Chapter Four
Otiti couldn’t remember when last she had such a nice time. She was still giggling when she came into the sitting room.
“And where have you been madam?” Oboh asked. He sat on one of the sofas sipping red wine from a glass. He looked very relaxed. Perhaps too relaxed.
“From the office?” Otiti raised her eyebrows at her husband. “And since when do you care?” She tried as much as possible to lace that last question with a lot of sarcasm.
“I came home since 4pm. No food. I’ve been sitting here sipping wine like an idiot, for over two hours. Since when do you stay all day at the office?”
“Since you started being such an idiot.”
“What did you say?” Oboh got up menacingly from his comfortable position.
“I said I’m tired and I need to rest.” Otiti didn’t want anyone to spoil her mood right now. She wanted a warm bath, and a long sleep.
Oboh smiled. “Look, I don’t want to fight okay? I really wanted to talk to you today. That’s why I came home early. Come on!”
Otiti was taken aback. A smile? What was her husband up to now? She didn’t want to hang around long enough to find out. She walked around him and went straight to the staircase. As her left foot touched the first step she said. “My dear, I’m not in the mood to ‘talk.’ Not after you beat me up last night and went off to God knows where. Now you suddenly show up and complain about food?”
Otiti brought her foot down from the step and walked towards her husband. She stood directly opposite her husband. “I thought you had left for good last night. Honestly, that would have been just fine with me. Mtchew!”
Oboh stared at his wife as she walked back to the staircase and went up into their room. He heard a very loud bang as she shut the door.
‘Well, that went well’. He muttered to himself.
Tiny rays of light played hide and seek with Oboh’s eyelids. He rubbed his eyes and slowly opened them. Was he dreaming again? Consciousness came flooding in. No, he wasn’t. Someone’s phone was the culprit. The screen sent shaded rays across the dark bedroom. His wife was busy typing rapidly on her phone and giggling silently.
Oboh’s mind did a back flip. She was chatting? At this time of the night? Oboh decided not to say anything. He adjusted himself, faced the wall, and tried to go back back to sleep. But the thought that someone else was keeping his wife awake at night kept his eyes open. Dawn met him still trying to find sleep.
Otiti sat on the bathroom floor of the hotel. It was just a little after 3.pm. Her hair was dishevelled. Tears trickled down her cheeks in torrents as sob after sob rocked her to and fro. She suddenly felt deep revulsion for Ikpea. He had taken advantage of her weakness. She was finished. She had left home with a lot of enthusiasm. She hadn’t even bothered to prepare breakfast for her husband.
But Ikpea had told her naughty things the previous night. Things a married woman should never have found time to listen to. She had agreed to meet him in a hotel later on. She promised herself she would be cool. She told her conscience she would not let things go out of hand. After all, she wasn’t attracted to Ikpea. Maybe that wasn’t quite true. She knew she was, but she also knew she could handle her emotions.
Now here she was. Her life had just gone down the toilet. What had started as a hug had quickly accelerated. She knew she should never have gone into the room with Ikpea. It was too late now. She continued sitting on the bathroom floor. God! She had broken her marriage vows. She was totally finished.
“Itua I can’t do this anymore.” Oboh told the young boy who stared at him in utter surprise.
“Sir?”
“I have been a terrible person to you. I’ve made you do things I never should have. Please find a place in your heart to forgive me. See, forget everything I ever told you. It’s not even normal for a man to have sexual relations with a boy. It’s a sick thing to do, and I’m a sick man.”
“But sir… Erm.. What will happen to my fees? My mum’s hospital bills and…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll continue to pay. I know you agreed to this arrangement because of the money.”
“Thank you sir. So I should just go?”
“Yes go please.”
“What about the condoms I brought today?”
“Just get out please!” Oboh screamed at the top of his voice.
Itua ran out of the room in a hurry. He had always known good things didn’t last forever.
As Oboh drove away from the hotel, he made up his mind to tell his wife everything tonight. He didn’t want another man to take her from him. She was his only hope of salvation.
To be continued…
Hope you had a great day?
© Oselumhense Anetor, 2016
