”Surely we can’t!..she can find her way, if she gets missing, she has a broom to fly with ” Brian tells Ikena, my lips thins and my fist folds.
Breath girl, just breath.!
”Thank you, Ikena ” i tell him, turning away and going to open my bag to bring out camera and laptop, and placing my note pads on the table, trying to be comfortable in my anger
”You know it’s your fault she is in this state, dropping her home isn’t a problem, you can’t have her navigating through the dark in a city she doesn’ t have an idea of?” Ikena whispers to Brian
”I don’t care, she put me in jail, she can do with a street life for a bit. You can go Ikena until it’s time to go to that horrible club” then he frowns
”what?” Ikena stares at him
”I am hungry, and i have just five hundred bucks”‘ he says rubbing his jaw, “” And to hear her order food brings back the fact that my entire money is frozen and i can’t do shit..and i can’t see cheap food to buy here..damn..i am hungry”‘ Brian rubs his stomach
”Well, no one died from begging sir”‘ Ikena says ” You can tuck your ego in and ask her to share”
Brian eyes him “‘Get out!!” he points to the door
”Aye sir”‘ Ikena laughs stepping away and closing the door as he leaves.
Brian comes back.. arranges his tools on the table while i set the camera..we don’t bother to talk or quarrel as we get to placing tools and devices about. I see him making stands, horizontal planks, getting a bulb to make an overhead lamp, he goes about setting a small round table high enough so he doesn’t have to bend. He works at it for 30 minutes.
Done, he sits on the chair he pulls from the dining table and places close to the table he had built for himself, cardboard and blue prints papers dressed out on the desk… he has pen and pencils laid down, drawing files and everything else he would need..he puts on the light overhead.
He technically had built himself a studio in the middle of his living room..
How handle !!!
But there was no way I was complimenting that. I stuff my hand into my mouth to feign a gag and then role my eyes.
I watch him place the pen and pencil behind his ear, i think it’s their thing..for easy access or because it just makes them look all serious or just dramatic..i roll my eyes again for the second time. I have my camera ready, one behind him to see what he is doing and another infront..files in place for documentation and lighting to get good picture.. i set the microphone and i wait, standing there , watching him , waiting for him to begin as i video him.
He stares at the board for an hour.. and i felt like screaming..and pulling my hair. But i didn’t want to explode my frustration. I mean, is this what i have to tolerate? His incompetence too. Stopping myself from ranting…. i turn away to sit down, away from him.. he can sit there and stare blankly at the board like a fool for all i care, when it’s time i get up and leave and by tomorrow i let Mr Emeka know what a joke Brian is..a lousy incompetent one.
Ignoring him ,i write my reports, turning the camera off. When my food came,..i sit down and i am eating..ignoring the fool who kept staring at his board as i throw a gaze his way. i notice him watching me…like watching my mouth move and followed my hands..
I frown, turning away, he is also creepily uncomfortable..
*****
Brain can’t concentrate.. he can do this, he can..but he was hungry and he never could function with an empty stomach.. he was working slower than ever.
The smell of the food got him salivating, and the witch was eating it making his mouth water.. he follows her hand movement, to the food and then to her mouth, he watches her chew..swallow and then chew, break bone and eat the flesh of the chicken, swallow, drink juice and the worms in his tummy pulls at him.
“‘No one ever died from begging”‘ Ikena had said
Fxxk it!!
The highest thing that would happen is that she would say he begged her, he can always deny it..but who said anything about begging.
He gets up and goes to the kitchen, he gets a bucket of ice..he always didn’t like moving up and down when he works and he likes his beer cold and chilled beside him whenever he needed.
He brings ice to where he works, placing it on the table. He goes back and carries a half carton of beer, six in all and places it on the ground…then he turns and stairs at her..the witch eating, ignoring him.
It’s now or never Brian..
He goes to her, reaching out, he takes the plate of rice as she drops it absentmindedly on the table next to her, lifts it up and quickly puts a spoon in his mouth..
