Chapter 3 Three

The next morning she woke up before my alarm, and in fact I did not hear my alarm. It's either I was too tired to hear or maybe she had switched off my alarm. The thought of her switching off my alarm forced me up to my feet, I ignored prayer or anything I did first in the morning and wanted to go in search of her but then I realised that I'd be very foolish to confront her about an alarm I was not sure she turned off. I quickly retreated, there were many ways I could handle the issue not by being stupid.

It was eight in the morning and I used to be at work exactly by eight or before eight. I prayed anyway, God had to be first in my day, He would save me from every unnecessary mistake that was waiting for me on the road for that day. After praying I freshened up and got dressed for the day and I was as well happy that I made it out of my room in thirty minutes. I needed coffee so I went to my kitchen and the aroma of something I have never perceived in my life from my kitchen greeted my nostrils. I stood at the entrance and watched her open my oven then she brought out a tray of round baked things from my oven, they were doughnuts.

She did not notice me. She put some on a flat plate and put the rest back inside the oven then she took off the oven glove and hung it and walked to the sink and started washing the dishes, she was just too busy in my kitchen, I was confused.

"What are you doing?" I asked and I saw how she shivered in shock like I caught her stealing-She was actually stealing my kitchen.

"Washing the plates, what does it look like?" She asked in a frown and turned back to the plates. I watched the doughnut she had kept on the flat plate and wondered who it was for. I was hungry and as much as I was angry she was using my kitchen, the doughnuts were tempting, I knew it would go well with coffee spiced with milk. My mouth watered. "Good morning anyway" her voice cut my attention from the food to her.

"Get out of there" I said to her. "Why are you washing my plates? Did I ask you to?" I asked angrily. I didn't want her to ever act like I owed her for one thing or the other she had done for me and besides, could she wash my dishes more than I could?

"Why? I don't like seeing dirty plates and I am using the kitchen"

"My kitchen" I reminded and she was silent for a while before she took few steps backward from the sink.

"So I have to take permission before I can use anything here" she said but I gave no reply. I unbuttoned the wrist parts of my shirt and folded the sleeve until they were above my ankle, she just watched me with her arms folded and stood beside me. I washed the plate, I hated the fact that she made me feel dirty and unkept while she felt clean and perfect. I think she was tired of standing there so she left her standing point and walked somewhere behind me. When I was done, I left the kitchen and found the plate of doughnut carefully placed on the centre table. I wondered where she was, I had the intention of taking just one but my pride couldn't let me.

"Please can I use your bathroom?" I heard her say but I ignored her, I left the house with my car key. I was hungry, I was angry, I needed coffee and I needed an advice. With my heavy heart, I drove to work but work couldn't go well. I was tired and my employees kept saying I should go home to rest.

"You're not supposed to be at work" Nathaniel said to me with a smile. "What about your wife"

The word "wife" hit me.

"Your other half. Why did you live her all alone?" He asked. Nathaniel was my friend and my employee.

"My other half?" I asked in confusion and interest.

"Yes of course" He replied with a smile. "Your wife is like half of you, she is one with you"

His words disgusted me.

"Please, leave my office" I said and fixed my glasses well. I switched to work mode and turned to my laptop. "Have you been monitoring the new employees? I'm ready to bring those who are unserious down"

I knew he got the message. He frowned at me and stood up, I knew it hurt him that his friend was his boss. I was like his older brother, ruling him and playing with him whenever I wanted. After Nathaniel left, I couldn't even work or reason properly, I requested for coffee but it didn't work. I found my mind deviating from anything I was trying to put together to the woman in my house. Everything I thought of seemed to point her and it was just frustrating. I had to leave work early since I couldn't even work. As I drove, I visualised my mode of entering the house, how silently I would make it to the bathroom for a warm bath and then get food to offer my hungry stomach. I planned to say no word for the rest of the day as I parked my car in my compound. I sighed as I opened the door and got down with my car key. As I pushed the door open I hoped she was asleep or hidden somewhere but no, she was on my couch with her eyes on me and her mouth whining, there was something inside. She stood up with a nylon in her hand and swallowed what she was chewing, I realised it was popcorn.

