#TENDER_BEAUTY_2 (Life after the wedding)
EPISODE 15
Richa-rd and I ran into the house laughing and pursuing each other like two teenagers. He was pursuing and I was running. I st©pped immediately I entered the sitting room and he almost ran me over but held me for support, due my condition. If it had been just a month ago, he would have run me over and we would have fallen on the de-ep rug, him beneath and me on t©p of him. He held on to me as we tried ha-rd to control our laughter.
The dinner d@t£ had been so ro-mantic. It was a candle light dinner in the open veranda of a beautifully decorated eatery. The smell of the flowers flowed into my nostrils as the cool breeze made me feel totally awesome. The music was just right and I could not fault anything at all, the place was simply divine. My loss of appetite vanished immediately I perceived the aroma of the delicacy in placed in front of me. It was a French dish and the taste tea-sed my taste buds as I savored it in my mouth. We talked, laughed and talked more as we ate, forgetting our table manners. The event on the past week was not mentioned at all, it was as though he did not want to remember it at all. It was good because I also did not want something so so-re to affect our dinner.
The laughter vanished and we bec@m£ silent. I held on to Richa-rd ‘s hand, trying to re-move the heels I had on. The comfortable feel of the rug greeted my feet ma-king me relax fully, though I was still standing. The pene-trating gaze from Richa-rd was ma-king me very uneasy as I looked everywhere but his eyes. After browsing virtually everything in the sitting room, my gaze finally landed on his. The de-ep de-sire I saw there did not surprise me, it only made my heartbeat race fas-ter than usual – that is what I get for putting on an extremely s£dûçt!vecloth.
“You have the habit of ma-king me very nervous, don’t you?” I said sarcastically, trying to lighten up the mood.
He smiled, ma-king me feel more uneasy. “I am just repaying the favour. You had the prologue, I have the epilogue” he whispered.
I shuddered visibly as he inched closer, so close that our bodies t©uçhed and his breath was felt on my skin. My knees were weak and on the verge of giving way as I stared into his de-sire clouded eyes with equal de-sire. His soft manly perfume tea-sed my nostrils.
He placed his hands on my sides, moving them downwards till they c@m£ to a halt on my h!ps slowly. His breathing bec@m£ ragged and his voice husky. “Why did you put on this dress? You should know that no good would come from you s£dûç!ng me, you might just get more than you seek”
I breathed, trying very ha-rd , unsuccessfully to draw a descent breath. “I don’t know what you are talking about” I feigned innocence.
He wanted to laugh but the laughter c@m£ out more like a gro-an . The evidence of his de-sire made my breath vanish totally as my leg brushed against his ha-rd ness. He gro-an ed, pu-lling me to him r0ûghly. He bit the arc between my n£¢k and my shoulder softly causing me to m0@n softly. He k!$$£d my eyes, nose but st©pped just a breath away from my mouth. I raised my head, standing on ti-p-toes but he maintained the slim distance, ma-king me go crazy with nee-d.
“You want me to k!ssyou? Ask for it.” He said; his mouth just an inch away. I was stupefied. I did not want to give him the victory but his torment was ma-king it increasingly difficult to keep a straight head.
“plea-se” I whispered hoarsely.
He smiled slightly. “plea-se what?” he asked.
I gro-an ed. “k!ssme damn you” I yelled frustrated slamming my fist softly against his che-st. He did not wait a second longer. He covered my mouth in a fierce hungry k!sswhich I returned in like manner. It was like the first time; every time is like the first time but more so now. All the material barriers were re-moved as we basked in love, right there in the sitting room.
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Ronke stood up from the be-d, trying to dress up. The idiotic pig had used her over and over again to his satisfaction. Can she blame him? She had made herself available. She looked over her shoulders at the snoring pot-bellied man and had the instant urge to throw up. She wanted to kick him in the bu-tt and yell for him to give her her money so she could leave but she wanted to be dressed when she wakes him. She could not allow this despicable man to stare at her n-kedness like he owned her. She decided a little shower would be great; to wash away the hands of the filthy man before it stuck to her b©dy. Confident that the chief would not be roused from his sleep, she arranged her clothes on the be-d and made for the bathroom.
She had her hand on the door handle as she was closing the bathroom door when her eyes fell on the brief case un-der the be-d. She closed the door, dismissing the briefcase for a mere do¢v-ments box and sli-pped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. As the water hit her b©dy, she shuddered and relaxed. The box still tugged at her br@in though. She put off the shower and dried her b©dy hurriedly in order to satisfy her curiosity. She would shower later, she thought, sneaking out of the bathroom carefully in order not to rouse the slee-ping man.
She pu-ll-ed out the briefcase and ti-p-toed back into the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet seat, she tried to pry the locks open. She tried everything she could ever think of but the box just would not give way. She gro-an ed softly. She remembered that he had once told her the pas-sword to unlock his phone and she turned the locks. ‘2552’. The box gave way and she heaved a hvge sigh but the sigh immediately turned to a quic-k g@sp when her eyes caught a glimpse of what la-id in the box. She pu-ll-ed up the cover slowly and her eyes wi-de-ned. Saliva was threatening to escape her mouth and a tiny ounce dropped before she could think of closing her mouth. Staring back at her was a box full of pounds sterling bundles. She could not even imagine how much the money would be. She closed the box in a hurry, dropped it carefully on the floor, peeped to be sure the chief was still asleep, then ti-p-toed out of the bathroom. She gathered her clothes, went back into the bathroom, and wore everything in a record-breaking speed limit; the bath she had planned to have did not even cross her mind. She picked up the box and left the bathroom, picked up her shoes and sli-pped the briefcase into her extra-large handbag – thank God for big ladies’ bag. Shoes in hand, she got out. Wore the shoe in a hurry and hurried out.
