JEALOUSY IN DEATH

29.

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29. Desiree

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Desiree left the house for a much needed alone time. She was glad to have escaped Bobo and all the talks of wanting a baby. It was exhausting trying to explain to him that a baby wasn't just something you asked for and got immediately. Well, he hadn't listened.

She had even gone to Lucas to advise him to get the boy a pet. It could be a dog or cat or even a rabbit, something to take his mind off wishing for a baby. Lucas had said he wasn't ready to have a pet in the house and she'd let the matter go. She got home and took a nap. She was going to meet Sandra that night and she needed to rejuvenate her body and mind before leaving the house.

When she woke up in the evening, she took a shower and dressed in a playsuit and strappy sandals. Sandra wanted her to come to her house and Desiree agreed since she wasn't in the mood for a typical night out. She took an old bottle of wine from her stash and drove out in her mini cooper.

Sandra was in her pajamas holding a bowl of battered eggs when Desiree got to her house. "Hey, come in."

"Thanks. I don't think I've ever seen you in this fit."

Sandra laughed at the tease and closed the door. She showed Desiree to a sofa while she went back to the kitchen. Desiree followed her to the kitchen instead and handed her the wine she brought.

"What are you making?"

"Meat pie. My neighbor's son is celebrating his tenth birthday and I'm trying to be a good person."

"That's nice."

"I help the boy with his home works and he kind of looks up to me."

"Can I help?"

"Yes, I really do need a hand. Help me coat the pie with the egg yolk."

"Hand me the brush."

Desiree helped Sandra with the pies while she opened and poured them the bottle of wine.

"I have to warn you though."

"What?"

Sandra cleaned her hands on her pants. "I'm not so good with friendships. I give my all but it just never works out."

"I get it. It's not as difficult as you think, you just have to reciprocate most things like checking in, buying gifts, keeping secrets and the likes."

"I attract users. Most of my friends only call me when they need something."

"I'm not going to use you. Did you talk to Jamal after that night?" She moved on from the awkward prep talk.

"Not really. I see him at work and we greet each other but that's all."

"I thought you were interested in him."

"I still am but I had a rethink. My job is too important for me to have an affair with a colleague."

Desiree sipped her wine. "Smart, he can't fault you for choosing your career."

"Are you seeing anyone?"

"My life is complicated right now, I'm not sure you'll understand."

"Try me."

She rubbed her neck. "I like my boss."

"Geez, Dee. Let's go to the living room." Sandra carried the wine bottle and they made themselves comfortable on the sofa. "Tell me everything."

"It's too messed up."

"Just say it anyhow you can."

Desiree told Sandra about Lucas' initial behavior and how he always ignored her. Then she talked about the day of the storm and the kiss that followed when she pecked him. She wasn't sure whether to talk about the freakish thing that happened after the kiss or the smoke.

"What is it?"

"I don't know but the first day I slept in the house, I came out of the bathroom and everywhere was suddenly cold."

"What are you getting at?"

"Nothing. I just know something weird keeps happening. That same night I woke up and smelt smoke."

"It could be a dream. Some dreams are very vivid."

"True, but I smelt it again after we kissed and you won't believe this, the key mysteriously disappeared."

"Did you find it?"

"Much later. It was back in its usual position."

"You probably put it there without knowing."

"That's a possibility but I'm sure I didn't."

"Did anything happen after the kiss?"

"One night he came back late and we had a moment."

"Explain a moment."

"No sex, just him going down on me."

"Jesus! Are you serious?"

"Yea, but it didn't happen again."

"Why not?"

"I think he still has a wife."

Sandra put her glass down. "Are you saying he's cheating?"

"I think so. He told me she wasn't around and he also said he didn't like being touched. Sounds like guilty conscience to me."

"Who doesn't like being touched?"

"You see? I knew something was wrong when he told me that. What if his wife is out of the state or country making a living and he is here cheating on her with me?"

"I wouldn't put anything past some men, but I don't know this one so I have no comment."

Desiree sniffed the air. "I think the meat pie is burning."

Sandra knocked her wine glass over as she ran to the kitchen. When Desiree joined her in the kitchen, she saw Sandra salvaging some of the pies.

"I think we should just eat this, more than half is burnt."

"What will you give the celebrant then?"

"I'll order cake online."

"Or we could make another batch."

"No, I'm not doing this again," she said adamantly.

Sandra served three of the better looking meat pies on a plate and carried it to the living room while Desiree walked behind her.

"So, what are you going to do about your boss?"

"I'll do my work and try not to think of him."

"Or you could trust him enough to know that if he had a wife, he wouldn't be kissing you."

"Is it weird that I still want him? He's just so different and he can be kind and playful when he wants to be."

"He can't be your only choice. Go out more, there are plenty of good guys out there waiting to sweep you off your feet."

"I don't want that but you're correct, he truly isn't my only option."

"Will you watch TV with me? Let's forget about men and their issues for now."

"Yea." Desiree ate the meat pie as Sandra picked a romcom to watch.

She went home when it got darker. There was nothing Sandra told her that actually helped her issue with Lucas. She couldn't go on a date with other people if she liked someone else. She also knew she hadn't dreamt about the smoke, she'd smelt it and saw it and no one could tell her differently.

She got home and decided to give herself a well-deserved skin pamper. She used facial mask on her face and thoroughly scrubbed and moisturized her skin. Her nails got her attention next, she soaked her feet in her pedicure bowl and ate agbalumo as she read an article on global marketing.

She thought about Lucas and knew she should have spent the weekend with him and Bobo. It was just that she couldn't properly rest whenever she was with them. Bobo took joy in doing whatever she did so if he saw her wearing a mask, he'd have asked for her to smear some on his face while Lucas would be at the background pretending not to notice what was going on. Getting to bed early was also out of question because she stayed up at night waiting by the curtain for Lucas to emerge from the swimming pool, his late night swim was her recent motivation to stay up late. Some days she thought of joining him and on others, she was content to simply watch.

The weekends she spent at home involved daydreaming of Lucas knocking on her door. They could get to know each other outside his home and she could ask all the questions she usually push to the back of her mind when at work. She sometimes wondered if she wasn't being silly suspecting that he had a wife. He wouldn't have taken her that night if he had someone he was waiting for. The moment had felt too intense to not be real.

She could learn to keep her hands to herself if that was what he really wanted. She'd teach him how not to be scared or worried about her touch as they progressed but they needed to start somewhere first. Everything else had to be secondary and she needed to forget about jammed door, lost key and sudden smoke.

Desiree scrubbed her feet and filed her toe nails before choosing a white nail polish from her large collection. She got into bed after the polish dried knowing she was willing to start something with Lucas.