My Fault???

The worst part of this story was not the beating but the fact that none of this was my fault. There was a rivulet of blood from my nostril. I was dying, and he knew he should stop, but he couldn’t. My body sagged, and sounds from me were those of a woman soon to leave her life behind.  I tried to tell myself that I was still at the wedding reception, but the hard punching landing on every part of my fragile body kept bringing back my senses and consciousness back to reality; my trip to the car to park to pack in the gifts for the bride. I saw him coming. My head turned and smiled back at him as he approached in his usual graceful way. We’ve been good friends all these years despite what happened. Even when we argued and I run my quick tongue, he never for once, raise his hand up against me.  I couldn’t have thought that a day would come when he would want me dead.

“I brought you into my circle of friends!” Henry lashed out defensive of his anger.

“If it weren’t for you there wouldn’t be Moore in this circle and Patrick falling in love with her.”

His glittering blood shot eyes continued to bore into me. If he wasn’t pining, me down with his strong arm, I would run. I could scream also but nobody would hear me. Everybody right now all seemed to be carried away gleeful of joy for the newly wed. Besides, the house was a mile long.

“Look at the way she’s made them worked. Why didn’t you do that for us? Why did you not make us happen?”

“But that is not the real reason you are doing this, is it?”

Henry, in mid-rant, was thrown by the question. “Of course it is! He insisted.

‘You are a liar.’

‘I’m not!’

‘You are just jealous I moved on a long time and my life would never be bad as yours. Your life is distorted Henry – you are shackled. ‘

I couldn’t but run my tongue with the strength remaining to me.

“Marriage has mocked you. You are bounded for life to a woman you despised, you catholic fool! Darkness isn’t ever going to depart from you!”

A stinging slap across my face flew blood out of my mouth. I told myself that If I survive this awful situation, my lingering memory would be of a monstrous ex. Pounding into me.

At twenty-nine Henry Zacharias began to do well at the oil company where he worked. It was years since he had been praying for promotion.  Eventually he was promoted from junior accountant to chief accountant. And with the promotion came chains of women.

At 36 with her delicate features and baby face maintained by plastic surgery Loren could still pass as the same age with a twenty year old woman. And she ruthlessly maintained the lie when she met Henry on an online dating forum. Meeting Loren was like sunshine after a dark cloud. A sophisticated, rich lady, what a dream come true! He invited her over and Loren plans worked out as she had set out to ensnare him. He was so charmed that he fell for every lie which swept him along though a whirlwind courtship to the altar and in the passage of months, good changed to evil. He discovered all her lies, but too late.

“How is that my fault? You were saying yes I do to me before you even got to know me.” Loren yelled sarcastically in Henry’s face.

“Our faith or your father’s money would not stop me from divorcing you.”

“And I would certainly stop at nothing, until my father disinherit; you of all that his money has enabled you to established. Or have you forgotten that you lost your job the week we got married? It is not your money that has been doing the magic, you dumb ass!” She sneered. “You are mine Henry, for life!” She pushed him out of the way marching out of their master bedroom.

As everything has its own beginning, my meeting with Henry did. And this was how it all began.

Lachach was one of the hottest clubs in Lagos. Situated inside Maryland, it was co-owned by two friends.

Kemi Dollar, my friend of seven years was the chief of hooker organizer. She enjoyed it, but pretended indifference. Life was fun for her. Every Fridays was party for her and her peers. Lachach was perfect business place for the morally decadents hiding under the cover of clothes.  On Friday and Saturday nights, the semi call girls, the proper call girls, the prostitutes, the semi good girls took their lives in their hands and drove or chattered a cab down to Lachach to get laid and be paid.

In Kemi’s car, we cruised into the club one late Friday. The only reason I came along was because it was my Friend’s birthday and this was where she had decided to celebrate it.

To my annoyance when we got to the dancing floor all the men there was trying to hit on me. None of them could have a dance without their hands slightly going down on the butt in spite of the fact that I made it very clear I was not one of them. And plus the air sticky with their cigarettes smoke, staying out of their faces seemed to be the only way to avoid their irritating come-ons.

‘Hi,’ I replied a guy who greeted me as I moved quickly to sit down and be alone.

‘Tough trip, isn’t it?’ Henry was standing before me. He introduced himself as he took a seat. This was how we met. This was how our love affair began. He wouldn’t let go as though I was going to be his last. Despite my uptight scruples that always surfaced where ever I went and my one way nature to keep to just one man when I am in a relationship, Henry didn’t treat me less than all those decoded call girls. And overtime we went our separate ways, especially when the promotion set in.

Heavy eye lids though, but this wasn’t about nudging into sleep. I looked around, everything looked blurred. Fingers relaxing. My head tilting slowly. Then I was motionless.

 “Dead?” A voice in my head questioned.

 I was slipping away into void, am I going to die, oh, God, don’t let me die. A little beyond I could hear the banging of iron. It was bell, it began to toll. The melancholy resonance seeped through my slaked body leaving me floating above the car in the air, watching my pathetic ex wept helplessly. I was dead. That’s what it means when you leave your body. He was shouting my name right now.

“Wake up Rachel, please don’t do this to me.” He was shedding tears profusely .” I love you.” He sank down on the ground crying the more and violently shaking.

Some angels dressed in snow white garments, pulled me up. I was in their midst in a court yard of some sort that was as white as them. It was not a court yard I discovered, but a white painted room. There was a bright fluorescent. Blinking, I adjusted my eyes to the light. I was in a hospital in mainland surrounded by friends and my boyfriend Greg. I had been in a coma. I was badly bruised and cut, but no internal injuries sustained, said the Doctor.  

Greg moved softly to my bedside and leaned over for a whispers, “Kim, are you seriously alive?”

Still very weak, unable to make out words yet, I grabbed his hand.

“My God!” he swung around “She is alive!”

Everyone went on rambling about what they would do to Henry. How they would make sure he rotten in jail.

The rest of you may God save you from deranged, weak minded ex that might want to take out their mistakes on you!