MAD IN LOVE EPISODE 8 – 9

MAD IN LOVE EPISODE 8

Written By Tisa Phiri

Benjamin….

I saw her face drop when I asked to leave. But I had to, I couldn’t get used to the fact that l was insane for over 2 years. Seeing myself in long shaggy hair and beards was so unbelievable.

After Jen explained everything, l was astonished at how a stranger would pick me up in the state I was before. She was a good looking woman for sure and from the neat house she told me was hers, I could tell she was a working class. Her motives for allowing herself go to the extreme of making sure I was Okey, wasn’t making sense. I knew she had a huge heart for sure.

Her eyes looked passionate whenever she looked at me which I noticed all the time as she told me what happened, kept glancing at me.

” What happened to me?” I asked my wife Clara as we lay down in our bed the night after I went home. I had told her all about the prayers and how I was delivered the day Jennifer took me home.

For some reason I couldn’t help feel she wasn’t happy to see me. She seemed tense and I thought maybe my condition had affected her too. She told me our son was with my mother, after trying to ask her why, she shrugged telling me we would talk about it later.

” I don’t know, why are you asking me Ben?” She responded unconcerned.

” Okey, honey honestly you are acting off, Jennifer is a total stranger to me but she was so excited seeing me okey. But I can’t help think you are not pleased with my presence” I sat up looking at her as she played some games on her smartphone.

I noticed she looked different, something about her had changed and I wanted to find out why.

” You were God knows where for over 2 years Ben, you expect me to jump in excitement just because you showed up your face with a beautiful woman, giving the nonsense story of Whatever!” She said with ‘whatever’ stretched out.

” I am your husband and I expert you to feel happy seeing me back. I have not gotten to see the other family members yet and I know a lot of people will be happy to see me well” I told her but she didn’t dare turn her face to look at me. It was like I was still dirty and mad in her eyes.

” Tell me honey, did you know I was sick, I mean, that mental illness?” I asked this time grabbing the phone and throwing it on the pillow.

” Yes I knew, so what?” She answered with sarcasm in he voice.

“Mmmmh Okey, so it had to take a stranger to rescue me from death, and my wife was busy doing…. games or the devil knows what” I yelled feeling emotional.

” Please Ben you just came in yesterday, I was getting used to live in peace and now am not ready to welcome some drama. So please stop yelling at me. ” She responded with a cold face.

” Wait now its all coming back” I sighed remembering some days back before everything became dark.

Flash back….

” Hey honey, am just from looking at the accounts records Mulenga sent from Lusaka. What is going on there? A lot of money is missing” I asked Clara on the phone as I sat in my office.

” What are insinuating Ben? Am your wife and the accountant in this your company. Why on earth are you accusing me of wasting money!” She screamed.

” You are wrong Clara, I just want to ask because Mulenga raised a genuine complaint of us failing to settle debts there. The business is going down just in the few months I have been away” I tried to reason with her but she went on shouting and accusing me of calling her a thief.

My marriage to Clara was all rosy when we first got married. She was so sweet and I knew I found the woman of my dreams. But something about her changed drastically after she gave birth to our son Junior Benjamin..

She became moody and some people from the company told me some rumours of her having some affair but I was not the type to believe everything people said.

My late father had taught me to always try solve problems of my home without violence and never to act on people’s rumours about my partner, as that would destroy us.

That issue passed and a month later, Mulenga who was the assistant accountant called me again this time he told me the company was going into liquidation.

I travelled all the way to Lusaka to talk to my wife about the money problems our company was facing. She had refused to shift to Kabwe saying it was a ghost town and so boring. Which made me travel back and forth on all weekends to see her and my son.

She however just responded in a way that made me start thinking twice about what people were saying of her building a house and making some other business with her lover.

That week we had a huge fight and I went back to Kabwe very upset. I stayed for a week without talking to her then I received a disturbing call, one Friday afternoon.

” Sir, your wife is right now lodging at some lodge here with a man. If you want to know the truth. Come over and see for yourself” the anonymous caller told me and cut the line before I could say a thing.

I wad still looking at the caller number when my phone rung again.

” She’s at Cresta View Hotel” he spoke and again cut the line.

I was so disturbed that afternoon and I left all my work and drove to Lusaka. My instincts told me to first go home and confirm in case the person was bluffing, but I found her nephew, the boy I had suggested we keep after her sister died, sitting home with Ben who was by then a year and 9 months old.

” Where is your aunty?” I asked the boy and he shook his head.” She left early in the morning before the maid came and she has not yet come back. The maid just received a call to spend a night with us. She is in the kitchen ” the boy told me .

