by Boadi, Lilly
“I thought you’d tell me to divorce my wife,” he said somewhat teasingly, looking at her.
“I really don’t believe in that.”
“Are you that Christian?” again, Kelly felt he was teasing her.
“This isn’t about Christianity. I believe in settlement! Settlement with your dream partner.”
“Even if you don’t love him or her?”
“What is love? People don’t marry because of love anymore! Don’t you know? You marry to meet a convenience, like you did you know.” Osborn felt she was being sardonic. “Most importantly, you need to get married because it enhances your dignity and therefore makes you a part of the elite in society!”
Osborn scoffed, “How’s that? You get married because you want to satisfy the qualms of pompous strangers called the elite in society?”
“No! It isn’t just about some pompous strangers in society as you put it, but settlement is for your own dignity! It’s a requirement of life, and any dignified person must meet it!” Kelly pointed out.
‘Women’s version!’ he thought. Osborn grinned and shook his head. He readily knew where this woman was coming from.
“Are you settled?” he asked.
“Not yet.”
“What are you waiting for? You aren’t ready?”
“I am. I’m waiting for my dream man to get settled in his mind.”
Osborn got her point, “What if he never makes up his mind?”
“He will, I’m sure. Very soon he will,” she said confidently “I know what I want, and when I see one, I go for it and make sure I get it!” she said smugly and winked at him.
He sighed and thought ‘What strange ideas some people have about marriage’. “Well, your idea of going somewhere quiet to find happiness and all that sounds great” he nodded concurrently. “I’ll try that one, only if you will escort me to the seaside.”
“Huh?!” Kelly was bewildered.
“Let’s go and get your car. I’d like to go to the seaside immediately,” he said. But before she could say, “Jerk,” he was on his feet and pulling her behind him.
At the seaside, it seemed as if the world purposely left the two to be alone. When they arrived, for such a beautiful day, the beach was practically empty. For the first time, Kelly felt an inner calm as she soaked in the awesomeness of nature. She walked out to the edge of the water and stood staring up at the sky. Thick billowy clouds floated like puffs of white cotton as the turquoise sky stood back in jealousy. In the distance, their eyes were entertained by the creamy tangerine-color of the retiring sun, while shades of purple and pink set off the aqua glow of the ocean. Just then, she was splashed with water on her brand new yellow sun dress. Osborn burst out in riotous laughter as Kelly stood there looking at her damp dress. She took off in hot pursuit of Osborn as he taunted her running deeper into the water. The cool breeze blew through Kelly’s long, wavy jet-black hair as they ran helter skelter, splashing water on each other. Kelly smiled inside as she couldn’t remember the last time she had indulged in so much childish fun. Osborn took off his soaked red polo shirt, exposing a cut and chiseled sun-tanned chest, as he stopped in knee-high water to catch his breath. He picked up a tiny shell and threw it at Kelly playfully. She took off running as he chased her but he boyishly allowed her to escape. He waited until she was tired and had slowed down before he pounced on his prey and gently wrestled her into his arms. Still giggling, Kelly put her tiny hands on his broad muscular chest to try to push him away, but was too wearied by the heat to resist. Osborn grabbed the small of Kelly’s back and pulled her buxomness to him. He looked deep into her eyes as chills began to dance down her spine. Just then, thunder crackled loudly across the sky. And it instantly became dark. Before they could take shelter, buckets of rain poured down unannounced! They scampered as they tried reaching the parking lot as fast as they could to avoid being beaten by the rain. Yet, the force of the downpour was too strong.
Midway, Kelly stood, all drenched, “Oh…Oh my God!” she exclaimed looking her drenched self over with pity.
Osborn turned and walked towards her, “Let’s go!” he said, pulling her beside him.
The parking lot was a mile away, and Kelly couldn’t take the beating of the rain anymore. Fortunately, they found shelter under a big tree. Kelly let go of his hand and ran far under the tree. She stood, breathing hard.
“Will you be ok there?” asked Osborn, pausing.
