Taking Chances – Episode 28

****EPISODE 28****

 

‘I…I…I’ Jide stuttered, angry at

 

this sudden speech impediment.

 

‘Nothing but the truth’ Grace cut in.

 

‘If what I feel for her can be called love, well…’

 

‘I thought you hated her, how come you now have unexplainable feelings for her’ she said with sarcasm.

 

‘I don’t know how it began, but gradually she wound her way to my heart, all the things that irritated and angered me about her then, seem to draw me closer to her now. Sometimes I wonder why she chose to marry me’ Jide replied dreamily, missing the sarcasm in her question. He felt

 

relief, for he had so wanted to express this feeling that suddenly emerged from nowhere.

 

Grace felt jealous and angry. Why had she decided to marry him? Simple! She was a home-wrecker, a joy-stealer, nothing more! But she dared not voice her observation to this new Jide, gone was the man that came crying on her bossom, complaining about how his family ruined his life

 

with a ‘movie-crazed’ puppet. Now he was the ‘whatever-her-name-was puppet. And she was the fool at the end, the pure loser!

 

Sighing, she moved away from the door.

 

‘The food must be cold by now’ she said heading towards the kitchen. ‘Do you think that’s still necessary?’ he asked

 

‘Come on, I cooked it specially for you, you won’t deny me that atleast’ she replied walking still, not a glance back.

 

Oh well, no harm in it. Jide thought and slumped on a settee, his anger relegated to the back.

 

Minutes later, clanging cuttleries signified that they were onto a meal of rice and

 

stew. Jide thought the food better, but didn’t think it surpassed that of his wife,

 

however, he complimented her efforts

 

anyways.

 

In silence they ate, until out of nowhere Grace asked:

 

‘Why din’t you divorce her then?’

 

‘She’s quite harmless and simple’ Jide replied simply and continued

 

grinding his chicken bone. That was Jide, he never undervalued good food and he was a big eater too.

 

That struck an anger cord in Grace, but she said nothing. That girl wasn’t only harmless, she was dangerous! She was the reason why her life was crashing before

 

her, 26, with no man of her own, prospect of starting over building a relationship!

 

Yet here he was calling her harmless!

 

As she watched Jide deal with the chicken, she knew she’d lost him for good. The

 

best thing she could do was to move on as he said. She silently prayed for God to

 

help her forget him.

 

******************

 

Jide drove into his compound at about 7 in the evening. He was feeling tipsy, consequence of the few hours he’d spent alone at a bar drinking whilst he glanced absentmindely at a repeat broadcast of a match between

 

Chelsea and Barca. He had left Grace’s place at about 4pm, not feeling like heading home just yet, he’d opted for a bar instead. Hopefully Daisy and her friend would be over and gone when he returned. He thought.

 

He hadn’t felt like hanging out with his friends either, and though he’d thought of

 

calling Dave since he was the one he could relate more with, he had stopped short

 

before he completed the task. Dele was strange enough and Ade was simply

 

badluck, he could still felt the sour taste of his last gimmicks. And after all that’s

 

said and done, he kept to himself

 

and enjoyed it too.

 

Jide pushed open the door to see Daisy relaxing comfortably on the

 

settee, wriggling her legs in pleasure while she answered a call. She didn’t notice him at first, but when she did, her countenance changed and she hurriedly mumbled some words and cut the call.

 

Jide walked forward, he had half expected her home, since that happened to be the new status quo. He noticed she was wearing a pink short gown, he’d never seen it on her before, grudgingly he admitted that it flattered her complexion and made her look more sexy than he could ever

 

remember she was. But he wasn’t appeased.

 

‘Madam’ he stressed with a sarcastic tone, ‘I see things are uping wonderfully well in your camp?’ he added.

