UNTAMED

Part Thirty Four

{What is love?}

         After taking her bath, she selected a black long-sleeved top and a blue flare skirt. It was very difficult but after a long struggle, she was able to comb her hair. She stood by the window to watch the garden and trees but soon got bored. She decided to climb down to the parlor with the hope she would not be caught by Beast. Slowly, she climbed down the steps and looked round the parlor in awe. She was more attracted to the writings on some thick papers which were pasted on the wall. That was because she was excited she could read them.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path” she read out loud.
Something clicked as she mentioned Lord.
“The Lord’s prayer” she heard a man’s voice.
The memory disappeared almost immediately but she tried to hold on to it. She felt a sudden pang on her head. Her hand immediately rubbed her forehead. She heard the voices of people talking, followed by the door being opened.
Beast was back and he was going to catch her and he would think she was trying to escape and he would whip her. There was no time to run back, the closest place she could hide was the kitchen. She quickly ran to the kitchen and squatted by the giant fridge.
“Jason this is not necessary” she heard a female’s voice.
“I will leave after I confirm you are all safe” a male voice said.
The female started laughing. She crawled to the door and pushed her face out. She could see them. They were standing no too far from the dinning. It was the man and the girl she had seen earlier. The man did not drown her because she was still looking okay. The man’s head was by the girl’s stomach and he was touching it with his mouth while the girl laughed.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Why will she attack me? Don’t worry Ifeanyi is safe. Just go, this is girls’ time out.” The girl said pushing the man away but she was still laughing.
“Cindy let’s not discuss that here please. You keep saying Ifeanyi. My baby’s name is George and if it’s a girl then I will decide when I see her” the man said.
He had stood up and was holding the girl in her cheek. She stopped smiling and she looked like she was about to cry.
“Cindy don’t. Hey. Not again” the man said pulling her to him and wrapping her with his hands.
“I’m sorry. George was your friend too” the man said rubbing her back.
She just could not understand what they were doing.
“I am going to have three boys, Ifeanyi, George and Ebuka” she said sobbing.
“Okay let’s not run faster than our shoulder. Don’t scare me” the man said.
The girl pulled herself away and burst out into laughter after looking at the man’s face which was looking like he was really scared.
“This face is priceless. I am taking a picture for posterity” the girl said bringing out what Chief called a phone.
She pointed it at the man and dropped it back in her gown pocket.
“Let’s go see her so you can join Dark Prince” the girl said pulling his hand.
She saw something in both their left fingers, the finger close to the smallest finger. It was gold and beautiful. What was it for and who were they trying to see? The man pulled the girl back.
“Wrong direction Cindy, she is here” the man said turning towards her.
She quickly shifted inside. He had seen her but how?
“Really?” the girl asked but the man did not answer.
She heard footsteps coming towards the kitchen and shifted farther inside. It did not help because they entered the kitchen few seconds later. She became afraid as they saw her.
“Oh my gosh. I knew it was your size, the clothes look so good on you and the colors complement each other” the girl said excitedly moving close to her but the man pulled her back.
“Jason” the girl shouted at the man but the man ignored her and just looked at her making her shake.
He was not big like Beast but he was tall and light skin like Beast but the girl was very fair. He was not fleshy like Chief but looked strong and handsome. She gasped. Where did that word come from?
“Okay. I can go now, remember you have to be on your way in less than ten minutes. I will take…” the man said.
“No way Jason. So that those girls at my faculty can keep drooling about you. I will drive myself” the girl said stopping the man’s talk.
“Really? I’ve never noticed any” the man said.
“You are serious. I thought you are very aware of your environment” the girl said.
“I’m aware of you and any threat to you” the man said.
“Don’t worry. I will drive myself. I have my watch. Go stay with Dark Prince” the girl said.
“I love you more than anything in this world” the man said putting his mouth on the girl’s mouth.
She gasped. The girl was in danger and she did not know. If only she knew what love meant and what the man meant, she would run before it was too late but she did not, instead she pushed her body to the man and the man held her tight. He pulled away after some seconds.
“I love you Jason” the girl said to the man as he left the kitchen.
