SHADOWS (6)

 

“There was no us
and there will never be. Anita, leave my house!”

“Oh come on,
don’t be like that,”

“Anita, leave my
house!”

“I can’t leave,”
she said and fell back on the couch.

He was livid.
“Are you trying to be funny right now? Don’t let me go rough on you.”

“Please, do,”
she drawled, “I like it rough, you know? How you used to….”

“Just stop it!
Stop it! I’ll ask you one last time…..”

“Stop yelling at
me, will you? You even think I want to be here?” Anita asked, suddenly angry
all of a sudden.

“And yet, here
you are,” he said sarcastically.

“I have no other
choice. I went to see a friend at her place. On my way back, my car broke down.
I couldn’t get a mechanic around and my Uber app is acting up. I had to take a
motorcycle here as it was getting really late.”

George’s arms
were now akimbo. “And you couldn’t go to your friend’s place because….?”

“It’s really far
from here,” she replied abruptly. She took two quick breaths in, trying to calm
herself down. “Look, I did not plan to be here. I’ve tried my husband’s number
severally, it keeps saying switched off.”

“Wait! Wait!!
You……you are married?” George asked, hardly believing what he had heard.

She raised her
finger and there it was; a diamond ring. “As you can see.”

She was not only
married but to a wealthy man at that, was all George thought about as he stared
at the ring.

“You told me you
didn’t want to get married.”

She sat up,
looking at him, nodding. “That was five or six years ago.”

He wasn’t having
that. He knew he was acting like a jealous lover but he didn’t care. “You were
acting all Miss Independent on me.”

She frowned.
“You had everything sorted out and just thought I should follow like I was part
of your plans. You never asked if it was what I wanted. You never asked or knew
if I was happy.

I liked being
with you and was proud of all you achieved, and I am still proud of you, but I
needed to know what I wanted to do with my own life. I was trying to find my
own path but you were not patient with me to do that.”

“Well, I am not
a mechanic, am I?” he asked. The words she had said stung him. How would he
have known? She was always happy and everyone liked her. How would he have
known if she never discussed it with him?

She got up,
walking slowly towards him, flirting with her body and voice, “Can I stay here
for tonight, in the guest room, maybe? This is past nine already. You won’t let
a woman walk alone at night, will you? I promise, I won’t be in your hairs,”
she winked. “Did your wife travel?”

“No, she did
not,” Seun said as she walked in.

“Babe, I was
worried about you,” George said, moving away from Anita.

“Just stop! Don’t
come close to me,” Seun said, stopping him in his tracks. “Dami, go to your
room.” She waited until her niece was in the room and heard the door close
before facing Anita, “I am home, just so you know,” she said and went upstairs.

“Wow! Why is she
angry?” Anita whispered to George. He hissed and ran up the stairs.

“Babe, it’s not
what you think,” he said as he entered the room, closing the door behind him.

She was standing
in front of the dresser mirror, taking off her earrings and shoes simultaneously.

“Babe…….”

“Just leave me
alone. Go and attend to your guest,” she said, her voie shaking. He knew she
was trying hard to stay alm and not yell at him.

“She’s not my
guest,” he said.

She looked at
him. “Oh really?! Then she must have come to say hello to me then,” she shook
her head and faced the mirror, using a wipe on her face.

“It’s not like
that, babe. Her car broke down around this area……”

She looked at
him and laughed. “You now repair cars too? I had no idea.”

“Don’t be like
that. I was…..”

He saw her face
change so fast. “Don’t be like what? That I return to my house to find my
husband and his ex talking and snuggling……”

“Snuggling? Of
course not! That was not what we were doing.”

“I’m so sorry. I
must be having issues with my eyes.”

“She just needs
a place to stay tonight, maybe the guest room with Dami…..”

“Don’t even try
it!” Seun yelled. “She’s your guest, handle it anyhow you want to but she will
not sleep in the same room with my niece,” she said and entered the bathroom,
ending the conversation.

She waited till
she heard the room’s door open and close again. What was he thinking? How could he have allowed that snake into our
home?

She knew what
she had suffered in Anita’s hands. Seven months into their relationship, she
had resurfaced and tried to get George’s attention. It wasn’t working and she
came up with a story that she was pregnant and had a result to prove it. She
insisted on keeping the baby and not having it out of wedlock.

Anita claimed
she and George had a one night stand but George insisted it was not true. He
had had too much to drink that night when hanging out with the boys and decided
to stay the night in a hotel. He allegedly woke up and found Anita lying next
to him.

George’s parents
were elated. They loved Anita and so, agreed with it, forcing George to go with
it.

Seun had cried
her eyes out for weeks without end.

Two weeks before
the wedding, the truth came out; Anita was not pregnant. How did he forget so soon?

(To be continued…….)