Cold At Dusk

Fourty Nine

Sundays. They always came with a different feeling . If it's not the church service, it is the sweet aroma of stew, white rice or freshly prepared soup. Kamsi had been conformed to the white rice sundays from childhood but she chose that Sunday to leave the norm. She prepared noodles which she ate alone . Kelechi said she had no appetite; she was having menstrual cramps which did not stop her from finishing the yoghurt in the fridge.

Looking around the church, people were standing there, clapping and moving their legs to the left and to the right, swaying their bodies as they sang with the female chorister who was leading the praises. She clapped too, singing in a loud voice and dancing like others. Maybe the unhappiest people looked the happiest.

Kamsi returned home after the first service. It was still morning. As she drove in, she told Nancy, Timothy's wife to come to the house later. She was the one who opened the gate, wearing a T-shirt with washed jeans. Kamsi noticed her baby bump which she had not observed before.

Mark was sitting on his favorite seat in the parlor when Kamsi entered. She did not bother greeting him as she passed. kelechi helped her drag down the  boxes she had packed during the week to the parlor.

"What's happening? " Mark asked, quickly discarding the news paper in his hand as they entered with the boxes.

He got no reply and Kelechi only shrugged. He relaxed and watched in curiosity as Kamsi sat down on the sofa, opened one of the boxes and handed some clothes to Kelechi. Soon, Timothy's wife came. She stood very close to the door like a child that was running from cane until Kamsi offered her a seat.

Kamsi brought out dresses from the box and asked her if she could wear them. She never got a negative answer but she continued to ask as she lifted each dress.

"There's nothing wrong with that dress. Why are you giving it out? " Mark asked more than once. He never got a reply. He spread out his newspaper once more, suddenly the words looked clustered and made it hard for him to read.

"I hardly see your husband these days" Kamsi said as she spread out a cloth on her lap.

"He goes out to look for a job. He applied for transfer but got a family house again. He doesn't want that "

" I didn't know he was leaving " Kamsi said.

" He is. He wants to work in the company this time. His replacement should be coming next month "

Kamsi nodded, pausing for a moment then resumed what she was doing. Timothy had helped her that night she would have slept in the cold.

Mark stretched out his legs to a stool infront of him. He already knew Timothy was planning to leave. He had told him. The two women were done with the selection and Nancy was living with two boxes.

"God bless you, Ma" She said, almost prostrating. "Thank you Sir "

"It's alright. Greet your husband for me" Kamsi said, trying to keep her from lying on the floor.

"God will bless you. You will never lack, your family will never lack"

"God bless you. It's okay " Kamsi replied still holding her from kneeling down.

Kamsi sat on the sofa after Nancy left. She did not get a chance to change from the gown she wore to church before Nancy came. The noodles she ate before she went to church must have been used up because she suddenly felt too tired.

"How much do you own that you are giving out your clothes? " Mark asked, watching her, waiting for a reply.

"I no more need them. Abi you wanted to wear them or give your girlfriends?" Kamsi retorted. She had her head rested on the sofa and turned to the other side. Her voice, calm not rising in anger. Just calm.

" It's like that is all we do these days. Me talking and you insulting me "

She sighed, sighed again before she laughed, a short humourless laugh.

" Kamsi, don't get lost, not in your  civil service job or whatever it is that makes you think for a moment that I'm irrelevant. Don't ever for a moment think you can survive without me" Mark said, his voice now rising in anger. "Because you can not "

Kamsi sat up slowly, looking at him. Not surprised in the least. She said nothing but just looked at him as he picked up his newspaper.

"You would remember these things I said today and that time, it might be too late "

She closed her eyes and sighed then searched for her flip-flops with her feet before standing up.

"Mad person " She said to his hearing before leaving the parlour.

She went to the room where her painting materials were kept. She was in no mood to paint, so she closed the door and went to Kelechi's room which was just opposite.

"They're calling off strike next week " Kelechi said immediately she entered the room.

She nodded, disinterested in the news of strike which was the reason her cousin had come to visit, but more interested in the scent of the room. That scent that annoyed her nostrils. Could she have told Mark to discard his perfume and he gave it to her cousin?

" Sister, Come and sit down. You should not be standing " Kelechi said, patting the space beside her on the bed but Kamsi still stood beside the cupboard looking around the room till her eyes landed on a heap of clothes on a chair that was close to the wardrobe.

"You are very untidy, Kelechi " Kamsi said moving to the clothes.  "Why would you leave your clothes like this ?"

"It's my friend " The young girl said still sitting on the bed. "My friend I went to visit yesterday. She gave them to me "

Kamsi nodded almost absentmindedly as she felt the clothes. They looked new, she raised one as if to admire it but it was an inspection.

"They look new " She mentioned, raising a different dress and her eyes straying to two new bags on the floor which were still in their nylons.

"My friend did not wear them much. She got fatter than it"

Again, Kamsi nodded then she leaned on the wall holding her head in her hands as if it could stop her instincts or the wild imaginations. She laughed at her insecurity then looked at Kelechi who was still wearing her nightwear gown, a knee-length cotton gown.

"Are you in your period? " She asked.

"Yes" the young girl answered, narrowing her eyes in confusion.

"Are you okay? "

Kamsi nodded. "Yeah. I'm just having this bad headache"

Instantly, Kelechi stood and walked to where she was. "You should rest, Sister. "

Kamsi nodded in agreement. " If you are hungry, make food for yourself " she said, leaving the room.

"Sister, Ndo. Sorry"

She did not reply, did not see the need to reply. She felt her cousin was apologizing for more than her headache. She climbed the stairs to her room and entered the room to lie on top of the clothes scattered on her bed. She decided she would arrange the room later since clothes were littered everywhere but for that moment, she wanted to sleep.