*********HASTY DECISION*********
EPISODE 2
I looked at their faces lit with excitements. I wanted to say something but I couldn’t. I was the one who started this. When Rosa got married, I made sure she told us everything right from their leaving the reception, the same thing with Cynthia and it bec@m£ a tradition. I was the only v!rg!namongst them before I got married, I told them I nee-ded their experiences for my wedding night.
“Was it that bad?” Cynthia asked with a little show of concern.
“Urm,,,” I started with a shaky voice. “Er..urm. It was..it was okay..nothing special” I replied weakly as I tried effortlessly to push the bad memory back inside.
“Just okay?!” Laura demanded, a little bit angry. “ We nee-d all the jui-ces Tola. You remember you made us promise to always do this!”
Sharp pain lanced throu-gh my head at her sudden demand.
“Look! It is my life okay! It is none of your businesses!” I lashed out, hurriedly picked my bag and rushed out of the Cafeteria, ignoring their looks of surprises at my over-reaction.
Getting into my car, I dropped my bag on the other seat while I rested my head against the steering for a while, with my eyes closed. Colorful sp©ts flashed in front of my eyes, it felt like my whole b©dy had been beaten and every movement caused some muscle or bone to ache. Regardless, I nee-ded to get out of here. I turned on the ignition key, maybe Henry was right, I wasn’t re-ady to come to work…
By the time I got home, it was alre-ady some minutes past 7pm, the traffic was always cr@zy on Fridays.
Having stepped out of the car, I pu-ll-ed off my shoes and held them in my hand. I could see Henry’s car beside mine, in the Garage. He got home sooner today, I wondered why, because it was a Friday night and normally he would be at the club with Moses and the rest of their crew.
I inser-ted my key into the Key-hole and turned it, pu-lling the door open. It was a little dark and soft music seemed to be pla-ying from somewhere in the house.
“There was power, so why were all the lights turned off?” I asked myself. I walked to the switch…
“Babe!” Henry’s voice c@m£ astoundingly, almost giving me a heart attack. I turned around and saw him behind me.
“… Do not turn on the light” He said softly.
“Henry! What the hell is happening, you are scaring me” I whispered and he chuckled, k!ssing me on thel-ips.
“Come with me. I have a surprise.” He ordered, taking my bag from me while holding me by the w@!st.
It was a r0mantic dinner with the candles and all. That was why he put off the lights. It was fried rice and chicken with my favorite Red wine.
“Did you cook this?” I tea-sed and he gave me the look which always made me laugh.
“I wish” He replied. “So how was work?”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to talk about it”.
“Are they still asking you stuffs”
I nodded.
“You can quit and we can start a supermarket for you” He said, lifting my hand to hisl-ips.
“Thank you darling” I replied with a smile.
“I want to do anything that would make you happy”.
Henry had been so supportive ever since that terrible incident of three months ago he was doing everything to make me forget it…he was trying so ha-rd . Had taken me for checkups at all the best hospitals in town and thankfully, I was okay. Then he had hired a cleaner and a maid so I wouldn’t have to stress myself. He also got me a thera-pist. Now, he planned a r0mantic dinner just as he had done several times since we got back to Lagos. Just that, I knew he was doing all these out of sheer pity for me. as-suming that hadn’t happened, would he do all these for me too? I sometimes wondered…
*************************
It was some minutes past 10pm. I was busy re-ading the book ‘Moving On with life’ which the thera-pist has given me. My back was turned towards Henry who was busy fast asleep or so I thought until I felt his hand c@ressing me.
I flin-ched at first because it was so sudden but then I relaxed. It was just a normal c@ress, no big deal. I re-ad on.. he moved closer, pressing his b©dy fully against me… Then he raised his head and placed it on my cheeks, breathing h0t ear into my ears…
“Henry Honey, st©p that. Go back to be-d” I said sternly.
I tried to be calm at first but then he brou-ght his hand into my night go-wn, reaching for my th!ghs but I immediately yanked his hand off.
He sighed in frustration.
“Babe…plea-se!” He pleaded.
“You know I can’t do this Henry! Why do you keep stressing us!” I was beginning to get angry.
“It has been three months. I have done everything nee-dful, when am I ever going to have se-x with my wife. This is not fair!” He shouted. “ I am human, I have urges! Would you prefer me going to the street?”
“I am human too and I am still healing!” I snapped back at him.
Now we were both sitting down, arms akimbo and backs against the wall.
“This is not fair Tola. What else do you want me to do for you?” He asked softly.
“I want you to un-derstand what happened to me destroyed me Henry! I don’t want to have se-x okay! Not yet!”
“Until when? I planned a r0mantic dinner, fixed you for a thera-pist, I am changing your work for you . What else do I do? Are those not enough for you?”
“What happened to me Henry, wasn’t a matter of the tommy, you got me your own thera-pist and not the one I wanted. She keeps telling you to woo me and buy me beautiful things but that is not what I want!”
“So what do you want!”
“I want to talk about it!” I shouted. “If we do not talk about it, there is no way we are moving past it.”
He calmed down. “You want to talk about it?” He asked, a little surprised.
“Yes” I replied.
“Okay, I am listening” He replied, squee-zing and ru-bbing my hand.
I sighed and shut my eyes as the memories c@m£ back to me and the unsettling feeling began to well inside me again, so I held my tommy.
“I am listening babe.”
I opened my eyes and was looking at him. All the sincerity and love that I knew was all there….so I could tell him that I thought that….that I heard that………….
I sighed. This would ruin us and I didn’t want that. Maybe I should just let it be like he had said.
“Henry, I’m sorry, let’s just sleep plea-se. I am sorry…”
He smiled and carre-ssed my cheek before k!ss!ngme on thel-ips.
“It’s okay darling. Just know that I am here for you.”
***********************
Hmmmmm….what a sad couple.
Question ⁉️
Do you think Tola is being unfair?
What about Henry?
Do you think he’s doing the necessary things for his wife?