I couldn’t keep my peace. I rushed out and drove at a high speed to Cresta View.

The cool wind blew in my face as I sat in my car waiting to see any signs of her as I didn’t find her car parked outside.

I was almost giving up when I saw her Jeep drive in and they came out with a dark huge guy I couldn’t recognise. My blood boiled at the sight of them walking and laughing their hands locked together.

I walked towards them and called her out, as they got into a room. I stepped in the door way before the man could close the door.

” What is the meaning of this Clara?” I asked

” Ben! What are you doing here?” She answered her eyes wide open.

” So people have been saying the truth about you all this while?” I shook my head and didn’t stay to hear her response as I walked back to my car outside.

I was so mad I broke a few items in our bedroom. To make things worse, she came back after 2 hours and just stood watching me like I was a fool.

” l want you out of my house! I yelled angrily. You are ungrateful you slut and..”

” Hey !” She raised her hands up to Shut me.

” Don’t insult me Ben. If you so wish do all you want like I care” she shrugged and I pulled her close slapping her face.

” You are a coward and apparently not man enough for me!” She spat crying as she held her face. “You are right people told you and you are too naive to notice. Just like you forced yourself on me even when I told you I was in love with another man. Henry is the man for me and he has always been.” She shouted her voice infuriating me the more.

” I loved you and you promised to make us work. He dumped you for crying out loud and you are apparently cheap enough to go back to him. He’s using you to get my money you fool.

I can’t stand you! ” I spat

” Am going back to Kabwe cause I can’t stand your sight of disgrace. You are a snake and I can assure you, the money you have been spending on that clown is all you will get from this marriage, it’s over!

Leave my house and take my child to my mother because I can’t risk driving a small child this late. ”

I screamed and left the house angrily. From that point, everything was blank. I couldn’t remember anything else until I woke up in a room with a priest and the woman I came to know as Jennifer my saviour.

………..

” Oh my God!” I held my head looking at Clara.

” That’s it, how could I forget” l sighed looking at her now active glance.

” You witch! Don’t tell me this madness was your doing, cause l swear to God I will make you pay. The priest talked about some woman involved. Now it is making sense why you are acting up. ” I scoffed

She stood up standing up to me, ” And who will believe you Ben? There is no proof to what you are saying. People just know you were involved in rituals to boost your business and something went wrong” she smiled wickedly.

” You devil!” I shouted trying to hit her but she held my hand. ” Don’t you dare! I am warning you. Am not that stupid woman you married years back. You don’t want to mess with me, or you will wish you remained in your madness!” She snapped and walked out on me leaving me shocked and lost of words.

” Clara?” I asked myself sitting on the side stool defeated. Her face had something strange to it.

I however refused to give up. I wanted to know what happened to the rest of my family especially my son, mother and sisters and the companies too.

I had no phone, no money and nothing I could use to get to anyone that night nor call anyone.

I felt trapped in my own home and I walked to the living room which was down stairs. As I emmgered to have a view of the living room I saw Clara walking outside with her car keys in her hands.

” What happened here when l was away?” I asked the boy, her nephew.

He looked at me and shook his head. ” aunty has been coming with different men. First it was that man she called Henry but he suddenly stopped coming and she started bringing different men.

She told me everyone you went mad because of rituals and she took Ben to grandmother’s ” the boy explained.

” Oh my God what happened to that woman, how and when did she turn into this demon?” I asked myself laying my back in the couch and noticing our wedding photo which used to hang straight where I sat wasn’t there. Things had changed, it was so clear.

I didn’t know how to start picking the pieces of my life back together. I looked for the company documents in the bedroom but there was nothing, according to the boy, Clara was now running my company in Lusaka though the boy wasn’t sure what happened to the Kabwe branch.

I shed tears as I walked around my house which felt so strange. Everything had changed, my gym room was empty and filled with some boxes of old clothes, All my gym equipment gone.

” Oh my God help me” I whispered sitting outside on the veranda feeling my head cracking. Only a day after coming back from the dead, now I was shuttered to pieces.

MAD IN LOVE EPISODE 9

Days had passed without hearing from Benjamin. I kept walking to his room hoping to see him seated in the bed. The scent of his perfume from the bedings and clothes made me miss him more. I couldn’t couldn’t get myself to forget him and I felt hurt he didn’t show up for days.

I had wished for him to atleast come back. The urge to go and see him was strong but every time remembered the look on his wife’s face I felt terrified. There was something dark about her and her gaze scared me.

