Chapter 20: Chapter 20

Jonny’s cruelty was causing Miriam incessant nightmares. Last night she had dreamed the spookiest one: an ugly doll with blood-smeared face was hanging from the roof, with blood oozing from its eyes and splattering all over the floor. She woke from the dream, trembling and clasping a pillow, as cold sweats covered her body. The dream was extremely frightening and ghostly. It was her mischance, as her stars of late have refused to realign. It was weird how Jonny turned out to be so cold and sinister. He was a chameleon. His handsomeness did not give anyone a hint of his evilness. Miriam was fooled just like everyone. She had liked and trusted him. She never could have fathomed that Jonny was capable of such mischiefs and cruelty. All she wanted to do from the outset was to give him a better life, and to create a better world. Now it was clear to her that her kindness was her Achilles’ heel. She was learning the cold truth that the world is full of wicked people and not with sugar-coated chocolate toppings.

However, if the house did not fall, the goat would not have climbed its roof. Miriam blamed herself for trusting Jonny so readily and blindly, and for being so innocent. What she should have done was crystal clear. She was supposed to keep a long distance from Jonny. It was a simple thing to do. Yet she bungled it. Now her pains were self-induced. By her own hand, she brought Jonny into her life and he repaid her kindness with cruelty. She had brought home the ant-infested faggot and now she was sharing her home with lizards. Just how did she forget that business and feelings were totally immiscible? Still what Jonny did was only a tip of the iceberg. A far serious problem was just around the corner.

For the past two weeks, after the sex they had at his place, Jonny have remained silent about the affair, carrying the same air as he was used to. No one would think something of the sorts ever happened. It was that ominous silence that bothered Miriam the most. Jonny’s silence made him more dangerous and difficult to fathom. He could come up with a huge surprise at any moment and spill the beans, and everyone would know of the grubby affair. Then what happened behind closed doors would cause a huge flap. So Miriam grew restive and extremely afraid of Jonny and everything he did: the clumping of his feet, the videos in his phone and the furrows on his face. It was strange how she had lost her confidence, self-esteem, bossiness and concentration. Jonny was now the boss, and sadly, she could not do anything about it. She had become depressingly helpless. He still had the video of the sex they had. He called all the shots now, and he had the yam and knife. The spineless fool was blackmailing her with it and driving her insane.

Still as the weeks crawled, Miriam remained tight-lipped. She could not tell anyone what happened. If she wanted to, who would she tell? Who would believe her? Was it Frank? Mentioning that to him was tantamount to committing suicide. She had become lonely, depressed and gaunt. Frank had not returned from his overseas’ trip, and her nights have been full of nightmares. The darkness in her bedroom had been spooky and sinister, appearing to have the shadow of Jonny stalking at the corner and cackling at her. But it worsened when she began to suffer insomnia. She was beginning to imagine and see strange things that were not really there; her days filled with hallucinations. It was getting worst and dangerous with each passing day. Of course, Miriam knew it was time to break the silence and talk to someone; she needed a shoulder to cry on. Still her hands were tied. Jonny had her where he wanted.

Stan was greatly appalled by Miriam’s scrawny face, when she entered his office two days later, to ask for a test. Miriam looked incredibly thin; her collarbones were sharp and jutting out, like that of an old, worn-out crone. Though in the past weeks, she had tried to keep up appearances but deep within her, she knew she had been teetering on the edge of collapse. Since the sex she had with Jonny, which in the first place should never have happened, she had lost her joy and enthusiasm and had been living the life of ennui. Her grip on life was tenuous, at best.

‘What happened to you? You look pale!’ Stan screamed, as Miriam settled on the chair.

‘It’s work, Stan! It’s nothing more than work. Frank has travelled for over two months now and I am the one holding the fort. It has taken its toll on me,’ Miriam said wearing a furtive smile on her face. ‘I know it’s not that bad. So don’t make it look like am dying today. It’s why I’ve come for a test.’ Stan cast a long stare at Miriam and shook his head. In his heart he could discern that Miriam’s smile was pretentious than comfortable, and that she was merely trying to paper over the cracks. He had the prescient feeling she was not telling him the truth and that there was more to it than meets the eye.

