CHAPTER TWENTY
4pm, the bell rings, school is over, it’s been a long day I finally get to go home. I pack my stuff into my backpack and zigzag my way through the hordes of the students in the hallway, stepping outside into the cold, I head towards my car in the car park.
“You are okay?” I ask Anna, she is standing next to her car and she looks frustrated.
“Ya.”
“Car trouble?” I ask
“It was running perfectly in the morning but now it just won’t start.”
“Why don’t you try starting it again,” I ask
“I did a few minutes ago.”
“Try again.”
She gets into her car slides back into her seat and turns the key in the ignition but nothing.
She steps out, “I think I just need to get myself a new car.”
I put my bag into my car before I check her car to see if I can see what is wrong but everything seems to be perfectly fine so why isn’t it going on?
After a few minutes, I pop my head around, “I don’t think I can get it to start, you need to call a mechanic.”
She lets out her breath, “Maybe I should just leave it here i will call someone to work on it tomorrow.”
“I could drive you home.”
“You would?”
“Yes, what are friends for?”
“Thank you so much, I hate the idea of getting on a bus,” she grabs her bags and locks her car then we head to mine. A few minutes later we are on the road heading towards her house. There is an awkward silence in the car for a few minutes before she finally speaks up.
“How is Tasha?” she asks
“She is fine.”
“The kids?”
“They are doing perfectly fine,” I respond.
“Has Tasha started behaving like a normal human being?” she asks
I shot her an evil stare, I know that Tasha has her flaws and sometimes her behavior is questionable but I don’t appreciate it when my friends call her names or label her in a certain way, Tasha is my wife and I respect her hence everyone around me should do the same.
“What?” she asks
“Tasha is my wife and I love her, I would appreciate if you don’t use certain words to describe her.”
“Come on,” she laughs, “I was just joking.”
“Well I don’t appreciate your joke.”
“I am sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
She turns her head and gazes out of the window, I feel guilty, was I too harsh?
“I didn’t mean to lash at you,” I say
“It’s okay,” she responds
After that there is an unusually long silence, when I finally pull up in front of her gate, she grabs her things and steps out of the car, slamming the door behind her back.
Anna and I have been friends for a long time now, she is one of the people who understands me and genuinely makes me laugh, I wouldn’t want our friendship to end we have come a long way. I step out of my car and follow her she is at the door trying to open her door.
I grab her arm, “Hey I am sorry.”
“Its fine, I get the memo, Tasha is being a good wife and you don’t need your friends anymore, it’s totally cool, I understand – marriage over friendship.”
“Has it gotten to that?”
“Well, if I can’t joke with you then yes it has gotten to that,” she says
“Come on.”
She pushes the door open and walks into the house, I walk in closely behind her.
“Please forgive me Anna, I didn’t mean to upset you, you and I have come a long way, you are one of the truest people I know, please don’t be mad at me.”
“its fine,” she finally says after a few minutes.
“Am I forgiven?”
“Yes,” she smiles
“Thank you.”
“You are welcome.”
“Wanna make a cup of coffee, you want one?”
I shake my head, “No, I have to get going, I will see you tomorrow.”
“Sure.”
She walks me out of the house to my car, “Thank you for driving me.”
“You are welcome.”
“See you tomorrow,” she leans in and kisses me on my forehead, she has never done this before though and I find really uncomfortable.
I get into my car, “Later buddy,” I say before I drive off.
****
I left work early and came straight home, it’s a Wednesday, my husband and I are supposed to go for our mid week service at church. I take a bath, get dressed and wait for Fred to get back home. The girls are in their room resting, they were very tired when they got back from school.
I sit on the couch in my room and scan through the channels for a movie I can watch as I wait for Fred to get home.
Two hours later,
I glance at the clock on the wall once again, its 18:20 and Fred is not yet back home, I tried calling him but it keeps taking me straight to voice mail. Where the hell is Fred?
A few minutes later, I hear the sound of his car driving into the compound and I instantly rise from the bed and wait for him. The minute he walks into the room, I the vase from my table then throw it at him. He ducks it skillfully and it misses him by several inches.
The vase hits the wall and falls onto the floor, breaking into tiny pieces.
“Tasha,” he screams
“Where the hell have you been? I have been waiting for you for over two hours, you knock off at 16, where did you go after work and who where you with? Are you cheating on me?”
He looks at me and shakes his head, “I am not cheating on you.”
“Where have you been?”
“I took Anna home.”
The minute he mentions the name Anna, I go wild with anger, I begin to grab everything I can find to hurl at him he dodges most of the items which makes me even angrier.
“Calm down,” he holds my hands
I can’t stand Anna because I know she is after my husband, I don’t know what I should do to put a stop to their stupid friendship.
“Listen to me,” he says
“What happened to her car?” I ask curiously
“It wouldn’t start.”
“And so you decided to drive her home when she could have easily gotten on a bus or a taxi?”
“Come on Tasha don’t be unreasonable.”
Anger bubbles inside of me, “Now I am being unreasonable right?”
“Yes.”
“You know what f**k you,” I curse rising my middle finger at him, “Fuck you and Anna. I am done trying to fix things between us.”
“Meaning?”
“You will know the meaning when the time is right,” with that said, I grab my phone and car keys before I march out of the room. I need to get out of the house before I kill Fred.
***
DIARY OF A TORMENTED HUSBAND