[Continued from The Gambler II]
For a moment, Job stands at the door without saying anything. He is completely dazed. Before he can process what is going on, Fiona comes to the door. She is wearing a tiny nightdress, one of those that she puts on when he is spending the night.
“Is there a problem babe?” she asks. She looks surprised to see him, so Job is not sure whether that babe was meant for her or for the naked young man. But she gathers her composure quickly. “Please come in. Dave this is my boyfriend Job. Let him in.”
“And who is this Dave?” Job asks, finally coming to his senses.
“He is my younger brother. He studies in Australia, and decided to pass by before going home. Please come in.”
Job is not entirely convinced, but he walks into the house anyway. He is emotionally disoriented and not in the mood of getting into another fight so soon after the drama at the pub.
“I am starving. Is there food in this house?”
“We have already eaten. But don’t worry I can quickly prepare something for you.”
“Thanks darling,” he says and then turns to Dave. “Why don’t you dress up? You can’t stay naked.”
“You are not my father…”
“Behave yourself and dress up, Dave. Job is the man of this house, and he is right. You can’t stay naked in the house,” Fiona says as she heads to the kitchen. She is sounding very much like the big sister.
Dave rises from his seat. Job can see he is furious, and for a moment he (Job) thinks he (Dave) is going to hit him. But Dave walks slowly towards the bedroom to change. He is fuming on the inside, but he cannot do anything about it because when he started dating Fiona he knew that she had a sponsor. The arrangement has not been making him happy, but it has been working. He gets free food and regular sex with the fine girl that he absolutely loves without having to spend a dime on her. As long as he doesn’t see Job, and as long as they don’t talk about him, then he is okay. She, on the other hand, gets the bragging rights on campus. He is the man every girl on the campus desires. He is a model and also the captain of the University’s rugby team.
Dave ordinarily comes into Fiona’s house at around 9pm, which is usually long after Job has gone home to his wife. Fiona always keeps dinner for Dave, which she warms when he arrives. More often than not they watch a movie together. Sometimes they make love, other times they just cuddle to sleep.
Tonight Fiona called Dave and told him that Job would not be coming. It was already past 9pm, and Job never comes to her house that late. Besides, he calls ahead. She knew that the Manchester United game had ended, yet he had not called to say he was on the way. It was therefore safe to assume that he had gone home to his wife. Dave came and took dinner and then took a shower in preparation for sex. That was when someone knocked.
Dave had never seen Job, and he always assumed that he is the typical sponsor: a potbellied, elderly or middle aged man in an ill-fitting suit. So when an athletically built man in jeans and a Manchester United shirt showed up at the door, he had no way of knowing that that was the Job who bankrolls Fiona.
Now, as he dresses, he is feeling humiliated. He has to play second fiddle to another man, taking orders like a small boy, just because this other man has money. He silently wonders whether it is really worth it. True, he is really attracted to Fiona; he is so infatuated that he plans to marry her. But in moments like these he wonders whether it is a good idea to marry a woman he knows sleeps with another man for money. Fiona is a nice girl. She is sweet and loving; she dresses decently and is a good cook. She even stopped taking alcohol and now goes to church every Sunday. She would be the perfect wife except for the fact that she is willing to sleep with a man for money, and cheat on that man with the boyfriend she loves but who is broke. Dave has no doubt that he will make money in the future. But can he trust Fiona as a wife? What if twenty years into the marriage she falls out of love and starts sleeping with a younger man?
For now, he is out to have fun; and he probably has had enough with Fiona. It is probably time he ended his obsession with her. Perhaps it is time to find another babe. That cannot be difficult because girls are always drooling over him, and he in fact sleeps with many of them especially on weekends when Fiona is busy entertaining her sugar daddy. That is the other advantage of dating Fiona: he is able to have flings while keeping a steady, trophy girlfriend; a trophy that doesn’t cost him a dime to maintain. Maybe he should suck it up and stick with Fiona. The advantages of staying with her far outweigh the disadvantages.
“Siz, I am stepping out briefly,” he says calmly, ignoring Job.
“Okay bro, but don’t stay out late. This is not Australia. You might get mugged,” Fiona replies. At this moment she really resents Job. She had hoped he would be staying for a short period then rushing home to his wife. But he doesn’t look like he is leaving, and Dave must have noticed that. She knows he is not coming back tonight; he is going back to campus and he will not spend the night alone. She had been really looking forward to spending the night in Dave’s large arms because Dave is a very attentive lover. He actually cares about her feelings, and makes her feel special. Job usually doesn’t care; in bed, he is usually just interested in satisfying his own needs before rolling in bed to sleep.
*
Tabitha is preparing to go to work, having put the children on the school bus, when a police car pulls up on the compound. Tabitha’s first thought is that her husband is dead. It is almost eight in the morning, and he is yet to show up at the house. He has never been this late; whenever he sleeps out, he is usually in the house by six in the morning.
Tabitha is surprised at the indifference she is feeling at the thought of Job’s death. They have been married for six years, but he has been nothing but a headache for the last three. They have three children. The twin boys are four years old, but they also live with Job’s eight year old daughter from a previous relationship. Tabitha has been taking care of her since she was two years old, right from the day she married Job. The little girl was delivered at their doorstep by the mother a day after they got home from their honeymoon. The girl represents the fact that Job cheated on her while they were dating, and they actually fought about it and nearly separated; but Tabitha loves the girl like her own daughter. When she dumps Job, she intends to take the girl with her; she doesn’t think he will protest, because he doesn’t have the capacity to care for anyone, much less a young girl.
“Is this the house of Job Ekera?” one of the cops asks. Both police officers are very young, and they have the excitement of new recruits.
“Yes it is. Is there a problem?”
“Is he home? Can we speak to him?”
“He did not come home last night.”
“Do you know where he is?”
Tabitha smiles at the cops.
“I guess you can check in any of the brothels in this town; or in the female hostels at the university or any of the colleges around. If you are lucky, you might find him at his desk in the steel factory. Why are you looking for him anyway?”
“He almost killed a man in a bar last night. We want him for attempted murder. If you see him, let us know. Otherwise you will be guilty of being his accomplice.”
Tabitha wants to make a snide remark but decides it is not worth it. So she gives the cops a hard stare until they retreat to their car and drive away.
*
“Aren’t you going to work?” Fiona asks. She woke early and has been itching to talk to Dave. She knows he was humiliated last night, and she wants to set the record straight. But she cannot call him with Job in the house.
“I already texted my boss and told him I will need a few days off. I will just go to the office to fill my leave forms. Then I will come back and we will officially start our honey moon. We will spend the next few days lazing around in bed.”
“What about your wife and children?”
“Forget about them. You are my wife now. In fact, I am moving in today. I will pass by my house to pick my clothes to bring them here. You and I will never be apart again my love.”
Fiona feels like screaming. She can pretend to love him for a few hours a day, cooking for him and offering her body to him just so he can bankroll her life. But be his wife? Absolutely not. She is too young to be a wife; and if she were to marry someone, that person would be Dave. She has to find a way to send him back to his wife so that she can remain in her position as a mistress.
(Continued Here)
Image by Andy Ketaren from Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/photos/dark-without-expression-black-face-1021956/
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