”hmmm”’ he closes his eyes, this was good, I turn at that moment realising that he had stopped and was near me, i look up..then i quickly look at the place where i placed my food. It was gone..wait,, he was holding it and eating it.. I jump up, snatching it away from him forcefully ” how dare you, if you wanted to eat why didn’t you ask?”i scream at him
”i won’t ask you…besides there is love in sharing?” he tries to reach for the food again but i push him away
“‘Not my food!! Don’t touch it, what is wrong with you, you want to eat ..you order” i am angry. What is wrong with him, taking things that don’t belong to him was an added skill now was it?
If i had the money, i would have ordered you witch, Brian eyes her
”why didn’t you order for two?”
”why would i do that?” I retort
”if a man takes you on a date..doesn’t he order for you both, do you order for yourself and pays for yourself or he handles the bill?”
”Am i a man and is this a date?”
He thinks to himself “‘Good question”‘ he reaches for the food again, i push him
“‘Stop it”‘ i climb the chair to get away from him, he was taller than me.. but now i have the advantage
”Look i have a rule here in my house ” He lies “‘No one orders alone, you order for whoever that is here..no one eats alone, you eat with whoever is here”
”i didn’t know about that rule and that rule is bullshit”‘
”well now you know”‘ he tries again i slap his hands, he tries again i slap his hands again
”Will you stop that!!”‘ he frowns
”You stop that!”‘ i frown too…i am standing on the chair…i take a spoon of my delicious rice and still frowning at him, he is staring at me, or my mouth or the food, i don’t know which one..my frown deepens as we do a stare-off..sort off.
I take another spoon, and another spoon and another spoon ..then i grab the chicken, slicing up a large junk of flesh and eating…for some reason i am enjoying him staring at me eating.
Why the hell can’t he just go and order his own food? or he was just hell bent on frustrating my life in any way imaginable? Well..it was my food and my money and ,yes my food and i am eating it alone , screw his stupid rules that didn’t make sense..
With a reflex action faster than light..one minute i am eating my chicken and my rice, the next thing i see his hand moving and then i see him running away.
Wait !! what the hell just happened??
My chicken and plate of rice had gone….the fool snatches both out of my hand and makes a run for it… eating and running…
Screaming, i jump down and chase him. He is going round and round…there in the living room, biting up my chicken in quick fashion, then shoving a spoon of rice as soon as he dumps the chicken back into the plate, at the same time, running from me.
”Give me back my food”‘ i scream at him “‘Give me back my food”!! i yell , but every time i turn one way, he goes the other way..pauses to eat in a second and moves again when i run the other way to catch him,… we are so far apart because of the all round studio he just created for himself which keeps us at a distance… if only it wasn’t there…I see my food finishing right infront of my eyes, a sob escapes from my lips…he is eating, he is smiling and it is reaching his eyes as he looks at me….
That mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
That pride of a no..that smug.
I hate that smug!.
There was only one thing left to do..my food was gone, i was tired of running and chasing him…
I grab my juice, thankful i had two pies in the bag but that would be for later , he is leaning on the wall and eatin MY FOOD!!! He knows i have given up…Or he thinks i have…
I come back to stare at him, i uncork the juice and i drink watching him, we stare at each other.. he is done with my food.. he so smiling…while his mouth continious to move in the chewing-fashion.
I am not angry, i am pissed.
I am still drinking the juice, i am standing right infront of his mini studio drawing table with everything white and blue cardbaord laid out… everything placed out all nice and neat..not bothering to look at the board not to give myself away.. with a sly smile returning my head back to focus from drinking the juice with my head back..
Our eyes met it holds…
There, watch me Brain..
I tip the entire contents of the juice pressing it to increase the rush ,i let it pour on the board..turning white to orange and soiling the blueprints he was about to use….. whatever was on the table i made sure i dangled my hand , pressed the juice all out till it was empty. then i let the empty container drop to the floor as i would drop a mic haven dished out my most banging rap shutting the place down..and it was EPIC!!
