MANY TROUBLED WATERS. Part 1. DISCONTENT

They drove in absolute silence. His concentration on the road ahead seemed a bit too much. She knew there were no streetlights on this side of town but then the headlights on their car worked just fine, that and the headlights on all the other cars ensured the road was well illuminated. As usual she would make some effort to start a conversation but he would respond only in grunts, monosyllables and an occasional pissed look on his face. As always she would fall into silence, feeling a bit rejected. Eventually she would search in her purse and fish out her phone. Hello Insta baby, hi Facebook, whatsapp! Whatsapp! Faithful friends, wonderful conversations.

It’d become a circle and she was caught up in. Why ask her to join him if he was going to treat her like a stranded stranger he picked along the road on a very wet and stormy day. She was always excited whenever she had to go out with him, even if it was the shortest distance. Out of the few remaining things they still did together this was her best. Dressing up in a nice outfit or maybe just wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans and having him drive to somewhere…anywhere. It always felt like a slice from their crazy past. She longed for those years but knew they could never recover them. Driving somewhere alone with him was her only opportunity to breathe in the memories of how exciting life was for her back then, away from the kids that clung to her like baby monkeys and pandas clinging to trees and bamboo.

It was in their campus days. Most weekends they were always driving off to one party or the other. He had a car, a cute sporty little thing with seats for only two and speakers that blared ever so loudly. Even back then he was a big boy and the desire of almost every campus maiden. But he had eyes just for her, why wouldn’t he? She was the human version of his car back then, sleek, sporty and flashy. She would prance out of her hostel room like a model in her short shorts and tank top escorted by her crazy girlfriends. She was the queen if ever there was one and everyone knew it.

Even back then he wasn’t a big talker but she hardly noticed. Any conversation was usually drowned out by the sound of ‘Let’s get down’ by Tony Toni Tone and her graceful car dancing. He would occasionally give her that 'in awe' look that said, ‘who is this beautiful thing dancing in my car’ she knew that look and she relished it.
Now, seventeen years later, 4 kids and a mortgage there was hardly any excitement. Just the dull monotonous buzz of family life and a husband who hardly noticed her. She sighed deeply. That too went on unnoticed as he drove into the night. She slouched on her seat and looked out of the window at lives, relationships and families rushed by in cars. Nobody could feel as lonely as she always felt.
He reached out to the dash board and turned on the radio. Music was playing, the kind she liked, he quickly changed it and settled for the news. She felt crushed.

“Can you tune back to the music please?” she said feebly
He glared at her, “I want to hear the news…I think you should listen to the news more often”
He sounded condescending, like she was some kind of vacuous airhead. Her eyes flashed in the dark car but he failed to notice it.

The anger was building up. She was dangerously close to the tipping point.
She turned back to the phone. Tapped on the messenger app and scrolled to that particular message. The one that stopped her heartbeat for a few seconds, the one she had succeeded to ignore for 2 weeks, the one that flashed fear in her heart and tapped on it.

He looked at Ken’s profile picture. He hadn’t aged a year. Same face, strong jaws, fiery gaze that always promised passion.
The message he left was full of promises.
Hi Kiki, been searching for you for ages.  You still look as beautiful as ever and I haven’t forgotten about you for a moment…
She stared at it for a long time, wondering what to say. She glanced at Chidi briefly, hoping to feel some kind of remorse for what she was about to do. She didn’t feel anything.
She typed back a response
Hi ken its bn a while….
Something tipped over soundlessly.

…TO BE CONTINUED
Part 2. Servant of Sin