I had decided to see the priest and told him how I was feeling.

He smiled holding my hand.

” You are not crazy, you love him genuinely and it’s just normal that you miss him after staying with him for all the period. But I wouldn’t want you hurt. I know how you feel but it’s best you let go because he cannot leave his wife. Remember marriage is blessed and ordained by God and no man should come between such a sacred union” he explained

” I know father, but I can’t stop wishing he was mine. I loved him in his madness and I still love him now, it hurts to see him walk away after everything” I complained and he held my hand comforting me.

” Take heart my child, God has a way and purpose for everything. Just continue putting Benjamimn in your prayers. I still feel in my spirit his life is in danger. Stand in the gap for him. Remember when you help someone once, they become your responsibility” he told me.I trusted his words and even though it was hard to ignore my feelings, I tried to keep away.

” Hey!” Kegan calls out as he pushed the door open. He had called earlier to tell me he was coming and this time I agreed which made him sound surprised.

” Hey!” I sighed hugging him.

” What’s going on Jen? You have been crying ?” He asked sitting me down.

I couldn’t control myself now that he asked. He hugged me and let me cry on him.

” Tell me what happened my girl, am your friend and I don’t like seeing you sad.

I went on explaining the details to him and he stood looking at me like I was crazy.

” Are you nuts!, you telling me you have been hosting a mad man in this house all these weeks?” He scolded me

” I know it’s crazy and no one would probably understand me. But I fall in love with him and now that I had to go through all that to make sure he’s okey, it turns out he’s a married man” I said sadly.

Kegan went on telling me how I was so crazy. ” No wonder you were behaving off the past days. Here I was thinking you are upset with me for seeing me with the girl at the party. Little did I know something huge was taking place in your house here.” He shook his head.

I told him everything and how l was feeling.

” You can’t blame him. He’s a man and now he’s back with his wife. You used yourself for nothing” he spat

” Stop it now Kegan I won’t take this from you any longer. I told you I fall in love and call me mad I dont care. Now that I have thought about it, I have to go and see him” I told him standing up.

” Oh no you won’t, let that man if he’s a grateful man come over here and talk to you himself” he pushed me back.

” No I can’t. Something is up with him and I can’t sit here crying myself when he is in some kind of trouble. He needs me” l added

” Listen to your self Jen, he needs you? He’s a married man for God’s sake he no longer needs you now that he’s fine” Kegan insisted.

We argued for almost an hour and I convinced him I needed to see Benjamin.

” Be careful Jen. This won’t end well ” he warned and left as I told him to.

I went in my bed room and changed into a pencil skirt and sleeves top covering it with a small Jacket. I wore some heels and headed out making sure my hair was looking good in its kink state.

As I drove closer to Benjamin’s address I kept hearing Kegan’ s voice.” He’s a married man and doesn’t need you!”

” No, I feel it in me, he needs me” I sighed increasing the speed.

” ls Benjamin home?” I asked the same boy who opened the gate last time I took Benjamin. He was still answering my question when I saw him emerging from the stairs.

” Jennifer!” He called out looking glad that he was seeing me. More like he had been waiting for me to go see him.

” Benjamimn! How are you?” I walked to him

” Am glad you came. I have been wanting to see you since the last time you dropped me here.” He spoke as he pulled my hand outside the house. I looked at his face, something was totally not right.

” Let’s get out of here please!” He begged holding my two hands together.

” Okey” I sighed opening the door to the car.

I sat down in the driver’s seat and my eyes went back at the house. His wife stood by the window high up looking down on us. Her facial expression still displaying the same kind of weirdness.

” Let’s leave now” Benjamin whispered looking at me as I glanced at his wife.

” Yeah sure” l started the car engine and drove on.

” Where do you want to go?” I asked realising he was silent.

” To your house if you don’t mind” he responded almost in a whisper.

I kept my eyes on the road, this time I could feel his eyes on me. He kept looking at me and when I tuned to face him he smiled.

” Thank you” he said

” For what? Taking you out of your house which I realised you were so eager to leave?” I asked still looking at him when the road ahead cleared and straightened up after a curve.

” For everything!” He smiled again.

” You are welcome Benjamin. I felt you needed me, so after the past days of you not showing up to let me know you were alright I was prompted to come over. I hope there’s no problem at all” I told him as a matter of fact.

He sighed and this time he looked sad. ” Let’s get home and talk over this there” he responded and I smiled at the way he was calling my house, ‘home’.

” Give me some water please” he spoke when we entered the house. He made himself comfortable on the couch. ” Sure” I walked to the kitchen and brought him some water.

