She plans to kill me

First night

It was an hour after crepuscular, the moon was vibrantly radiating reflected light rays , blessing our murky Earth, blending with synthetic rays, and a kaleidoscopic patterns of lights is seen. Mother nature, breathed serene, pacific and cool air which splashed on Danny, a sweet sensation crawling inside him. He was exhilarated; a cauldron of bliss, excitement, curiosity, as he alighted his new Range Rover which he was driving for the first time. A gift from his mother, presented to him today, his wedding day. A new day ,a new car ,a new house, a new wife ,a new life.

The gatekeeper ran to him, as he tried to carry the big bag stashed with assorted snacks ,drinks and food. It was the first night .

He asked him not to bother , gave him two notes of one thousand Bollars. A bright expression splashed on his broad face, his breathing increased in tempo. What? This reaction for just two thousand Bollars?

He gave him a bundle: One hundred thousand Bollars.

He stopped thanking , looked the money and then Danny saw tears in his eyes.

Danny left him speechless and walked to the front door of the mansion. The front yard was spacious, bedecked and endowed with a long parking space with posh cars juxtaposition. Three were for bride.

He opened the front door and said the salutation , heard no reply, then walked into the gargantuan living room, expensively furnished. He ascended the stairs, appreciating the architectural prowess and ambidexterity displayed, the enigmatic interpretation by building technologists and civil engineers.

He loved his new home....their new home.

He stopped before the bedroom door, prayed, then said," Peace be unto you."

The mellifluous voice that replied sent a shiver through him, a voice that was smooth, natural, and honey sweet.

He opened the door and walked into the big room and found her sitting on the bed: his wife.

" You are the most beautiful woman on Earth." He said and he meant it.

She widened her lips into a ravishing smile, that shone so bright and obliterated the electric lights. A powerful smile that made him defile gravitational law, damn W= mg. He was floating, and breathing lilac and exhaling jasmine.

She sat at the edge of the bed, a small white teddy bear resting on her laps, while she placed her slim hands on it.

The golden bracelets ,adorned with diamond stones sparkled ,synchronizing with the designs on her hands and legs.

This was Jasmine,  his new wife.

She was a quintessence of unadulterated beauty. She was slim and broad at the middle, giving her a model like glitter. Her skin was as smooth as mirror, like a new product just out of its nylon pack.

Her eyes were large, immaculate white with very dark iris. When she blinked, the long natural eyelashes looked like they were displaying in a circus. Her nose was slim and a bit long, perfectly placed above pink cattleya orchid full lips.Her oval shaped face was set into soft spot which made him wonder if there was anything more attractive than her.

Her hair was simply made into a pigtails, shiny, silky and long.He went and gently placed the items on a table, carried a bowl of ice cream then moved slowly, a smile planted on his face ,and sat on the floor before her.

" Your majesty, I am your humble servant here to serve you. The palace has outlined my duties: I am to love you unconditionally, make sure I protect your happiness and never let it go far. I am to provide your needs, both material, abstract and emotional.

I have been ordered to make you smile and laugh, pamper you and feed you ice cream, massage you, bath you and carry you to bed when you feel too tired. I have also been appointed to assist in kitchen, and help you in morning exercise.

They said I double as a bodyguard and a company to beautiful places. When you need someone to lean on, I will be there. If you need a friend to talk to, I am there. I could be a pedagogue, or an apprentice, I could be anything but with much love and care.

God has joined us together, I pray He gives us the strength to adhere to His rules. This is my small world. Welcome my queen. I hope you will not be disillusioned."

She said nothing, just looking at him then a she closed her eyes .

He uncovered the ice cream.

Two thin streams of tears ran down her dimpled cheeks. Tears of joy? " Danny, what I want to say is deep from my heart. Thank you for your sweet words. Words that every sane girl needs to hear from her husband. You are handsome and caring. You have all a woman dreams of and I consider any girl who marries you lucky.

