Ours

Chapter 25: let the drum roll begin...

A week later, Aj informed us she was moving out to a rented apartment. I didn't try to stop her because I seriously wanted my space. We helped her pack her stuffs to her new apartment. Upon our arrival, we threw a little party, just the two of us because we finally have the house to ourselves again. While I was jumping up and down, I felt the urge to vomit so I slowed down and relaxed on the couch. Of late I have been feeling nauseous and all the symptoms that come with pregnancy but I didn't want to raise Duke's hope high hence I was going to keep my mouth shut until I was sure of this. About a week later, Ama showed up at our house unannounced. According to her she was in town for a few days to attend a friend's wedding and she needed somewhere to stay for a while. After allowing my best friend to stay with us for almost four months, I think it will be unfair for me to turn her away. But can't one have peace in her own home again? That night, she managed to get on my bad side again. She ruined movie night by talking throughout the whole movie and resting her head on Duke's shoulder.  If looks could kill, she would be six feet in the ground as I speak. Anyway, tomorrow is when I get the results of my SPT. If I really am pregnant then I should be a month and two weeks gone. This would actually be the first time I have carried a successful pregnancy for a whole month and beyond. Deep down I had the feeling that this one will survive. I woke up in a very good mood. Throughout the night I planned on how to tell Duke we were going to be parents if I tested positive. It obviously needs to be cliche and something out of a rom-com movie. I set off for work earlier than usual and informed Duke I was going to be caught up at work so he should expect me late at night around 7pm. On my way, I stop briefly at a flower shop to grab my favorite, black roses. As unusual as it sounds, seeing a black rose calms down my nerves. I had the day off from work so I drove straight to the clinic for my results. When I entered the consulting room, the doctor just smiled and said "congratulations Mrs, you are a month and two weeks pregnant". Hooray! Yay! I didn't hear everything else she said apart from the first statement she made. I could not believe we were finally here, I was going to be a mom.  I thanked the doctor and asked when my next appointment was scheduled. After going through all the formalities and meeting the midwife I was assigned to, I left for the bakery. Fortunately, I got a baker to bake some cake even though it was such a short notice. There I was, armed with a box of cake with the inscription "How about you call me mommy and I call you daddy " and a bottle of moët for Duke obviously and a carton of fruit juice for me. I can already picture him screaming with joy and that image alone was enough to have me smiling like a maniac. To any passer-by I would no doubt look like someone who is mentally deranged. When I got into the neighborhood, I parked the car about two blocks away from the house. I walked all the way to the house to preserve the element of surprise. Stealthily, I made my way into the house,  unseen by any of the occupants. The whole place was quiet except for the noise coming from our bedroom. I'm guessing he was on the phone. Even when he's on leave he still works, what a workaholic,  I wondered out loud. As I made my way to the door , I could now hear the noise clearly and it sounded like muffled screams. At this point I was confused. Did pregnancy come with hearing problems? I tip toed to the door and placed my ears flat against it. Now I was certain the noise I was hearing was clearly something else. Please let it not be what I think it is, please, I prayed silently. I opened the door quietly and I died inside. I could literally feel my heart shatter into little pieces. Suddenly, I forgot how to breathe. Amazingly, the two occupants of our bedroom were too engrossed in each other to even hear the door creak when I opened it or my little sobs. I stood watching the bare back of someone I called a husband and my everything sharing with another woman what belongs to me , and I alone. Something finally snapped inside of me and I went back out stealthily like I entered not forgetting to grab the cake I placed in the kitchen. Words can not explain exactly how I felt. With ears streaking down my face, I rained silent curses on both Duke and Ama. Never have I ever been hurt this much in my life. I reached out my hand to open the main gate  and simultaneously  someone did too from the outside. We bumped into each other and I raised my head to see Ama with a pack of fast food in her hands.  when she asked why I was crying, the clocks in my mind started to work and put things in place. Realization dawned on me that if Ama is standing in front of me, who then is inside the house with Duke? I dumped the cake in the bin after crumbling it to ensure the writings were not legible. I rushed into the house with Ama in tow, this time making my presence known and banging doors. The force with which I opened the bedroom door was enough to actually collapse a whole building. The room revealed them shamefully trying to cover up their nudity.  When I finally got a sneak peek of the 'daughter of Eve' who dared to come to my house and help my husband do this, I died a thousand more times on the inside. The only words that were coming out of my mouth was "why? Why?  I don't understand, please tell me why you would do this to me"? At this point I was blinded with pure rage. With the little energy left in me, I raised the vase  that was on my left and hurled it at Duke. Fortunately for him and unfortunately for me, it missed his head by some few centimeters. I was ready to kill and I probably would have if not for Ama who was holding me back. She managed to drag me to the living room and pinned me on the sofa as 'she ' did the walk of shame out of my house. Then came Duke who was dressed only in boxer shorts to kneel in front of me. I'm very sure I made him deaf for life with the resounding slap I gave him. After watchihim open his mouth,  like a bobbing fish in a puddle of water,  in disbelief, I removed my rings and placed them in his palm.
' I AM DONE WITH YOU!  IF YOU EVER TRY TO COME NEAR ME, GOD HELP ME I WILL COMMIT MURDER, I screamed!
With that I stomped out of the house with the speed of lightning. I didn't trust myself to drive so I was going to call an Uber when Ama came around and offered to drive me to wherever I was heading towards. Too much for a surprise announcement. I directed her to my parents house. Upon our arrival, I thanked her and made her promise not to speak a word about  today's incident to anyone.