EPISODE 8
“Why didn’t you tell me all about it, Kendra?” Aliyah said to her, four days later at the hospital. Kendra lowered her gaze.
“Look at you. You look like s–t!”
I’m sorry, Aliyah. I know I should have told you but I just couldn’t.”
“Kendra, I am your friend. We could have worked something out. I can’t believe that b—–d would raise his hands on you like
this. And to think that you’ve been going through this for three years. Its too much o,Kendra. You could have died, I hope you know that.”
Kendra nodded.
“But I didn’t.”
“You didn’t because Alex happened to be there…no, he was actually passing by and what if he hadn’t seen you? Or worse,what if he had passed by at all?”
Kendra said nothing. Aliyah was mad at her for keeping quiet but with all her scolding, she actually made a point. The thought of not seeing Alex at that time. She would have died there and no one would know of how she died or who caused her death.
Alex had been nice enough to her and she was beginning to wonder what she would do now. She didn’t want to go back to her parents place just yet. She wanted Connor far from.her for now. And he had been calling her persistently as if he expected her to still be alive after the beating he gave her. “Have you told your parents?”
Aliyah said and she looked sharply at her.
“No. I don’t want to tell them.”
“Kendra, you have to stop this. You can’t
keep it away from them. They’re your
parents. And look where your silence has led
you. You’re still young. Too young to be
traumatized about marriage.”
“I’ll tell them but I can’t stay with them. I need to find a place to stay. I don’t want him to find me just yet.”
“Why don’t you come over to the house. You can stay with us.”
Kendra thought over it and shook her head. “I can’t. It’s too easy. Besides I don’t want to be a burden to you and Ben..” “Who says?”
Kendra smiled. “With your honeymoon
things.”
She teased and Aliyah chuckled.
“You still find a way to be funny in this
state?”
Kendra smiled. “I’m serious,Aliyah. I don’t want to be a bother. And if he doesn’t find me, he’ll come there.”
“Yeah, you’re right. But where will you go?
Will you lodge in a hotel?”
Kendra shrugged.
But when she had said her plans if a hotel to Alex, he had kicked against it, saying that she needed to be at a place where she can be on constant watch daily. He had a point in that too and he had offered to take her to his mother’s. She almost refused but then that was the only place Connor didn’t know.
**********
She had been with Alex’s mother for four more days where she was recuperating slowly and getting herself back. But she hadn’t heard or seen Connor, apart from his persistent calls and text messages telling her how sorry he was and how he wanted her back to him. Kendra stared at his last message for what seemed like an eternity. The man wasn’t even sure if she was still alive or if he had killed her with his beatings and he still kept calling and texting her. Alex came from time to time to check on her and
visit. His mother wasn’t a problem.
“Its a good thing, you’re here,dear.”
His mother had said, few days later when
she had joined her in the kitchen. The house
was very big, almost like the one she lived in
with Connor but the woman still made her
meals herself. She was younger than a
woman who had given birth to someone
like Alex and Lisa.
She smiled.
“Its a good thing because that young man if a son I have rarely visits. And now he comes here frequently like he kept a secret bag of money he doesn’t want anyone to touch.” Kendra laughed.
“I’m grateful that you’re harboring me in
your home,ma. I’m really grateful.”
“Oh, don’t be like that. Alex has taken in a lot if women into his own house but he has never brought one to me with earnest pleading that I take good care of her like he did in your case. So I’m not uncomfortable. At least I can talk to someone. Lisa, that girl?” She shook her head. “She’s something else. She hardly stays at home and she always hangs around with friends.”
The woman smiled. Kendra smiled back. This woman could make great friends with her mother. The both if them had the same difficulty in being reserved. Someone stepped into the kitchen and Kendra looked up and smiled. Alex smiled back as he went to give his mother a kiss on the cheek.
“Oh, you came early, dear.”
His mother said.
“We were about making dinner. Do you
mind sticking around a little more?”
He looked at his wristwatch.
“Don’t you dare, son.”
She said to him. Kendra knew he was only doing that to pull her legs and he smiled and then laughed. She laughed along with him. This family was the best after hers.
He joined at the sink where she was washing the cabbage. She smiled up at him. They were nearly at kissing level and she was very aware if his nearness and how his heart was beating. The truth was that she was beginning to like this guy. Alex had hinted to her of his feelings even if he knew that she was married but she knew that he wasn’t going to court a married woman. He was just the kind of person who loves to be outspoken.
“Hey.” He said and smiled. She returned the smile. “Hey.” She said. “How have you been?”
He said and washed his hands too so he
could take the cabbage from her. She
laughed when he went for the knife.
“You don’t want to do that.”
She said.
He looked at her and grinned.
“Why? Surprised that I’ll cut it better than you?”
“No. I’m surprised because i know you can’t cut it better than me.”
He gave her a challenging look.
“Really? I can cook too. You’d be surprised.” She looked at his mother when he winked
at her and the woman averted her attention immediately to the cooking pot on the gas as if she didn’t even know what was happening. As if she didn’t know that
Kendra had caught her smiling. She went
closer to Alex and whispered.
“Stop it, your mum is here.”
He looked at his mother and whispered
back to her,
“Who says she isn’t listening to us right
now?”
He placed a quick kiss on her cheeks and
laughed as she hit his arm, blushing. Her
beauty was coming back again and she
seemed to be glowing more than the first
day they met.
“Oh, I forgot my phone upstairs. I’ll be right back.”
His mother said and left the kitchen with
Alex grinning as she left. He turned to
Kendra.
“That’s her way of saying I saw you both
but carry on any way.”
“You’re impossible.”. She said and collected the cabbage from him turning to cut it.
“So you can cook,huh? I swear,Alex. You are so full of surprises.”
She said with her back to him. She shook when she felt the heat of his body so close behind her. When she tried to turn, he placed his hands on her waist and kept her back to him. He brought his lips to her right ear.
“You’ll be more than surprised to know that there are so many other things I can do.” He whispered.
His voice was seductive. And enticing,she almost lost herself. She paused what she was doing and turned her face to look at him. But his gaze went down to her lips. Kendra swallowed hard. He leaned forward
and brushed his lips over hers. She sighed. She looked up at him. His gaze was watching her as if he expected her to start floating that minute. He moved to give her a real kiss but someone cleared her throat, bringing both her them back to planet earth. His mother passed a look to her son as she entered and he winked at her, and smirked. But for Kendra, she focused on cutting the cabbage. But she wasn’t really focusing, she trying to gain her composure and deal with the butterflies in her stomach….
To Be Continued…