” So, how was I like?” He swallowed hard still holding a glass cup in his hands after drinking some of the water.

” I mean when I was ….”

” I know” I cut him short.

” Well, you were never violent, unless provoked out of your sleep you became a bit agitated . You were mostly quiet and spoke less, Ate lots of Nshima and oranges too. I had to bath you everyday, you loved water but didn’t just know how to get a bath rightly” I chuckled looking at his face.

He let a small laugh, ” I must have been lots of work huh?”

” Not really I enjoyed your company and I had so much hope of your recovery. Like l said last time I was getting you some drugs so that helped too especially when I was out for work before taking you to a priest.” I told him and l saw him hold his hands to his face crying softly.

I knew for a man to cry like that something big was going on. ” Oh no don’t please” I moved closer to him patting his back.

” I have the reasons to believe my wife was behind my illness Jennifer. How can she be so evil, she took away my companies. My house has been a playing ground for her and her numerous lovers. I tried to find my mother but all her lines are off. I can’t get to Mean Wood where I last left her at our family house because I have no money, my wife won’t leave even a coin in the house. My whole life is shuttered to pieces and I don’t know how I will survive this… I….. l….. l.” he cried burping as his chest lifted up and down. He leaned his head on me and I held him closer to my chest letting him cry his pain out.

” lt’s okey, God wouldn’t let you die in that condition because he has a whole life planned for you. Take heart and be strong all shall be well” I whispered rubbing his back

” I am not surprised about your wife, the priest mentioned something and I have had a bad a feeling about her since I first met her. But not to worry God is in control” I wiped my own tears as he kept crying on me.

” Can I stay here today?” He asked sitting up.

” I can’t can’t go back to that house. I can’t get myself to sleep at night and she’s always throwing insults at me. She wishes I was gone and forgotten, am afraid she might do something to me” he begged his tearly eyes set on mine.

” Of course, you can stay here as long as you want and today we must go and find your family and baby together ” l added assuring him as I held on to his soft long hands.

” You are heaven sent Jen, can I call you Jen?” He asked with a slight smile.

” Definitely, my friends call me Jen” l smiled.

” Let me just cook something we eat then we can go and see your family” I told him and he nodded his head.

” Nshima with Chicken?” I asked standing up and looking down at him, he wore a pair of black shorts displaying his hairy legs and a dark blue T-shirt, some moccasins on his feet I guessed they were his old clothes.

” I love chicken” he smiled

” I know!” I smiled back and walked to the kitchen.

After serving us, I watched him eating and I smiled at the way he was taking time to mold the lamp of Nshima in his palm. Guessing it was his usual way of eating slow.

” I love the way you eat” I smiled biting a piece of chicken.

I saw his chest life up and down as he smiled.

” Yeah, my mother always said I eat like a woman” he smiled.

I couldn’t help but look forward to know the true Benjamin and as we ate, I couldn’t stop thinking about him even when he was there with me.

Getting to his family house as he directed me, we found the place, but unfortunately with different owners. ” Where could they be?” He asked sadly sitting back in the car seat.

” What did the woman say?” I asked him.

” She doesn’t know, she said my mother sold the house last year and all she knows is that she moved to Chainda. I can’t believe my mother would sell the house. Now I have no idea where to start looking for them in chainda” he complained.

” Am sure she sold it because she had no option Benjamin, don’t worry we will find them one day. You have to be patient” I encouraged him.

He was quiet all the way back home and I let him be. He was suffering inside and I was feeling myself drawn in his sadiness.

” Can I lay down and sleep for a while, I feel tired” he asked when we got home.

” Of course you can. The room there is still yours” I answered and walked him there.

” Am sorry, I got use to putting you to bed, so…” I shrugged when I realised he sat down looking at me as l stood in the door way.

” lt’s okey,” he smiled.

” lt’s evident you know me a whole lot. I mean you bathed me so what’s there to hide” he chuckled and I felt shy.

” l will leave you to sleep now” I turned to walk away.

” Jen!” He stopped me.

” mmmmhm” I murmered in response.

” Mind if you stay with me here. I have been scared of sleeping for days, just maybe I can rest well if you were close by”

” Oh, sure” I walked to him and lay besides him.

” Thank you again” he smiled looking at my face.” And you are so beautiful you know that?” He added.

” Thank you” was all I could say and I saw him close his eyes slowly falling asleep. I watched him as he slept breathing slowly, he looked peaceful.

” God take away his pain” I whispered a prayer and decided to sleep too.

To be continued…

©Tisa Phiri

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