The Clock Is Ticking – Episode 60

Sequence 60

 

*****

 

‘You left without a word and vanished into thin air, what happened to you Tess?’ Mattie worriedly asked

 

‘And why are you dressed like that?’ Auntie Debby eyed her suspiciously She sighed, ‘It’s a long story auntie,’ she said

 

‘Well, I am all ears I really wanna know why you left after being with us for so many years.’

 

Closing her eyes, memories flashed through her mind as tears flooded her eyes. *****

 

I awoke abruptly. I felt awful all throughout my body. To my surprise i felt hot all over, I was thirsty and my head was pounding. I sat upright at once blinking behind my sleepy eyes.

 

 

I glanced at the clock -it was 2 o’clock in the morning. Rolling out of bed, I gave in to an immense yawn and on my bare beet, scuffled sleepily down the corridor to the kitchen.

 

I pulled open the fridge and pulled out a container of water filling my glass halfway before placing back the container back in the same place I got it.

 

I drank my water and was almost walking out of the kitchen when I heard footsteps followed by Chrissie’s voice, she was talking on phone.

 

‘I couldn’t sleep, I was restless, my sister is back and from the look of things, I think she slept with him,’ Chrissie said on the phone.

 

‘I know what I am talking about Thomas, I know Mattie slept with him and I am so mad, when are you getting her?’ she asked

 

There was a short silence before she spoke up again.

 

‘You need to speed up the plan, you know how much I want Chard to be mine, I don’t even mind if you kidnap Mattie as long as she is out of the picture for good and please don’t forget the little brat.’

 

‘Just do what you can to separate the two. Kill them if you want,’ she laughed ‘Well I know it’s not funny but you know I hate Mattie & I don’t care if she lives or not.’

 

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard, my eyes widened with a flash of shock and pain. I knew Chrissie wasn’t a good person but to harm her sister for a man? That was something I wouldn’t have expected.

 

I walked out of the kitchen and slammed the door behind me because I wanted her to know I had heard her.

 

She turned towards me and we locked eyes.

 

‘I will call you later,’ she said ending the call before she walked to where I was standing.

 

‘What are you doing here?’ she asked

 

‘I could ask you the same.’

 

‘Wait, did you overhear my conversation with Thomas?’ she asked

 

‘You are evil,’ I said

 

‘Oh so you heard.’

 

‘I did and I am going to tell Auntie Mattie right now,’ I said trying to walk past her but she grabbed my arm and turned me around.

 

‘You wouldn’t dare,’ she said

 

‘Watch me,’ I said releasing my hand from her grip.

 

‘If you want Linda to drop dead then go in there, wake her up and tell her about what you heard,’ she said

 

I froze in my tracks when I heard the name Linda.

 

‘How do you know about Linda? I asked

 

‘I know everything about everyone around me, just in case things like this happen,’ she smiled

 

If I must say, Linda is my little sister, the only sibling that I have, how did Chrissie know about her? I wondered.

 

‘If I am capable of having my own sister kidnapped or even killed, imagine what I will do to yours,’ she said

 

‘Fine! I will keep my mouth shut.’

 

‘Good,’ she laughed

 

I hurriedly walked to my room and shut the door behind my back, how could someone be this wicked? I wondered as I lay on my bed. I kept tossing and turning that night till it was morning.

 

When I finally rolled out of bed in the morning, I went straight to the kitchen and started washing dishes. I wanted something to distract me, I wasn’t so good with keeping secrets, I was scared I would end up spilling the beans to Auntie Mattie. ‘You are up so early,’ Auntie Mattie said when she walked in ‘Morning auntie I couldn’t sleep.’

 

‘Why?’

 

‘I have this feeling in the pit of my stomach that something bad is about to happen.’

 

‘Did anything happen that I should know about?’ she asked

 

‘No,’ I shook my head.

 

‘If you say so.’

 

I was afraid of saying what happened the previous night because I didn’t know what Chrissie would do to my sister so I kept my mouth shut. ****

 

For the next two days I kept to myself, the sinking feeling at the pit of my stomach wouldn’t go away, I knew something bad was about to happen but I couldn’t speak out because Chrissie had her eyes on me.

 

I was cleaning the house that morning when Chrissie walked into the house. “Morning,’ I said

 

‘Has Mattie gone for work?’ she asked

 

‘Yes.’

 

‘Good,’ she said with a smirk

 

She walked into the kitchen and came back holding a piece of wood in her hands.

 

Before I could realise what was happening, she hit me so hard I fell to the floor.

 

Then she got down on her knees and pressed a cloth under my nose, it was lights

 

out for me.

 

******

 

I felt my throat burning as I started to wake up, my eyes shot open and I took a deep breath. When I looked around, I came face to face with Max, the next door neighbor.

 

‘What in God’s name is going on?’ I hissed menacingly, ‘Did you bring me here?’ He looked at me and laughed, ‘Yes I did.’ ‘Why?’

 

‘I am not here to answer any questions but my bosses want you dead. I am going to kill you,’ he said

 

‘Max, please don’t kill me,’ I pleaded

 

‘Why?’

 

‘I will do anything you want if you don’t kill me please.’ He was quiet for a moment.

 

‘Anything,’ he smirked darkly

 

‘Anything.’

 

‘Let’s see what you’ve got for me.’

 

I rose to my feet and started to undress, I didn’t want to die, I had a whole life ahead of me so I was willing to do anything to save myself even if it meant sleeping with that idiot.

 

Fast forward, Max did manage to have sex with me and the next day, he drove me to intercity and made sure I was on a bus back to Chipata, he had asked the conductor not to let me out of his sight till we got to Chipata.

 

He threatened to kill my sister and if i ever showed my face anywhere near this house.

 

I haven’t been at peace for the past few months, I kept having nightmares, something kept telling me you needed my help so after giving it much thought, I got on a bus back to Lusaka disguised as a Muslim woman and here I am now. ******

 

‘What? What did you just say?’ He asked

 

‘I am pregnant, Thomas, I am carrying your child, I just got back from the hospital,’ she unzipped her bag and pulled out a paper which she handed to him. After an extremely long drawn out silence, he asked,

 

‘Are you happy Christina?’ he looked at her intently

 

 

‘How do you expect me to be happy? I am carrying a bastard my mother will have a fit if she finds out.’

 

‘That’s my child you are carrying and not a bastard,’ he angrily snapped at her ‘It doesn’t matter if it’s your child or not, this thing I am carrying is a bastard.’ Thomas raised his large hand into the air and slapped Chrissie across her face. ‘You slapped me?’

 

‘Yes and I will do more than just slap you if you continue to refer to my child as a bastard.’

 

‘What do you want me to do? I can never birth a child out of wedlock, this will kill my mother.’

 

‘You are keeping the baby.’

 

‘No I am not,’ she retorted

 

‘You are keeping that child and that’s final.’

 

‘This just ruins the whole plan, how can I be with Chard if I am carrying your child and how can you be with Mattie?’

 

‘I love Mattie and I will eventually end up with her but I am also thrilled about the idea of being a father so we are keeping child.’

 

Chrissie frown, she would just have to find a way of getting rid of the child without

 

his consent.

 

******

 

TBC

 

 

 

The Clock is Ticking

 

Ella