SAKADINIA - Episode 6

***
‘How sweet’ I smiled as I fondled the photo album, this
must I’ve belonged to Grace I mused. The album
contained numerous pictures but none caught my
attention like the one she took with Mark, that got me
thinking, were they close?
I was quite sure the smiling light skinned girl was Grace, I
see why my employers freaked out once they saw me, we
shared a strong resemblance but our eyes were different.
I now understood why Mark was the only one that could
tell the difference, from the pictures I saw, it seems they
were pretty close, even dating.
I arched my brow, that didn’t seem right, I could never
date my employer or any of his family members, I smirked
and closed the album. I needed to sleep, there was so
much work to do the following day and I couldn’t
disappoint.
As I neared the cupboard to return Grace’s album, a thin
sheet fell from its pages, I quickly picked it up, though the
room now belonged to me, I had no right to go through
her things, I was intruding her privacy.
‘What do we have here’? I straightened the sheet.
There is a house on Maryland Street, Cross River State.
It has a blue roof and its body is painted milky white.
This house is built on Secrets, dirty and dark ones.
I pondered briefly on the words of the note, ‘a house built
on secrets’? what did that mean? I had no idea, it wasn’t
making any sense, so I placed the note carefully and
returned to my bed.
***
He watched his wife carefully, she had fallen asleep, he
was sure of this, he couldn’t sleep, thoughts of his
daughter gave him insomnia, he just had to see her to
calm his nerves.
He waved his palm over Helen’s face to be sure she
wasn’t awake, certain of that fact, he slipped on his
pajamas and left for Rose’s room, they had a lot to
discuss, Helen’s recent suspicion bothered him, he
couldn’t have his wife snooping around his back like a
dog.
‘Open up baby, it’s me your daddy’ he knocked gently on
her door.
‘Daddy? I’ve waited so long for you, how I’ve missed you’
she flung her arms round him once she opened the door.
‘I miss you too my darling girl’ he pressed his lips against
hers, while his hands roamed her body and searched for
an opening in her night gown.
‘Wait, how about mum?’ she whispered.
‘She’s asleep, I assure you’ he slipped a hand underneath
her nightgown and reached for her panties.
‘I love the way you make me feel’ she moaned softly
against him as his fingers reached her core and stroked it
gently.
‘I live to please you’ he replied and carried her gently to
the bed.
He parted her legs swiftly and plunged deeply into her, he
moaned against her hair while her soft cries of ecstasy
brought him to his peak.
‘That was awesome, let’s go again’ she smacked his
backside.
‘No honey, there are things we must talk about’ he
declined and sat on the bed facing her.
‘Things like’? She wondered.
‘Your mother is suspecting me, she feels I’m seeing
someone and you know that isn’t right for us. I need her
to trust me’ he caressed her hand.
‘Yes, she came to my room asking me questions about
the fight I had with Grace, I think she feels you slept with
the maid and I found out and fought with her’ Rose
replied dryly, not a bit interested in her mother’s suspicion
of their affair.
‘What did you say in return’? the Pastor asked eagerly.
‘Nothing, I told her Grace disrespected me and that was
all’ she replied.
‘Good, we have to be very careful, that’s why I’m doing
this’ he focused on her face. They had to stop seeing
each other for a while to mellow Helen’s suspicion,
maybe if he spent more time with her, she’d believe he
was innocent.
‘Excuse me? Why should we stop seeing each other, you
know I can’t do without you? How do we stay apart from
each other? How could you even say this’? Rose was
exasperated.
‘Hey baby, it’s for the best, if your mother ever finds out
about us, you know what that means, please, you have to
understand,it’s just for a while’ he begged.
‘I can’t believe this, so because you’re scared of her,
you’re now ending our relationship, tell me, who do you
love more? Helen or i?’ She rose to her feet and pointed a
finger to his face.
‘I am not scared of your mother, why are you even asking
that’? he wasn’t pleased with the way she was handling
the whole thing. It was simple, they take a break and
resume when things were alright.
‘Really? Just get out of my room and don’t ever come
back, you’ll pay for this’ she scowled.
‘Baby? Why do we have to quarrel about this? Please
don’t push me away’ he begged.
‘Goodnight father’ she shut the door against his face and
sobbed uncontrollably on her bed.
How could her mother jeopardize her relationship with
her father? She wiped her face and vowed to deal with
the woman later, she had her plans, she knew her mother
was cheating, all she needed was evidence, but for the
mean time, she needed someone else in her bed.
***
The morning had come very fast, maybe because I was
so nervous that I couldn’t sleep or maybe because it was
a short night.
I did the dishes and swept the house, what surprised me
was that my employers were still asleep, it was eight A.M
and no one was awake. I sighed and continued dusting
the chairs, the house was really unkempt, I began to
wonder what Madam’s daughter did in the absence of a
maid.
‘Good morning gorgeous’ Mark walked past me.
‘Morning sir’ I became nervous, I didn’t want to get
personal with him, I preferred we stayed formal, so I
called him ‘sir’. After seeing those pictures of him and
Grace, I needed to be careful.
‘Funny, call me Mark or forget it’ he laughed and fetched
a can of soda from the fridge.
‘Okay’ I replied silently and continued with my cleaning.
‘Don’t you talk?’ he gulped greedily from the can.
I shook my head in answer, what was I supposed to say.
‘Hello, I found an album in my room and I saw pictures of
you and Grace’.
‘You know, Grace was a real talker, very lively and fun’ he
smiled as images of his love flew past him.
‘You guys must have really been close’ I said.
