Her palm connected with his right cheek with such force that Chima bumped his head painfully on the burglary proof he was standing beside. Eyes watering, his hand covering the assaulted stretch of skin and a low throbbing pain radiating from his head, he reacted on some base instinct and took several steps backwards narrowly missing another swing from a furious Margaret.
‘You bastard’ she cried, her teeth bared in primal fury. ‘You stupid, stupid bastard’
She took a step forward and swung at his head again with all the force she could muster. This time however, Chima was prepared. He caught her hand in mid-swing, twisted her whole arm viciously till she felt hot bolts of pain radiating from her arm then he shoved her roughly away and she ended up on the couch.
Chima’s eyes were a frightening shade of red and as Margaret looked up at her Fiancée she felt a pang of fear resonate through her.
‘Are you mad?’ Chima’s voice was deceptively, dangerously low. Almost a growl. His eyes never strayed from hers.
‘you are the one that is mad, Chima’ she spat. Feigning a bravado she didn’t feel. Supporting her weight on both elbows, Margaret raised herself into what she thought was a less helpless position.
At 5ft 3 inches, she knew how disadvantaged she was in a physical confrontation and so knew from experience, how important it was to never back down or show weakness.
Chima however, at a comfortable 6ft 2 inches, towered over the she-devil he was beginning to regret proposing to. Margaret was sweet and sexy as hell on her good days. On her bad days, like this fateful first day of the month, Chima got to see her in all her furious glory. Paranoid, cruel, lousy, insecure and very physical.
Staunching the urge to smash his fist into her glaring face and very much aware of how his cheek and head still throbbed, Chima closed his eyes briefly and struggled to regain control of his temper by breathing in and out slowly.
‘what is this about?’ he asked, struggling to keep his voice even.
‘What is this about?’ Margaret said, mimicking him in a sing song voice. ‘What is this about?’
‘Will you stop acting like a child and spit it out already’
Margaret scrambled off the couch; her eyes twin ice picks as they raked over his face, searching his handsome features, trying to peer into his soul.
He used to be an open book. She thought in despair. When did Chima become so unreadable?
‘have you lost your ability to speak?’ Chima’s voice rose a notch ‘eh, Margaret?’
‘I’m talking about Sophia’ she near screamed, a vein throbbing painfully in her neck. ‘Sophia. My sister’
Chima’s eyes flickered briefly, the change almost imperceptible. But for her, it was enough.
Margaret stumbled back like she had been dealt a heavy blow. She sat abruptly back on the couch. It was true. She had seen his eyes change. He had really betrayed her.
‘Chima’ she said hoarsely, her heart breaking like fine china in her chest. ‘Chima, you slept with my younger sister”
It was not a question.
‘What?’ Chima’s voice was hoarse ‘what are you talking about?’
‘She told me’ Margaret said, pain so evident in her voice, Chima winced. ‘She told me everything’
Chima swore under his breath, his mind a muddle of thoughts moving a mile a minute. He moved towards Margaret, his eyes now filled with confusion and fear.
‘Margaret… I swear to you…’
‘Oh, just shut up!’ she snapped angrily. ‘Spare me your feeble lies and excuses Chima’
‘She’s lying’ Chima’s felt his anger get replaced by desperation ‘she’s a bloody liar! I would never…’
‘Sophia has never lied to me’
‘She is lying now!’
‘No! You are the one that is lying, Chima’
‘You are wrong’
‘yes… yes I am’ two hot tears rolled down Margaret’s cheeks ‘I was wrong to think I could trust you’
‘Marge…’
‘God! Chima, she just got into the university, she’s still a child’
‘Baby i…’
Margaret held up a hand firmly- her eyes shut- her lips trembling.
‘I was a fool’ she said ‘but not any more’
With an air of finality, Margaret pulled the engagement ring and let it drop to the floor.
Chima went on his knees. ‘Marge… it’s all a lie. I swear it’ he caught either side of her face with his hands. ‘Look at me, please.’
Margaret forced herself to look into his lying face. He looked confused, sad and hurt. Chima used to act in his university days. This was one hell of a performance. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She looked into his eyes. Eyes that pleaded with her of his innocence and she stiffened her spine.
‘You made your choice Chima’ she said, her voice a broken whisper. ‘It’s over’
‘I did not sleep with your sister!’
The sound of the front door opening intruded on the moment but Chima’s eyes never left Margaret’s.
‘Never. I’ll never do that to you’ he whispered desperately. ‘Please believe me’
Margaret look at him in a way that made his skin crawl and his heart sink.
‘it’s over between us’ she said; her voice as cold as a grave.
Footsteps drew nearer. Chima let go and got to his feet _taking several steps backwards and almost tripping over a side stool. What the hell just happened? His mind was working overtime trying to process…
Sophia.
Dark rage coursed through his veins. He was going to kill her with his bare hands. But not before she confessed to Margaret and fixed this.
He moved towards his fiancée sitting like a lobotomized person on the couch, he reached out to touch her and jumped back when all of a sudden she sprang to her feet.
‘Don’t you dare put your hands on me, you lying, cheating piece of shit’ she said, her voice shrill and vicious.
‘Sister Margaret, are you alright?’
They glanced at the open doorway at the same time. Sophia stood there, her lips twisted in mirth, her bag on the floor at her feet and her cell phone in her hand, aimed at them _filming.
Chima felt all the frustration, fear, pain and despair coalesce into a ball of searing hate that pumped like molten lava through his veins, clouding his mind.
‘You’ he began, his voice cracking with fury ‘you… told your sister I slept with you???!!!’
‘APRIL FOOL!!!’ Sophia cried, bursting into laughter, her face awash with glee.
