Cold At Dusk

Chapter Nineteen

In the very silent morning,  the sound of the humming lister generator could be heard. The sound of utensils in the kitchen could also be heard. By that time at dawn, the moon was still  poorly iluminating the garden.

Kamsiriochukwu sliced tomatoes on a chopping board . At short intervals she checked the rice on the burner which she suspected to be almost done. She hummed without a key. She was also mindful of time. She had to finish quick , bathe in her own bathroom  but only dress up for work after Mark had left for work.  It was another Monday she was supposed to report at work. She wanted nothing to ruin it.

She checked the rice again and it was done. She poured it into a seive then put it back on the burner to dry.

"Let me help you "

She turned to meet Mark standing beside the fridge that was at the door that led to the corridor.

"Good morning " she greeted, already scared of what else the morning held.

" What are you making? " He asked.

He walked to where she was standing at the sink and kissed the back of her head before he washed his hands.

"Do you want eggs in your food?" she asked.

" I would love " he replied.

" Get three and beat"

"You always make me do the hardest" he whined like a child .

Brightness slowly crawled through the windows as they cooked and set the dining there after.

Mark went up to his room after eating and Kamsi decided to bathe in one of the bathrooms in the guest room downstairs. She  avoided her husband hearing splashes of water as she showered .

She  wore her little pink nightwear and lay on his bed. She faced the wall pretending to be asleep while she listened to all the sounds he made while he went from bathroom to room. She knew when he sat on the bed and she could also hear the beep sound of incoming notifications. He went into the bathroom and came out again.

"Honey" he called.

Kamsi did not move . He sat on the bed and shook her slightly .

"Your head of service called me. Are you not going to work? "

Kamsi sat up, more alarmed than she should seem for a person pretending to sleep.

" No o. I'm not going to work " she said.

"You should dress up then. I already told him you would be reporting today" He said, standing up.

She could not physically do the victory dance she wanted to do but her heart kept somersaulting nonstop. She was even excited to ask the questions she had.

How did he know the head of service?

How come the head of service called him?

The questions were just there, as irrelevant flies she could ignore. She ignored them and picked a corporate gown to wear with a flat shoe. All that she wore except her underwear was given to her by Michelle yet they fitted her like they were made for her. It made her begin to believe that Michelle shopped for her but did not want to term it that, instead she said they were clothes she had stopped using. She also knew that the call from the head of service was instigated by Joseph.

"Are you done? I want to drop you off " Mark shouted from his room.

"Almost ! " she shouted back.

She applied a light foundation then lip gloss on her lips before she lined her lips with a brown lip liner. She picked up her legendary brown sling bag, held it like a purse and walked to his room.

He was standing in front of the mirror, knotting his tie.

"I'll be done shortly " he said.

Kamsi sat on the bed. She did not mind.. He could take his time. It was still surreal to her that she was waiting for him to take her to work. She knew she did not pray like she should but she was convinced without an ounce of doubt that there was a God in heaven.

"Thank you " she said to the divinity as a mere whisper.

"Let's go" he said.

He walked to where where his suitcase was, on the floor beside the low wooden cupboard that stood close to the bed. Kamsi went down the stairs , her hands clutching her bag infront of her. It was all an act. She wanted to swing the bag in the air as she danced to any fast song that would soothe her excitement.

She was sitting in the parlor when Mark came down. He was dressed in a grey suit with a pink shirt inside. He walked to a sofa and also sat.

"Pass me that stool" he said.

Kamsi positioned the stool infront of him then sat back. He brought out a milk colored envelope and plain paper from his suit case.

" So you Summitted your details before right? "

She nodded, more than curious to know what he was writing.

" What unit were you assigned to? " he asked.

"Records unit" she replied.

Unable to stand the curiosity again, she went and sat on the arm of his chair. He was writing a letter addressed to the head of service with lies concerning her health as the reason she did not report when she was supposed to. She read each line of his very ugly hand writing that looked like curvy lines on the white paper. The only reason she could read it was that she was used to it. She could not even imagine handing anybody that letter.

Mark kept his suitcase on his lap and brought out a wad of money. He put the letter in the white envelope together with the money.

He rubbed his spit on the rim of the envelope to seal it.

" You would give this to him. He knows the family well" he said handing her the envelope.

She took the envelope and carefully put it in her bag.  She felt like a child that was being sent off to school for the first time. The excitement and the curiosity was just alike.

Mark drove her to the local government head quarters . He located the building where the head of service's office was located. The head of service was Mr Ndu. He was a middle-aged man, light skinned with red patches on his cheek. His pot belly seemed to take up a large part of the height he should have had. Kamsi hated the way the man laughed. He laughed too loudly that it seemed forced and fake. That was the same way Mark laughed back in his office, with fake enthusiasm.

The surrounding of her work place was a very large one. Mark asked around and drove to the building where her unit was located not minding that he was late for work.

He went down the long corridor of the building greeting everyone he knew.

"This is my wife" he said,  "She just started working here"

She smiled and followed him around through out. It was like she was being handed over to seniors to watch over her.

Just in a day, every body around her office knew that she was from the Nwoko family, one of the families that were known to be in a good relationship with money.

Kamsi's office was a room smaller than her own room at home yet it harboured alot of people . Some people were standing while others sat and chattered noisily. It was like a nursery school classroom. Her eyes almost bulged out and she held Mark's hand tighter, scared of such a large community. She already knew not to expect much so she kept smiling while Mark did all the introductions. She was going to learn to tolerate outside just like she did at home.