Cold At Dusk

Fifty Two

Mark knew the night. He was familiar with driving at night but he had always had a reason to be out by that time of the night but that day, he did not understand what happened in his home, how the world had tumbled and dangled upside down before him.

He checked Kelechi into a room in a hotel just to ensure her safety. None said a word to the other before they parted. He paid for just a night so she should know better to leave for her school at Umudike the next morning or return home. At that point he did not care much.

He was filled with so much regrets. What if he had just let Kamsi be a woman? Women are stubborn, women love to argue, women love drama. He could have understood, he could have tolerated.

He could not apologize for all the wrong he did. He did not have an excuse and he knew that Kamsi would never believe he never stopped loving her. She would never believe that the past few days were difficult for him and Kelechi came to him at his weakest. She would never believe that the women outside meant nothing more than the soothing of a moment arousal. That was all but she would never understand.

As he drove  closer to home, his heart beat faster maybe because he knew he was going to hang his head low for days in a guilt that would not show on his face because he would try as much as he could to run his home as a man. He was just going to learn to listen to her needs.

He did not know the words he would say to get her to release the files he was looking for. That was another thought that caused his heart beat to increase more than normal.

'How did we get here? ' He asked in the emptiness of the car.

He parked infront of the gate and hooted severally but no one opened the gate. He came down and banged on the gate but there was no reply.

He returned to the car, slamming his head on the steering, he groaned, "Not this night "

It could not just be. He was still saving his sanity to explain the situation of the missing files to the company the next day. He had a hard-copy in his device but a printed signature could be easily acquired. He had lost the proof of ownership of the land, the one signed with a pen. He felt so careless, so stupid.

He hit his balled fist on the steering and the car hooted in response. He waited but there was no gate opening. He decided to drive away to the club house where he did not have to pay for a room because he was a member.

He had plans for the next day which did not include any harsh confrontation with Kamsi. He was going to plead and then, dress for work and God will take over. He was totally clueless on how to defend his carelessness for a document that should not have been with him in the first place. He had been striving for a promotion so he wanted to manage more than was on his table. Just so he could be noted for efficiency and diligence.

He could not sleep. He turned from one side of the bed to the other. Dusk was taking  too long to wane. While this favored him, he still wanted dawn to come so he could face the day and face his  company, explaining to them that they had only God to help them in the case of a man who gave out his abandoned Gas Station on distress sale and now wanted it back.

People sometimes frustrated others for rights and selfish reasons. He almost could not understand it but a tiny part of him acknowledged he was one of those people that frustrated others.

He opened his eyes to behold the little light that slipped in through the blind. It was past six. He had little time to kneel, beg Kamsi for the documents or show at work leaving the situation to play out as fate planned.

He hooted as he got to the gate but a replay of the previous night occurred. No one came to open the gate. He got down from the car and banged on the gate. That treatment was not acceptable to be melted on him. If she was purnishing him, he believed he had more than enough already. It was his house. He thought of ways he would hold back the Security man's salary. Maybe withhold it or report him to the company.

"Oga!" He heard Timothy call from the other side of the gate.

Very annoyed that the man was calling him instead of opening the gate, he quickly replied, "Timothy, open the gate! "

"Oga, call your wife. En lock am with new padlocks " Timothy shouted back.

He tapped the pocket of his sweatpants to feel Kamsi's phone there. He had collected it from her. He looked up to the heavens with closed eyes, letting out air from his mouth gradually.

"Timothy! " He called again, "Break it. Get a stone and break it"

Soon he heard Timothy hitting the padlock or the gate. Whichever it was, he knew the gate lock would end up spoilt. He could not wait so he waved at a car that was passing in greeting then once the road was empty, he proceeded to climbing the fence to jump into his own house.

He had only thought of how to pass the gate but not how he would enter the building. He banged on the door and called out severally but Kamsi did not open. He consoled himself by the fact that she was still in the house. She had not left with a traveling box like when she went to her step mother's place.

He had to jump through the fence again to get his spare house keys from the car. He felt lucky when the front door opened and was not wedged with a bolt. It seemed the only obstacle she placed was the gate. He was grateful for the end of the morning night mare and also angry. He did not deserve that much.

He ran up the stairs with all the trouble he had faced in the morning and the one he would later face at work causing his head to bang endlessly.

He met Kamsi at the space before the second flight of the stairs. He could not talk, He was struck dumb momentarily . His hands shook and he let out a wail that should have been unmanly. It was loud, with all his burdens. His wife lying infront of him in a pool of blood was not what he imagined his day to harbor.

******

For some reason, I can't explain or understand, this chapter gave me a hard time to write. If not for good friends, where would we be?

Thank you for reading!