Sacrilege - Season 1 - Episode 61

4 years ago

Sacrilege - Season 1 - Episode 61

Laura woke up feeling refreshed in a way only a fellow married woman could understand. She pushed up gently, the duvet slipping away from her nude body. It was already late morning, she realized as she looked out the window. It was definitely a good thing both she and Deolu owned their own companies, if not, they would have either a query or a sack letter lying in wait for them. She glanced at Deolu sleeping peacefully beside her. She sensed he had also been skipping sleep for the past few days. His bare chest called to her the way it always had. She remembered herself talking to Deolu before she dozed off immediately after they made love. She told him about last night, told him about her new discoveries, and for the life of her, she had no idea of just how much she had told him. She swallowed, needing to get out. Careful not to awaken him – she got out of bed. Deolu was easily roused and if she was to leave, she needed him asleep not otherwise.

Promising to take a long bath at Tito’s place, she hastily dressed, picked her phone and with one long look at Deolu, exited the house. The thought of Tito made her heart ache. She had no idea how her cousin must be doing now. She really needed to have a long talk with the one person who to her remained her best friend. Come to think of it, last night’s revelation made Tito her sister and relegated her two sisters to the cousin position. Releasing an exhausted sigh, she moved to the road, flagging down the first Napep that pulled across. She got in and murmured her destination.

She powered her phone and as if on cue, the phone rang.
“Oh, thank God. I thought you had died without telling me first.”
Laura smiled. Trust Jane to bring a smile to your face. “That would be sacrilege”
“Of the worst kind” Jane seconded, a smile in her voice. Her voice softened as she asked. “How are you, sis?”
Laura gripped her phone tighter as the Napep fell into a pot-hole. “Still breathing” she murmured. “I have missed you baby, when are you paying me a visit?”
“When you return to your house”
Laura frowned. “Really Jane?”
“Really sis. Your place is so beautiful and really, I have missed that fantastic guests’ bathroom.” Laura sighed. “But really… the sight of you and Deolu together is what keeps the sky blue. You two are couple goals. Now, if you want to see me, go to your husband’s house”

If only she knew where Laura had just been minutes ago. “That’s emotional blackmail”
“That’s better. Email is so boring”
Laura chuckled. She truly had missed her baby sister.

“I am going to see Sis Maggy” she announced. “I’ve missed my niece”
Laura swallowed. The face of the precious little girl Margaret had brought to her office stabbed into her head. Whatever the differences she had with her immediate sister, she sure as hell wanted to get to know her niece. And then, as she thought of this, she remembered that Margaret wasn’t her sister afterall. How could she tell Jane that she wasn’t actually her sister but her cousin? She shook her head and sighed into the phone. “Give her a kiss for me”
“Come and do it yourself” Jane retorted. “Honestly, you people say I’m the kid, yet I am not the one keeping malice for years and behaving like a bunch of primary 5 pupils. You guys need to sort out your differences, and sis…” she paused slightly and Laura could almost see her grinning. “I have an excellent news for you”
Laura pushed away three quarter of what she said and held the last statement. “Finally! Heaven knows I could use some good news in my life. What is it?”

“Not so fast sis, it’s not something we can discuss on phone. Get back with prince charming and then I can tell you”
Laura groaned. She could understand why Jane was talking so slightly, she was still too young to understand the enormity of what happened to Laura. “It is not as easy as that”

“it is as easy as you make it to be. Life is a four letter word, it is not further maths” Laura rolled her eyes. “Okay, got to go, big sis. Love you… muah” Jane blew Laura a kiss and hung up.

Laura took her dead phone from her ear and sighed into the keke napep. Jane sounded so free and happy. It was a relief to know that someone she cared about was as happy as she should. With Jane’s words swimming around her head, she waited to arrive at her destination.

*****

Frank returned his plates to the kitchen sink and walked back to the sitting room, sipping a glass of fruit juice. He occasionally picked his teeth removing the meat residues stuck between his teeth. Gloria hadn’t even spoken a word to him before leaving the house. She had slept and apparently woke up in anger as she went around the house, tight lipped. He wasn’t so happy that he had upset her with the entire situation but he knew she would come off it sooner or later. She had bathed, dressed and prepared his breakfast in stoned silence before storming out of the house – she never could leave without preparing his meals no matter how angry she was. It was a trait that never ceased to amaze him. Knowing her, he hadn’t forced any conversation but his curiosity was pricked. He had the weirdest thought that she wasn’t going to her shop. Following their intense argument the previous night, he doubted Gloria would be able to sit calm, comfortable in her state of sheer ignorance.

Discarding the thought, he smiled to himself. He had no doubt that things would have gone sour for his dearest twin brother last night. It was all he had been waiting for for almost all his life. Just a few years short of three decades, yet, he still felt his brother’s savage betrayal in his bones. He had sworn to destroy Mark’s happiness as surely as he had destroyed his and now, he was having exactly what he had always craved. Revenge could be better served cold but it is definitely best served hot. Though this in no way changed the past, being able to inflict pain on Mark was more than enough for Frank.
Mark had destroyed his life in a way he couldn’t forgive, or worse, forget. He had loved Sandra so much, in a way he had never ever loved anyone. She was the light in his life. The very essense of his existence. Frank had never known he was capable of so much emotional attachment till he met Sandra. The very sight of her made everything alright with his world, and then Mark came in and the very sight of her turned him from a prince to a beast. Mark had shattered his very essence and though he knew Sandra was in no way at fault, nothing remained the same again. How could he sleep on the same bed with her on the same bed knowing she had been deflowered by his own twin brother? It was more than his ego could carry. He couldn’t stop himself from venting his anger and bitterness on her. All he had ever wanted was to love her and make her happy but what he had ended up doing was making her completely miserable. Then she lost her spark. The free spirit Frank had loved about her faded away, leaving a blank woman who despite all tried to show him love. But Frank had no love for her. Without the attributes he loved about her, there was nothing left to love. The woman he loved was suddenly nowhere to be found and all that was left was a complete stranger.