CHAPTER 3
1189 Words
The lights came on and blinded Ruth momentarily. She shielded her eyes with her hands and held her breath. Kimberly, a cup of tea in her hand, laughed hysterically and Ruth stared at her open mouth.
"Yeah! I got you!" She screamed with delight. "That's exactly the reaction I was expecting to see! You should see your face right now."
Ruth heaved a great sigh of relief. "You got me. I was so scared. I thought it was mum."
"I mimicked your mum's voice so well that you could not differentiate between mine and hers."
"You did well. You deserve some accolades."
"So where the hell are you coming back from?"
"Kim, my head is throbbing and my legs are wobbling. I need to rest right now."
"Your legs are wobbling?"
"No. I meant that I'm…tired."
She sniffed her. "Did you drink last night?"
"I had a little drink."
"When did you start drinking?" Kimberly asked with concern. "Sit down. We need to talk." Ruth sat down weakly.
"Are you okay? Did something happen between you and David?"
Ruth took a deep breath. "We…broke up," She replied, turning her face away to clear the tears that had started forming.
"Are you crying?" She offered her Kleenex. "Here you go. Dry your tears."
"I'm fine." Ruth sniffed, drying her tears with the Kleenex.
"He said you guys had a misunderstanding and you were angry but that wasn't enough reason to call the wedding off. It's in four days. Four days baby. What happened?"
"Kim, I…have a headache right now and I don't want to talk about it."
"Don't cry, okay? We will talk about it whenever you want."
The doorbell rang.
"I'll go and answer the door. You go and change your clothes. You look like a mess."
Ruth gave her parents a hug when she reappeared after the change of clothes.
"Sweetheart, you made us worry yesterday," Catherine asked, worry and concern etched on her face.
Ruth noticed David and her countenance changed. "What are you doing here?"
"Can both of you explain to us what's going on? Ruth, I hope what I saw on your social media platforms is not true?" Her dad asked, searching her face for answers.
"Dad, it's over between us."
"What are you talking about? If this is a joke, it has to stop. The wedding is in four days for crying out loud. Do you know the pressure we are under right now because of your stupid posts?"
"What did he do that you can't forgive him? If you cannot forgive your partner, why marry him?" Catherine asked.
"Exactly my point Mum. I can't forgive him so why should I marry him?"
"What is this misunderstanding that you both cannot resolve?"
"He didn't tell you?" She turned to David. "David Jones, you didn't tell them?"
"Honey, let's talk about it," David said quietly. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me and give me another chance. You can't call off the wedding."
"Shut up!" Ruth yelled.
"I forbid you to speak to your fiance in such a manner. Not while we are here!" Gabriel roared.
Ruth smiled wickedly. "David, tell them that you slept with Jennifer and got her pregnant!" She yelled again.
The silence that followed Ruth's confession was deafening.
"What…did you just…say?" Gabriel stammered.
Others were speechless.
"It was a mistake but…" David was saying.
"Really? A mistake? She's family. How could you do that?" Gabriel could not control his anger. "Get out!" He bawled.
David left quietly.
"Don't cry, sweetheart. David is not worth your tears." Catherine comforted when she found her voice and wiped the tears that trickled down her daughter's cheeks.
David turned to his daughter. "It's going to be all right. You know we love you dearly."
"Dad," Ruth called sweetly and hugged her dad. Catherine was all smiles.
Ruth locked the door after seeing her parents off and returned to her friend. "I need to take a shower."
"Please do. I'll make breakfast."
Over breakfast, Kimberly held her friend's hands tenderly. "I'm so sorry about David."
"It's okay," Ruth assured.
"I called the head chef and told him that you were sick and needed a few days off. He sent his warm regards."
"You did? How did you handle the head chef?" She looked at her with admiration.
"There's no situation Kimberly Walker cannot handle."
"I love you, baby. You know I can't do anything without you."
"Are you just realizing it?" They laughed.
Kimberly became serious. "So tell me. Where were you yesterday? You slept outside for the first time and you came home smelling of alcohol."
"The breakfast is delicious."
"That wasn't my question."
"I think I went to the club and drank a few bottles of beer."
"You went to the club? And drank beer? Alone?"
Ruth paused in eating and folded her hands. With a dreamy look on her face, she smiled.
"What happened? Why are you grinning from ear to ear?"
"Yes, I drank beer. Alone."
"Ruth, when did you start drinking? Why were you even at the club? You're not a club girl. You don't drink alcohol."
Ruth resumed eating. "I was hurt. Angry. Devastated. Do you understand what it means to be betrayed by the people you love the most?"
"I understand your pains but your behavior was outrageous. I'm quite appalled."
"Well, drinking has a way of making someone forget his sorrows."
"And where did you sleep last night?"
"I have a huge appetite this morning. Let me get some more food from the kitchen." Ruth stood up.
"Sit down. This is breakfast. It shouldn't be heavy."
Ruth sat down and Kimberly brought her face closer to Ruth's. "Where did you spend your night?"
"In a hotel room."
"You booked a room? With which money?" Kimberly stared at her friend for a while. "Nay…there's something you're not telling me."
"You're like a pest Kim!" Ruth exclaimed.
"Well, I always look out for you. You're naive and I don't want these beasts getting their claws on you. So baby, talk to me. Where did you spend your night?"
"I lied about drinking alone. I had a drinking partner and a girl…he's damn hot. He's tall, handsome, and all muscles."
"You were drunk. He may not be handsome like you said."
"His looks were captivating, even you can't resist him."
"I agree. So what happened after you both drank?"
"We discovered we had chemistry…"
"And…"
"...we hit it off right away."
"As in, you got to know each other?"
"Yes. We got to know each other."
"Ruth."
"Okay. I give up. We made…passionate love." Ruth replied, turning her face away.
"What are you talking about? You had a one-night stand with a stranger?"
"He is not a stranger. It felt like… we have known each other for a long time. I have never felt this way with David before and I wish to make love to him again."
"Ruth! I think you're still drunk. You need some rest right now. How could you sleep with a man you just met for the first time? This is so unlike you!" Kimberly exclaimed in disappointment.
- Writer
