New Telegraph

Heart under my blouse

Mouth agape, Jay stared at the receding back of this fabulously beautiful, sashaying eve. Beautiful, yeah, tantalizingly beautiful!

 

Her figure looked like it was sculptured by a love- struck artist. He was shocked.

You know, you really don’t appreciate the beauty of certain things that are close to you, until you hold them away from you.

He’d been living with his wife for so long that he’d forgotten she was a beauty. She was a beauty, for his friends all wowed when they met her at their pre-nuptial shindig about 25 five years ago.

 

He had flaunted her after their wedding and enjoyed the glances he got each time they went out together. At what point did the bond between them weaken?

 

While they were trying to build their different careers? While she was having their kids, keeping their home and trying to grow her career at the same time?

 

He remembered vividly when he started straying from home -that was when she was pregnant with their second child.

 

He had gone for a colleague’s bachelor’s night with his friends, where he met a young lady that changed his life. Adele’s second pregnancy wasn’t a good experience.

 

She was sick most of the time and was on bed rest all of the last trimester. Jay started hanging out with friends and colleagues more often then. He had a normal upbringing from strict parents who never allowed him to mix up with friends at the early part of his life. He attended his first party while in his third year in the university.

 

His life changed at that party for he met a fellow undergraduate that taught him the rudiments in girl, boy relationships. She, it was, who made him live his fantasy real time, a fantasy he had lived in his mind since his secondary school days.

 

They were together for the better part of the year, until the lady met her heart’s desire and moved on. So, when he met the fair lady at his colleague’s bachelor party, years later, he tried to make sure that she didn’t leave him for another man.

 

That would be the beginning of his problem with his wife for his life became centered around his mistresses, for he had had many.

 

He and Adele gradually drifted apart until they became total strangers. But the Adele he saw a few minutes ago at the beach jarred his mind.

 

She had not lost her beauty. She had simply matured in ways that are pleasing to the eyes. “Honey, what’s the problem? Who is that woman? She looks familiar. Why are you staring at her?” His mistress asked, bringing him back to the present. “Er…em…er…never mind,” he stuttered.

“Never mind? You mean I shouldn’t mind the fact that you’re gaping at a woman while I’m right beside you?” She fumed, her voice rising. “Keep your voice down darling. You don’t want to cause a scene here, do you?”

 

Jay soothed her. “No dear, it’s just that I don’t like you gaping at other women. But that woman certainly looks familiar. Who’s she?” She asked again. Jay stared long at his mistress and said slowly, “That woman is my wife.”

 

“What? Your wife?” His mistress asked, searching for Adele with her eyes. “I don’t believe you. You mean your wife ran into you with another lady at the beach, said nothing and walked away? Are you still married to her?” She asked him incredulously.

“She’s my wife,” Jay responded, adding, “If she has anything to say, she won’t say it here. She’ll wait until we get home.”

 

“She’s one of a kind. If I meet my husband with another woman, I’ll cause a scene,” she said. Jay wasn’t even listening to her. His mind was in a turmoil. What was Adele doing on the beach alone? Or did she come with someone? A man? But there was no one with her. Could Adele have come to the beach alone?

 

Or she came to meet someone? He wondered what to do. Search for her or leave immediately with his mistress? What would he do to her if he saw her? Drag her home? His feet propelled him forward.

 

He had to look for her. What could she be doing on the beach? His mistress, who had watched him move away from her, suddenly ran after him. When she caught up with him, she tugged at his elbow. “Where are you going?”

 

She asked him. “I’m going to look for my wife. What could she be doing on the beach?” Jay fumed.

 

“And what are you doing on the beach with another woman?” She asked him. He stopped and scratched his head. She was right. What was he doing on the beach with another woman?

 

He stood on his toes and stretched his neck, wishing he could see his wife. He saw nothing and gave up. “We have to leave now,” he said suddenly. His mistress’ face contorted in anger.

 

“We barely got here and you want us to leave?” She asked. “Yeah, we have to leave. What if she comes back here now?

 

What if she decides to make trouble with you?” He asked her. “Make trouble with who? I thought you said she won’t want to make trouble in public? Anyway, if she comes here to make trouble, I’d give her double,” she said. “You see?

