Sacrilege – Episode 24

Sacrilege – Episode 24

© Adeola Nissi

Teju walked into the room and waited for the door to close behind her before she took slow steps towards the bed ahead. The white mass on the bed was nothing like the man she knew. Her eyes watered as she got to the bed. She had waited several hours, ignored the pain that had her gasping a few times, just waiting for this moment; the time she would be allowed to see Mark Johnson. And now… now, standing before the very person she sought, the words just wouldn’t find their way out of her mouth. But she knew she had to… she had to tell him the truth and hope against hope that just as she had seen in movies, a part of his subconscious could hear whatever she said. She couldn’t bear the thought that Mark might die without knowing the truth. He had to know. Even though she didn’t deserve his forgiveness, he deserved the truth.

A shaky palm ran lightly over the body covered in protective towel as tears coerced down her cheek, falling on the white mass. “I am sorry sir” she finally blotted out amidst tears that she couldn’t seem to stop. She put her hand against her mouth, biting into her finger. She shook her head. “I am so sorry. I never should have… I never should have done that to you… I never should have…” she shook her head again, turning a full three-sixty degrees out of paranoia. She felt so pathetic. “But you should have stopped! You should have” she ground out in bitterness. “But he knew you wouldn’t. He had planned it all, timed it perfectly… our meeting was not a coincidence… that night was not a coincidence… it was all part of a plan.”

She sat at the foot of the bed, not wanting to see Mark’s eyes as she spilled the entire truth. “It was all planned” she said again. “Deolu’s mother met with me and begged me to sleep with Deolu and I agreed for selfish reasons. She needed a grandchild, I needed a child, Deolu and Laura also needed a child, it seemed perfect to me. I found a way to get Deolu into my bed, also with the help of his mother… the part of me that knew I was wrong prayed the affair wouldn’t lead to pregnancy. I thought it wouldn’t, considering their fruitless marriage, but then… one month after, I was faced with another reality.

***** FLASHBACK – TWO MONTHS AGO *****

Teju paced her room, deeply worried. Another missed call. Laura had been calling endlessly and she was too scared to pick up. What if she had found out? She swallowed. A message popped into her phone, making a gentle ding sound. She picked up her phone and enlarged the message, growing pale as she read. Just what I needed! A gentle knock resonated through the room, making her jump.

“Yes?”

“It’s Laura”

Teju froze scarlet, standing transfixed at the middle of the room. Her heart slammed in her chest as she wondered what Laura was doing at her place. Ever since she slept with Deolu about four weeks ago, she hadn’t been able to look Laura in the eye. Her conscience ate away at her every time and she always tried to meeting up with Laura or even Deolu for that matter. But now, Laura was at her door… it wasn’t usual for her to come visiting. First she called severally, now she was here? Something was definitely wrong. Or had she found out? Had she found out about her evil betrayal and was here to give her exactly what she deserved? The hair on her skin stood as fear reared up in her. “One second” her voice finally called back.

Swallowing, she took steps to the door and creaked it open. Laura grinned at her as the door opened and Teju visibly relaxed. “Hey, pretty lady” Laura called.

Teju managed a smile. “Hey you… what are you doing here?”

“Paying a visit, I haven’t seen much of you of late” Laura answered as she pushed into the room. “I was heading to Tito’s place so I decided to drop by since you haven’t been picking my calls” she faced Teju. “What’s up with that anyways?” Teju opened her mouth to give a feeble explanation but Laura turned. “Never mind. You are going to help me with my husband.” She said and sat heavily on the bed.

Teju’s hand grew cold as she finally closed the door and turned to Laura. She frowned. “What do you mean?”

Laura sighed. “He is being too pertinent and stubborn. He wants us to celebrate our sixth anniversary with a small in house party”

Teju swallowed. Her conscience ate at her till she was sure she’d go crazy. She moved to a chair and sank on it. “You want me to do the décor?” she busied herself with pouring Laura a glass of juice.

“No. talk him out of it is what I want”

“You don’t want to celebrate?” “Would you?” Laura’s voice dropped a notch as she accepted the glass of juice and stared intently into it. “It’s been six years, Teju… you really think an anniversary is what I want to be seen celebrating?”

Teju was silent. Her mind went to the text message and quickly discarded it. “Marriage is not only about children, but companionship, love and so much more. If Deolu wants to celebrate, you should” she said. She knew that’s what Deolu would have told Laura also.

Laura blinked looking away. “I knew you’d say that. You and Deolu are always standing together and against me in everything”

Teju froze. “I am sorry… I…”

Laura looked up in surprise with a smile on her face. “I didn’t ask for an apology, I was just kidding” she said.

Tito swallowed. “But you were right” she said, trying to sound casual.

“Well, yeah. It would be nice to have your support sometimes, you know, girl power” Laura said, grinning. She sighed. “But thank you. You know, I never knew I could trust a woman with my husband till I met you. You are amazing. And though guys haven’t been treating you so well, I’m sure God’s only saving the best for last. You totally deserve to be happy, Teju”

***** PRESENT *****

“And those are the words I know would haunt my dreams. I sat there, in front of the woman I had knowingly and consciously betrayed for selfish reasons, unable to say anything as she sang my praises.” Teju shook her head, tears dropping from her eyes. “It was then I understood what Judas felt. It was then I understood why he had to ki*ll himself.” She swallowed. “But evening came… evening came with its own twists and surprises.”