‘Yes, I wouldn’t lie, I loved her very much, but it hurts me
that she didn’t feel the same way, I was ready to do
anything for her’ he sighed and tossed the can into the
trash bin.
‘What makes you think she didn’t return your love’? I was
curious, the picture I saw the night before was a proof
that she was crazy about him, she’d seemed so happy
and content.
‘She left. She just packed her things and left without
saying a word to me’ I could feel the pain in his voice.
‘I’m so sorry, if you really love her, you could search for
her and find out why she disappeared’ I suggested, that
was really strange. The Ita’s were a very rich family, why
would someone want to leave such comfort? I wondered.
‘I want to make something very clear to you Ajunwa, I
hired you here to work for me and not to seduce my son’
Helen had awoken and to her dismay, she found her son
chit chatting with the new maid, that wasn’t the problem,
the subject of their discussion was Grace, the very name
that gave her goose pimples.
‘;Good morning Ma’ I bowed my head while Mark gaped
at his mother in disbelief.
‘You didn’t have to say that mum, we were just
conversing’ he walked out on her angrily.
‘If I ever find you two discussing about that miserable girl,
just get your things and pack out of this house’ Helen
yelled and left for her garden. She needed to think, she
needed to clear her head.
‘Yes Ma’ I nodded.
As she stormed out, my eyes followed her, I noticed how
angry and defensive she became anytime Grace’s name
was mentioned. My being employed was a pure miracle
as I shared a strong resemblance to this Grace.
Something wasn’t right, ‘A house of secrets’, I recalled
the words from the note.
‘If you’re done gaping outside, I need my breakfast’ it was
Rose’s turn to terrify me.
***
The smell of her garden lilies and roses gave her life as
their sweet scent infiltrated her nostrils. She needed to
think, she needed to plan. First, Nelson and her were
never to see each other again, but he had seen
something, the decayed hand that he disposed. Now she
thought about it, she hated herself the more, she had
been so carried away, now he knew something about her
family that she wished it to be secret forever. There had
to be only one way to end that, she needed to kill Nelson.
‘Here’s your breakfast ma’m’ I placed the tray in front of
her, I noticed she was lost in thought.
‘Wait’ she beckoned on me and I waited, at that same
moment, her daughter Rose joined her for breakfast.
‘You can go, meet me later’ she dismissed me, I
wondered why she had called me, it seemed something
weighed heavily on her mind, did she want to sack me? I
wondered as I walked away.
‘Good morning mother’ Rose greeted and shifted
uncomfortably in her sit, she didn’t like the look her
mother gave her, that penetrating gaze.
‘Morning my darling child, how are you this morning’?
Helen sipped from her mug. She had her plans, she’ll set
her husband up with the new maid to test his loyalty since
he feigned innocence.
‘What’s on your mind? You don’t look well’ she observed
her mother, maybe her father was right, they had to slow
down else they’d be heading for disaster.
‘Nothing Rose, nothing much, I want to go shopping
today, fetch me Nelson’ Helen sighed.
‘Okay mum’.
***
He woke feeling sated, he’d had a good taste of his
darling the night before, it was then time to go about his
normal activities. As a pastor, he had a lot of work to do,
when he wasn’t organizing programs or attending
meetings, he was counseling members of his
congregation.
‘It’s going to be a glorious day’ he hummed a tune and
rose to his feet, luckily, his wife was not there to start a
fight. He checked his file and went through his day’s
activities. He didn’t have a Personal assistant like most
pastors because Helen had offered to do that job freely,
but now they weren’t on good terms, he had to find
someone capable of handling his personal files.
‘Mark it will be’ he decided to use his son, though the boy
was busy, he could squeeze out some time to be with his
father.
He smiled as he thought about his children, years back,
they had all been kids, now they were mature, most
importantly, his Rose was grown enough for their
relationship to blossom fully.
His phone buzzed and he rushed to pick it, he never
missed his calls, his members called him all the time, and
he was willing to pray or give them advice pertaining to
whatever situation they found themselves.
‘Hello, it’s Pastor Ita on the line’ he answered and waited
for the person on the other line.
‘I know who you are, what you’re doing makes me sick, I
am going to tell’ the caller replied.
‘Hello, who’s this?’ the pastor asked, but the line went
dead.
***
He’d been lost in his own thoughts, though he’d acted
like what he saw didn’t bother him, he wasn’t able to
sleep the night before, he had a bad feeling. He’d been
having an affair with the pastor’s wife, but helping her
dispose of a human part is something he didn’t bargain
for. Though he’d buried the hand somewhere, his
conscience pricked him thoroughly and he knew the only
way to feel better was to confront his mistress about it.
However, that in itself was folly, he had so much to lose.
As her lover boy, he had gained so much, she gave him
money which he used to care for his family, so
confronting her could cause her to end the relationship
and revoke the favours.
‘No’ he shook his head, he had to tread softly till he got
what he wanted, once he was done, he’d dump her like
she never mattered.
‘Come on in’ he called to whoever was knocking.
‘Mother needs you in the garden’ Rose stepped into his
room.
‘Alright, I’ll be there soon’ Nelson rose to his feet. Helen’s
daughter was very beautiful, he had eyes on her once but
she was snobby and very arrogant, that killed his appetite.
‘Your room is beautiful’ Rose scanned his bare body, she
suddenly felt moisture between her legs as she imagined
him making love to her.
‘Thank you’ Nelson replied, it seemed she had something
else to say.
‘Can I ask you for a favor’? Rose asked sweetly. She was
h---y and she needed to quench the fire between her legs
since her father had abandoned her.
‘What’s that’? Nelson narrowed his brows.
‘I want you to kiss me’.
Tbc