‘You know I am your doctor and friend. You should not lie to me. Tell me the truth. Is everything all right?’ Stan asked her worryingly.

‘Of course, everything is fine,’ Miriam replied calmly. ‘You’ve to trust me. If there was more to it, I would tell you. I just need a test and proper medication.’ Stan shrugged in disbelief and rose from his chair. He would phone Frank and tell him to come back soon before things would jump from the frying pan and into the fire.

Three days after the test, Miriam’s result arrived and added fuel to the flames. Jonny was coming to see Miriam in her office to discuss some business matters when he heard her answering the all-important phone call. It was an unexpected coincidence. Stan was calling. He was telling Miriam about the result of the test. She had malaria and typhoid. She had ulcer and her blood pressure was high.

‘What’s bothering you? Why haven’t you been eating well?’ he asked her over the phone.

‘I’ve told you it is work,’ Miriam replied listlessly. ‘It has not been giving me the chance to cook proper meals for myself. And I’ve been worried about Martha. I fear she’s not all right.’

‘It’s all right,’ Stan said. ‘You must take it easy and find the time to unwind. You know it is health that’s wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. I am sure Martha is all right. You should relax and look after yourself.’

‘I’ve heard you,’ Miriam replied. Stan grinned on the phone.

‘All right, we’re over with that one,’ Stan said, ‘I’ve something to say that’s very shocking. I didn’t believe it. I personally had to make sure of it.’

‘What are you talking about, Stan?’ Miriam asked him nervously. ‘What did you have to make sure of?’

‘You’re two weeks pregnant!’ Stan screeched. ‘That’s what I am talking about.’

‘I am… pregnant? For two weeks now? It’s a lie! It’s not true,’ Miriam stuttered, wondering why Stan could not see the writing on the wall and the doom and gloom that accompanied what he was saying. His supposed cheery news was complicating things further and deepening her pain. ‘Are you sure about this?’ she asked him in a low tone.

‘Absolutely, I am. The results show it. You should come around and see the dietician for your dietary needs,’ Stan said, aware of Miriam’s anxiety. ‘You should stop this anxiety and tell Frank as soon as possible. I can’t wait to see the twinkle in his eyes and the look on his face,’ Stan added, his voice trailing off.

Miriam sat on the plush chair with the phone in her hand and a strange chill swept through her bones. It was incredible that she was pregnant. Yet she had seen the signs. Her frequent wooziness was not normal. But she was unsure she was pregnant. It was over a decade now that she last conceived. Still there was nothing to be excited about. There was no joy in her heart. It was so bland because she knew the blatant truth. Her fears were confirmed. Her life was in disarray. She was now a dead man walking. The child in her womb was Jonny’s child and not Frank’s. But how could this have happened? What went wrong? Why is life so unfair? How could the custodians of fate be so cruel? What really happened to Frank? Was he now impotent? How could a one night-stand make her pregnant? Who was the liar? Was it God or the prophet? The news of her pregnancy and the circumstance of everything left her with a million questions. She placed the phone on the mahogany table and tears streamed on her face, as she wept in a low tone. Jonny have killed her. He had succeeded in tearing her life apart. He was the thorns on her flesh.

Jonny eavesdropped on Miriam’s call with Stan. He went back to his office after Stan hung up and sat down with a wry smile. He was fortunate to have been there at the nick of time to listen to Miriam’s conversation. The conversation unnerved and excited him. He was sure of his instincts. If Miriam was two weeks pregnant, then he was the father of the child. He would confront her. He would threaten her with the video and wring the truth out of her. And if the child was his, then he would take what was rightfully his.

After a reasonable time passed, Jonny went to Miriam’s office. He knocked on her door and entered the air-conditioned office. Miriam was silent on the chair and watched Jonny as he came towards her. She stared at him and her heart froze with hate. Before her was the monster that was the cause of her misery. Everything about him repulsed her.

