BISI – THE OTHER WOMAN 08
BISI THE OTHER WOMAN EPISODE 8
By Jon Doe
Darkness and light alternated as the car sped down the road heading to nowhere. Power had returned to the lamps lining the street. Rain drops traced a hectic path on the glass. With a finger Namdi followed the path of a single drop until it disappeared into the night . Soon the chair he sat on was as wet as he was, discomfort setting in.
“You sure pick the strangest time to take a walk”
It was a feminine voice. Sweet with a hint of a hidden emotion Namdi couldn’t quite identify. He looked at her but could see little in the poorly lit vehicle.
“Just take it I am a very fine woman. Don’t stress your eyes trying to see.”
“Picking up a stranger is quite brave of you, seeing as you are a, em…”
” You can say it, no need to choke, since I’m a babe. Not a normal thing for me but just broke up with my boyfriend so I am a little…”
“I guess breakups can make you do crazy things.”
“You have no idea. He proposed recently.”
Namdi unconsciously rubbed his empty ring finger.
“Married abi?”
“Why do you say that?”
“You went for your ring finger just now. Hard not to notice”
“Yes, I’m married”
“Did she say yes immediately?”
Namdi thought back then smiled, not giving her an answer.
“I cheated on her today”
The car went silent for a minute, both lost in their thoughts, wipers playing out a rhythm as reliable as a metronome. Sounds of a hard working heater came to the forefront, its attempts valiant but effect minuscule. The road was devoid of life except for them and an approaching traffic light. It made the rounds, from green to amber to red, bringing life to a complete stop.
“Going to do it again?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure… Why am I telling you this?”
“Maybe I’m your guardian angel.”
They laughed. It felt good to laugh Namdi thought. There was silence once again. The red of the traffic light basked Namdi in a garish tinge. The rain reduced to a light shower.
“After he proposed, I thought of forever with him and I just couldn’t see it.”
“Till death do you part, in sickness and in health, through the good and the bad”
“They leave out the -‘in sickness’ ‘the bad’- these days, people don’t want to stick around for those.”
“How did he propose?”
“Sigh, he’s rich, it was one of those shopping mall proposals. I wanted to die.”
Her fingers tightened their grip on the steering wheel. The light turned green but the car did not move. She turned to Namdi.
“I left him there. Just turned around and walked. Got in this car and started driving.”
“Where are you driving to?”
“I don’t know. I truly don’t know… So, what is her name?, the woman you had an affair with.”
A complicated expression appeared on Namdi’s face, it would be the first time he would say her name to another person. He couldn’t help but feel crossing this line would set in motion a series of events he wasn’t ready for. The lights turned red. Still, what is in a name.
“Bisi… Her name is Bisi.”
____
Patiently, Namdi stood as he watched the car disappear down the road. He was a few buildings away from his office. You can’t be too careful he thought. It was a strange car ride. He looked up at the now dry heavens, stars hidden away by the bright lights of the city center. Barefoot, he began to walk, soon reaching the gates of ‘SHAGARI INSURANCE’. He ignored the surprised looks of the men who manned the gates. With a quick sweep he found his car still there in a now sparse parking lot. Searching pockets for his car keys his fingers bumped into his phone instead. He lacked the courage to look at it knowing what he would find.
Car keys in hand Namdi stopped at the trunk of his car looking around as it opened. He was alone. Within the boot of the car were sets of clothing. With one last look around, Namdi began to strip. Each piece of clothing he peeled off left his body lighter. From his pocket he brought out his wallet, ribbon and phone; placing them in the trunk. Still feeling slightly damp, he ripped open a dry cleaning poly bag grabbing the shirt within as a makeshift towel. Before it reached his body he stopped. It was the Brioni. First gift she had ever got him. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time; that is till he wore it. Nothing he had owned had felt so right on his body, giving him a feeling of eminence. Later, with a quick google search, the price tag had begun their first of many fights on how much she spent on him. With reverence he folded it placing it back in the bag. Retrieving another shirt he began to towel himself down. His phone lit up.
A single message displayed on its screen. “Where are you?”. It was nearly 9 p.m. Picking up the phone, Namdi began to type. Each line of text he wrote, he would delete seconds later. Over and over he typed and deleted, every answer inadequate. Frustrated he dropped the phone, quickly dressing up. Grabbing his wallet he emptied it. Out came different atm cards and a single photo. With the shirt he dried the plastic cards in his wallet. With extra care, he tentatively dried the photo placing it in his pocket. Phone in hand he got into the drivers seat turning on the car. Thoughts of lies, of throwing the phone out the window and declaring it stolen were addressed and discarded. Unable to think of anything else Namdi grabbed the steering wheel and screamed. Over and over he screamed at the top of his lungs. The sound proof Mercedes allowed no sound to escape. Veins on his neck and throat began to bulge and strain; his vocal muscles stretched to the limit. He screamed till his voice was hoarse; till his throat was parched, dry and throbbing with pain.
Pulling out of the building he headed home. The roads were nearly empty, the recently stopped rain keeping drivers off the slick streets. Namdi gripped the wheel tighter, foot pressing on the gas pedal. Picking up speed the car splashed rain water to the sides, a man made waterfall reaching heights that would dwarf a masquerade on stilts. The car sped down the street a traffic light on amber rapidly approaching. He wouldn’t make it. Still, Namdi pressed harder on the accelerator. At the point of no return the light turned red. He completely ignored it knowing he would not be able to slow down in time. From the corner of his eye he saw a truck making its way into the intersection, their paths destined to meet.
Slamming the break Namdi swung the wheel, fishtailing from one side of the road to the other. The tires struggled to gain traction on the wet slippery road as the car barreled towards the intersection. With a hairs breath to spare the Mercedes careened past the truck coming to a stop just after the intersection. The nose of the car faced the concrete barrier dividing the express 2 lanes away. His heart pounding, gasping for breath, Namdi wiped beads of sweat from his forehead. To his right, his phone thrown to the floor flashed. It grabbed his attention for a split second before his gaze returned to what was in front of him. A thought came to him while staring at the concrete barrier. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. Checking to make sure his seat belt was still on he slammed his foot on the accelerator. Closer and closer the barrier came. He braced himself as metal met concrete. The car hit the barrier head on with a sickening crunch. Metal crumpled, air bag deployed and a seat belt dug into the chest of Namdi, his consciousness rapidly fading to black.
To be continued
this bad