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Hey loves, I trust you’re well? So in the wake of this Corona Virus shaking the whole world, I hope you are keeping safe? Please practice personal hygiene and social distancing as much as you can. I have been isolating for a couple of days as it only recently hit Nigeria. But I know this too shall pass. Let’s be hopeful, do our part in isolating while we leave the rest for God. Please pray for the world, I am doing the same. I love you all and I know we will win this.

Love Temitope

***

Eleven o’clock! Kamiye turned as she heard the clock chime an hour away from midnight. Unable to endure any moment of calmness, she jumped from her seat, resuming her restless pace around the parlour as for the umpteenth time, she dialed Tobi’s phone which was once again switched off as it had been for the last four hours.  Now she was frantic, and almost out of her mind. What if something had happened to him, she couldn’t help but wonder. Tobi never kept late without informing her.

Again, She dialed Wale his driver and when she couldn’t reach him as well, she would have smashed her phone to the ground, if not for the voice of sanity behind her.

“Relax sister, I’m sure there is no problem,” Tade muttered rising from the sofa, and advancing towards her disoriented sister, continuing to play the voice of reasoning. “Please don’t hurt yourself, I promise there is nothing to worry about. Maybe its traffic or they have flat batteries. Really it could be a thousand and one other reasons.”

Her words clearly didn’t make any sense to Kamiye as she continued to stare at her with a disbelieving scowl. Tade then turned away and signaled to the maid for a glass of water quite unbelieving of her reassuring words herself.

Aduke soon returned with a glass of water Tade forced into Kamiye’s reluctant grip. Downing a few sips, she crumbled dejectedly to the wall, complaining of a headache. Tade disappeared and returned with painkiller from the first aid kit, helping Kamiye with two round tablets and watching her down them miserably. And when she was led to the nearest couch by Tade, she didn’t argue, as she was too weak, worn and distressed.

Though for the next few moments, Kamiye’s gaze was fixed on the soap opera showing on TV, she wasn’t exactly watching it, and soon, she was dialing Dimeji and Tega, sadly both weren’t taking their calls as well. By now, it was nearing midnight and fearful prickles broke through her skin as she couldn’t shake off the haunch of some bad happenings.

Tade draped a comforting arm over her shoulder as she lamented her worries.

On their return from school, the kids had informed Kamiye of Tobi’s unease, and since then, all her attempts to reach him had been futile. She dialed Tega again, but her effort was futile. For Chrissakes, he shouldn’t be so far from his phone considering his profession, she cursed underneath her breath as she kept on calling, until finally as though of sheer luck, he answered. Kamiye jumped from the sofa in partial relief.

“I have been calling you!” She breathed down on him but controlled her temper when met with silence from his end.

“I’m sorry I’m just so worried, Tobi isn’t home yet and I haven’t been able to reach him for hours. I fear something has happened to him.”

“He is fine, we were together in a meeting, he just left and should be home soon I believe.” His voice colly supplied.

Kamiye was too taken in his revelation that she hadn’t noticed his tone.

“Thank you. He should have called at least.” She breathed with relief and clicked the phone shut as she relayed the information to Tade.

Relief swept into the room, but yet Kamiye couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong even as a few moments later, the gate creaked open from the sound of Tobi’s horn announcing his arrival. She plopped to her feet in an instant and dashed out to meet her husband, in a wave of agitation, rile and ease.

“No calls Tobi, nothing!” She challenged him almost as soon as he alighted, but choked on the rest of her words as she caught the dark icy look in his eyes. Though she was a few feets from him,  she noticed the disdain in his eyes as he regarded her with a darkened look. Even in the low-security light, she felt its chill and shuddered.

The look in Tobi’s eyes was ugly, a silent warning passed through them that she knew better than to take any step further, and literally froze as he passed by her. She was scared by the strain on his face, the tight clench of his jaws and for a fleeting moment, she thought that he might hurt her. And only when he passed Tade with a muffled greeting did she start to breath.

Kamiye turned and watched him proceed into the house in shock. Her disbelief mirrored in Tade’s eyes as they followed behind him each wondering the change in his attitude. The sound of his foot up the stairs dimmed and only when the door slammed few minutes later announcing his retreat into his room, did Tade whisper to her sister.

“Did you do something?”

“No.” she shook her head.

“Then go and see him.” She nudged, and without further ado, Kamiye rose and trod up the stairs after him, oddly scared. With such a herculean effort, she reminded herself that she had done nothing to irk him and so she had no reason to be afraid. But why then did he look at her like that? she wondered as she turned the knob to his room, hoping that his actions were of a worthy cause.

By now, Tobi was in bed, prepared for the night, a picturesque of ease as his eyes remained glued to the TV. His only signs of disinterest in her presence was that he never regarded her presence. A chill coursed painfully through Kamiye, she pushed it aside and carefully lowered to the edge of the orthopedic bed that barely dipped from her weight. Tobi’s nonchalance couldn’t be any more manifested. His only give-away however, was in the quiet flare of his nostrils, telling of some controlled fury. But what for?

