Cold At Dusk

Chapter Twenty Seven

Outside the wind blew noisily. It could have been the harmattan approaching. The zinc that was on top of the wooden cage for the fowls could be heard flapping it's free sides. Mark had bought three fowls to groom before the Christmas. The zinc was on the cage with big stones on it to prevent it from flying away. It was kept there when the rain was frequent to shelter the Fowls from getting soaked.

The little garden Kamsi used to water was now a dry land of little signs of Vegetables. The saint leaves were all dry and gone same with curry leaves and the red pepper. She looks at them with remorse knowing that if she had faithfully watered them, they would have managed to live.

She moves to the cage of fowls . She opens a small door and lets in their bowl of feed and bowl of water. All of them were cocks so they could fight for their male egos from time to time. It was better than having a hen with them. Cocks knew how to ruthless.. Their mating never looked consensual, it always looked like a rape with the hen struggling beneath and the cock struggling to position on top of her.

After seeing to the fowls, she goes up to bathe. She planned to eat at work so the other housemate could take care of himself. On her calendar, hung on the wall in her room she circles the date under the month of November. It was her fourth month of pregnancy.

As she dressed for work, there was a knock on her door then Mark entered the room . He was fully dressed for work in a navy blue suede jacket, a sky blue shirt and black trousers. His head that he loved to shave within a space of just two days looked like it shone more under the light where he stood in her room.

"Good morning " Kamsi greeted without looking at him.

She was wearing just her black leggings and white bra looking for the ankle length butterfly gown she wanted to wear. It was a lycra material that never needed ironing.

"Did you feed the fowls? " Mark asked after standing in silence and watching her.

" Yes, I did" she replied still pushing the clothes in the wardrobe to search.

"Okay. I asked Timothy to be doing that but he keeps forgetting" he replied.

She had seen Mark most mornings and nights going to feed the fowls. It could only be a relief to him that she did it. She found the nude dress she had been searching for and donned it. It covered the leggings she wore and stopped at her ankle. It also had a loose fitting, it was her major reason for looking for it.

" I am going to work. Are you done? I can drop you off" Mark offered.

Without having the strength to respond to him, she just shook her head.

"I'll be downstairs" he said. He waited for a response briefly then he left.

She stuffed her previous test results into her big black handbag then wore a flat slippers. She did not want to wear a shoe and her gown even covered her feet ,she had to hold it up as she walked. It was Friday and anything could pass.

She walked downstairs to meet Mark in the garage with his bonnet open.

" I'm going to work " she announced.

He closed the bonnet and cleaned his hands on a towel rag.

" Kamsi " he called as she was already walking to the gate.
" Wait, let me drop you at work"

She could go to work with bike like she had been doing but that meant going to stand at the junction waiting for a bike which she could also do. She was also curious ,what would happen in the car.. Will they talk like husband and wife? Will he apologise? So she turned and walked back to enter his car.