But I hate you, Danny. You brought nothing but doom into my life. I stopped living the day I met you. You took away my joy, you ruined my life. I was happy before you came, you will never get love from me....never Danny. The more I see you, the more I hate you."

Literary, he began to hear a ringing sound, not sure if it was from his head, ear or heart. Something in his head began to swirl, his heart ached but something kept saying it was all auditory hallucination.

" I don't get it. But I asked you if you were interested or not." He said, flummoxed.

" You did and I said I was. Mum is hypertensive. She did not force me to marry you but I knew she wanted it. If I had refused, she would not have forced me but I will hurt her. You asked me if I loved you or not, I said I did but actions speak louder than voice, they say. You never saw that passion in me or any sign of love. I began to hate my name because of the similarity with yours."

She burst into tears, crying hysterically. What ! He tried to calm her, then the subliminal messages began to inchoate but it was too late. He had thought she was just too shy. Her lackadaisical response was born out of hatred. How could he have been so blind?

He never wanted it at first too, but he fell in love with her. Their parents were friends. Her mother was his mother's childhood friend. He remembered the first day his mother told him about her. He rejected the idea. He hated fixed marriages. She asked him to meet her. He did and fell for her.

He asked her if she was okay with it, he did not want it to be a one sided love, he could not wish for any girl to get married to one she did not love. But he was wrong. She was crying profusely. He tried to calm her, hold her hand but the touch was like igniting a raging fire which metamorphosed into a virulent inferno.

She swayed her hands and hit him, collected the bowl of ice cream and slammed it on his face. If he had not quickly closed his eyes, It could have been more pernicious. She then sprang up, completely ballistic ,went to the table and scattered the stuff he brought on the floor, crying and vituperating.

He was trying to wipe the ice cream off his face. Some of it slipped into his mouth but all he felt was a bitter taste.

" You brought all these rubbish because you want to have me. Over my dead body!"

He stood befuddled, not uttering a word as he tried to wake up from this nightmare. But the fact remained: this was for real.

She ran into the toilet, crying and slammed the door. The clicking sound told him that she locked it. She rather be in the toilet than be with him.

His phone rang and he picked it, still feeling the cold on his face. It was Denny, his twin brother.

They got married at the same time. They were identical twins. Denny got married to Mina,a girl he had been dating for years. Danny was not lucky to have a girl like Denny so when mom suggested that he got married to Jasmine, he did not object.

" Guy, I know it's a faux pas to call now but I could not wait. Hope she can't hear me." He said, sounding excited.

" No. I'm alone." He said trying to sound perky.

" Dude why didn't we get married since? We are in a romantic mood. "

" Same here, bro." He lied, happy for him.

He paused."What is wrong with you, bro?"

Jeez!

This was one guy who was his lie detector. He could hardly lie to him successfully and vice versa. Telling him it was all hunky-dory was a cockamamie and he would detect. He could not let his travail thwart his first night.

Denny had the right to be happy and he was going to make sure he did. May God hide my troubles from him' he prayed. This was a secret he was ready to keep from everyone, including his twin brother. But it was not possible to tell him it was all well, so he had to give another reason.

" I just got lassitude from stress, bro. "

" Bro, this is not the night to fall sick. Get Panadol Extra and bounce. I have to go. She is coming."

“I am happy for you ,bro. I pray you enjoy that for the rest of your life' he prayed in his heart and smiled, with hot tears flowing down his cheeks.

She spent the night there. This was his first wedding night.

*****

The intensity of the rain was high, water drops heavily disgorging, accompanied by strong wind and ice pellets that ricocheted , and the lighting and rumbling of thunder that emerged within intervals was bogey.

Danny was glad he finally made it home as he sat under the wheel  before the front door of their mansion. He could not halt at the parking space as the intensity kept increasing. He had problems with been under the rain. Now as he sat, he knew he had to be as fast as possible to get to that door without getting soaked.