What was wrong with the girl? She even told the man willingly. Chief had always told her to tell him she loved him but this girl said it without the man telling her to say it. And she looked so happy as she said it. The man had not started showing her love. When that happened, it would be too late for her. She wanted to tell the girl to run as she turned towards her but her mouth refused to open.
“So did you like the clothes I bought?” the girl asked sitting down close to her.
“The clothes?” she stammered.
“Oh! Dark Prince did not tell you? I bought all the clothes, in fact everything in that bag I bought them with my husband” the girl said.
“Husband?” she stammered.
“Yes. Dark Prince said you made egg sandwich. Do you like cooking?”
Who was Dark Prince? But she had said something about cooking so she nodded.
“Great. I hardly cook except Jason is not around. He said I get everywhere dirty. Jason said Dark Prince is also a terrible cook except for porridge and pepper soup. Did you cook for both of you or for just you?”
She must be calling Beast Dark Prince. That was his real name. But it was not different from Beast because he was not dark in completion, the dark meant he was a bad prince. And she was right, he was a terrible cook. But how come she was not afraid of him?
“For myself” she answered.
“Great, so what’s plan for lunch?”
“Lunch?” she asked.
“I mean what food are you going to eat next?”
She shook her head.
“Are you still afraid of Dark Prince?”
She nodded but remembered Beast must have sent her and shook her head, then nodded again because she did not know which would be the right answer.
“Why?”
She opened her mouth to answer but paused. She tried to think of a reason but could not find any. He had not yet touched nor whipped her but he would do that later. She shook her head.
“Stop thinking too much Halima. You will get headache. Can you read?”
She nodded, at least she had an answer to that.
“That’s great. Follow me let me show you where to get books. I have lectures and I can’t stay” She said holding her hands and standing up with her.
“If I’m to advice you, I will prefer you read Judy Blume’s books. They are hilarious” the girl said pulling her towards the steps.
She sounded so excited and happy that she did not know the danger ahead of her. She pitied her as she allowed her to pull her up. She did not fear the steps this time because the girl was holding her hands. She took her to the first door by the left of a corridor opposite her big room. Her mouth opened when she saw the books in the room.
“Same thing I did when Jason took me up here after we got married. He stocked the library with novels and Christian literatures from my favorite authors. I like action and romance novels but I fell in love with Judy Blume after reading one of her books. See it here” the girl said pulling a book from the shelf.
“Take it” the girl said giving the book to her.
“Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing”she read the book title.
“Wow! You can really read. That’s cool. You can sit in any of these chairs but you will enjoy this one” the girl said pulling her to a red chair that looked round. She sat down on it and she spun it round.
“You see, you can rotate the chair as you read. Do you like it?”
She nodded looking at her. It was not just the chair she liked. She liked the girl. She was so friendly and happy, she felt different from that doctor who she thought was Chief’s doctor.
“I’m Cindy and you are Halima right?”
She nodded.
“I really don’t have friends but since we are neighbors, I will like to be your friend. Can I come back?” Cindy asked.
She smiled and nodded immediately but stopped. She had forgotten Beast.
“What? Are you afraid Dark Prince will be mad?” Cindy asked as if reading her mind.
She nodded.
“Then you have nothing to worry. He told me to come see you” Cindy said making her gasp.
“You seem surprise but’s it’s true. He is a friend of my husband” Cindy said.
Now she understood everything. That man was like Beast, the difference was he had not started loving the girl, the way Chief loved her.
“I have to go Halima, I will come back if you want” Cindy said.
She quickly nodded. Her nod made the girl to smile making her smile too. She liked her.
“Great. Can I turn on the AC?” Cindy asked.
“AC?”
“Okay, you see this switch, press here if you feel the room is hot and you want it to be cold, then press it like this if it’s too cold” Cindy said showing her something on the wall.
“See you again Halima” Cindy said waving at her and leaving the room.
She waved after the girl had left. She felt bad. She was bad, she was very bad. She should have told the girl what would happen to her but she did not. She made up her mind to tell her when she came back. With that settled, she opened the book and started reading. Soon she was smiling, then later, she started laughing.
“Fudge is so stupid and funny” she said after three years Fudge decided to fly like a bird and fell breaking some teeth, then started telling everyone he met that his teeth were all gone.
“Here you are. I’ve been looking for you” she heard Beast’s deep voice making her jerk up from her seat.