ECHOES OF SILENCE
STORY BY MUSEMUSSANG
The sun was already well on its way up when Wale opened his eyes. In fact, a sun ray that sneaked from the blue sky into his room was the unwanted culprit. It was Saturday morning and he wished to fully sleep off the tiredness of the Friday vigil he attended in Church with his family. He turned away from his window to escape the sting of the May sun and stretched. Abike was lying next to him.
She was peaceful in her sleep and a sight to behold. Curled up in a fetal position, she looked like a big baby. He almost reached out to cuddle her but was reluctant to wake her. He contented himself with looking at her unguarded sleeping face.
His gaze drew down to her cleavage and the exposed rising of her breasts. In spite of age and the hardship, her smooth ebony skin shone under the reflection of the morning rays. He instantly felt the stirring in him and the urge to touch her softness grew rapidly.
The sun slowly burning into his back accentuated his discomfort and he hissed. He touched himself roughly as if to silence the throbbing ache in his loins. This pretty blessing by his side was his to claim, yet he couldn’t just bring himself to trouble her yet again.
He sighed loudly, the sides of his mouth drooping as he stared hard at her. At that moment, her eyes fluttered open and she looked directly back at him as her focus cleared. Her eyes were doing things beyond explanations to him and his resolve almost melted in that instant.
She lowered her gaze and moved to sit up. “Good morning”, she looked over to her phone to check the time. “Ten thirty”, he volunteered as she peered at her phone. She looked up at him. “Only lazy and useless women wake up this late.” “Hmm …”, she stifled a yawn.
“… the night vigil …” “Yes, what about yesterday’s vigil? Were you the only woman there? We both know that the pastor’s wife is already coordinating a ten o’clock program in church as we speak. Serious women elsewhere have since washed and put away utensils used for breakfast.
My dear, when is our own breakfast in this house be ready, Hugh? My mother and the rest of the family is probably in the living room waiting s-i-n-c-e”, he emphasized. She sighed. She had thought she would escape before he started again this morning. His hard stare as she woke up had given her the fore warning that all wasn’t well. Was her crimes so offensive that this man would use any opportunity to criticize, ridicule and even share her flaws with others? She shuddered at the memory of the look of disdain she caught on him.
Had his hatred for her grown to such murderous levels? What if he strangled her as she sleeps one night? She was suddenly afraid of him. She knew she was outnumbered with a house full of his extended family members, and the least she wanted this morning was trouble of any sort. Her desire to be cuddled flew out of her as if his words had drilled an emergency exit in her chest. She heaved a sigh again and stood up. “Good morning”, she said again calmly as she walked away from him. She did not see his pleading countenance as she walked out of the room.