"Welcome" she said plainly. "I didn't hear your horn, I would've helped you to open the gate"

I wanted to ignore her since I had vowed to not say a word to her but I wanted to know why she didn't go to work. I mean was she jobless? Was she going to depend on me, was she an automatic burden my mother placed on my shoulder? So I had already taken a step forward but I halted at the thought.

"Don't you have a job? Why are you so idle?" I asked and I don't know why she watched me the way she did in a frown. She hesitated.

"I have a job mister" she said in a very dramatic way, my lips broke into a surprised smile. "But I didn't go because of this so-called honeymoon"

"Honeymoon?" I asked in surprise.

"Why are you smiling?" She asked in a confused frown.

"Look" I rather said with my index pointing her. "Don't use me or this marriage as an excuse for being jobless" then I walked out because I didn't see the need in standing there and waiting for another word from her. I sighed and closed the door when I entered my room and I was already taking off my tie when the site of a fancy wardrobe close to mine made me almost run mad of shock. I wanted to jump out of the room and approach the matter with words from my heart but I decided to be calm and I didn't want to fool myself. I had tried to approach situations many times when my anger was hot, I ended up looking stupid. I stammered and after everything, I seemed even angrier because the person I poured it out on didn't look remorseful, it was rather a shock that was on my opponent's face. Since then, I couldn't just fool myself.

I removed my tie successfully and was removing my shirt when the door opened and instead of her to leave, she walked to my front and sat on the bed, searching for something inside the side cupboard, I wanted to ignore the wardrobe issue but I thought her presence was a proof that I had to table the matter.

"What is this you put in my room?" I asked calmly and it vexed me that she didn't answer. She acted like I didn't speak, like it was the sound of a stupid dog bark that she heard. I was very angry but then a thought calmed me down; I had acted like that to a thousand people, I had done it many times and they didn't retaliate like I was planning to. I defended myself with the thought that it was my room and I had the right to get angry. "I'm talking to you" I said. "I can hit..." I tried saying but she cut me.

"Hit me?" She asked and I watched her in shock. I never had any thought like that. As much as I got angry, violence was never my thing. I wanted to say I could hit the wardrobe and scatter it's wood to the ground-i know it was a violent statement but it was just a mere threat. "Go on. Hit me" she said and she stood up and started approaching me, her attitude gave me goosebumps. "Hit me" she urged further and when she got to an inch away from me, she said in a partial whisper. "I'm not scared of a blow, I'm sure you know my story". After the sentence and attitude that was killing me she walked away from me to her wardrobe.

I was stunned, I felt foolish, I felt like a dog that had heard the roar of a lion. How did she do that? I stood there speechlessly and wondered when my mouth would release a word or my legs will take a move but none happened.

" for your information I had a house" she told me. "That had a kitchen and a bathroom and a wardrobe and everything I needed. Well I had these things until I came here and was assured that it'd be a much better life. Do you think I want to be here? Do you think i like it with you, with a strange man I don't know? I don't know who you think you are?" she was angry. I felt like her face was hot from all the frowning and the squeezing. I was surprised she felt that way, I thought I was the only one that hated her presence. "Do you think I came here purposely to share your resources?" She continued but in a weaker tone. "What kind of an insult did I come here to receive?" She kept on ranting. I didn't know what to do. I felt like I owed an apology. She was quietly and angrily doing something in her wardrobe for a while then she scoffed. "Wait a minute, where were you expecting me to put my things?" She asked. "Oh! You thought I'd keep my things beside your wardrobe forever"

Forever! She was going to live with me forever but she hated it with me and I hated it with her, couldn't we just part ways, I couldn't believe I would stay with her forever, the information was depressing.

"I'm sorry" I said because the words works to calm my mother whenever she was angry. It made her quickly keep calm and forgive me so I thought it would work for her.

"No you're not" she said and it was true. Her attention was still in her wardrobe. "You're a selfish person, can you ever be sorry?"

She called me selfish! The last thing I ever thought of was to come back home and exchange words with the woman.

"You're not sorry so don't bother saying it" with that she closed her wardrobe with nothing in her hand and stood with her eyes on me. "I know how you feel, I honestly do. You see no reason to be sorry, it's your house and you've been enjoying it as a bachelor but you don't have a choice. I'm here now, somehow you just have to get used to it"

"What?" I muttered. I thought she didn't hear me.

