the annoying part is that they’ll blame Satan for their misfortune, disturbing pastors for prayers when they’re the cause of their problems. I don’t even bother with them. When they start giving me attitude simply because I asked for a discount, I move to another trader.”
Wendy went pale as she envisioned her plans falling apart. She wasn’t listening to Rita’s rambling. She turned her back on her roommate as she wondered what step to take. Should she go over to Charles’ house? No, she couldn’t. For some time now, she had been the one going over, if she stopped him from coming this weekend, it might give room for suspicion in his mind that she was hiding something. Perhaps, she regularly paid for her share of the rent, she should be able to bring her boyfriend home whenever she wanted to. Rita was just plain selfish, never considering the fact that she also would like to have her boyfriend over. Well not today. Things had to go just the way she’d planned.
Rita brought out the yam wearily, “I really hate pounding yam. It takes too much energy. I’m only doing this in hope that he’ll get me a new phone. I don’t get why Roland has to be so traditional. If he preferred rice and stew, it would have been so much easier.” Thinking of how tiring the process of extracting oil from the palm kernel seeds were, she turned her gaze to Wendy who had not even bothered to offer a word of encouragement considering the fact that she was also going to be a benefactor of the delicacy when prepared. “What is it? You don’t look excited.”
Wendy pursed her lips but said nothing. Still concerned, Rita walked up to her. With her hands resting on Wendy’s shoulder, she urged her to share whatever issue had her so wound up. Wendy sighed then mimicked her roommate in an offensive manner, “My sweetheart is coming today” then she managed a cold laughter, building her anger steadily. “Would you stop the pretence already? We are both aware that you don’t love him.”
Rita’s face hardened as she removed her hand from Wendy’s shoulder like someone that had been scalded by an unexpected fire. “And what does that mean?”
Wendy rested her hands stiffly on her waist. “Please, don’t pretend with me. How can you say you love Roland when you’re sleeping with your boss?” The hurt look on Rita’s face didn’t even scratch the surface of her heart, if anything, it egged her on, “Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot. How did you describe your relationship? Yes! You’re not his prostitute. You’re just his early morning breakfast or sometimes, lunch depending on his mood.”
All her life, Rita had never felt the urge to hit someone more as she did at present but she controlled her ravaging emotions. If she battered this woman, she’d later regret it because even though the situation appeared really ugly right now, she had love for this silly girl in her heart. Still looking at her cold face with annoyance, she remembered Mrs. Rhoda’s psychology class on managing temper. She took in a deep breath and counted from one to ten under her breath. Gaining control of her emotions, she dragged the nylon bag to where the stool was, just by the kitchen, sat and emptied the bag of groceries gently on the ground then slowly, started arranging them in the glass cupboard.
Wendy’s revulsion grew as it became obvious that Rita did not intend to reply her. That girl was a real pain in the ass. She called her a foul name then stalked off to the window, looking at the neatly tarred grounds. The ground could have as well been her heart. Apart from its rapid beating, she couldn’t feel a thing, not the cool air on her skin nor Rita’s hurt. She only saw hers washing away every dreg of happiness so she uttered an even fouler word under her breath this time. “How dare you keep me silent?”
“The last time I checked, how I live my life is not your business,” said Rita with a simper.
Wendy hit her fist angrily on the window panes causing it to make a loud, almost shattering noise. “It is, when my boyfriend has picked today to come and visit me.”
Rita paused at the sound of the noise but continued her work a while later, unperturbed. She was now used to Wendy’s unreasonable display of anger. She kept a seal on her anger and responded with a false calmness. “So? That’s not a problem at all. Since we live in a self contained apartment, you and Charles will stay at one end of the room while Roland and I will stay at the other end. All we’ll need to put up with is our sex moans.”
Now, Wendy really wanted to hit this girl but since she saw Rita beat up a rather hefty woman in their third month here, she had ingrained in her consciousness, never to get physical with her. “You say the most disgusting things, you really do.”
“That’s not a problem. Keep acting up, it’s a good thing I have no shame.” Rita stood up, folded her hands under her breasts and gazed at the neatly arranged groceries. Satisfied, she proceeded to her wardrobe to get some shorts.
Wendy knew that except she changed her tactics, the battle was as good as lost. Rita could be as stubborn as a mule at times. She mellowed down and came closer to Rita, calling her pet name apologetically. “Ree”
Rita snapped. “What?”
Wendy kept her hands on Rita’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said the things I said to you. I’m aware that even though you’re sleeping with your boss, you still love Roland very much. So, I’ll call Charles and tell him to come over next weekend.” Wendy smiled inwardly as she waited for what she knew would come next. Rita had such a tender heart. Apologies and sweet words got to her, every time. It was her Achilles heels.
Rita’s anger evaporated. “Wendy, you don’t have to do that. Roland came here last weekend and the weekend before. It’s only fair that I call to change the venue for our meeting. You can use these foodstuffs to cook for Charles. I’ll meet Roland elsewhere.”
Wendy hugged Rita, grinning from ear to ear. “Thank you so much. You’re the best roommate ever.”
Rita smiled and teasingly continued, “I know, right? Imagine if you had a roommate like, Sarah, the Church girl.”
Aghast, Wendy paled. “Please don’t curse me. Her moral beliefs would have pushed me to pack up and leave or worse still, commit suicide.”
Rita’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. She had met Sarah a couple of times and even if she did find the damsel a little strange, she didn’t think she was that bad. “Wow! Somebody’s getting touchy.”
Wendy relaxed. “Don’t get me wrong. She’s one of my best friends and I love her but I can’t live with her. She’ll kill me with her preaching. For one, I won’t be able to invite my boyfriend over for the night because she wouldn’t agree to sleep out and I’ll end up almost suffocated. She’s so rigid, all the time. Once she gets it into her head, that something is wrong, it’s really difficult, if not impossible to get her to do otherwise.”
Rita swung her leg to the couch in a more relaxed manner. “But on a serious note, your friend is missing out on a lot of fun. I mean she’s a twenty-three- year-old virgin, that’s weird. Who would want to have her as a girlfriend?”
Wendy nodded sympathetically. “I know, right? But there’s nothing I can do about it, she’s strong headed.”
Rita laughed then picked up her phone to call to Roland. As usual, he sounded very excited to hear from her. His love for her made her very happy but somehow, it lacked the strength needed to make her tremble with guilt for cheating on him with her boss. Maybe the problem wasn’t that his love was weak, maybe it was her morals that were. In her mind’s eye, her boss was option B. Peradventure, if Roland parted ways with her, she’d have someone to fall back on, just like the maids in her home had become substitute parents whenever her parents travelled for weeks on evangelical duties. In tune with his understanding nature, he wasn’t upset when she told him they couldn’t meet in her room as planned because Wendy had a date with Charles there. “Alright, that’s not a problem, we can spend the weekend in Sheraton Hotel.”
Rita pressed the phone closer to her ear. “Honey, that’s a five-star hotel”
“Yes and you should be thrilled.”
Rita frowned. She loved the good things of life, she really did. Somehow, they gave her the value she had always