They say every dark cloud has a silver lining, may it should have been every silver lining comes with a dark cloud. I was living in cloud nine thinking I had my husband back after my hard work.
Somehow the flames of vengeance raging inside me had quelled, I thought I had a fistful of sky, then it turned to be a fistful of my illusions, the dream I wove all shattered.
My pillow is soaked all through with crying non stop, this pain is worse than being beaten black and blue, it eats me from the inside, waking the sleeping beast I had managed to calm down. It all began two weeks ago.
Asad came home and said he would be going on a two weeks business trip to Porthacourt, as a dutiful wife I helped in packing his bags which he lets me do now.
‘I’ll miss you’ I said hugging him from behind. He turned around and embraced me, kissing me on my lips, something we rarely did before.
‘I’ll miss you more but its just two weeks and I’ll miss you all through.’ He said.
I saw him off to car, he said he’ll go by road, strange but I didn’t bother. I was left at home alone pinning for my husband and having a good time with my kids.
I decided to check on Mama and see how she was coping since Najma has left. I met Sara, Noora and Nafisa there, we stayed a while then Nafisa and I excused our selves.
‘Nafisa am glad you gave me that advice, Asad has changed and we’re very happy now.’
‘Am glad you’re happy.’ She said in a downcast voice.
‘What’s wrong, you sound down.’
‘Abhas wants to marry another wife.’
‘What!!!’ I screamed.
‘Keep your voice down, he says he loves me all the same besides polygamy is not a crime buts its normal for me to feel sad.’
I looked at Nafisa she was a matrimonial model, the one with the perfect marriage now this, I hugged her and she cried, for the first it was me drying Nafisa’s tears.
On my way home I couldn’t fanthom the fact that Abhas could think of another woman apart from Nafisa, their love was like the epic story of king Edward VIII and wallis, he gave up his father’s wealth for her as the king abdicated his throne for Wallis for what seemed to the society a scandalous affair.
I drove into Jabi lake to clear my head, I walked by lakeside, then I caught a whiff of a familiar scent, the kind you recognized anywhere because you’re just familiar with it. I turned and saw Asad not too far from me, a woman by his side. He’s supposed to be in Porthacourt, what is he doing here that too with a woman. I remeber Mama lamenting that all men were the same disgusting animals that do not deserve to be loved.
Even if Asad was going to take a woman out did it have to be here so close to our house.
They stopped, he smiled at her, his heart melting smile and he kissed her, with the same mouth he used to kiss me that too in public. She turned her face, that was when my heart stopped she was no stranger, she was Nadia my friend, We had stopped communicating along the line.
She was now kissing my husband, could she have been the woman all along that kept Asad from me.
I walked back to my car and drove home and cried and cried until my tears dried out and I had banging headache, This time Asad must pay and Nadia her life will come crashing down like a pack of cards.
‘You’re threading on a dangerous path.’ Ghazali said leaning on his old Toyota camry, his eyes travelling down my body, the nerve of that illiterate.
‘That’s non of your business, just give me what I want.’ I snapped.
He thrusted a white bag at me, I took it and checked the contents it seemed complete. I dropped it in my car and flung a brown envelope to him, he caught it smoothly and peeped into it.
‘Euros, not bad!.’
‘Just get lost.’
‘Ladidi, if you or anyone else is caught with that stuff in or outside your body you’ll either go to jail or end up in a mental asylum.’ He said with seriousness.
‘When I need you again I’ll call you.’ I said and left.
Ghazali is a son to one of my father’s workers, we grew up in same vicinity and I knew he had a thing for me, from the way he always gazed at me. I looked at the bag, it contained what I’ll use to destroy Asad and Nadia. It could have been any other woman, but my best friend am sure he knew if I found out he would surely pay for it, stupid fellows.
When I got home I cleaned out one of the rooms in the left wing, actually I had Ladi do it, when she left I emptied the contents of the white bag on the bed, I took a bottle labelled LSD and opened it, I smelt and I knew it was real.
I was about closing it when a loud honk interrupted me and it accidentally poured on my fingers, Asad was home, I hurriedly covered it, in my haste more poured on my feet and clothes.
I locked the door and went to the toilet to wash up.
