I was devastated when I finally had the strength to go check the damage. The store room was the only room to have escaped the fire. Everything I have ever worked hard for was lost in just a matter of hours, first Raymond and now the shop.
Looking at my workers standing just as helpless as I was in the burnt building, added to my sadness. It's not easy getting a new job in Lagos. Some of them have children and others sick parents to take care of with the money they make from the shop.
Sick parents, that had my eyes roaming the shop to locate Bose. A cold shiver ran down my back, it was to everyone's knowledge that Bose sometimes come to shop during weekends and stays the night working in the shop, though I frown against it but she never listens and It's odd to not see Bose among the rest of the workers at a time like this, "Where is Bose?" It came out as a whisper but I guess they all heard me because all of them turned to look at each other like to ask the same question. Come to think of it, it was odd that Bose was not the one that called to inform me of the fire but Benjamin.
"She complained of a headache on Friday before we got off from work and said she did stop by the clinic and I tried calling but her phone was switched off." Benjamin said from where he stood close to the entrance.
"What you're trying to say is that she probably wasn't in the shop this weekend?"
"Yes ma'am and the firemen confirmed that there wasn't anyone hurt in the accident." He understood where my thoughts ran to not seeing my friend.
I was relieved beyond imagination hearing Benjamin. At least she was sick, not burnt alive. "Okay, you can all go home. Thank you for today, I'll get in touch…" the tears I tried holding back since I woke up from my unconscious state choked me. They all nodded in understanding before tricking out, leaving me alone in my burnt down shop.
I texted Greg where I was going before locking the shop and headed to Bose's house. I know with her I don't have to hold back my sorrow but unbeknownst to me seeing her would leave me beyond devastated.
*'Few minutes past 7pm that same evening, I felt like committing murder, to stop the ache in my heart officer.'
I arrived at Bose's house that evening with the hope of checking on her and to have a shoulder to cry on but the ceiling came falling on me completely.
Her door was unlocked when I came, so I entered her sitting room without knocking the door only to find it empty. So I checked the kitchen before heading to her bedroom. I've not to be cautious because she leaves alone.
The bedroom door was slightly ajar and like being struck by lightning, I looked at the scene in front of me in shock. A man was kissing Bose passionately under the dimly lit room by her bedside. At first I couldn't make out the man because his bare back was facing me…
"Stop teasing me." The man warned as he pulled her closer to his body by her waist.
"I'm not teasing you," Bose responded in an annoyed tone, "why will you allow the stupid pig to touch you?!"
"Babe, I told you she'll surely pay for what she did but for now I'm so hard for you." The man pinched her nipples making her to morn.
"I badly wish to do it in front of her, show her who you really belong to." Bose swiftly pulled down his trouser releasing his erection before smashing her lips to his.
I tried to hold back my tears. I really tried but I could feel them trickling down my face. Who could have thought the person I called friend, who I thought has my back would be cheating with my Ray and talking bad about me while doing that.
"I'll be on top today, you owe me that…" Bose changed their position and nudged him towards the bed, strangling his waist with her thighs.
I couldn't step away from the door, even as they mourn and his hips rise to meet hers in a frenzy of passionate love making. My feet were rooted, I felt my world fall apart as Bose threw her head back and our eyes clashed as she shook with her first orgasm.
I watched as her lips stretched into a sinister smile before screaming his name as he buried himself deep inside her, grunting like a pig in pain but I know better.
Two years ago, I met a sweet, friendly soul fresh out of university desperately looking for work because of a sick parent back at home. Taught her how to make a bit of money by cutting and sewing, trusted and loved her like the sister I never had and confided in her with all my worries in this world. But as it turned out, everything I did merely ended towards stripping me naked and leaving me in pain. No! This must be a dream, just a horrible nightmare.
I continued to lie to myself until Bose stood up, switched on the main bedroom bulb, pulled the door wide open and landed a slap on my cheeks.
"That's for hitting my fiance and this one is for…" she raised her hand for the second time but I was already fully awake by then. And before she could succeed with her mission, I caught her hand mid air and landed my own slap across her face without hesitation; it was ten times more powerful than the one I received
Not only Bose was stunned by the slap as a handprint slowly appeared on her right cheeks, Raymond too was stunned. It happened so fast; me appearing from nowhere and the slap…
I don't know if it was the cold aura I gave off at that moment or the icy anger in my eyes but everything froze.
Raymond tried to say something, but nothing came out and I took the opportunity to push Bose from my way and get to the naked Raymond. I lifted my right hand and hit him so hard that he fell bare butt to the floor. I didn't let him recover from the hot slap, I pounced on him like a mad woman kicking, punching and hitting him with anything my hand can reach.
...I didn't hold back. There was not even the slightest of fear in me at that moment, all that remained was pain and anger. I had the urge to kill the disgusting bleeding man on the floor and if it wasn't for the bedside lamp shattering on impact with my head, I could've committed murder that night.
It was Bose, she smashed the lamp on my head but surprisingly I felt no pain from it. The pain in my heart has numbed all the free nerve endings, it has clouded the feeling of any physical pain.
She was terrified but that didn't shut her mouth up, "you think everyone is as stupid as you are. He was there showering you with love, care and affection and you were busy complaining every single chance you got. And you expect me to stand at the side lines looking at something good to just pass without me acting. I really wonder why and how I was able to cope with your ever so annoying personality all this…"
"Since you think I'm a stupid pig, then I might as well act stupid and dirty. What do you say?"
Bose's eyes grew wide as I took one step after another towards her. As she had never seen me this mad before, she took cautious steps back but from all indications she has run out of luck because she ended up cornered by me.
I looked at the lady I once called a friend with so much disdain; it was obvious to Bose that she was going to suffer in my hand and the useless male lying almost lifeless could do nothing to help her. So, she grabbed my arm,"Timi we can…"
"You've lost the right to call my name." I sneered as I slapped her, this time on the other cheeks. But I had to shake my hand twice because it seems I used too much force.
"Please stop, I'm with child." She grabbed my hand again in utter desperation. And that got me, even with the pain and anger I'm in, I couldn't continue hitting her because I won't be any different from the monster in the room.
I moved away from her as I saw a flash of a similar situation, "you choose to cheat with this monster and that's the biggest mistake of your life Bose."
"He…"
"Thanks to you I lost the shop too," I interrupted her. "Please, don't come looking for me." Confusion but no remorse was written all over her face. I didn't wait another second in the house after saying that.