Lust & Love (The enemy within) - Season 1 - Episode 17

4 years ago

Lust & Love (The enemy within) - Season 1 - Episode 17

I traced my steps back to the nearest wall available to rest my back on it, folding my hands on my chest as I was coming to the realization that with or without those divorce papers, my marriage was over. I asked Andral ‘so what do we do about our children?’ at least if this is goodbye I still have to care for the children this farce of a marriage has brought to life. ‘What children?’ she fired back ‘our children, Isabella and Caleb’ ‘get it into your thick head Mr. what we had never happened, there was never ‘us’, all my kids belongs to this man’ kneeling back to meet Nnamdi on the floor. I was so enraged, enraged at the fact that she was so proud of the fact that she cheated on me all this while. Irrespective of the fact that she was in love with another man, I was and still is her husband and I never cheated on her. I reached for her hair from the back, pulled her up, turned her around and pinned her to the wall (same wall I was resting on) and I started chocking her.

Both Abigail and Nnamdi rush towards us, Abigail pulled me while Nnamdi rushed to Andral’s aid; she was gasping for her life. I have never been this angry in a long time. Not since my University days.

I dashed out of the room after hearing the cry of Caleb who must have been awoken by the whole pandemonium and everyone followed me from a distance probably because they were scared that I could do something rash this time again, I went straight to his nursery and picked him up from his cot. He is not my son; the thick veil that has been covering my eyes now seem to have been lifted, I could now see the resemblance of Nnamdi on his face , the ear, nose and the bulging lips, oh! I have been a fool thinking he looked more like his mother. I turned back to see the two sisters (Andral and Abigail) by the door with Nnamdi in front of them. They looked scared of me, I beckoned on Nnamdi to step forward, he reluctantly did so; he was unsure of what may happen but I handed Caleb over to him, the boy belonged to him. I was about to leave when Andral who had shifted far away from the door held my hands back ‘I’m sorry’ she said in a remorseful tone. This was a fight I had lost long before it even started. There was no point dragging on. For me it was a case of love wrongly placed.

I couldn’t wait for Abigail to drive me back. I boarded a cab outside and headed for the hotel with a thousand thoughts going through my mind. My life, my entire livelihood, everything I once called mine has just been snapped away from me without force or gun.

My first thought was on Isabella, I shook my head at the possibility of missing out on her entire life by the virtue of the fact that I am not her father. How will she take the news when she is told I am not her father? The teary days it will take her to get over me, her, constantly looking on to see if I’m coming home, she will probably hate me for the rest of her life thinking her sweet dad abandoned her. D--n!!! I curse the day I met Andral. By now I was crying like a baby.

Those children meant the world to me; I could have given my life for them in a blink.

Then I switched my attention to my father in-law. I somehow felt all this was his fault. He pushed the poor girl up to the state of almost committing murder. I still don’t understand parents who try to decide their children’s love life, I mean; it’s a thing of the heart, body and soul! Why would you want to tamper with something as delicate as that? Andral was never his favorite child.

To him I was the best thing to have ever happened to her; in his mind Andral is a remote control that needs my battery to function. He caused all this.

In the middle of my thought came the question ‘what will I do with my life now?’ and with it came the answer ‘call your mum first’. I reached for my phone in the left hand pocket of my trouser, it wasn’t there, I searched every other pocket, and still it wasn’t there. D--n! It must have fallen off at Andral’s place. One thing is for sure; I wasn’t going back there, so I asked the driver if I could borrow his phone to make a call and he obliged, I dialed my number and Abigail picked it ‘hello Ben, you dropped your phone at your house. Where are you?’ ‘Do you know the hotel where I lodge?’ I asked her in my coldest tone ‘yes’ she replied ‘bring it there’ and before she could reply, I hung up.

I was approaching the hotel when I noticed a liquor store on the right side of the road, the store has been there ever since I bought my house in the area but this is the first time I really gave it a second look because I usually don’t drink, as a matter of fact, I have never tasted alcohol in my life. I asked the driver to stop the car. Today, I am going to get drunk, and probably do something stupid. I have been a reserved and godly man all my life but look at where it got me- a broken marriage with a bunch of b------s. I got into the store, grabbed the first bottle I saw read through the label to confirm it is alcoholic.

The sign read ‘Vodka’ and it had a five thousand naira price tag on it. I have heard my father in-law refer to vodka as the quickest way to get drunk so for me, this will do. There and then, I popped the bottle open and I took a gulp of it. I almost choked to death! It was like something had come to take my life away, I only managed to hold the bottle from dropping to the floor. I bent down with kneels almost touching the floor trying to get a grip on myself but my grunts had attracted attention from the female attendant who rushed to my side. ‘Sorry sir’ she kept saying. I stood upright and gave the lady a look that sent her away from me. She moved away as fast as she could. I took the bottle in my mouth again and took another sip.

I was determined to get drunk and not even the choking can stop me. This time however, the effect was not as strong as the first.

I walked over to the counter, paid the cashier and made for the taxi.

I got to my hotel room, pulled of my shirt and collapsed on the bed face-up with my bottle still in my hand. I have a feeling that bottles like that might just be my companion the next few days, maybe weeks, or maybe more. I wasn’t sure how long it will take to get over this pain I literarily feel in my heart. I started crying as I was playing back everything on my mind.

The woman I love does not love, she never did. How did she endure all the love makings? How did she endure the heart break of not being able to live with the man she truly loves? I guess the thought that my life will soon end must have comforted her. I had sipped my bottle of vodka almost half way when I heard the knock on my door. Without a care about who it was, I yelled ‘open!’ and Abigail stepped in……………..