It's been two months since they've had sex. She dwells on that thought with trepidation. Her once randy husband who couldn't keep his hands off her had suddenly turned cold. Was it her fault that she had gotten a new and better paying job? She really wanted to help out, being a full time housewife was a bygone trend as far as she was concerned. No more asking for money for the littlest of things, no more worrying about what to do if he travelled, or disappeared or worse. Now she was her own woman! Now she could contribute to the upkeep of the house, buy the kids fine clothes, even buy him that nice shirt she had been eyeing at the boutique since July. There were so many advantages to her having this job...
So why had he turned cold?
Alright, so maybe she hadn't told him about the interview. Maybe she hadn't asked his permission before undertaking this venture, but it had yielded good fruit hadn't it? Two months on and they were no longer feeding from hand to mouth. Soon they would even be able to afford the car they had been planning on buying in 3years, instead of the old Mazda 2001 model they were managing now. That car had seen better days. The left indicator light kept falling off and there was a mysterious hole in the engine from which oil perpetually leaked out. There was even a running contest among the local mechanics that anyone who successfully found and plugged that hole would be given a free lunch at the restaurant of thier choice. They had all tried and failed at the end. The old Mazda had instead bought them familiarity among the local folk.
No more embarrassment, no more jokes about helping to push them to their destination in their wheelbarrow, no more hiding the car at the far end of the park when going out to a function. Their lives were going to change for the better very soon and her husband was sulking!
She pondered on all of this as she drove home from work. She had left early because her boss had called a half day at the behest of a special foreign visitor. Something about a Norwegian Holiday. She didn't really care, she just wanted to go home and sort her family out, her man out. As she passed through challenge road, she came across the new Heritage shopping mall and had an idea. She would surprise him with the shirt tonight! She had planned to wait until Christmas but she could get him something else then. She quickly made a detour, ran into the pick n payshop and got the shirt. It was a pink and red long sleeved Arthur Danan shirt, for sale at N18,000. She used her ATM and the pretty sales lady wrapped it up for her. She was about leaving when she passed by the frozen food section. Might as well get something for dinner, she thought and bought a huge slab of frozen meat. She hurried back to her car, in high spirits , and headed determinedly for home. She would make things right. She would cook him a wonderful dinner and wear that her special red see-through pajamas. They were old, but he loved them so much. She smiled as she thought of all the lack of sleep she was going to subject him to this night.
As soon as the maiguard opened the gate for her to drive in, she knew something was wrong. Old musa didn't greet her in his usual jovial manner and kept on making furtive glances at the front door. She asked him what was wrong and he gave a very big and fake smile.
"Nuttin madam" he said. And she watched as his fingers began to shake.
She parked the car in the garage and came out, holding her precious gifts. She walked down to the front door and she heard a small voice in her head telling her not to enter, not to go in, the house was hers and she could come back to it anytime she wanted but for now she could just drive round the street a couple of times before coming back in so as to allow...
So as to allow what?
She held firmly to her gift with her right hand as she placed her left hand on her chest to still her beating heart. The house seemed to repel her, as if trying to create a force field to stop her from entering. She had seen this all in the movies but still she had the compelling need to act it out. So she walked in the front door which had been left ajar. She ignored the high heeled blue shoes scattered in the corner, ignored the sweet smell of a foreign perfume and the sounds of pleasure coming from the bedroom as her feet moved automatically, and her eyes feasted on the sight. They hadn't even bothered to close the bedroom door. She watched the perfect rhythm of the gyrating dance of passion and for a moment was curious as to how the strange woman on her bed could be so flexible. Her husband gasped in pleasure somewhere beneath the covers and that brought her out of her reviere. The strange woman laughed and arched her back backwards, exposing large bosoms and pointed Tips. And then she saw her observer and screamed. Jumping off her husband the strange woman went on her knees and assumed a pleading position. It was kemi, her next door neighbor and bossom friend. Her husband sat up quickly and put on an obstinate face.
An obstinate face...
An obstinate face...
She would have forgiven him. Right there and then she would have been prepared to listen to any lie or plea, anything but justification. Unfortunately that obstinate face did not go with any plea, the look instead churning up a sea of revulsion and fury from her soul.
"Madam, welcome oh." He said. He licked his lips and held kemi's hand roughly as the latter attempted to make a run for it. She watched all this dazed.
"Why?" She asked.
"Because you are too proud!" He retorted. "Who gave you permission to look for a job? How did you get a job that pays more than mine does? Are you going to deny that you slept with your new boss to get it? Are you?! I heard you making those funny calls last night! I heard you mention hotel, booking a room, keeping the place a secret! You think you are smart shebi?"
She found her voice "but...but they were calls for the arrangements we were making for our foreign client! He wanted a place to stay while in town, a place where he felt he would be safe and secret enough not to attract unwanted attention to his person..."
He laughed unkindly. "Lies. Lies! I knew this new job would get to your head! Now you think you are bigger than me, smarter right? Well kemi has been dying for me since our wedding and I decided to let her taste what you have been enjoying just as you let your boss..."
She didn't know when she made the decision to shut him up. Maybe it was because he was accusing her falsely or maybe it was the smug look he had on his face the whole time. Not an iota of penance. The next thing she knew she had rushed to the bed and clubbed him with the bag of iced meat. It made a dull "clunk" as it connected squarely with his head. She hit him again, jaw clenched in anger and this time his skull gave way. White liquid oozed out as kemi resumed her screaming and freeing herself from the dead man's grasp, bolted from the room, stark nakked. She watched as her husbands brain continued to ooze unto his forehead and down to his chest and strangely felt...nothing. As kemi began to raise an alarm outside she brought out the parcel containing the shirt and kept it beside her husband. Then she went into the kitchen.
The mob that came later found her cooking quietly in the kitchen, a pot of beef stew garnished with onions.
"Are you taking notes, my young apprentice?" The demon said as they watched the mob carry the insane housewife away. The apprentice nodded.
"Its all about trust, you see." He said, shaking his head and smiling gently. "Trust and openness is very necessary in a relationship. Its one of the first things you have to break. It allows you to penetrate thier thoughts with doubt and wrongful conclusions. The lack of it prevents them from discussing their problems in the open like they should. The lack of it ensures that they make the wrong assumptions. Then pride and jealousy comes in and before you know it...poof. Everything is shot to hell." He laughed at his own joke. "Get it? Hell? Where they'll go?"
The apprentice looked at him sourly and the demon shook his head. The new recruits nowadays were so humourless.
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