‘Oyinade can go to hell as far as I am concerned. This money is the koko’ she thought, flagging down a bike outside the h0tel, with plans to elope on her head.
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Oyinade had cornflakes in her mouth as she watched a Yoru-ba movie in African Magic. She watched as Funke Akindele entered the house of an herbalist and a thought occurred to her. Maybe she would have to visit one herself, she thought. The pressure she had been feeling had been lifted immediately she made the phone call. It is just a day to the two weeks deadline and she was feeling perfectly at ease. She laughed at the hilarious displ@yon the TV and focused her attention on the movie.
The ringing of her phone diverted her attention and she picked it with her eyes still glued to the TV. One glance at the caller’s ID made her loose total interest in the movie. Tikes had promised to call yesterday in order to get descriptions but he hadn’t called.
“Hello”… “I have one”… “Alright, I would s£nd both to you now”…
She rose to her feet, heading towards the kitchen. She dropped her empty plate in the zinc and rinsed her hands with the water from the zinc tap. After drying her hands with a towel, she went back to the sitting room, picked up her phone and started pressing her phone. After typing for about a minute, she paused and st©pped to inspect what she had typed before s£nding it. When she got the delivery report, she dropped the phone with a smile. No matter what happened, nothing could be traced to her because she had ensured that her ID was hidden, every time she either called or s£nt a message. She relaxed fully, resuming her movie.
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Ronke spent nothing more than ten minutes in her house. She had spent five minutes taking out anything that had her name on it, her pictures, her files, international pas-sports, ID cards and so on. All her clothes were left where they were. She re-moved the briefcase and stuffed all her findings in her bag. The other five was spent confirming that she had indeed picked everything. Carrying everything, she left the house in a hurry. She flagged down a bike and mentioned an address. Without negotiating, she climbe-d the bike, looking as calm as possible in order not to rouse any suspicion. When she got there, she paid the bike man, asking him to keep the change. The hail of the bike man followed her as she walked away.
She took out her phone as she walked and dialed a number. ‘Hey Jim, what’s up now… I nee-d a favour ooo… I want to put my house in another person’s name, can you do that for me as soon as possible?… ahn ahn… no ooo I nee-d it in an hour nooowww… don’t worry, I would settle you, you trust me now… Ok… I am coming over” she smiled victoriously.
After thinking for about a minute, she dialed another number. “Ajokybaby” she said immediately the phone was picked on the other end. She laughed heartily at the response. “Bawo ni?… don’t mind that one jare… Everyone dey do hin own runs now… na so… as to the real matter, how would you like to live in my house?…” she laughed at the response. She had expected it. She went ahead to explain everything she had planned on saying, enjoying the excited squeals she was receiving.
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I knelt down beside my be-d, talking to my Father. The discussions I always have with my father in prayer are always as if I am talking to a physical being. It helps me to see God, not just as my God and creator, but also as my father and friend. I noticed the difference it makes: when you pray the normal routine-like prayer, you tend to forget that God is actually your father and you pray amiss. The true meaning and relevance of ‘The Lord’s prayer’ which starts with ‘Our Father who art in Heaven’ had become more real to me when I decided to turn every prayer into a conversation with God. It gives you the feel that God is listening to what you are saying as a father listens to his child and it makes prayer more exciting and appealing.
After about thirty minutes, I stood up. Richa-rd had alre-ady gone to the hospital. We alre-ady had our family prayer before he left but since I have been signed to stay put at home, I decided a lengthy prayer would be wonderful. I have not st©pped thanking God for the miracle happening in my tommy and I would continue to thank Him for as long as I have the strength to.
I showered and combe-d my hair tenderly after mas-saging enough oil and cream into it. I was fully dressed and was standing right in front of the mirror, checking myself out and combing my hair to perfection. I still could not figure out why I had to stay at home. I miss my office terribly. I am not yet heavy for crying out loud. Yester night had been so wonderful, simply mind-b!owing. I had even forgotten to ask about the hospital, about Kelvin, his as-sistant – the little who-re and many others. I was just contented having my love with me. The hospital has not been discussed at all since last week, it was as if he was avoiding the subject, like something would upsetting him if he as much as talked about it. I wanted to bridge the t©pic yesterday but something st©pped me – it was the de-sire to have my husband to myself without any work related talk.
My phone beeped and I smiled when I stared at the screen.
“Hey Pric…” I laughed at the long sermon Prisca was ranting due to my not calling her for three days. “I am sorry ma… No, don’t. I am coming over… C’mon now, what is wrong with everyone these days? I am pregnant not crippled for Christ’s sake… my being pregnant does not st©p me from moving now… stay right there, I am coming over and that is that.” I dropped the phone. Now, everyone wants to take Richa-rd ‘s stance? I would not allow that. I laughed as I remembered the words Prisca had said, trying to convince me to stay at home. The baby is in my tummy for God’s sake, not on my legs. I shook my head with a smile and picked up my purse, phone and car keys.
WATCH OUT FOR EPISODE 16