Pursuit of love??

Ok, so i wrote this sometime early this year, but never had the courage to put it up...I seem to be on a high tonight (no, i don't do drugs), so i'm putting it up....Please let me know what you think when you're done reading. Thanks :)

It all happened so quickly. Before Nadia knew what was happening, she’d become the other woman in Bill’s life. She was not happy about what was going on between Bill and her, but she was also frustrated to realise she didn’t have the will power to put an end to something she had such strong convictions about.

“What mess have I got myself into?” She asked herself in the dark of her room. Bill had just called to say he’ll be with her within the next hour. He was so excited at the prospect of seeing her again that he did not notice the sadness in her voice.

“Sweetie! Guess what?” He went on without giving her the time to make her guess.

“Akua just called to say she’s going away on a field trip for the next two weeks. Can you imagine that? Two whole weeks! As we speak, she’s at home packing!”

“Okay, Bill.”

“Yea, very okay. So, see you soon darling. Should I get you some of Aunty Ama’s  kelewele on my way? You should try it with the new ice cream from frosty bite! It’s like going to heaven.”

Nadia rolled her eyes and feigned excitement, “Oh really? I can’t wait to try out that combination. See you when you get here.”

“Can you pick me up from the station? I don’t want to drive over. Too many questions about what my car is doing in your driveway from your neighbours who can’t seem to mind their own business”, Bill laughed.

Nadia did not find anything funny about what he had just said. But she decided to let it go – at least, with him. She would sort it out with herself later.

“No problem, I’ll be there. Just call me when you’re five minutes away from the station.”

“See you soon dear, bye”

Six months earlier, she believed she was the happiest girl on earth. She had just moved out of her parent’s home into her own apartment. She still remembers Natalie’s reaction when she first told her she was moving out. They had both met for lunch at a spot close to Nadia’s office.

“Natalie, guess what?”

“My friend, if you have something to tell me, tell me now ooo, I’ve got loads of work on my desk to finish up. Kofi always puts up an attitude when I carry over work from the office home. It’s almost as if I’m cheating on him with my work!”

Holding up her hands to signal her to stop, Nadia said, “Before this turns into a “marriage is not easy” session, I was just going to let you know that I’ll need your help this weekend.”

“Oh, so that is what you wanted me to guess eh?”

“Won’t you ask what for?”

“Why should I when I already know? You need me to take you shopping for something to wear for another of your friend’s wedding I guess. Who is it this time?”

“You’re wrong my dear sister. I need you to help me pack into my own apartment! I’m moving out!”

“That’s a lie. We both know Mr and Mrs Adams will never in a million years allow that to happen. Their anthem has always been “Unless you’re moving in to your husband’s house, you’re going nowhere”.

“Well, let’s just say, between the time you got married and now, a million years have passed.”

Natalie had been so excited at the news that she stayed an extra hour into her lunch break. She was fully convinced that their parent’s change in stance on the issue of moving out was because of her though she could not exactly point out the connection.

“See, when I got married and moved out, it made them realise that we were no longer kids. It suddenly dawned on them that we were adults who had their own lives to lead.”

The ring of her phone brought Nadia’s thoughts back to the present. Without checking the caller ID, she knew it was Bill. She picked her keys and answered on her way out.

“Hi!, I’m on my way,” she told him as she backed out of her driveway.

“Ooops, I was hoping you’ll answer before setting off, but never mind. I’d wanted us to pass by La Paillote for your favourite.”

“Let’s make it tomorrow then,” Nadia suggested. She was hungry alright, but was in no mood to eat out. “We’ll find something to eat from my end.”

“Anything that makes you happy, my dear, anything for you.”

Nadia smiled to herself. This was one of the things about Bill that so much endeared him to her. He virtually lived to make her happy. Bill was already at the station when she got there. As she eased her bright red Opel into the only available parking spot, she wondered why there was so much activity in town this evening. Everyone seemed to be headed somewhere. Bill spotted her and walked towards where she was parked. He let himself in through the front passenger side and leaned in towards her to plant a quick kiss on her cheek before she could protest.

“Bill! I’ve told you time and again I am not a fan of PDA! You never know w ho’s watching!”

“You don’t have to bother too much about what people think sometimes, you know?” he chuckled as he fixed his seat belt.

“Oh really? Then why am I here picking you up? I thought you were worried about my neighbours seeing your car in my driveway”. Nadia could not hide her indignation.

“Sweety, that’s a different case.”

“You know what? Let’s just end this before it turns into the topic of discussion for the night. I’m too stressed out for that.”

“You definitely are stressed out, and I know just what will de-stress you.” He leaned in again to kiss her, but drew back into his seat when he saw the look of disapproval in her eyes. “Wow, I promise to behave until we get behind closed doors,” He joked.

Shaking her head, she said, “You’re just impossible Bill” and burst out into laughter as she eased her car out of the parking lot.

They both rode in silence for a while before Bill broke into Nadia’s thoughts.

“Hey, did you listen to Uncle Ebo this morning?”

“No, what did he say today?”

“He was giving you ladies tips on how to be more caring. I was tempted to call Akua and ask her to tune in. But I thought twice about it and stopped myself.”

“Why didn’t you think about calling and asking me to listen too?” She sounded jealous.

“Because, you, my darling are already too caring. I couldn’t ask for more from you. Thank you for always being there for me.”

“That sounded so sincere. You almost drew a tear from my eyes.”

“It is actually from the depths of my heart Nadia.”

