Beneath the Chairman's Facade

Natasha Miller was shocked. Although her eyes burned with what she believed was tears, it was rage that blinded her vision as she stared at the exit way of Barnabas Medium Security Jail. "Madam are you coming out or not?" The unfriendly cab driver asked, distracting Natasha from her intrusive thoughts. "I'll tip you extra." "I feel like a creep!" "You see that man over there?" The African American driver squinted his eyes at the direction Natasha pointed. "That man? Hard to believe he's an ex convict when he looks so happy reuniting with his girlfriend." "Doesn't he?" "Wait a minute, are you watching them? That makes you a creep." "That man who looks like he's reuniting with his girlfriend is my husband," Natasha said dryly. "I was planning on sending you on your way but I think the circumstances have changed. I think I'll be driving back with you." "Well, s**t," the driver was very expressive and the look of surprise followed by judgemental disgust bordered his facial features. Natasha watched as her husband kissed the woman in his arms and they both threw their heads laughing at something he said. She wondered what an exconvict could say that was so funny. She also wondered when he had the time to meet this strange woman, long enough to have this kind of close relationship with her. "What if you are wrong?" The driver tried the optimistic approach. "Maybe this is all a misunderstanding." "I wish," Natasha snorted. "That is an embarrassing misunderstanding to be in the middle of anyway. Let's just go." "Are you sure?" "Yes." The driver obeyed and the cab reversed and sped away from the correctional facility. Evan Miller, Natasha's husband was so engrossed with the strange woman he did not even notice that he had been surveyed for the whole of the last five minutes. Natasha threw herself on the bed in the house that was bought in Evan's name. For the past five years, she had been paying the mortgage because Evan was in jail. She had been doing everything to make sure that there was a marriage for him to come back to. She was still a virgin because she had always wanted her first time to be special. There was no way she would have let Evan f**k her in a wobbly prison bed where several other prisoners before him had also f****d their maternal partners. Today, Evan was supposed to come home. She had made a week-long reservation at one of the five star hotels which cost an awful lot of money. Now, it seemed imminent that the reservation would be cancelled and that Evan would not be disvirgining her anytime soon. Natasha finally let down the tears she had been holding. She did not want to jump to conclusions but she could not imagine herself being hopeful that she had not just caught Evan cheating on her with a woman she did not know. What did she do to deserve this kind of heartbreak? Especially after how hard she had worked to keep the marriage afloat. Working several jobs just so she could keep the house they had planned to stay after the honeymoon. Turning down advances from several men with far more better prospects. Sending a hefty monthly allowance to the jail for Evan's upkeep. Visiting him unfailingly every two weeks. Distancing herself from her family because they wanted her to move on. Sponsoring Evan's younger sister's college tuition since Evan was broke, all his property was confiscated. Five whole years dedicating herself to an unseemly marriage only to face the possibility that in a matter of time, it would all prove to be for nothing because all this while she was working her ass off, Evan might have been seeing another woman on the side. "Maybe I am thinking too much," she muttered to herself, "I'll just wait for him to come home." But Evan did not come home that day. He did not even call. She had bought him a new phone in anticipation of his release with her contact and address on it. He had been pleasantly surprised that she had retained the house they had planned to buy and he had told her he could not wait to finally be in it once again. Be in it for good and not as a potential buyer looking through with an estate agent as a guide. The following morning, Evan did not come and neither had he called. She had three missed calls from her mother and a voicemail from her best friend, Vea. Her mother was always nagging her so Natasha did not bother to return the call. She set a coffee appointment with her best friend Vea. "What's wrong, you look sad?" Vea asked worriedly after hugging Natasha at the cafe. They only had ten minutes before they both separated to their workplaces. While Natasha worked for the company that caused Evan's conviction, Vea had her own fashion brand. "You look happy," Natasha intoned as they both sat down and enjoyed their coffees in silence. "Sooooo, wasn't Evan released yesterday?" "He was." "Oh yeah? How did that go? You've been visiting him every two weeks for the last five years but it must have been different yesterday knowing they'll no longer be bars keeping you apart," Vea giggled before her voice dipped as she leaned in conspiratorially. "Did you guys have s*x yet?" "Actually, no." Vea frowned. "Whatever happened, I'm sure it's your fault. You just have to keep him waiting one day more." Natasha rolled her eyes. "I want my first time to be special! It's the least I deserve." "Many special men came along and you turned them down. What's so extra special about Evan that you want your first time to be with him?" "We are married." "All hail Saint Natasha. You're keeping yourself for him, do you think he'd do the same for you?" "I knew Evan wasn't a virgin when I married him and I'm fine with that but since I'm his wife, I'm the only woman he can sleep with while he's in jail." "You know there's ways around that rule. All you have to do is pay enough money to the wardens." "Evan doesn't have any money, he's broke. All his assets were confiscated and reabsorbed into the company. You think I'm going to use my hard earned money to sponsor a p********e for him?" "You're very innocent Natasha, but there's ways around everything. Well, I am not interested in scaring you. So, how was it? Your meeting?" "That's the problem Vea, we haven't met." Natasha felt the misery she had been hiding finally slip back into her tone. "What do you mean you haven't met? Who else does he know aside his family? Didn't you say you were picking him up yesterday? If you didn't meet, where is he then?" "I don't know Vea. When I went to pick him up, I saw him with another woman and they seemed, I dunno… close?" Vea's eyes widened in obvious shock on her friend's behalf. "Are… are you sure it wasn't a misunderstanding?" "I didn't stay long enough to sort that out. I thought he'd come home or at least call me with the phone I bought for him." "Call him then." "I tried that already. It went straight to voicemail." "Where the hell did he spend the night then?" Vea wondered aloud. She suddenly grabbed Natasha's hands. "I want you to always know Tashy, that I have your back. We'll talk about this more later. It's time for us to go to work. Will you be alright till this evening?" Natasha nodded as they both rose. "Thank you very much Vea." Vea hugged her, beaming. "What are friends for, Tashy?" Vea's phone started ringing. "I gotta go, one of my girls is calling, hello?" Vea reached the cafe entrance, phone pressed close to her ears. The person on the other side of the line must have said something funny because Vea threw her head back in laughter. Natasha blinked. Vea threw her head back in laughter? The sharp jawline, the chocolate brown hair, the slender body build. The woman Evan was kissing yesterday was no stranger like Natasha had initially suspected. The woman in fact, was Vea.