"Yes. Because somehow I left my peace and comfort to come here so as much as you hate it with me, I don't like it with you either but we can still manage till there's a way out"

"There is a way out" I blurted. "You can go back to your house"

She watched me in shock and maybe pain.

"Why? How? I wish you were the one to go back home then you won't say so"

i expected her to speak in tears but she didn't. Her eyes only glowed under the light and it made me pay rapt attention to them. I liked how they glowed, it looked very nice and I thought it was an inspiration for a graphic design. I could bring it up, I could introduce it to a client for an advertisement banner. Maybe the advertisement of a drink product-the delight and amusement in the eyes of the consumer, my employees may hate it but I liked it and if we gave it a try, I couldn't place the harm. She was still talking.

"The shame. It'd be like I offended my husband that was why he threw me out. They won't know that I did nothing to you. They'd think I can't cook, they won't know that you're just a wierdo"

"I'm a weirdo" I said in an angry smile, I ignored the first word that I wanted to comment on, the "husband" she titled me.

"I'm glad you know" she looked so delighted. In her eyes I could see how fulfilled she felt for throwing that word at me. It was like she had successfully shot an arrow at it's targeted point. Her eyes glowed even more but in a different way of gladness. She was too mean to say something wrong and be delighted but then I considered that she was pained, and maybe I had said many hurtful things to her. She was succeeding in making me consider how she felt even after she called me weird.

"So I am weird to you?" I said in a friendly way.

"Yes" she said sternly. "You're strangely annoying and preserved like I can't believe you let us get married when I can't use the kitchen or touch the plates"

I had an issue with her. It was not the fact that she called me weird, it was all the things she kept on record, I thought she'd make a good accountant.

"Are you an accountant?" I asked and I watched her confused face.

"Can you hear yourself? Hear yourself and tell me if you're not weird. What does an accountant have to do with our conversation?"

"No the way you keep an account of everything, I thought..." I tried explaining but I stopped. "I'm sorry for everything. Maybe we should do it my way. Ignore me and I'd ignore you. Don't get in my way and I won't offend you. Resume work and don't add anything to my room"

"I can't resume work" she said impatiently. "I have been given three months break, how can I resume work when I'm on break?"

"How can you be so lazy?" I said in disgust. "How can you take such a long time doing nothing in the name of marriage"

"I didn't" she explained in offence. "I was given"

"And you took it" I pointed. "That makes you lazy". She silently watched me for a while.

" because I thought I'd have a better life partner" she spat and expected it to hurt me but it didn't. She walked away from me and laid on the bed.

"Well that doesn't sound like a defence for being lazy" I said. "Anyway, let's work on my terms. Keep away from me, can I not hear your voice? it's an itch in my ear and please let's not cross paths" I paused and saw how she buried her face in the pillow. "Don't try cleaning my things" I added "it's my house. And keep your distance on the bed"

I hoped she heard me, I hoped she stored all my words like she stored my flaws then I took my towel and what I would wear to the bathroom to freshen up, I couldn't forget my clothes in the bathroom again like the last time. When i came out, she was sitting up and was on a call.

"I'm fine" she said with a heavy voice, a crooked version of her tiny voice. "I said I'm fine, why did you call me?" She shouted at the caller. "If you have nothing to say, hang up" I walked closer to the bed and stood unashamedly to listen. "I'm okay" she said. "I have a cough" she lied. "Yes. He's fine" she started clearing her voice. "I'm not angry. You know what? Goodnight"

She didn't see me, she laid back and faced the wall while I made my way to the kitchen. The kitchen smelt of food-of good food. I knew she would not come to the kitchen so I searched for the doughnut she had made in the morning and found it in the microwave, two pieces were still remaining and I consumed them on my feet out of hunger, not minding the consequences. I also found a portion of porridge beans and ripe plantain which I also consumed and left nothing. I left the pot were I found it and walked back to my room. She was already fast asleep so I washed my mouth and laid then I turned off the lights and closed my eyes with a smile, with thoughts that good food is indeed good.