“Okay. I’m glad you value my time and attention”. She flashed him a smile and silently prayed for a change in subject. She really was not up for any emotional things this evening. She turned on the radio, and his reaction to the news item being discussed made her thank her stars she did. She would rather discuss the Arab Spring with him tonight than how he felt about her. Her thoughts on that issue were enough.

“Looks like your neighbours are part of the reason town is so congested today” Bill noted as they pulled into the driveway. “Where have they all gone to?”

“Don’t get too excited dear, most of them started making use of their garages after a recent spate of minor burglaries.”

“So why is your car being parked outside?”

“Oh, there’s nothing on or in this car that those thieves want. Let’s just say that’s my reward for using my dad’s 1985 model Opel. The perks of hand-me-downs I guess.”

Nadia noticed Bill kept looking over his shoulder as they walked towards her apartment. She felt like laughing, but at the same time, his actions made her realise the situation she’d put herself in. She however quickly banished the thought and uneasy feeling that came along with it to the back of her mind. She’ll deal with it later, she told herself.

“Settle down while I get us something to eat Bill.”

Bill planted a kiss on her cheek as he handed her the ice cream and kelewele he had promised her.

“It’s beginning to melt. I guess we should keep it in the freezer for later”.

“You know, I totally forgot about it. Since when did frosty bite start producing this flavour though?” She dropped them on the table and Bill picked them up and headed for the kitchen.

“I don’t know love.”

Nadia laid down in the couch and began channel surfing. Her favourite programme was on air.

“Bill, hurry up and let’s watch this together. You will not believe what Adelaide said to her boss! She’s going to be fired. I can bet my last pesewa on that!

“I’ll soon join you dear” Bill hated that particular series, but he was ready to watch it with her.”

The ring of his phone startled her. “Your phone’s ringing!” She screamed, a little annoyed that the loud music from his phone was drowning out what was being said on the TV.

“Could you please answer for me?” Bill screamed from the kitchen.

Nadia was fishing the phone from the pocket of his jacket which he had dropped on the rack when he entered. “No! I’m not going to answer. Oh, and by the way, it’s your wife calling. Do you still want me to answer?” She screamed back.

Bill was in the living room at this point and rushed to snatch the phone from her hands. “Hello dear. Yes, I’m home.”

Nadia turned down the volume of the television at his signal. His phone was not on loudspeaker, but she could clearly hear his wife’s voice from the other end. “I just arrived at Sunyani. The journey was stressful and my battery also ran down. I’m sure you were worried trying to get through to me.”

Bill lied. “Yes, I was worried after I couldn’t get through to you.” He did not know why, but he went on, “I almost called your driver, but I felt it was not safe since he would be driving”.

Nadia made a mental note to tease him on this lie later on. She headed out to the porch in an effort to give him some privacy.

“I am sorry dear,” Akua yawned noisily into the phone. “I’ve got to hit my sheets. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for me. I’ve got a number of meetings with some clients.”

“Okay, I’m tired myself and will also head to bed soon. Have a goodnight.”

“Goodnight”, Akua replied. Just as Bill was about to cut the line, she called his name.

“Bill, I know I have not told you this in a long while, but I love you. I really do. And I miss us. I miss what we used to be.”

“Errm, Akua, you know I also do.”

“Yes I do. We will survive this test together. I know it.” Even as she said this, there was unbelief deep within her heart. But she had always believed in positive confession, and she was only putting into practice her beliefs. The positive ones at least.

“Goodnight”, Bill said once again. He wanted their conversation to come to an end. Had he been in his matrimonial home, he would have clutched at this rare opportunity to make things work out with his wife. But no, he was in his mistress’ house, and his conscience will not permit him to start reconciliatory talks with his wife of five years. Living with her for the past half year had been tough. It was as though an undeclared war had been in progress. A war neither one of them seemed to be winning. This he felt had left them both with an unspoken sense of suspicion. He could tell from the way she acted towards him that she had her suspicions about his fidelity. But then again, it could just be his guilt driving him to read too deep between the lines. He also had his suspicions. Funny enough, he realised his suspicions were baseless anytime he brought himself to think of it. It was a fact that her business trips had gotten more frequent within the past 3 months, but he also knew it was because of the new project she’d been given to manage.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and went out to join Nadia who was gazing at the stars on the porch.

“Are you not going to finish up the show? It’s still on.”

She did not shift her gaze from the sky. “No, I’ll watch the repeat omnibus over the weekend. That’s what I always do anyways. I had just wanted to watch this episode with you.”

“I’m sorry.” He simply said.

There was a look of surprise on Nadia’s face as she tore her gaze away from the sky and asked, “What for?” His ability to apologise without prompting was another thing that endeared him to her though sometimes, it got on her nerves. This was one of those times.

Bill could not tell if she was being genuine. “I’m sorry for disrupting your favourite show, and also for spending too much time with her on the phone.”

“Come on! How could you apologise for speaking to her? She’s your wife for god’s sake!”

“Thanks for understanding me then.”

He sat by her and put his arm around her shoulders. Her eyes were back in the sky, fixatedly staring at the stars. Tears slid down her cheeks without warning. Bill did not ask if everything was alright. He wiped the tears from her face and kissed her on the forehead. She tilted her head back  till her lips found his. She knew they were outside, but it took her five or more minutes to listen to the voice that had been screaming in her head, that kissing someone else’s husband on  your front porch wasn’t such a bright idea.

“Let’s go indoors”, she said, breaking off the kiss.

To be continued ;)