Tearing apart

Today’s’ lecture was very boring. Why would an intellectual (like whoever plans the timetable) have a two hour class at three pm? Especially on a hot Friday afternoon! Sally hadn’t taken lunch as she was saving her lunch money all week to buy her boyfriend a classy gift on his birthday. She got tired of peeping at the big-bellied lecturer through her mostly closed eyes. So she threw her notebook and chewed pen into her bag and left. She wouldn’t go to her hostel room because her room mates are both nosy and noisy. She just needed to sleep.

Her man was supposed to be at work but she had the spare keys to his house. So she dragged her lazy self there in the hope of some peaceful rest. After dating for three years now, she had the rights of a wife, even though she abhorred her duties to him. The sun was becoming maliciously hotter every step she took. It seemed to be either avenging a grudge against her or warning her to turn another way. She still trudged on. His house is 20 bob away but she was saving that too. 

She was now on the stair case to his door. She let out a weak laugh, mocking the sun because she had beaten it. She also thought it was time he moved to the ground floor or had his landlord fix an elevator. Seventh floor is too far. As she took the last few steps, she heard him laugh. Why was he home? Weird. Then he laughed again, that manly laughter which had induced her to ingia box (fall for him). He wasn’t alone. That was not one person’s laughter. There were several female and a few male laughing voices. At his door step she counted six pairs of shoes. “Uuuh” she must have heaved. She guessed they belonged to his three best friends and their ladies. He must be waiting for her lecture to end so he would call her to join them. She pushed the door open and stepped in. True, his pals and their ladies were seated on the carpet. He came from the kitchen holding some wine glasses. He carefully placed them on the floor and French kissed her. She felt rejuvenated and ready to party like a rock star.  

What came out of the kitchen after him almost gave her a heart attack. In fact, it made her blood pressure escalate, and her heart thud so hard it over-warmed her blood. A gushing heat swept all through her. Her stomach tightened and she felt like there was a giant spider inside. Its siblings were crawling on her back. Then her lungs began to shrink and she couldn’t breathe well. She wanted to get outside; she needed to find some air because she was suffocating. But her feet wouldn’t move, so she stood there mummified. 

This thing that was coming from her kitchen stretched its hand to her. “Hi! Anita.”  It smiled as it repeated, “I am Anita.” Of course Sally knew who Anita was. Brayo had never talked about her, but one of his best friends had. Anita was his ex-girlfriend who had dumped him for a moneyed teacher. It was this heartbreak that had pushed him to leave the village and seek a job in the city. So why was she wearing his shirt? The same shirt Sally had bought him on Valentines Day! She clinched her fists tightly to avoid slapping the intruder. Brian had complained many times about her uncontrollable anger. She had to prove to him that it was her he wanted to be with. She smiled back and shook the hand, “Mrs. Brian Mbozi.” Oh yea! It felt great; she now had an upper hand against her foe. Sally steeped further into the single room and climbed onto his bed, her expensive high- healed boots still on.

Her cheat of a boyfriend brought her a pack of Del Monte juice poured himself some wine and let his other guests serve themselves. Then he proceeded to sit next to her and pulled her into his arms. Sally enjoyed lying on his muscular chest. They had been watching the latest season of ‘Vampire Diaries’ and they re-started it for her. Sally loved everything vampire so she soon felt comfortable in the situation. She did not even notice that her opponent was squeezing herself into Sally’s space.

When the movie finally ended it was around eight pm. Sally got up to prepare dinner before they would all hit the clubs. Anita who had been lying on Brayo’s laps got up to help.  Sally wanted to stick a knife through her rivals’ heart. But for the sake of all she held dear, she was not going to let herself spent the rest of her life in jail. She found herself thinking of how she would get over the hurt if Brayo left her for his super hot ex-girlfriend. She loved him and deep inside her, she knew she wouldn’t be the one to leave this relationship. She planned in her mind the various ways she would make him run back to her, begging her to take him back. Ah, she brushed off that thought. He was still with her. She thought of all they had gone through together. Memories of the many times she had been there for him ran through her mind. It had been she who missed school one semester so she could lend him her school fee before he got back on his feet after losing his job. It was she who had introduced him to her grand uncle who later became his boss. She even remembered the many men she had rejected in his favor. He owed her allegiance. Brian ought to choose her, but would he?

Beautiful had always been too little a word to describe her. Yet all the guys she had dated before always left her for some girl or other. Sally now felt that he too would dump her. She also knew that all her friends would think she had had it coming. Every one of them had several times insisted that she shouldn’t trust the guy. That all men named Brian were jerks. A sharp pain she already knew too well stung her. She was not going to let it take over her, but staying here would make that impossible. Her phone rang and she knew that this was her only opportunity.

“Hello Stella… Oh yea! Am sorry I forgot. I’ll be right there.” Then she hang up and picked her bag in a hurry. Of course she didn’t know anyone named Stella. She would have to call her brother later and explain. Now she muttered something inaudible as she ran out the door. Brian followed her but she wouldn’t let him say anything.

“She can have you alright. Of course you will say there is nothing between you like you always say with all those other girls. That bitch in there is wearing your shirt and your boxers.”  She continued to descend the stairs and he followed her.

“Honey, you have used me enough already, what more do you want? Oh you men are all the same.”
 She was sure that he wouldn’t follow her after that. Brian had many times warned her to never compare him to other men. But still, he followed her. She was pleasantly surprised so she stopped and let him put his arms around her. However, words failed him. He only looked at her and all she saw was confusion in those cute eyes. She understood him, but it hurt so much tears began welling in her eyes. She blinked and the tears trickled down her cheeks. Brian let her slip off. As she left, Sally wondered if this was the end of their relationship. She took a taxi with some of the money she had been saving for his birthday gift. Once in her hostel room, she only kicked off her boots and got into her bed. I didn’t matter that her yellow mini dress would crimple. She was glad her roommates were out as she was able to cry undisturbed. As she closed her eyes, Sally wished that some day he would be strong enough to choose her.