“Yeah. I think so,” she said, panting heavily and shaking with chills.
Osborn stood in the rain and looked her over. The rain had caused her light Egyptian cotton straight dress to cling to her thin waste, and he saw her wide curvy hips, full breast and deep navel. He gazed at her in pleasure. Then he was brought back to reality by the obvious visible shaking of her chilling body. “The rain is still beating you there, isn’t it?” he asked, indulgently moving closer to her.
“But it is better here,” she said, as if to convince him not to continue with their journey to the car.
He sat down under the tree, “Come here” he beckoned with open arms. Reluctantly, Kelly sat beside him and he took her into his arms. Then he held her tightly as she kept shaking. For a moment, she stopped shaking and lay relaxingly in his arms.
“I think I have to do this more often. It’s great at the seaside,” said Osborn sprightly.
“Yeah…” she agreed, smiling away in happiness “But not for the rain” she added and they giggled. She disentangled herself from his arms.
He stared into her eyes, grinning, “But it wouldn’t be this great without you,” he whispered. She blushed and they looked intently into each other’s eyes. He touched her cheek gently with his palm. All of a sudden, Osborn and Kelly were kissing passionately. Suddenly, as if reminding herself she was only acting out a scene in a movie, Kelly backed off. She wiped off her lip softly with regret, as if she didn’t enjoy the kiss. There was a nervous pause. “Urr…I’m sorry” Osborn broke the silence.
“That’s ok…” said Kelly, blushing. “Can we leave now?”
“Are you sure you want to pass through the rain?” he asked, concerned. She swallowed hard and nodded. She would do anything, even if it takes passing through the rain, to avoid the helpless manner in which she was already falling for this hunk.
THIRTEEN
Exactly seven in the evening, Osborn was at Vienna City in the capital, and Haida had not yet arrived. He went to the pool to indulge in few snooker games to pass away time. But he retreated when he saw Mellis on the game. A few seconds later, he heard a voice behind him, “Looks like you’re scared of competing with me,” and he needn’t wonder who owned that voice. He chuckled and turned reluctantly, “Maybe for a game, yes, but for a woman, definitely not!” snapped Osborn.
Mellis sighed deeply and gazed wickedly at him, “You really think you can win Haida over, huh?!”
“Win? I’ve won!” said Osborn gleefully. “Do you find it difficult to read in between the lines? I can’t believe you!” Osborn laughed cynically. “See, you did your very best to prove to Haida that you were not the man she really loved; something I wanted to give her time to realize for herself. And do you think she will run back to you, after you showed her what a punk you are? Save that stupidity for your dog! You know perfectly well that she adores me, and that she was only blinded by your deceitfully graceful appearance! Thank God she has wised up! So do you really think she will run into your filthy arms again? Oh, please, give her some credit! Haida’s smarter than that!” Osborn talked away contemptuously. Mellis stared at him, grinning wryly. “Let me tell you one thing. Haida and I are seeing each other, and now that she is mine, never ever get the least hope that you would get to be with her again. Never!” said Osborn and he giggled.
“It’s clear there is no virtue in you teaching you about marital faithfulness!” whispered Mellis sarcastically. “It’s obvious Haida is only your concubine. Is this how much you love her, as just a concubine?!” asked Mellis, sounding serious.
“Haida is not my concubine! I love her and not my wife! Now that she has given me her full consent, I’m willing to divorce my wife and get spliced up with her. You’ll soon see her beside me as my wife! You can bet on that!” Osborn snapped in Mellis’ flint-like face, “And even if not, she’ll never get hooked to a disgusting swine like you!” What Osborn retorted was so contemptible. With all the fury that was boiling up within him at the moment, Mellis couldn’t control himself any longer. He smacked Osborn on the face and he fell. Osborn scrambled up on his feet and grumbled.
Save the intervention of some onlookers, their faces would have been the bloodiest punching bags in the world.
