FOREVER MINE.

Chapter Twenty-Four

It had been a long awful day and all Esther craved was a benign night's sleep. Her body felt exhausted and numb. As soon as she entered her room, She slung on her short old nightie and hauled in her blanket. Unlike before, she barely said her prayers. Despite all the ardent desire, she had to lay her head down, she could hardly get sleep.

 A reflection of all that had happened that day occupied her mind and it was hard to shut them off. She kept rolling inside the blanket from one end of the bed to the other and each time she did, it seemed to remind her of the gravity of the consequences of her mistake. 

"What will you do now Esther? Your foolish actions have cost pain and misery to everyone. Aunt Jina must be extraditable angry to have declined to eat her dinner and it's all because of you. Uncle Richard has been sad and lonely since the incident occurred." She thought. She became tense and distressed, and for long hours, she could hardly catch sleep. She lay miserably on the bed, crossed her hands upon her head anguished. 

Richard was filled with guilt. His hand trembled as he pushed the door open. He would avoid meeting Jina's angry gesture if it were possible.

Slowly, he lowered his eyes and stepped in, and then wandered his eyes around the room, but Jina wasn't there. As soon as Richard went downstairs she had decided to have a long warm bath perhaps to lessen the heat she was feeling around her,  and as she soaked herself in the water, Richard's last utterances came back to her.

He had ridiculed her by reminding her of her past. "You shouldn't have done that Richard," she grimaced.

"Wrap it on my face! I hate to think of it and yet it's hard not to."  She grumbled and pouted. Tears flooded down her face and she wished she would drown in the tab. She pushed herself to the bottom and quickly leapt out with gasps. "Whew! Whew!" She heaved successively and poised on the bath panel, her heart thumping violently. "Oh, huh, hell no! It shouldn't be me but that cheap girl." She spat and cursed as she hammered the tab.  What Richard said was a bitter truth and it was proposed to direct her to the right path. One has to always reflect on their past to reform the present, but Jina's pride toppled her sense of reasoning.

"Esther must pay. I will make sure she pays dearly for all the pain she's cost me today." She said as she squeezed the foam in her fists in anger. Her hatred for her heightened and she was now a sworn enemy.

Richard, noticing that Jina wasn't in the room, exhaled in relief. 

"Thank goodness, she's not here!" He thought and reclined on a chair close to the drawers and crossed his legs. 

Spacious though the room was with all the beauty and luxury therein, he felt stifled by the unfriendly air inside which was choking him. He had no hopes to talk to Jina now that he'd added salt to her injury. He should have choked the words in his mouth until she had chosen to let go of her bitterness. 

He had started dozing when he had the sound of Jina's footsteps as she came from the shower and as such, he grew nervous.

"Atishoo!" She sneezed and Richard immediately blanched and clutched at his knee and then rapidly turned the chair and sat facing in another direction. Jina enters the room in a towel, her flabby form wiggling alluringly in an agile movement. She divested her of her towel and hung it on the rail. Richard peeked at her and saw her almond eyes whose eyelashes were glistening wet as her nudity filled in the chair.

She was beautiful! He alternately felt cold and excited but what he felt didn't make any difference; What could he do apart from drooling like a greedy dog staring at a bone out of its reach? Jina wouldn't let him come close to her-at least not that night.

 For a long time, she sat in front of the mirror bashing away at oiling her silky skin. 

"It's good Richard is not in the room. I wouldn't wish him to trigger me." She thought and blow-dried her hair. Suddenly, she felt Richard's hand run around the rolls on her neck. It was hard to control his sensual feelings as much as he had tried to. She flinched and heaved and then growled, 

"Take your hand off me, Richard!" She bore her teeth without turning to look at him. The tone of her voice was vehement enough to deter his intentions. Her repellent gesture portrayed her anger more eloquently than any words could describe.

"This is the zenith of my plight!"

he muttered and trotted across and sulked whence he had come from.

Jina leapt off the chair striding to the closet in fury. Stretching her hand, she reached for her short impeccable nightwear and slipped it on her n***d soft body and then held one of the cushions as she pursed her lips. She was a different Jina; one whose transformation acclaimed danger everywhere she stepped. Richard lifted his head and saw her unwavering determination to exit the room and he was antsy. He paced about the room and followed behind her refraining from touching her. She wasn't bluffing at all, no!

Eventually, before she stepped out of the door, he thwarted her in an appealing tone, 

"Honey, wait! Where are you going?" She held her breath and exhaled loudly, halted and lowered her face as if she was a charging bullock ready to fight. Richard retraced his steps, gazing at her. He was hurt.  That his loving wife was treating her with disdain was turmoil. Jina knew that by moving out of the master bedroom, he would be hurt. This was a c***k in his armour. After scowling at him with python eyes, she clipped, 

"What does it look like to you? Why do you care anyway? Wouldn't it be better if you spent a peaceful night with my little cousin instead?" 

"What? Did you…" He stopped. This was too offensive to him. He grimaced and tried to control his anger. 

"Did I just say that to him? Oh, Jina, what has possessed you?" She asked herself and seeing Richards' bitter gesture on his face felt sorry for him. She had just blurted it out of anger but regained her composure. Richard, though simmering with anger, retorted, 

"I will leave the room instead." He stooped and lunged for one of the cushions and headed out to the guest room.  Jina held the cushion close to her chest as she watched his receding skeletal figure. Her heart sank in her chest. The vigour and bravery she had soon withered and her limbs became weak. 

"Sorry, honey, but it's hard for me too." She muttered. Tears streamed down her face and soaked the cushion. "Esther!Esther! Ok, we shall see…" As she recited the name, she could feel anger boil up inside her. She twisted and stomped back and slumped on the bed like a bag of rice, haunted by her dumb actions whose consequences might be more bitter than she could ever imagine.