clue?”. I said.
“Hmm, today is Friday”. She said.
“Friday, Friday…what happens on a Friday”. I asked, still confused.
“Patrick, I’m going to the salon to have my hair fixed and my manicure and my….”.
Before she could complete her statements, I let out a loud sigh.
“You’re hissing?. She paused.
..Well, I’m not surprised. You never cared about me”. She dropped the comb noisily on the table, sat down and started painting her face.
I opened my phone and logged into our whãtsApp group chat. I was reading an interesting headline about a man who was wanted by the state command for killing his girlfriend and absconding with her baby.
“Did you go anywhere last night?”. Judith’s voice interrupted my scrolling.
I paused and looked up from the phone in my hand. She was staring at me through the mirror…. She seems to be studying my expression.
I shook my head.
“No. Why?”. I asked.
“They said you ran into the house like you were running after someone around 1am”. She said.
“Who said?”. I asked.
“Samuel”. She replied, calmly.
Before I continue, let me clarify something. Samuel and Divine are two different characters. They are twins. Samuel lives in my house, while Divine stays in the village with his mother. However, I sometimes interchange their names.
“Divine, I mean Samuel told you that?”. I asked.
“He didn’t tell me. I overheard him telling your sister”. She said.
I heaved another sigh.
“What were you doing outside?”. She asked after a brief silence.
“Judith, I am a policeman. You don’t have any right to question my movement”. I said.
“Oh sorry, oga”. She said, and continued her painting.
During breakfast later that morning, I took my time to silently studied the four women. While Judith was busy ordering Madam Mary around like a kid, Stella, her sister, was sitting beside her adding endless scoops of milk and chocolate into a large bowel she called mug. That one eats more than a man and that has really affected her stature. One could hardly believe she was the younger of the two sisters.
“Stella, the milk is enough. You need to start watching your weight ohh. This girl”. Judith jokingly said to her. This story belongs to Joy Ifunanya.
“Who weight help?” She said, as she grabbed the bread leather and proceeded to opening it with her teeth.
Judith tapped me on the back and began to laugh. I just chuckled and frowned instantly.
I shifted my attention to Celina, my cousin, who was sitting to my right at the table. She seems engrossed on her phone while continuously stirring her cup of tea absentmindedly.
I tried in vain to see what she was watching.
At a point I noticed she was occasionally stealing glances at everyone in the room. And when our eyes finally met, I saw the discomfort on her face. I could swear I saw her hands shaking.
If this girl is not up to something, what is she still doing in my house?.Contrary to my agreement with her mother, the girl has been in my house for close to two years then. And it’s not like her dad is not capable of providing accomodation for his only daughter. I wondered as I studied her.
While I was battling with my mind, she stood up, pushed the chair back and started going inside.
“Celina, are you not eating again?”. Madam Mary asked.
“No, I am not”. She said, without turning.
“Pass me the mug”. Stella said to Samuel.
The boy pushed the mug to her side.
“Thank you. There shall be no waste. At least not when I’m in this house”. She said, transferring the tea into hers.
Everyone in the room (including the kids) laughed. But I didn’t find it funny at all. I kept an eye on Celina until she disappeared out of upstairs.
I must find out what that girl is up to. I promised myself. .
By the time she came out, Judith and her sister had left the house, and madam Mary and the kids had gone outside the gate to wait for the school bus.
I was at the garage lubricating my engine when I heard the entrance door slam. I looked up and saw her(Celina) standing in the veranda, holding a white backpack in one hand.
“Sir, please, can you drop me off at the school?”. She requested.
“Hop in”. I said, shutting the bonnet.
She quietly opened the front door and entered.
Nothing was said until we got to a bus stop.
“Uncle, please, I don’t have money for transport”. She said.
I opened my wallet and handed her a clean one thousand naira note.
She smiled.
“Thank you so much, sir”. She said.
I nodded.
For days, I didn’t take my eyes off her. And one night, I came back from work to see her sitting all alone in the dining room while the others were watching television in the living room
On closer inspection, I noticed there was a blue piece of paper in her hand.
“Are you okay?”. I asked.
She feigned a smile.
“I’m fine. Welcome sir” She said.
I shook my head and went inside.
To my pleasure, Judith was already asleep. I quickly entered the bathroom, took my bath and was putting my clothes when I heard a sound like someone trying to open the gate.
I quickly switched off the light and went to stand in the window. At first, I wasn’t seeing anyone, but as my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw it very clearly. Celina was standing in front of the gate.
Now my doubt has been clearfield. The dev¡ls have been using my own sister to monitor me.
“Oh! Celina, you won’t live to see how this will end”. I muttered under my breath, clenching my fist.
But then I noticed something…Celina wasn’t standing alone…..
