Chapter 22: Chapter 22

"What would you like to eat?" Michelle asked Kamsi who had eyes everywhere in the fast food.

It was one of the days Michelle came and picked her up from the office. She often did it especially on days Joseph was at home and babysitting. The thought of Joseph with sand on his lips still made Kamsi laugh as she thought of him alone with his little kids.

Kamsi had started talking with Mark again; She listened to him while he talked about the ill society, the bad road he had to gallop through and the exploiters on the road sides selling things at exorbitant prices. There was always a limit to the things he said. The only thing he said about work was regarding a suitcase that contained important documents.

"Nobody should tamper with it," he said.

Nobody was Kamsi yet she did not understand the purpose of the warning. She never went to his suitcases.

Kamsi's eyes still strolled around the fast-food, admiring the exquisite interior of the place. " Let me pay for our food, " she said instead of answering Michelle's question.

"I brought you here. Another time you pay," Michelle said.

Kamsi could not eat the chicken that was brought to her, it was too oily and the taste was different from the chicken she used to love in the past. She ordered for fish pepper soup which she devoured without further introductions.

"Is that not your Oga? " Michelle asked, using her head to nod in the direction of the person.

Kamsi turned her whole body to see the person immediately . Her eyes collided with Mr Ndu who was sitting on a table with a young boy in school uniform. She nodded in greeting and the man smiled in response.

"You just had to embarrass your village people, " Michelle said.

"I had it under control," Kamsi replied, continuing her job on her catfish pepper soup.

They stepped outside the same time Mr Ndu stepped out with the boy he was with.

"Is that not Joseph's wife?" he asked loudly coming towards them. It was a preamble to a long greeting.

"It's Mary," Michelle said in a very low undertone.

"How are you doing, dear? Last time I saw you, you were like this '' he said, putting his hands in front of his stomach to demonstrate a big belly. He laughed loudly at his own joke.

The two women had to join him to relieve the awkwardness.

"That is my son," he said, pointing to the boy who was already inside the car. "He is in boarding school. I just picked him up on the basis of ill health but we all know it's hunger. He's missing his mother's food."

The pleasantries stretched longer and longer with Mr Ndu telling stories about his son's outstanding performance in school. It all ended with him offering to drop Kamsi at home.

"My junction is just after their own " he said when Michelle started to protest.

Till that day, she did not know that his junction was even close to theirs.

She got into the back seat of his black 'Range Rover ' then the tales continued till they got to her junction. He was kind enough to also reach her gate.

" Did you go out with your watch? "

She had just stepped into the parlour. She had seen all the cars complete outside and the front door was open but she did not expect him to be in a dark parlor. She ran her hand on the wall then put on the light switch.

"Good evening, " She greeted, going to sit on a cushion.

"So work closes by this time, " he replied.

It was a few minutes past six which was not work closing hour. She had told him she stayed with Michelle severally but it was as if he enjoyed asking the question.

"I was with Michelle, " she still stated.

He laughed, "I was expecting that. You are playing around because you don't know me but I will show you "

He got up and left the parlor leaving a baffled wife behind.

A hungry man is an angry man. That was the reason, Kamsi kicked off her shoes in the parlor and went into the kitchen in the loose chiffon shirt gown she wore to work.

She warmed the Egusi soup from the freezer then made Samvita. In less than thirty minutes, she had the dining all set for dinner then she went up to call her husband after picking up her things in the parlor.

" Come down and eat," She said at the door.

There was silence so she turned to leave.

"Come back," he said.

She dropped her bag and shoes on the floor to attempt nonchalance then walked to the bed where she sat on the side she normally slept. Mark was sitting on the other side of the bed. She crossed her legs, yoga style waiting for the topic of discussion to be introduced.

" Whenever I ask you a question, do not answer me like a child. That Michelle that you keep using as an excuse, I want it to stop today," he used his finger to dot the finality in the air.

"If that relationship will be a problem to us then that galavanting must stop. A married woman should have priorities. "

Kamsi was confused. She could not understand how Michelle had also become a reason for her to be scolded.

"You are taking me for granted. I was at home today, " he said, his voice now rising. " A man brought you home. It was not Michelle. I know all the cars in my brother's house. Yet you come back with a man , you saw the goat you left at home and you have the guts to greet me."

Kamsi held a hand up as she shook her head in disbelief. Could her husband be uttering those words really?

"Mark, hold on before you say something you would regret, " she said.

" I should have known, " he continued angrily, looking at her.

"When you said you wanted a job, I should have known what you wanted was just freedom to meet men, to be loose, to be careless, to forget that you are married !"

" You are not well. There's something loose in your head. A very big nut is loose in your head, " Kamsi spat. She sniffed. Those treacherous tears were already falling down.

"You need help and it's only God that can help you, " she continued.

He was silent. The room was silent except for the sound of her sobs. She did not want to cry but she could not help it. A man she had done nothing but love and listen to had to degrade her to a level she never thought of.

There were things about her husband she had always ignored because of trust but she began to see it as her foolishness. She had questions, she had doubts. She did not want to dwell on them because suspicions killed trust but who was she deceiving? She was in a marriage with a man that did not respect her feelings, did not respect her as a wife. Could such a man have limits? As he got more difficult each day and his mood changed often like a teenager undergoing puberty, she began to have thoughts that were not healthy for a union especially a marital union.

"You know Mark is cheating on you " Maka said immediately she picked the call.

She was a youth corper then in Nasarawa state. Mark was living in Okigwe. They often said distance sharpens love. It seemed true then until Maka called. She did not believe it. She chose not to. There had to be a misunderstanding. When she asked Mark, he had replied,

"If you trust me, there are certain things you would not bother about. "

That statement gave her a duty, a duty to love and trust him without questions, like a person in a blindfold.

She remembered when Maka used to like him until she no longer did for reasons she never talked about. She also knew that Maka would not just tell a lie to destroy her growing relationship at that time.

As she wiped her tears and looked at him, she believed Maka more than she had ever done. She was convinced that it was his insecurities that were guiding him.

"Now," he said, standing up from the bed. " You will stop going to work and that visit to Joseph's place like a homeless person must stop. It must stop."

Kamsi stood up, "I'm done listening to you. I will not stop my work for any reason. All the years I have listened to you, where has it got me? but here you are levelling baseless accusations against me. Who even checks you? "

He laughed then let out a heavy sigh. "You have heard me. You don't want to know what I can do. "

He walked towards the door and Kamsi walked quickly to drag him back so she could talk more. It felt good to say her mind.

They say, when a fly is overly persistent, it is death calling.

She grabbed Mark's arm.

" I want you to hear me. I'm not.. "

He turned and pushed her. She was left falling to the ground with nothing to hold on to. She fell, her head connecting with the tiled ground in a loud thud. Her whole being screamed but not from her lips. Her senses were numb. She could not move from where she lay and the only thing before her eyes that were streaming tears was the cupboard beside the bed.

She could feel no pain . She had no will to even rise up. She felt she was falling slowly into death with the unwillingness of her body to move. Tears seeped from the corners of her eyes. She lay still for a long time before she pushed her body towards her hand bag where her phone was then she typed,

"If I should die, you know who to blame. "