She made to touch him, but he withdrew.

“Babe, what’s wrong?” She tried again, tentatively smoothing her palm over his arm even as he stiffened. But in spite of it, she continued for his face and gently steered it to hers with a soft grip on his chin when he unexpectedly, slapped it off with such great force that surprised them both.

But soon, he recovered from it, his expression guarded again, except for the slits of pain seeping through his cracked wall of anger. Kamiye glared, her big eyes watching unbelieving as a cold tremor shot through her in successions. And when she spoke, naturally, her voice held some tremor. “What did I do?” Tobi had never hit her.

Silence passed for what seemed like an eternity, and as if suddenly unable to bear her presence, Tobi pushed out of the bed, muttering the word ‘slut’ most audible for her hearing and causing a reflexive gasp from her. Good! He thought satisfied at her pain, for he wanted her to feel every bit of his hurt.

Now towering over her, he glared at her with a strange light as though seeing her for the first time. How could it be that he’d been living with a whore all these years and never realized? How long had the affair lasted; a year, five, seven, the whole twelve years? It didn’t matter, except the mere thought and fact that she’d been sleeping with one he’d considered a brother. For that, she greatly repulsed him. And he couldn’t bear her touch and presence any more than he can bear those pictures.

As if interrupting the silent charge between them, Kamiye’s phone rang a startling annoying sound in the otherwise quiet room. She didn’t even bother to reach for it as it was the least of her concerns. But again, it started and this time she dug for it from her pocket with aims of silencing it, as she never really took her eyes off Tobi but for a brief glimpse at the caller.

Dimeji! She frowned and answered starting to explain why she’d called earlier, not missing Tobi’s concrete stare. She barely had time to make anything of it as she was soon taken by a different yet familiar voice from the other end, the distress in it overthrowing concerns for Tobi as she listened to Tomiwa instead of Dimeji.

“Oh my God, where!” Kamiye cried terrified.

Tobi’s eyes thinned in slits as he watched her dramatic unfold, to which he further loathed her as she rambled into the phone in agitation. ‘I’m coming, I’m coming!” She was too disoriented as she rose, barely noticing Tobi’s sheer disdain of her.

“Dimeji was poisoned.” She started close to tears and explained in rushed words how Tomiwa had found him lying unconscious at home and had rushed him to the hospital.

“Tomiwa said it’s really bad, his case is critical.” Her voice broke in fear and when he said nothing, only then did she stop to take clear cognizance of Tobi’s clear disinterest and unconcern.

“I said Dimeji was poi-so-ned!” She dragged on the last word for more emphasis as though that might ingrain the gravity of the situation.

It’s near to nothing impact on Tobi struck her even more. Rapidly, she blinked, choking on the rest of her words and withdrew as though suddenly hit. And for the next minutes glared at her husband-the one whom she’d just spent the last twelve years of her life with as though he was a total stranger.

“It has always been him.” Tobi seethed, his disdain and resentment for her clearly bared. “I wonder why it took so long to figure.” he spat in icily.

“What are you talking about?”

“As always, you choose him over me, again, you cheat!” he lashed mercilessly.

Panic stole into Kamiye, a surge of fear and awe as his words yet failed to make any sense. “What are you accusing me of?”

“Give up the act Kamiye! You think I am a fool, you think I’ll never learn of your escapade with Dimeji.” Tobi’s eyes now burned fiery, growing shades darker than normal as he neared her. “And to think I trusted you both, to think I loved you!”

Kamiye’s mouth opened to speak, but no words formed. Tobi shook his head as he regarded her silence for admission, his pain magnifying a thousand folds. Now he was trembling, his fists clenching and unclenching in repressed fury.

“I have never cheated you.” Kamiye finally spat in a voice unbelievably hers, choked with emotions. “Not with Dimeji or any man at that. Now you can go back to wherever you got the crazy notion from and ask for some proof, before accusing me of such!”

Tobi’s face broke a  smile, as his face wrinkled in a thousand emotions. Which hurt most, he couldn’t tell; her denial of what was in black and white, her challenging stare and innocent play? Somehow he controlled himself, and made it to the bed instead, grabbed the brown envelope sitting on it and tossed it at her as he passed her, entreating out the door, lest he took some action that he might regret.

***

P.S: I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Now I know a lot of you have been chatting me up personally and via social media, and I appreciate that. But I will love and appreciate it if you also drop a comment here as well after every interesting read.

I also know I haven’t been so consistent with posting on Wednesdays. Pfew! Juggling this with my job has been quite a feat, so I am considering posting on Saturdays and Sundays like I have been doing for a couple of weeks now. What do you think? But for now, stay tuned as another Episode will be posted tomorrow. *wink*