Chapter 38: Chapter 38

When harmattan came, it was the brutal sun which shone from morning to night and the loud noise of the wind that first announced its presence.

"This is not harmattan." Mark said one morning. "What is Harmattan without cold ?"

He was standing outside staring at the place that was formerly their garden with his hands in his pocket.  He could not do more than wearing shorts with the hotness of the weather.

"Your food is on the dining table, " Kamsi announced through the window.

"Babe, wait! " He called as he spun on his heels but she had left there already.

He stalked into the house still with his hands in his pocket. He pushed the door  of the guest room which had become Kamsi's studio.  Three different paintings were lined on the table in front of an open window to dry. She was seated on a stool facing the window,  just staring out with folded arms.

"You are ignoring me, " He stated. "Why are you ignoring me? "

As if to give him a positive answer, she did not reply to his question. He kicked around a roll of toilet paper on the floor  for a while before he sat down on the bed.

"Don't play like that in here,  you would spoil something," She scolded him .

He smiled, then sighed. "That's the idea."

She only turned and  glared at him in anger then she turned back to the window.

"What's with the attitude? " He asked,  rubbing a hand on his bald head.

" Two nights ago, I told you  we needed to talk and you  shooed me away  saying you will come around with what you want to say to me," She replied , still facing the window.

He waited,  playing with his beards. She was silent but he knew that could not be the end of the speech, maybe the next words would be insults and he braced himself for it.

"You must think that I do not have aspirations in this life because I'm with you. It's true I have made too many mistakes in this marriage, but you are wrong to think I always want to remain as I was yesterday."

He tapped his foot on the floor without rhythm  after she stopped talking.

"It's quite typical of you to be overly emotional over nothing, " He said.

She scoffed. "I'm not even being emotional right now "

He sighed, stood and walked to the end of the room, leaning on the wall, he asked waving his hand around the room. "When are you getting rid of the madness you started in this room"

"So it's now madness, " She laughed humorlessly, "Was I not mad when you met me in university, was I not studying madness?"

He shook his head tiredly. "Kamsi,  you don't grow. There  are things you should have outgrown by now."

"Wait," She said, rising from her seat, "Are we talking about the same thing here? "

"Yes, arguing with me, " He replied.

There was silence and they stood,  in a deadly eye combat then Kamsi laughed.

"You are actually right. I should have outgrown  arguing with you."

She left the room leaving him standing there, his hands in his pocket and legs crossed at the ankles.  He wondered what was going on in her at that time. Since knowing  women,  he knew they had a talent in misinterpreting words and intentions.

He came out from the room and walked to the parlor. There was a Christ Embassy Church service going on  and Kamsi was dancing and singing along with the choruses.  He knew it was Sunday but was surprised earlier when she did not dress to go for church.

She was there  in a flowered  night wear that flowed loosely around her yet it was still possible to see  the growing bulge on her stomach in contrast to her former tummy which was small, flat as a board. It was new seeing her add little flesh but it made her radiate even in her dark skin tone.

"I want to talk to you," he said, watching  her act shocked at his presence when she  had known from the  time  he entered the parlour, because then  her vigour increased like she was dancing to shame him.

"I'm in church, " She waved at him dismissively then shouted, "Alleluia! " with the congregation on the screen.

He turned to the bar in the sitting room and began to notice the  drinks that were unavailable at that point. He made a mental note to get them later that evening then he went  upstairs.

Knowing that Kamsi loved to sleep at noons if she was at home, he waited for her to come up.  He did not want to revitalise the discussion  or maybe he would have if she came upstairs given that, there were things he felt needed to be  set straight.

He lay with his arms folded under his head, gazing up to the ceiling. He would have been counting the ceilings if it was the grid wooden ceiling but he was just staring at the clean plaster of paris facing him. He wanted to sleep but it was a difficult task. Throwing a glance at the window, he could tell it was evening without checking the clock because of the darkness which was starting to envelope the earth . He suddenly got up and threw on a polo and  a jean. After searching the cupboard for his car keys, he jogged down the stairs.

Kamsi was sitting on the Single sofa facing the television which backed him as he entered. She had a plate filled with pringles and her eyes were fixed to the screen showing a cartoon.

"I'm going out," he said, squeezing her shoulder.

"Go well," she replied with a stuffed mouth , without looking at him.

"Let's go out," He tried again.

Now, she turned her body to look at him. The shock on her face was understandable. It's been ages since they went for an outing together. He was just trying to awaken some dead places in their marriage .He must have been doing it wrong  or at the wrong time because her response was a strong, "No" then she turned back to the television.

As he drove around the town, he convinced himself that she would come around. He had seen this side of her before but she later softened back to her sweet state.

He could not understand women, they found it difficult to understand when a man was trying to protect them from things they will never comprehend. Like his wife found it difficult to accept that Okechukwu was a threat to their marriage. He was a widower and if rumours had truth in them, he was also a womanizer. He was in no position to judge a man who loves women but he never went after married women. Even if he chose to ignore the rumours, he knew looks like the one the man always stared at his wife with. He saw it the first time at the child dedication and it strangled his insides. It could have been jealousy or anger but he was not ignoring the feeling.

After he noticed, he drove past a particular wine shop twice, he decided to purchase drinks from them before returning home.

The front door was already open when he got to it. He went in and arranged the drinks in the bar then took some  upstairs .

Kamsi lay on her own side of the bed. The lights were off but the television illuminated the room especially the bed where she lay in a short satin nightwear. She was not asleep, she was staring at the television even though it was a football match that was playing and she did not like to watch football.

He went to the fridge and arranged the drinks he came up with  then turned to her, "Have you eaten? "

"Yes," She replied, "Yours is in the pot."

He pulled off his polo and sat at the edge of the bed. "Let's have that talk now. "

It was not what he planned to say.  For a while he began to stray from his usual self . Kamsi returning to her parents had  shown him what  life would be like without her.

She turned to him, laying on her side,  "There's no need, " she replied.

She rose on her knees and began crawling to him.  "I'm ready now.  Let's have that talk, " he said, watching her movement.

She came to him and straddled him.  He held her waist to steady her just before  her lips connected with his.  He was taken by surprise and his system had a hard time responding but she continued,  diving  deeper into his mouth playing with his tongue, his endurance and self control.

"What's wrong with you? " he asked,  pulling back his head.

"What?" She asked, laughing crazily before licking her upper lip seductively, "Don't you want it? "

He shook his head and before he could reply,  she  nibbled his left ear then her tongue swept over it and he couldn't control it anymore, he was no resistor.  He brought back her mouth to his but she seemed to be done with that episode . Her mouth descended on his nipples and his eyes involuntarily closed as she played with both nipples with her teeth. She moved herself on his crotch. Any moment,  his trouser was going to burst open because of the  bulge.

She returned to his ear and whispered something.  Unable to speak, he waited for her to say it again.

"Goodnight," She said. She climbed off him to her side of the bed.

He touched her arm and tried to turn her to himself but she hit his hand away, "If you touch me this night,  I'll wound you.  Taste what deprivation feels like."

He  pulled down his trouser  and walked into the bathroom. It was under the shower, he let out a groan , resigned to massaging his penis to spill out  cum  before he could relax.