“Look, I came here to have fun with my sweetheart and not to contend with jerks and losers like you! You are a loser! Go to hell!” Osborn shouted in Mellis’ face once more, and then turned and walked away impetuously. A bone appeared on Mellis’ cheek, and he boiled with fury inside, as he stared after Osborn. Just then, Mellis saw Haida appear at quite a distance, beaming with smiles as she hugged Osborn. Mellis’ face beamed with mixed emotions. His heart jumped out of his chest with joy at the sight of Haida, but then again, he was upset seeing her with Osborn. She seemed worried all of a sudden as she touched Osborn’s face gently. “What happened to you?” she seemed to be saying. Suddenly, Mellis saw him kiss her lips, and he couldn’t believe Haida didn’t mind. How could she be flirting with a married man for goodness sake? This girl was worse than he had thought. Osborn said something to her and she crackled with laughter. Since they were far, Mellis couldn’t hear what he said, but believed it was an act of Osborn to irritate him. He hated this guy with all his being! With disappointment and anger on his face, he stormed out of the place. Osborn watched him at the corner of his eyes as Mellis left, chuckling with delight.
When Mellis reached home, he met the absence of Bambi. He thanked God for that and reached to the sideboard. Beside where he had packed countless editions of daily devotional guides, Our Daily Bread, he reached for a bottle of Castle Milk Stout (CMS). Just then, Alex entered and saw him with the bottle in his hand, “Is that an alcoholic beverage?” he asked sternly.
“Why do you ask?” said Mellis, fetching a glass and ice cubes from the fridge.
Alex watched him in amazement as he sat and poured himself a half of a glass. “Are you going to drink that?” he asked, and Mellis responded with a gulp of the beverage. “Jesus! When did you start drinking alcohol brother?” asked Alex, but Mellis kept mute and enjoyed the beverage. Alex walked towards the side board, where Mellis was standing, and looked, “Is this where you decide to hide your shameful objects of sin; just beside the Word of God?” asked Alex once more, for there were other bottles of alcohol placed beside the daily devotionals.
“Look, I’m tensed ok, so stop nagging like a woman because I’m not in the mood for that!” snapped Mellis.
Alex chuckled, “Oh, so you are tensed right? And will that thing you are drinking ease your tension away?!” Alex retorted.
“And what else can ease my tension away, Mr. Righteous?!”
“This! This is what you need if you have a problem!” said Alex, taking a number of the daily guides and a Bible. “Every solution you need to any problem in the world is in here. This!” he said, banging the bible on the center table before Mellis. “This is what you need, and not that thing you are drinking!” Alex snapped and hurled the daily guides on the table. “And perhaps this…!” he added the bible.
“Will you stop your preaching?!” Mellis burst, getting onto his feet. “What do you know, huh?! What do you know about my problems? You are just a kid and you have no idea what I am feeling inside right now! What do you know about the pain caused by a cheating woman, huh?! Have you been cheated on before, huh? Have you…?! Do you know how it feels like?!” he shouted moving dangerously towards Alex.
“Oh, is that it? About a woman?!” retorted Alex. “A woman got you into drinking alcoholic beverages?! You are being narrow-minded brother! I respected you far more than this!” Alex snapped.
Suddenly, Mellis caught him at the chest violently and stared closely into his eyes, “Look here little brother! Show me some respect because I am your elder! Don’t you ever make the mistake of thinking we are on the same level, because we are not!” said Mellis through gritted teeth.
“Or else what, big brother?!” Alex retorted daringly.
“Else you wouldn’t like what you will see next! Show me some respect!” he burst and pushed him violently away.
Alex came down on the floor, hitting his head on the table. Mellis glared at him, fuming heavily, and then he stormed off to his room. Alex got on his feet slowly, feeling the pain in his head. He sat up, and tears filled his eyes. He felt so much sorrow within. This was not his brother. He had never hurt nor snapped at him in this manner before. With only two and a half years between them, they were closely knit together like twins who loved each other deeply. It is needless to say one would die for the other. They were always happy together and quite inseparable. Never had they quarreled nor gotten on each other’s neck before, and now this, because of a woman? He couldn’t control his tears and hurt, as he walked off to his room.