I watch his eyes grow big, i watch shock fill his face as he slowly pushes himself off the wall..starring at me, rooted to the spot for a few minutes…
Then he chokes out the word ”My..drawings “‘ he says as his eyes goes to the board ”My Works!!”
Now i am smiling,…now i got him back, i look down to see the damage i had done, …then i fr i screeze!
He didn’t just lay out empty white sheets and blueprints… he laid out some other designs… and the ones for the client wans’t empty as i had originally thought..probably something during my report writing and eating and whatnot..he was done with staring at the board and had began to design and i didn’t know… i didn’t see and i didnt realise…. and i had just ruined it ALL…
i swallowed!!
”Ooops!” i exclaim stepping away, he looks up at me, anger returning..walking round the table..coming for me.. eyes red..
That was the sign of danger.
I did the only thing i know to do….”‘i didn’t mean to…i…well its your fault” i say, i turn and i made to run..
But who ever said short legs could get you far, in one quick strides he grabs me as i scream.. i try to nudge him off but he holds me tight..
”Let me go!!” i scream at him
but he grabs me and brings me back , “‘What the hell have you done, did you see what you have done? i had works there i had done..done abroad, i have works ..prized work that got me awards… i have perfectly designed works there…and…. already started that stupid housing project for the company’s client and you just ruined it all!!”‘ he screams at me
i hit his hands off “‘Let me go, if you had not snatched my food and ran, i wouldnt have. it’s your fault”
”My fault!!! can you imagine how many hours i had to put in to get those doors ,,those other works..do you even know how to draw or design or to think or to act..arghhh look at this “‘ he lets go of me, picks up a board as juice slips to the ground, i back away
”well, no ..but it’s your fault, you stole my food, i was hungry and havent eaten all through, you snatched it and what was i supposed to do , let you have your way..you don’t see or think when you do things and it affects others but you want others to think when it comes to you..selfish and abnoxious!!” he turns to me, his eyes flashes in anger ” you just had to share damnit!!”
”you have such a nerve you know that, mine..you force me to share what is mine? you are high!!” i throw back at him backing away
”Where the hell do you think you are going?”
”Home!! this was a mistake”
he gets up and grabs my hand ”Home..after this?No Missy, you will sit here and you will make sure all this dry and nothing is ruined and the paints or what ever doesnt wash away or you will use your well manicured nails and you will design all this today…i do not care how you do it but you will”‘
”Like hell i will”‘ i slap his hands away , he grabs me again and forces me to sit on the desk..
”let go off me”‘ he doesn’t
In the midst of struggling to make me sit and me trying to get up i hit the table and his table goes crashing down..
oh oh!!!
”ADORA!!!!” his voice was loud and i think i have never seen such mask of anger over his face
I jump away moving far away from him..his strides meets me, his nose flaring, his fist folded ..he is heaving heavily.
”Brian, stay away from me…that was reflex action..””
But he comes closer, he grabs my hand trying to push and fling me over his shoulders.
Like hell was i going to let him do that..let him spank me again like a little girl. He is not my father, not my brother…and not my man and neither of them would dare to spank me. Ever!!
i push him, he grabs me again, i push him..he grabs me again…
then i slap him “‘Stop it!!”
He stares at me “‘oh you are really getting it Adora, i swear you are ”!!! he nudges me and lifts me at the same time, loosing balance i kick and kick, squirming over his shoulders, making it difficult as i try to move my limbs and body away from his shoulders that causes me to slip down.. then he reaches for me again..
I slap him again, this time harder,
Now he swore, loudly ..
And just like last time, he wraps my hands behind me and nudges me to the wall, he was angry, his chest was rising up and down..i step back now..he closes the distance …i step back more..but there was no more room as my back reaches the wall…he grabs my hand again.. as i struggle it away from him, i wriggle out a free hand to slap him again, hard ..my nose was flaring..but i was surprised to see him control himself not to slam me to the wall. Any other man would, with the way his anger felt like an electric vibe close to me…any other man would. But i was in the wrong now, i had ruined his work..he only took my food, that could be replaced in a minute but not his if it is totally ruined…yes i overstepped, i was wrong but ego, but pride..