 

This is why we must leave. I don’t want you women to go for each other’s throats,” he said. As she was about to respond, his phone rang. It was a business call.

 

He answered. After the call, he noticed that he had messages. He read them. The first one was from his wife. “Good morning dear. You left very early this morning. I wanted to inform you that I’d be going to the beach this morning with Blossom, Tracy and CeeCee for a friend’s birthday party.

 

Take care,” his wife’s message read. He sighed! Adele called him in the morning and he ignored her call. If only he had answered that call, it would have spared him this mess he found himself in! But then, was it this morning she knew she would be going for the beach party?

 

Why didn’t she inform him earlier? Adele had wanted to talk to him last last night and he had rebuffed her moves, he knew. “Are you leaving with me or not,” he suddenly asked his mistress and started walking away.

 

She stared at his back for a while and ran after him. For how long would she continue to play the second fiddle, she wondered. ….

 

Adele relaxed in Bolan’s arm. She needed that warmth. Her heart was aching. Jay with that woman again! It was obvious whatever he had with that woman was serious. She would have to fight to get him back or she would find herself without a husband very soon, she reasoned.

 

But, did she want to fight for Jay? Would she do that? A man that spared no thought for her, how would she fight for him? What if, after fighting and winning, he spurned her love? What would she do then? Kill herself?

 

Heavens forbid! She would die of heartbreak if she continued to mind Jay, she realised. So, the best thing would be to try and forget him, she reasoned. She relaxed in Bolan’s arms. She came for a party, she would try and find joy.

 

“This is a pleasant surprise, dear,” Bolan said. I came here for a friend’s birthday and here you are,” he said, patting her back. “I’m also here with friends for a friend’s birthday,” Adele said, laughing. “You look great in your ensemble. And you smell great too,” he said. “Hmmmmmmmmm? And what about you?

 

You look like an Adonis. You’re one,” she told him. He actually looked and smelt good too, as usual anyway. “Now we found each other on the beach today, I won’t let you out of my sight. If I had invited you here, you wouldn’t have come,” he told her. “You have to understand dear,” she said.

 

“Yeah, I understand darling. I’m not complaining. The vulture is a patient bird, you know,” he said. “Are you a vulture?” She asked him. “I’m not a carrion eater, but I’m patient,” he told her with a smile. “Whose party are you here for?” Adele asked him. “One of my tenants,” Bolan said.

 

“I’m here for a friend’s party,” Adele said. “Yeah I know. Blossom told me. It’s not the same party, but we’ll enjoy ourselves here today. This is a welcomed surprise,” he said. Blossom and others were waiting for them. They joined them. It was a funfilled day. Adele saw another side of Bolan.

 

He was fun personified. He was also very gentlemanly. He shuttled between his crowd and Adele’s, making sure she was never alone. When Blossom and Adele found themselves alone, Adele shocked her.

 

“Do you know I ran into my husband with his mistress here on the beach,” she told Blossom. “You lie,” Blossom said with a laugh. “I’m not joking sis. I saw them,” she insisted. “You saw them? Are you serious?” Blossom asked, incredulous. “I did sis. They saw me too,” she said.

 

“They saw you? I thought you were pulling my legs,” Blossom said. “I saw them, they saw me and I walked away,” Adele said. She was close to tears. For the first time, she felt really, really pained. She had tried to ignore the ache in her heart.

 

But this very moment, she couldn’t. She felt humiliated. “You know why it hurts so much? He was out of the house by the time I woke up this morning. I couldn’t talk to him when I got home last night because he was in a foul mood..

When I called him on the phone to inform him that I would be going to the beach this morning, he didn’t answer. I sent him a text message. If he had any regard for me, he would have kept away from this beach, at least for today.. Why bring his mistress to a place he knew I would be? To spite me? Sis, my heart bleeds,”

 

Adele told Blossom. “Sis, this is not the best of places to talk about this. What you just told me is shocking. We’ll talk about it, but not here and now. Pull yourself together. We’ll definitely talk about this,” Blossom said.

 


 

Let’s continue this journey here on Sunday.

 

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to: julietbumah@ gmail.com

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