He finally summed up courage and swiftly opened the car door, alighted and ran to the front door and he quickly pushed his thumb on the bell button.

No answer.

He pressed again. The splashing water made him felt uncomfortable.

Then someone peeped through the spy hole. Thank God, he sighed.

Two minutes gone, no one opened the door. What was wrong? But Jasmine saw him! He was half wet, and he began to shiver .He prayed it did not trigger his pneumonia.

He kept pushing the button, then started banging at the door. He had called her but she did not pick the call.

Ten minutes later, the door was opened . Her majesty had finally decided. He was all wet, and could feel the percutaneous penetration of cold as he shivered.

“ Peace” He said as he went in.

He saw her move her lips in what seemed to be a reply. He ran upstairs, not asking her why she had refused to open the door. He ran to the bedroom, pulled off his wet clothes, then wore a thick white sweat shirt.He went downstairs to meet her  sitting comfortably on a sofa, a plate with chicken bones and crumbs of rice in front of her. It was her first day of cooking and he was glad she did because he had been in a board meeting  since in the afternoon and they did not stop until after prayers.

“ But you peeped and saw me, why did you not open the door?’ He asked her as she used a remote to change a channel.

“ I never knew it was you. I only saw the silhouette of a pig and thought it was my imagination.” She said without looking at him, but at the TV.

“ A pig? Do I look like a pig?”

“Jatau, I was staying in peace before you returned, and if you have come to stir trouble, I will leave and go to bed. I do not want trouble .” She vituperated.

 Jatau? When did he become that?

Danny kept quiet, praying for refuge with God against Devil. He did not feel an acrimony was pertinent. He turned and saw expensive and beautiful set of plates on the dining table.

He was so famished he forgot her troubles at that moment. He could feel his intestines rumbling, and the shiver was now out of hunger. And it was the first time ,he would come back to find food on the table, like a normal married man.

He hurriedly moved to the dinning, drew a chair and sat comfortably ,aware that he was shivering and the sight of the chicken bones and crumbs of fried rice made him salivate.

He turned the empty  plates, set the cutleries , drew the big food flask closer, uncovered it then paused: It was empty!

“ The flask is empty.” He cried out at once.

“ What?”

“ The flask is empty. I can’t find any food.”

She smirked, turned back to her movie.

“ Please where is the food? I haven’t eaten all day.”

“ And when did I become a baby sitter? Tell me where it is made obligatory for me to provide food for you because you said you got married to me, Mallam Jatau. You are not even grateful,  I was considerate enough to cook for myself, saving you the trouble. What kind of ingrate are you? You want to eat, you built this house and you know the ways around better than I who is only a visitor . But in case you have forgotten, that is the way to the kitchen and you can use my utensils, it's not a problem, what's life) ? We are neighbors, aren’t we?” She turned back to her movie.

Danny felt his bile rise, a bitter taste in his mouth and found it hard to swallow , felt his head spinning and his hands clenched.

He kept muttering  prayers, closed his eyes and allow a hiatus in his heart, trying to think of nothing ,trying to imagine nothing existed in the world, just sand ,water, air, light, and space and gradually he found that oasis.

He would not touch her, he would not act out of anger, only weak men beat up their wives. He had to be strong. This was a test from God and only God could make him pass this test. It was too much for him to bear. “ Thank you.” He said and walked into the big kitchen. He stood still, then looked round, befuddled. It was still raining hard, and his wristwatch told him it was a few minutes after 11:00pm. Only if he had known, he could have bought some snacks . He  stopped buying such things because she never accepted them from him.

He knew somewhere Denny was  having a nice time with his wife. That thought alone ameliorated his pains. At least, one of them was happy.

The truth was he did not know how to cook. He did not know where and how to start but he knew he had to do it. The hunger was intensive. This would make him get his provisions and teach him not to depend on her again.