‘I’ve come to discuss the contract with the government,’ Jonny said, after a light pause. ‘But before we do, I would like to tell you I do not bear you any ill will. As a matter of fact, I did what I did because I was obsessed with you. Though, I regret my action. You’ve avoided me like a plague, so I kept my distance. But I’ll not do so anymore. You’ve what belongs to me and I’ve come to ask for it.’ Miriam scowled at Jonny as she listened to him. He was a disgusting man. However, what he was saying unnerved her and she wondered what nonsense he was talking about.

‘I do not have anything that belongs to you,’ she said to him as her heart hammered in her chest. ‘I’ll be extremely delighted if you’d stay away from me. You’ve repaid my kindness with evil and you’ve caused me so much grief and misery. What else do you want from me?’ she asked him painfully, with tears in her eyes. Jonny looked at Miriam and offered her his handkerchief.

‘I am sorry for everything. I’ve not come to make trouble but to reason with you. The video I made was not to blackmail you. It was merely for my safety. I am not a fool. It’s only fools that test the depth of the river with both feet. Nevertheless, that video will now serve a greater purpose.’ He was staring at Miriam intently and watching her as her heart continued to thump. She still could not understand the direction Jonny was heading.

‘I know about the child. I know you’re two weeks pregnant and I am the father,’ Jonny said emphatically. Miriam jumped from the chair and cowered on the wall. Jonny’s words sent cold chills down her spine. She had never been more terrified in her whole life. It was not possible. Jonny could not have known the truth. Who could have told him? Stan? That was impossible to contemplate. Jonny was a monster and blackmailer.

‘It’s not true. I am not pregnant. Who told you that?’ she asked him after recovering from her shock. ‘I do not know where you dug that from. If you’ve come to torment me again, I’ll plead with you to just leave me alone.’ She was rubbing her hands together in Jonny’s face and pleading with him.

‘You must stop this charade. You’re not a drama queen,’ Jonny said emotionlessly. ‘I know you are pregnant. You cannot fool me with your crocodile tears. I’ve not come to make trouble. I’ve come to ask for what is best for you and me and the child.’

‘You cannot ask for anything. I am not pregnant,’ Miriam maintained, as tears streamed on her pale face. ‘Please leave me alone! You’re tormenting me!’ she moaned at Jonny; her head cradled in her clammy hands. Jonny stared at her pitilessly.

‘Look! Miriam,’ he said, rising from the chair and making towards her. ‘I’ve the inviolable right to ask for my child and to lay claim to its paternity. You may keep denying it, but you and I know the cold truth. I still have the video as proof that we had sex at my place and it’s exactly two weeks it happened. Everyone knows your husband has been away for two months now. So who else is responsible? I am the father of the child and I’ll have what’s mine. I’ll go to any length to take what’s mine. I’ll leak the video if I must. I’ll ask for a paternity test. You do not know the extent I can go, do you?’ Jonny threatened.

Miriam’s eyes dilated with fear, as she watched Jonny issue his threats. She knew he wasn’t bluffing. Jonny was not the barking dog that seldom bites. He was a madman and he was dead serious.

‘Do not play with my emotions,’ Jonny raved. ‘Remember the video. Everyone will see it and you know what it means. I’ve very little to loss. What about you? You have two alternatives: divorce Frank and marry me and let’s raise our child together, or stay with him but let me have my child.’

Miriam sank on her knees. Jonny was not a woman and so he would never understand the extent of the damage he would cause her if anyone else saw the raunchy video. The consequences were too grim to contemplate.

‘I’ll give you money and anything you want. Please do not kill me. Do not ask for this child. Do not destroy my life and all I’ve worked for,’ she implored him.

‘You think money is everything?’ Jonny asked her sardonically. ‘My child is more important to me than money. I want my child and nothing else.’

‘Why can’t you see? Why can’t you see you’re making me go through hell and that you’re driving me insane? Don’t do this anymore, please…’ Miriam cried.

‘I am sorry, but I am asking for what’s mine. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles,’ Jonny insisted. To him the legality or the illegality of the child does not matter. A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.

After Jonny left, Miriam continued to weep. Jonny was driving her insane. He would send her to an early grave. She lay on the cold floor, turning and smearing her dress. She continued to weep in a low tone, cursing her fate and the day she set her eyes on Jonny.