***** TWO MONTHS AGO *****

Teju walked into a small bar. Unlike other bars, its music was always minimal, always giving people the blessing of talking without screaming out their lungs. Teju scanned the tables until she saw the person she was seeking. She walked straight up to the table, pulled back a chair and collapsed into it. Her friend – Dupe, leaned over the table, peering at her. “Well?”

Teju blinked and shrugged, looking down at her lap.

“What’s” Dupe imitated the shrug. “You got the text message, right?”

“Uhn”

“So… Are you going to tell me what it is or not?”

Teju looked up into Dupe’s eyes. She shrugged again. “I don’t know”

Dupe frowned. “What do you mean you don’t know? You didn’t check?”

Teju swallowed. “I couldn’t. God, I’m so scared”

Dupe rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Well, hand it over then” Teju ignored her, staring at her lap. Hissing, Dupe stood fractionally and grabbed Teju’s bag from her lap. She searched the content till she found a white envelope. She tore it open and brought out a white paper which she stretched. Teju seemed to have gone white as she looked up into Dupe’s shielded face. “Well?” it was her turn to be impatient.

There was a brief silence, and then Dupe lowered the paper, giving Teju the full view of her face. “Oh Teju…”

“What?”

Dupe’s face broke into a wide grin. “You are pregnant!”

Teju froze, growing paler. “No…” she gasped.

Dupe was beside herself with joy. “You’re pregnant, girl, you are pregnant”

“Keep your voice down… oh my God” she put her face in her hands. It was what she had wanted originally right? Why did it feel so different now? So… scary…

“I can’t, I am too happy” Dupe jumped to her feet. “Hey guys, I’m about to be a godmother” she said on top of her voice. “Drinks on me”

Teju felt the eyes of the people in the bar poking into her back as they cheered. Shame washed over her face. She wondered if the people would be so enthusiastic if they knew that the father of her child was her married best friend. She blinked back tears as Dupe finally settled in her seat. “I can’t do this, Dupe, I just can’t”

“Can’t do what?” there was a warning in Dupe’s eyes, a deep knowledge of what Teju was about to say.

“He is my best friend, Dupe, and he is married to Laura…” she buried her face in her palms. “Oh God, Dupe, I can’t have this baby”

“Like hell you won’t”

Teju shook her head. “I thought… since they have been married for years without a child that…” she swallowed, looking at Dupe. “Gosh! It was only once”

Dupe grinned. “Why do you think I am so proud of you?”

“Shut up! Shut it, okay? Don’t you get it? Not only does Deolu trust me, Laura does as well. I can’t do this to him… I can’t do this to them. God knows they don’t deserve this” Just the thought of Laura in her apartment as she said those haunting words with so much sincerity in her eyes made her mind up. It didn’t matter that she wanted the child more than anything, what mattered now was that she do the right thing. But what was the right thing? Killing an innocent child? Nothing seemed right.

Dupe rolled her eye, anchored her elbow on the surface of the table and propped her chin on her arm. “Why’d you do it then?”

Teju froze. She hadn’t been expecting that question. “His mother… she… she manipulated me…I told you, right?”

Dupe shook her head. “You sound pathetic; even you do not believe the crap you just spilled. Deolu’s mum’s request didn’t make you do this and you know it. The decision was yours to make”

She swallowed knowing Dupe was right, even more than she could imagine. There were several reasons she had actually gone through with luring Deolu into her bed but the main reason was entirely selfish. And now, the reason she wished to terminate the pregnancy was also partly selfish. Though the thought of the wreckage this fetus would wreck in Deolu’s home scared her, she was also scared to death for another reason. Carrying this pregnancy was at a great risk to her as well. “You won’t understand” Teju finally muttered.

“You’re right, I can’t understand why you would want to let go of the child that holds the keys to everything you always wanted. Like it or not, you are having this baby, even if I have to tie you down for the next eight months, you are having this baby. Do you understand?”

***** Present ***** “I drove home after meeting with Dupe. There were so many unanswered questions. I didn’t know what to do. A huge part of me wanted the child, another part… the coward in me wanted to put an end to it. A part of me was scared to death and remorseful when I thought of the havoc the child would wreck in Deolu’s home, another part of me smiled when I thought of the outcome because I knew somehow, it just might end well.” She shook her head and sighed. “But then I got home and made for my apartment. I didn’t know I had been followed until you showed up… or…” she smiled bitterly. “I initially thought it was you”

***** TWO MONTHS AGO

***** “Congratulations” Teju heard and whirled around. She saw a familiar face. He gave a meaningful glance at her tummy and gave her a cocky smile. “On the baby”

Teju’s heart slammed against her chest. She had seen Tito’s handsome dad at the wedding, it was impossible not to notice someone that looked that good even at his age. She had also seen him on scarce occasions but she didnt think he noticed her. “Mr Mark Johnson” she gasped as he drew nearer. “How did you… How…”

He smiled. “I was at the bar and you were not being too discrete. I have a proposition for you and it’s not Mark.” He stretched his hand. “Frank Johnson”

To be continued

 

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