He got a pot ,poured some amount of water, put on the gas cooker and placed the pot on it. He rummaged round, got oil, salt, chilli, onions, seasoning, and beef then poured everything into the pot. He knew they were ingredients. He then poured three cups of rice inside, all at once, even though the water was yet to get hot.

Concoction!

Meanwhile, Jasmine was lying on the king-sized bed, head on pillow and her teddy on her chest while she scrolled through her phone. She went back to the message for the umpteenth time, then she felt her heart skipped a bit.

He finally replied after a million years. It was a w******p message:

Hey

With shaky hands, she quickly typed, Hey  Bright, I text you every day but you never reply

What do you want?

You are breaking my heart

Are you in your right state of mind? You have the effrontery to talk about heartbreak!

 You know it was not my fault

Who’s fault? You broke my heart! You shattered my world! Now, you are married, why on earth do you text me?

How on earth do you think I can forget you?

You know I hate him! Bright, it was you I wanted to marry.

But it is too late now. You are married.

Bright, Please forgive me. I will leave this place, but not without a good plan. I can’t leave on my own but I will make him do it. I hate him and I feel like killing him! I know he will soon get tired and send me away and Mom would not blame me. 

And what makes you think I still want you?

Hey Bright! Please don’t make me faint here. You know it is bad for a Muslim to commit suicide ko?  Don’t make me think of it.

So you think I care, huh? You did not think of what state you left me.

Please stop saying that. You know it hurts when everything I do revolves around you and you don’t even know it. You know I can do anything to prove that you mean a lot to me.

Are you sure?

I am.

Then come and see me.

What?

Come and see me and make love with me.

Bright!

That is what will prove that you still love me.

But, it is not right, now.

This is the best time. When you get pregnant, nobody will scold you. We will lay it on that dummy who agreed to marry a girl who loves him not.

That is the problem.

What is the problem?

We have not consummated the connubial knot.

Ke  dan God(tell me the truth for the sake of God) !

God! I can’t let him touch me. Bright, you don’t know how much I hate him.

You mean he has not plugged my fruit? The one I was nursing before the i***t came.

I am still keeping it for you.

# Smiling# I love you bae! You are still my baby and I have forgiven you, bring your head let me bless you.

Hehehe. Oh God! I haven’t laughed for a while.

Then we have to think of a way out. You must leave that house….I will think. When I get result, I will call you.

If you call, and he is around, I will say Hannah and just keep quiet. I saved your number as Hannah.

Now I am jealous!

Please don’t be. Just plan and do it ,pronto!

Is the guy as rich as they say?

He is the richest in the house, richer than his twin brother. But I don’t give a damn about his wealth.

I will start thinking,  please keep my fruit for me. I am entrusting it to you .

 Done Sir.

Where is he right now?

Cooking #giggling#

What? Don’t you give him food?

His name is not Bright. I am not a babysitter.

Brutal. Hey! At least you should give him food.

So ,you are not jealous, ko? You want me to be nice to him.

I am jealous and it’s okay once you don’t  give him my fruit. You will start giving him food. Good food, it is part of the escape plan.

What if he decides that I am changing and hopes things will be better.

His decision is a complete balderdash ! I have started the  inchoation of a plan as we speak. I am the king here and only my decision matters.

I trust you.   

I love you.

Hmmm

You should say it back!

Bright, I am still married now no matter how I hate him. Let us leave love out of it until I  am free. I cannot say that to you now, we are not dating now but as soon as I am free…..

I understand. It makes me trust you the more. When a woman cheats on her husband with you, then she can do it to you if you marry her. Okay, officially, we are just partners in progress.

Yes# Giggling# Partners in progress.

Good night.

Good night.

Meanwhile, Danny was serving his food. It was steaming hot. He could not wait, he fanned it then took a spoon.

Wao! It was too salty, the rice looked  bad, the ingredients were in total riot, he did not know if it should be called molded rice jollof or what.

He could not eat it. He picked out the meat, washed them with water, ate then went upstairs to lie precariously at the edge of the bed.