A few minutes later, Mellis walked soberly into the hall. He collapsed on the couch and was blue. He stared at the books before him and reached out for one of the daily devotionals. On the front cover, it was written scripturally “For ye were bought with a price…” he sighed deeply and took the Bible to read the rest of the scripture. He opened the Bible and the twenty-third chapter of Proverbs lay before him. He read rather and his eyes caught the thirty-first verse, “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red…. At the last, it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things….” Clicking his guilty conscience, he quickly flipped through and the thirty-first chapter lay before him. He read, and reaching the third verse, he read over and over, “Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.” He read out loud and it looked like God wanted to tell him something. Then he reached the sixth and seventh verses, and he grimaced. He read again and again, not seeming to comprehend what those verses were telling him, “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember the misery no more.” “God, give me understanding,” he prayed thoughtfully and earnestly. Then he understood! Strong drink can make you forget your miseries, but surely, at the end, it will destroy you. Yes, even the Bible confirms it can easily get you into the arms of a woman, a strange woman it said. “But who is a strange woman?” he thought. The book of Proverbs was supposed to be a book of wisdom in the Bible, and it was only wise to heed to what he had just read. But how come he never saw this in the Bible before? He wasn’t used to reading the Bible frequently anyway.
Alex descended behind and saw his brother engrossed in his reading. He paused and smiled, “Looks like somebody is preparing for a sermon,” he said, getting closer to Mellis and he sat.
“Alex. I didn’t see you coming,” said Mellis softly, blushing slightly. “Urr…I’m sorry Alex. I’m sorry for my lousy temper. It won’t happen again, I promise you that,” he said gravely. “Can you forgive me?”
“There is nothing to forgive, bro. I’m sorry too for raising my voice at you. I’m only glad you are doing the right thing; reading that I mean,” said Alex calmly.
“Yeah! I think it’s…refreshing…” said Mellis, sighing deeply. Then he remembered how he used to read the Bible with Haida at times and how she had urged him on to attend church, even with her, but he wouldn’t budge. “Can I attend church with you this Sunday? You would be going, won’t you?”
“Definitely! That would be beautiful,” said Alex. Then suddenly, he exclaimed “Aha!”
“What?”
“I’ll be paying my girlfriend a visit to her church this Sunday. I think it is a perfect chance for yo
u to meet her,” said Alex delightfully.
“Ooh, you and your sweetheart! I really would like to see this girl who has gotten you talking about nothing else but her!” as a smile graced Mellis’ face.
“You will see her this Sunday, and then you will understand. I bet you, you are going to like her. She is the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen,” said Alex, his eyes sparkling.
“What’s her name?”
“Haida.”
“Haida? What a coincidence!” thought Mellis.
***
At one of the finest restaurants in the country, Alex was escorted by two gorgeous women who made him the envy of the rest of the men at the restaurant.
“So, Mr. Holmes…”
“Alex!” said Alex, and they laughed.
“Alex, what did you study at the university?” asked Kiara.
“Entrepreneurship.”
“Masters?”
“Yes.”
“Did you get your first degree in the US, too?” asked Kiara.
“Yes, I did, at the same university.”
“How long have you been in the US?”
“All my life, I would say. I come down to my motherland for a few weeks of the holidays quite often, though.”
“All your life?” Kiara was surprised. “You look different from the other guys! You are more decent!” The others looked at her as if she was off the hook.“Excuse me to say, but it is because many young guys like you who have stayed the majority of their days in a white man’s country are quite haughty and naughty!”
‘Or is it just four or five of them?’ thought Haida who read her mind.“But, you are quite humble” she said flagrantly.
“Wow! I’m flattered,” said Alex, and they laughed once more.
“I guess this difference is marked by his godly nature,” said Haida blithely.
“You must be right, you know. My dad is quite a stickler – a Christian, but not so stanch. You get it? He is a man of morals and living with him all my life, what do you expect?” said Alex.