The room was tense, with the intruder unrelenting in her quest to be acknowledged. The Sun was shining brightly,peering in making the two women seated on the bare ground blinking their eyes intermittently. One of the women got up and walked towards the window,drawing the curtains together, to keep the intruder away.



  'I never imagined it could ever turned out like this, I didn't mean to. It was swift, rash and impulsive. I love my husband but...................' breaking off in her speech, she resumed her sobbing in a low tone. Fifunmi looked up at her friend, wishing she could comfort her and put an end to her misery. She had been crying ever since she rushed into her house at 4:30am in the morning, banging heavily at her door. If Fifunmi had tarried one second late, Nimi could have broken down the door, the banging was that serious.


'Nimi, you had the chance to leave, I warned you repeatedly but you wouldn't  budge, thinking you could change him, not so?


'Funmi, I never imagined it could turn out this way, he was so sweet, loving and caring at first I ..............' her voice trailed off this time with loud wails escaping her throat.


'Oh please, are you telling me you didn't see the traits?are you saying he turned into a monster overnight?


Nimi shut her eyes now, to stop the tears from flowing, instead it kept rushing down her cheeks like a cascade.


  She remembered how it all started few years ago. She had met Charles inside the company's elevator. She was already running late for the presentation her boss told her was scheduled for 9:am prompt. Raising up her wrist and peering into her rolex wristwatch she got at Primark shop in London, the time was 9:10 am. She was already ten minutes late. She kept muttering a quiet prayer to God, she didn't even notice the good looking man beside her, all she wanted was to be at the meeting already. She kept tapping her right  foot on the floor wishing the elevator could move faster.  It was an unconscious habit she exhibited whenever she was tensed.


'I never knew angels now dwell amongst human beings, if this is a dream, I do not wish to wake up.' Charles said.


He had been dazzled by the light skinned beauty standing next to him. He had always dated skinny girls but seeing the curvaceous beauty  beside him had made his mind go blank momentarily.

It sounded cliché to Nimi 's ears but also made her feel good. She looked up at him now,surprise spreading across her face, yes! The man had found her attractive.

'Thanks' she said shyly to him. The elevator eventually halted at the 20th floor. Without sparing the man another glance, she rushed out and dashed into the boardroom almost colliding with one of the board of directors at the entrance. She apologised quickly, grateful she was not the only one that arrived late.


She apologised for arriving late before commencing with her presentation. It turned out great, and when all the directors filled out of the boardroom, commending her on a job well done; then, she noticed him. The good looking man who had complimented her earlier. He was the external auditor her boss had told her about earlier, he was there to represent his company.


'You did a nice job back there, I'm impressed. You're not only beautiful but also very smart, I love having smart people around me' he said grinning, revealing his nice set of dentition and dimples. Nimi blushed heavily now, with her cheeks turning red;staring face to face to a guy she thought had stepped out of a chocolate factory, with his 6.2 feet height towering above her, and his well sculptured muscular arms emphasising his broad chest. He looked like those male models on vogue magazine, Nimi thought. Oh, and he smelt great too. It was one of the things she found attractive in a man; nice smell without the sweaty armpit appearance.


'Thanks for the compliment' she said,'by the way I'm sapiosexual' she squealed.


'Touche,nice try' he replied her. She laughed heartily this time,greeting him properly now and apologising for rushing out earlier.                                                                                                                            

They would later have series of date,exchanging knowledge with each other,and never got tired of each other's company. They never ran out of things to talk about. Both were lover of books and art and would always amuse each other with their philosophical conversations. They also discussed at length  about their future plans and how they couldn't wait to get married. They had sex on the tenth date,making it six months after they had started dating. It was the most beautiful thing that had ever happened to her. She thought her first time would be painful,wincing every time she thought about it. She was still a virgin at twenty-five,she had kept on to it,until she found the perfect lover.Charles was a good lover in bed,he paid attention to her and wasn't selfish.


 'Trust me' he had whispered to her. This made her tensed muscles  relaxed,and in that moment when their breath became one he made love to her over and over again,whispering sweet nothings to her,basking in the euphoria of their shared bond.


They got married few months later, and their marriage was perfect for the first few months. Nimi couldn't have asked for more. But the serenity didn't last for long. Charles had a weakness for beautiful ladies,something Nimi noticed during their courtship but never really took to heart,thinking marriage was going to change him. He drifted apart from his wife and started keeping late nights. He ignored her whenever she asked him questions and only answered her when he felt like. He was already bored with her and had found an adventurous and equally beautiful lady he couldn't get enough of.


He turned aggressive and hostile towards her,battering her at every slightest provocation. He continued to abuse her physically and emotionally,making her lose her self-esteem in the process. She wanted to reach out to her parents,but she thought against it,her mother had also been a victim of domestic violence,she grew up watching her father beat up her mother. She felt she could handle her marital crisis and hoping Charles was going to change back to the loving man she got married to. She later confided in her friend;Fifunmi and rejected the advice given to her by her friend,thinking about the stigma that came with being a divorcee in the society. Perhaps she should have listened to her friend,but instead,she clung to her husband in spite of the ill treatment meted towards her.


Charles got back late that day as usual with air of superiority around him. He ignored her greetings and went straight to the bathroom. He later came out demanding for his meal at 2:am in the morning. He had gone to the club earlier with his girlfriend and friends returning later without giving her any explanation. Nimi asked him why a lady had picked his phone call,she already suspected that her husband was cheating on her,but the phone call confirmed her fears.


He took the question wrong and pounced on her in the middle of the night,not caring about how she was shouting at the top of her voice. He broke their wedding picture frame on her head,leaving her in her own pool of blood and rushing into the bedroom slamming the door behind him. Nimi cried heavily and then the anger rose,thinking about all the times he had always battered her. She had miscarried her pregnancies twice due to the beatings she received from her dear husband.

               

She went into the kitchen quietly and took a knife from the plate rack. She moved towards their bedroom and turned the door knob. She entered and went towards the figure lying on the bed,he was deep in his alcohol induced slumber. Reflexively,she stabbed him twice on his chest with anger surging through the whole of her body before dropping the knife and realising what she had done. She rushed out into the night,grabbing her car keys along and ordering the gate man to open the gate.


He opened it and didn't bother to ask about the piercing scream he heard,he was already used to it and had thought it was the same thing that had always happened almost every other night. Nimi drove out of the compound and sped down to her friend's place,panting heavily.


'I pray he is still alive,God please' Nimi whispered this time crying.


'How many times did you stab him?' Funmi asked her friend.


'I stabbed him twice,but I suppose twice is enough to end a life. Oh God,what have I done?' Nimi said,rolling on the floor this time.  


'You should have left him when I told you to. I know he was beast, but you had absolutely no justification to have ended his life! For God's sake, he was someone's son Nimi! Why didn't you just leave, why Nimi?' Her friend asked her with an irritated and sorrowful look on her face.


'I'm screwed babe,so I'm going to spend the rest of my life in prison?" She said in a tired and resigned voice.


Just then, they both heard the siren of an approaching vehicle blaring loudly.The room was tense once again with different thoughts racing through Nimi and her unmarried friend's mind. The Sun this time was shining towards the east direction.    


                                                 
Written by Akinnagbe Ayobami Esther

www.simplybami..com