 

Daisy said nothing. She forced her eyes to stay on the television, while she wriggled her hand frantically. How had Brenda ‘coached’ her to react to him? She wondered helplessly. Yes! cool! Brenda had said: ‘act so cool and nonchalant when he brings up that attitude’. Daisy glanced

 

at her shaky palms and exhaled, so much for acting cool. She thought drily. Jide stood now, considering the form of Daisy as she sat there

 

 

pretending that he wasn’t even in front of her. Her and this pink gown of hers which exposed her thighs conspicuously and a neckline which revealed a tip of the pure haven he was sure lay just below, he felt a sudden urge to drag her up and kiss the immobility out of her limp body

 

and draw a sound out of her silent lips. God! She was teasing and driving him insane with all that annoying docility of hers.

 

Daisy felt uncomfortable, she sensed his hot gaze on her skin, suddenly she felt weak and started blaming herself for not running to her room

 

when she heard his car drive in. Losing fate but determined to leave the parlour, she stood up, colliding directly into him. Jide made no move to shift.

 

Daisy muttered an incomprehensible apology or something and made to by

 

pass him, but before she could take a step forward, strong hand grabbed at her arm and pulled her back.

 

Daisy found herself in facing Jide, it was the closest she had ever been with him, immediately her heart started thumping. The smell of alcohol wafted to her nose, she couldn’t bring herself to stare at his face. Her height perfectly matched his, though she was a trifle shorter.

 

After what felt like hours since they’d been standing, Jide finally spoke between clenched teeth.

 

‘Don’t think you call the shots around here, because of your seeming new acquired power, I still remain the MAN here, hopefully, you’re not

 

planning on remaining ‘chaste’ forever are you? Cos I own every d–n thing about you,’ a pause, then ‘Everything’ he stressed.

 

His eyes travelled appreciatively then, from her face down, lingering on her bossom, then sliding up again to her face, where his eyes met hers peering intently at him.

 

Their gaze locked. One defiant and unyielding, the other surprised and awed. Somehow, those words of Jide had melted something in Daisy’s heart and she had found herself bravely staring up to match his gaze. The expression she’d seen and read on his face dissolved all her senseless fright and in its place was a renewed feeling of strength and power.

 

This man that had terrorized her in fantasy and reality was finally falling for her! As that realisation struck her, Daisy found her heart pinning for revenge, a desire to make him suffer just the way he’d made her. If love had ever inhabited her heart for this man standing before

 

her, she didn’t feel it at that moment.

 

Jide on his part, had become lost and awed at the depth of her eyes, he didn’t know they were this beautiful and compelling! But then this was the first time ever he was actually seeing this woman that was his wife.

 

She was indeed charming with an angelic face, he felt he would happily get lost in the spell her eyes cast.

 

Daisy smiled slyly then, a grin playing at the corner of her lips. Jide could bet that that smile of hers could light up the whole house, even his heart was already electrified by its warmth…no, maybe not warmth, the eyes held…something like mischief?

 

‘I heard you perfectly well’ Daisy

 

replied his earlier taunt and gently tried to pull her arms away but Jide held on tightly.

 

‘We are not done here yet’ he said calmly.

 

‘Then be over and done with’ Daisy replied curtly.

 

Her tone hit Jide. He knew instantly that his worst fear was finally coming to pass,

 

Daisy had never spoken that boldly and rudely to him before, and now she just did!

 

Slowly he loosened his hold on her palms, feeling momentarily lost and hurt. Daisy smiled another wicked and sly one at him again, wrenched her arms free, then walked out on him heading towards the hallway. Her head proudly lifted high. You don’t leave this house without my knowledge’ he suddenly called after her. ‘That’s not an issue’ she replied without a glance back at the distraught Jide. When she got close to the dining she mocked:

 

‘Food, dear Jide’. Then laughed quietly to herself and disappeared through the curtain leading to the hallway.

 

She had personally broken the hold Jide had on her. Now Grace could successfully

 

come in. She thought smugly.

 

**********************

 

TAKING CHANCES