The Clock Is Ticking – Episode 50

Sequence 50

 

*****

 

‘Christina, its good you are back,’ her mother said

 

‘Mum what are you doing here and why did you slap my fiancé like that?’ ‘Fiance?’ Claire clapped her hands together and laughed, ‘My sister this one is not good for you oh.’

 

‘What are you talking about?’

 

‘I want you to pack your stuff and leave my house. I am through with this relationship,’ he said

 

‘Wait, what do you mean by ‘you are through with this relationship?’ she asked ‘Let me explain it in a way you will understand easily. I mean I am breaking up with you. The wedding is off.’

 

She gave him a long hard look,’ you are joking right?’ she asked ‘No.’

 

 

‘You are still upset about me not showing up for rehearsals aren’t you?’ ‘No.’

 

‘Then what is it?’

 

‘I can’t marry a whore.’

 

‘What did you just call me?’ she rasped

 

‘A whore! That’s what you are.’

 

He flinched as she slapped his cheek, ‘It is your mother, who is a whore,’ she shot back

 

Jericho’s face grew red with anger she had crossed her line by calling his mother a

 

whore. He raised his hand into the air and slapped Chrissie across her face. She fell

 

backwards and hit the wall.

 

Blood came forth from her lips.

 

‘You should never lay your filthy hands on me ever again and the next time you call my mother a whore, you won’t live to tell the tale.’

 

‘Jericho!’ Her mother screamed angrily, ‘You dare hit my child in my presence?’ ‘Yes and I will hit her again if she insults my mother.’

 

Chrissie’s mother raised her hand to slap Jericho but he took hold of her hand,’ I won’t hesitate to beat you up too if you dare raise this hand on me. Leave my house now!’ he commanded

 

She yanked out her hand and spat on the floor, ‘you are such a low life idiot and to think I wanted my daughter to marry someone this violent and disrespectful.’ ‘At least I don’t sleep around.’

 

Claire helped Chrissie up, ‘Get your back so we can get out of this house.’ she said before she turned to look at Jericho, ‘And you, I will get back at you for disrespecting my mother and humiliating my sister.’ ‘Game on.’

 

‘You guys go ahead, let me grab my suitcase I will meet you downstairs.’

 

‘Don’t be long,’ her mother said before they turned and marched out of the house.

 

Jericho left Chrissie standing and went to his room.

 

He was sitting on the edge of the bed with his face bowed to the ground when she walked in.

 

‘You just assaulted me in front of my mother and my sister, who are you? This is not the man I fell in love with, what has gone wrong?’

 

‘Don’t come here asking me all these stupid questions just pack and leave.’

 

‘I won’t leave until you tell me what’s going on, I demand an explanation, you owe me that much.’

 

 

‘First you have been sleeping with your sister’s ex boyfriend “Thomas” as if that is not enough you have been after her boyfriend Chard, should I continue or now you remember?’

 

‘Who has been feeding you all these lies?’ she feigned shock and surprise.7

 

‘I loved you Chrissie, I believed in you, I thought you were the one i…..well never

 

mind. It was all based on a fantasy.’

 

‘So where did you get all this information from?’

 

‘I hired a private investigator & the things he told me about you, lord I must have

 

been blind when I proposed to you.’

 

‘Don’t insult me Jericho.’

 

‘You disgust me Chrissie, how could you plot evil against your own blood sister?’ ‘Mattie isn’t my sister remember?’

 

He remained quiet.

 

Chrissie grabbed her suitcase and opened it on the bed then she threw in her stuff and closed it.

 

‘You know what?’ she began as she stood by door ready to walk out. ‘What?’

 

‘It’s true I cheated with Thomas, you wanna know why?’ Silence

 

‘I will tell you anyway,’ she laughed, ‘He is more experienced than you are in so

 

many things, you can never be half the man that he is. And Chard is the man I

 

genuinely love.’

 

‘You are worthless.’

 

‘I only agreed to marry you because that was what my mother wanted otherwise

 

you don’t amuse me at all,’ she smiled

 

‘Just leave.’

 

‘And now that I am finally going to be with the man I love, you can hang my dear Ex-fiancé.’

 

She took off her engagement ring and I will be there threw it at him before she walked out and hauled the suitcase to the car outside.

 

She took one last look at the house and got into the car, ‘We can go,’ she said. ***

 

Claire drove out of the yard and into the main road. For a few minutes they drove in silence.

 

‘I am not going back to Kafue with you guys, you should drop me off in town,’ she said.

 

Her mother shot her a deadly stare, ‘Why?’

 

‘I still have stuff to do in Lusaka, I just can’t leave.’

 

‘What kind of stuff?’

 

‘Just stuff,’ she shrugged

 

‘So tell me, was any of the stuff that man said true? Have you been sleeping with Thomas?’

 

‘Lying to you would be pointless. So yes I have been have sexual relations with Thomas.’

 

‘Christina Moonga. How could you?’

 

‘How could I what?’

 

‘This is absurd,’ Claire said, ‘Why would you even sleep with Thomas?’ ‘Well maybe because he knows how to please me in bed.’

 

‘Well maybe it’s because he knows how to please me in bed,’ her mother imitated her, ‘do you know what this will do to our family if it gets out?’

 

‘That’s all you care about? What will the public say about this and that, I am sorry mother but my happiness comes first.’

 

‘And Thomas is your happiness abi?’ Claire mocked

 

‘No,’ she shook her head, ‘He satisfies me sexually that doesn’t mean he makes me happy, Chard makes me happy, Chard is who I want to be with.’ ‘Can you even hear yourself?’

 

‘You taught me to go after what my heart desires mother, I am doing just that.’ ‘My enemies are going to mock me, first Vanessa left her husband and now you are jumping from one man to the next.’

 

‘I am the product of your teachings you have no right to complain. This is all you.’ ‘You have to go back home with me, I can pray and fast for you so that God can have Mercy on you. It’s not too late Chrissie, please my child.’

 

Chrissie laughed out loud, ‘Leave God out of this. I am not going back with you just drop me here .’

 

‘And where will you stay?’

 

‘You don’t have to worry about that.’

 

‘You are going back with me.’

 

‘I said no,’ she yelled startling both her mother and sister. Claire instantly pulled over.

 

‘Why are you stopping?’ her mother asked ‘She wants to stay let her stay, she isn’t a baby.’

 

‘Thank you Claire,’ Chrissie smiled getting out of the car.

 

*****

 

 

‘Jericho knows about us?’ she said when Thomas picked her up an hour later. She had called him after her sister dropped her off.

 

‘How did he even know anything about this, we should have been more careful.’ ‘He hired a private investigator.’

 

‘He might mess things for us, I think we need to change the plan right away.’

 

‘Please do.’

 

‘Right- away.’

 

******

 

TBC

 

 

 

######

 

 

The Clock is Ticking

 

 

Ella