BOUND TO MY NEMESIS

15~ Mère Amour

The girl staring back at me was so me, but a stranger too how did he pull it off my head shot up my eyes asking all the questions my mouth was too heavy to ask, the grumpy Dan did my makeup, the very same one who has frowned a major part of the years I've known him WHERE DID HE LEARN IT?, I wanted to shout at him and demand an answer but he wasn't the kind of man you could do that to, my fingers traced my perfectly drawn arched brow which looked natural, how did he manage to draw a proper eyebrow while I can't even draw a single line well, my eyeliner was on point, perfectly winged. I pouted my lips mourning my talentless self within me, this is so embarrassing, the most embarrassing thing I've ever experienced and heard of.

"Why the long face, are you not happy with the look?" he asked his brows creasing "No uh" I blinked ordering my mind to come up with an answer,what could I say was the problem, that I was a little angry and jealous that he knew more about makeup than I did?.

I envy this talent I just discovered he has , I blinked again shaking my head to clear the thought forming in my mind, who taught him ?was it a girl?, who was she to him? Did he practice it on her?

My heartbeat picked up, does he paint the face of other women touching them in the name of "makeup" I looked into the mirror again the thought of wiping it more appealing by the second. "You can wipe it if you don't want it" my eyes shot up meeting his intense gaze in the mirror, the look I had on my face wasn't that much different from his, a deep scowl donned his face "Thanks" I whispered rising from the stool, the joy that had been budding within me crashed, why was I even worried about a man who always has our marriage on the edge. I closed my eyes counting in descending order from 5 then opened them stretching my lips in the most forced smile I've ever pulled, "Thanks I really loved it, I'm ashamed I couldn't do it, I mean being a young girl" I rolled my eyes back shaking my head " I mean a young lady in my early 20s and not knowing how to do the minimal makeup" I quickly corrected, why did I even call myself a girl a tsked a little watching his retreating figure "You have 20 minutes to dress up, hurry we're running late" it wasn't as if we were traveling to another region I wanted to rebuke but kept quiet and pushed the door to my large semi walk-in closet, it wasn't the big walk-in closets that were shown on TV, it was just the right size for my clothes. My dresses fit in and there was quite a respectable space I could move about. I huffed watching the rows of arranged and hanged clothes contemplating on which to wear, a long dress felt appealing but this is the time I'm going out since we got married, I'm suppose to wear something native, an African print sounded more appealing to wearing shadda, my shoulders shuddered when I pictured myself in the flaky garment, and the required tailoring style of the "married woman" African prints irks me they are my least favorite of all dresses *kaba and slit* (side slit skirt and blouse) I shrugged as I pulled a green skirt and blouse my head already swollen from the compliment cum tease I'll receive from mom, she knows just how much I hate this form of dressing and promised not to ever wear it, she had called on my bluff and told me it was all talk, I sighed as I pulled the skirt up tying the strings waistband, it clung like a second skin perfectly outlining my lower figure, I swallowed hard wondering if I could go out in that, I shook my head pulling the blouse down my head, though I'm not that blessed in the bosom department it still fitted maybe that's why I've been hesitant on wearing kaba and slit deep down I was afraid it wouldn't look nice on me, I turned around watching my unzipped blouse I pulled it up but my hand couldn't go all the way up, I huffed thinking of a way to do it without having to call Dan, as if on cue the door was knocked "Uh I'm coming I just uh....ouch" I groaned when the teeth of the zipper bit into my skin, " I think I need a little help" I blurted still pushing it with no success , I just keep giving him more reasons to give me the you're a dummy look, what woman doesn't know her way around not just make up but her dresses too.

I swallowed hard when I heard the door creak, released the zip handle and started fidgeting with the edges of my dress, I heard the sound of the zipper go down then the smooth sound of it going up again, it was such an easy task and I couldn't even do it, way to go Salma he probably thinks you are the most stupid person ever, you can't wear a simple dress on top of knowing nothing about makeup."Are you done?" he questioned his eyes slowly tracing down my body, I could have sworn I had turned all shades of pink but I'm dark, dark skinned people didn't blush, but, why did my cheeks feel hot ?and why couldn't I meet his gaze, I shook my head and headed to the closet to snug an abaya, my abaya collection were on the first row, I pulled a black baggy one with huge hands and pressing buttons in the front, I pushed in one hand mumbling my supplication as I pushed in the other, I tsked when I saw the gazillion buttons I had to clasp, they were not a gazillion but they were downright annoying. I stood in front of the mirror for a better look as I clasped it one after the other, then placed its long black veil on my head, "where is the scarf of the print", I turned sharply startled, creasing my brows, what print was he talking about? I looked down at the dress beneath the black over cloth and realized I hadn't tie the scarf of my garment, my teeth gritted , I'm just going to mom's place was there a need to do that, besides who would tied that huge 2 yard cloth around her head when there is a veil she can flip around her head. I watched the hand clasped around my wrist as he pulled me and followed,a sigh escaped my lips after I dropped on the stool, looking off at the bed like it was the most amusing thing on earth, I was so lost in my thoughts I didn't notice what he was doing I blinked a few times before realising he was actually tying the cloth around my head, I felt like bursting into full blown tears, wailing and blowing my nose as I mourn my incompetence as a woman why me? Of all the girls in the world why me?.