Chapter One
“What did you say?” Oboh asked his wife a second time.
“I said where are you coming from at this time of the night?” Otiti was done taking nonsense from her husband.
She had been suspecting him of having an affair with his personal secretary. He no longer ate her food, he complained at her slightest mistakes, he seldom looked at her. It was getting too much.
The other night she had found condoms inside his trouser pockets. Condoms! They were Christians for God’s sake; Catholics for that matter. They didn’t even have any kids. What then were the condoms for? She couldn’t remember when last her husband slept in the same room with her, let alone perform his conjugal functions.
What in heaven’s name was he doing with condoms? It certainly wasn’t for her. They had been trying to have a baby for God’s sake. And to think that he had been so careless as to let her find out. Her thoughts continued cascading over one another in rapid succession. She was on the verge of losing her mind. Tonight, she was going to get an explanation. She was determined to.
Oboh looked at his seething wife. He didn’t want to beat her up again. It seemed that was all he now did. Tonight, he would just pretend he hadn’t heard the question and go to bed. He was not interested in fighting; not at this time of the night. As he made to walk past his wife she held on to the belt of his trousers.
“You won’t go anywhere o. I swear. So you’ve been sleeping with that woman abi? You think I don’t know? You think I’m a fool? Tell me the truth you liar. Are you coming from her house?” Otiti shook her husband vigorously as she spoke. “Oh, now you’re acting all surprised? Where did you get condoms from? Ehn? Answer me. Did she give them to you? Are you trying to give me VD? Ehn? Answer me!” The last words came out in a shriek.
Oboh was alarmed. But he tried not to show it. How had he forgotten to get rid of the condoms? He was in so much trouble. But he couldn’t let his ego down; not at this point. He just needed to be more careful. He looked at the woman before him. She was like a mad person. Her dishevelled hair once had the power to captivate him. Her robust face was swollen and inflamed with anger. A tear or two trickled down one cheek in rapid succession. He no longer knew her. She was a different person. He no longer saw the beauty in her eyes, or the warmth of her smile.
He no longer wanted the comfort of her embrace or the feel of her next to him. Who would have thought things would degenerate to this extent just after a year of marriage? An inner voice reminded him that this marriage was never meant to be. But he quickly directed his thoughts to other matters.
“Why are you silent?” Otiti asked again? Where are you coming from?”
“My dear, just let me be. As you can see I’m tired.” Oboh raised his two hands in mid-air for emphasis. “Besides, you don’t want me answering any of your questions in my current state of mind. Believe me!”
“Ehn?” Otiti shoved her husband towards the door. “Am I the one who’s in the right frame of mind? You must answer me.”
Oboh made a last attempt to avoid a fight. He looked at his wife, hissed and went out the door.
“You’re such a pig. Filthy coward. Keep running. Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh!” Otiti clapped her right arm to her mouth repeatedly as she made the jeering sound at her husband.
Oboh locked the door behind him. He still had his left hand on the knob. He was trying so hard to fight the urge to return to the room. Finally his resolve gave way and he opened the door.
“Who are you calling a pig?” He asked as he lashed out at his wife with his left palm.
Otiti recoiled as the slap cleared the bitterness in her soul. Something else crept in; anger. The hot searing kind. She shook her head and stared at her husband. There was something sinister about the way he stood hovering over her. She didn’t know this man at all. This wasn’t the face that was always smiling. The eyes blazed like a madman’s. Lips curled up together in a tight frown. God! This man was ugly. Otiti removed her hand from her face and rushed into the kitchen.
Oboh ran back when he saw his wife with a kitchen knife. This was getting serious. “Put that knife away before you hurt someone.” He took a few more paces backwards as his wife continued advancing towards him, knife dangling menacingly in front of her face.
“I’ll kill you today. Then I’ll cut off your manhood. Perhaps you’ll stay at home afterwards.” Otiti lunged at her husband with all her might.
Oboh stepped aside deftly. He was tired but he wasn’t drunk. And his wife was no match for him in a fight. Did she really think she could stab him? He pinned her left hand with his right and slapped her savagely across the face with his right. The sound ricocheted around the room in the stillness of the night. He continued to twist her hand till the knife fell off. Then he threw her against the chair and walked out the door.
Otiti couldn’t see beyond the pain in her brain. Her mind was fuzzy. Her eyes focused poorly on the blade of the kitchen knife lying on the floor. She got up from the chair, picked up the knife and raised it to her throat.
To be continued…
© Oselumhense Anetor, 2016
