[STORY] HASTY DECISION (Episode 05)

EPISODE 05.

“Who is Benita and how is she related to Henry?”

He looked surprised. “The girl we spoke about?”
I nodded.

He gave a sharp breath before sitting down beside me.
“Are you sure that was the name you heard ?”

I nodded. “Yes and for some reason, I have not asked my husband. I just don’t know why I have this fear of confronting him.”

Felix thought for a while I waited eagerly.
“Benita is one of the students as I remember and one of the brightest students in school, I don’t know more than that. I was in the junior school while he was in the senoir’s.”

“So, you haven’t seen her before?”

“Of course I have, very brilliant girl, she got an award before we left, just that as I recall now, she wasn’t around to be given the award, someone collected it for her.”

“What about Henry’s school pictures?”

“We didn’t come home together, I took a flight, he told me he was robbed and ……”

I sighed. This was not making any sense. Could I be wrong again?

“Is there no one you could talk to, for I need to know what happened to that girl. I have a feeling that something terrible happened and it can be the reason why what happened to me happened.”

“Okay, I will try to seek out those we served with then I will get back to you.”

“Thank you Felix.”

He was quiet for a while but then said. “If only I can get my hands on those fools that did this to you…..” He shook his head bitterly while I smiled .

“Felix, do everything you can to find me who Benita is.”

“I will love. I will.”
**************************

*Days later*

Was I wrong to have told Felix the whole thing? Was I wrong to have suspected that my husband has something to do with what happened to me?

I sighed as I kept having these thoughts in my mind.

“Baby are you okay?”

I turned around to face him. His back was turned towards me as he fastened his belt while facing the mirror.

“Yes love.” I lied . “Where are you off to? It’s Saturday.”

“Yes, dear, I just got a message from the man that is fixing the supermarket up for us. I want to see how it’s going.”

I sat up straight. “Wow, you didn’t tell me you have started working on it.”

“I wanted to use it as a surprise. “He replied with a wink. “But now I have spoilt it.”

I smiled.
“I am so lucky to have a man like you.”

“Well, you have to be.” He teased. “Now get dressed, we are meeting Felix and his babe at the lounge later.”

I was surprised. “Felix has a babe?”

He scoffed as he turned around, his tie was already fixed. “What kind of question is that? Of course he does, I am just happy that he is finally getting over his ex?”

That got my attention. ‘What ex?”

“Well…” He started, coming closer to me and holding me by the waist.

“When we met, he used to tell me about his ex, said he cheated on her and he was so heartbroken for a while. Come to think of it, he never got to show me her picture…”

I could sense some unwanted feeling building up in my belly. I knew the lady in the picture was me.

“So, he is with a babe now and we need to be as nice as possible.”

“Okay.” I replied without betraying my emotions. “let me go take my bathe.” I kissed him before leaving the bed. Then grabbing my bathing robe from the wardrobe, I headed for the bathroom.

As I sat in the bathing tub I could hear Henry’s loud voice.

“Do you want some toast bread?”

“Yes love, thank you.” I replied before turning on the shower.

Okay, this is getting complicated or maybe it is just my imagination.
I sighed as the cold water hit my face and down my naked body and I shivered. Memories of few years back was coming back to me.

Felix and I just got engaged. I was already through with my apprentice training but he was just going, so he decided to engage me before leaving. We had been in a relationship for two years, so to me, it was appropriate. The plan was for him to travel out of the country immediately after apprenticeship, get a job, then come back for me so we can get married there.

A week before he left, I had found the pack of condoms in his back pack, I was curious but I never asked him. We were not having sex because I was not ready. My mother had made me promise her that.

I never knew my father as I was single handedly brought up by my mother. My father had impregnated her and ran off with some other woman. I knew the pain she had gone through while raising me and she never knew any man apart from my father. She made me go to Sunday school and I attended church services so well, it was as if I was programmed to reject sex before marriage. Even though I wanted to have it so many times, I mean there was condom and several other preventive measures. But each time, my mother’s last words before she died always haunted me.

“Nyasha, do not make the same mistake I did. Let the right man come for you my love. He is bound to wait because you are a PETAL of a flower, you will attract lots of men, but only the right one will wait for you.”

I never asked him about the condoms, instead I started doing my own detective work and a day before he left, I caught him in bed with another girl and that was how we broke up. It was evidently clear what he would be doing when he is far, he has already started doing it when he was still close. I threw the ring at him, went to his phone, deleted all our photos and then changed my number afterwards. He sent me several messages on my social media accounts but I blocked him everywhere.

I had met Henry shortly later when he came to Lusaka from Kopala to visit his grandma who stayed in my neighborhood. The entire time he spent with her brought us closer and the relationship started sooner and to my surprise, he found a job to a place where ex had gone but I never told him anything about Felix.

I remember the day he had asked me to speak with his best friend on the phone….when I heard the name and the voice, I knew it was Felix. Perhaps he knew too, but we spoke as if we never knew each other…..
Baby, hurry up, you are taking too much time!”

Henry’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts then I remembered I have not even used soap or a sponge.

***********************

To be continued………