“‘Apologise”‘ his voice came as a harsh whisper
”No!!”‘
“‘Apologise damnit!!”” he is pressing me to the wall as i try to pull away ”You ruined it, you collasped my work place and you slapped me…twice…Apologise or i swear Adora”
“‘No, i won’t, you can’t make me and if you just stayed in your lane and never took what is mine i wouldnt have reacted…i will not and you cannot make me apologise”‘
”i can and i will, apologise?”‘
”No!!”
“‘Fine, i warned you..”‘ i see him look around briefly..then he bends grabbing something and placing it on the other table close to us.. which i suddenly see was half of ice and he looks at me..a sly smile on his face.
what now? i want to run now, but with all his strenght he nudges me and in one quick fashion he has my hands locked behind me again, i follow his movements and i am staring at him still trying to struggle
“‘What are you doing?”
”Apologise””
“‘What are you doing?”
“‘What do you think, i am making you”‘
I stare at him, making me apologise, how would he make me apologise with , that ice..what-
My eyes grows big
“‘Brian, don’t you dare,” i struggle “‘Brian don’t you dare”‘
”oh i will, i really will”‘ Anger immediately replaces the look in his eyes to something more mischevious and he is smiling, he is actually smiling, He takes his free hands , holding me still with the other hand holding both my hands behind me pressed to the wall, he dips his hands into the bucket of ice and takes a handful..Before i could blink… his hands disappear behind me, under my skirt to my tush and he presses me to the wall to keep me still..and he has a few cubes off ice pressed to my delicate tush..hard.
I am screaming as soon as i felt it !!!
i am struggling as the ice chills me, causing first cold, then more cold, then painful cold and then numb…then biting cold…with his large palm pressing the ice to me.. he raises his hands up and takes the ice to my back resting on my waist. the cold-numb-biting pain gets to my brain.
My wail reaches the roof.
But he is laughing, watching me squirm and jump and scream but he is laughing, so hard that he lets go roaring in laughter.
Gaining a bit of self, i push him, he tumbles backwards hitting his head..
Silence, he isn’t moving.
“‘oh dear Lord!!”‘ i rush to him, “‘Brian, Brian??”
”BOOOO!”” he exclaims
I jump, he is back to laughing, i grab the bowl of ice and empty it on his chest..
“‘AHA!! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT NOW?” and start to point and laugh as he begins to jump
“‘Oh, now you are going to get it”‘ he says dancing the cubes away..grabbing two and coming for me..
I Run.
Now, as i run…i notice something had happened…i wasn’t running and angry as i was earlier…i am actually…i am actually..laughing as i see him almost falling from the cubes of ice on the floor…
He staggers, he laughs “‘Oh..you wait till i catch you..you wait”‘ with the ice in his hands he runs after me as i go now..running behind the chair…
“‘Stop!!”‘
“‘No”
”Please”‘ i state as i scream to the other side, jumping when he jumps to the other side
‘No” he fakes me, i run to the left thinking he was going to the right..but he wasn’t.. he grabs me and i push him again… but my hands bounces off his chest as he stands his ground, but instead of him falling away from me..i am the wall falling backwards loosing my step…
i see his eyes grow big and then i see his hands reaching out for me..
i was falling over the chair, my back bending and my expression of fear… i grab his arm and we both go tumbling over the chair to the other side and to the floor. ordinarily i should have hit the ground with my back…i should have…
But, quick reflexes, the second time i notice it about him.. We land, i am not under as i thought i would land and maybe break my waist or sprain my ankle or break a leg, but he manages to turn landing under instead of me, so i am untop of him, his hands holding me in place round my waist and my hands on his chest. We stare at each other… he is breathing hard, i am breathing hard and our bodies are glued to each other, me untop with my hands on his chest..He beneath me with his hands on my waist pressed to him…our eyes meet..
And suddenly, i feel my throat closing.
*******
TO BE CONTINUED
