5 hours before the incident Samuel stared at the brown wooden door for almost a minute. He thrust his hands in his pockets then removed them anxiously. He swivelled to check if he was being watched. No one must nd out what he"d been up to. He was torn between common-sense and pleasure. What the h.e.l.l was he doing? It was not safe! How could he agree to this? Obviously she"d charmed him, it was the only logical explanation. Wednesday night and he was in front of Naomi"s house. He swallowed the lump that clung to his throat and rubbed his sweaty palms against his dark trousers. After a few minutes, Samuel nally summoned the courage to knock on the door, his heart skipped a beat as he heard footsteps. Unconsciously, he tapped his feet on the oor. He should walk away; it was the right thing to do but his legs wouldn"t move. Soon the door opened and there she was! A chubby woman with hips that made jaws drop and bosom that drove men to the brink of madness. He held his breath as she threw him a smile, his previous notions all but forgotten.She took his hand and slowly led him in. He did a quick surveillance just to make sure the coast was clear, before he entered. Samuel inhaled sharply, he was glad to see her but also terri ed. He wasn"t sure how long he could keep up the charade, couldn"t think—could barely even breathe. She was something he couldn"t resist, a temptress that invaded his thoughts at night and left him restless in the morning.
Samuel was sure he wasn"t in love with her. He loved his wife that much was clear. But Naomi made him excited, she did things that made him lose his mind. He couldn"t explain what he felt for her but he was simply blown away. He wondered what she wanted from him. He couldn"t marry her, not a chance in heaven. No way! She was aware of that fact yet she had a strange attachment towards him, her actions confused him greatly. He wasn"t handsome, not even tall.
"What took you so long?" She watched him take a sit, her seductive eyes held his. "I don"t like waiting," hands on her plump waist.
"I…I," he stuttered. "I don"t even know what I am doing here," he rubbed his temple, a dull ache pulsed at the back of his head. He planned on ending things with her, practiced his speech in front of the mirror a couple of times. But staring at her, he had doubts he could say those words. Naomi found ways to draw him back to her warmth. He had tasted what she had to o er, loved it and unconsciously embraced the consequences. Samuel was hooked on her spell but commonsense still contested for an audience. He had done this long enough; Samuel took in long breaths. He had to nd a twitch of determination to break things o .
"Is it because of her?" she narrowed her eyes at him, as if bleaching away his thoughts. He froze, and then sighed in frustration. An overwhelming surge of dread swam inside him, and a coat of sweat covered his forehead as he fumbled with his tie. "I told you not to worry," she said.
"Not to worry?" He hu ed, standing vigilantly and pacing the plush room. "I have everything to worry about. My wife must not nd out," he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.
"Don"t raise your voice at me. Are you not a grown man? I didn"t force you, did I?" she rolled her neck, sa.s.sy all of a sudden. "Look, you are over thinking this," she said.
"I don"t expect you to understand. I am a pastor of a respectable church. If anyone should nd out, especially my wife, she will de nitely kill me," he yelled. Naomi paused as if concocting her next action. Quickly she moved closer to him, her attempts to soothe him worked by rubbing his protruding belly. She hid a smile when he didn"t push her away, slowly she convinced him to sit.
"I won"t tell anybody," she smiled. "We"ve been doing this for a week now and no one has found out. Trust me when I say we are safe," she stroked him gently.
"You don"t know what my wife is capable of," he said in a croaky voice.
"Sister Peace," she mocked. "I doubt she would do anything drastic. She is the nicest person I know. She even buried the hatchet with Mrs. Komolafe and she wasn"t at fault." She ma.s.saged his shoulders. He tried to speak but she silenced him with her lips.
20 minutes before the incident
Samuel sat in his car for a while. He was souse with guilt; the scent of sin was so atrocious he could almost taste it. He tried to calm himself so he could think properly. First, he changed the shirt with the spare he had in his car, sprayed enough cologne and inhaled with satisfaction. He rubbed his face with his handkerchief then patted his cheeks. He popped a gum in his mouth and took in long breaths. He must get rid of the evidence like always. He prayed to G.o.d for con dence, and checked himself in the mirror one last time, before heading home. Soon he opened the door and the smell of food welcomed him. He had no appet.i.te but he had to eat in order not to arouse suspicions.
10 minutes to the incident
They both sat in silence, di erent thoughts ran through his mind. She barely spoke, only threw a few glances at him then back to her meal. Could it be she knew? He shook his head; he was very careful. There was no way she could nd out, except if Naomi had told his wife, she wouldn"t dare; would she? He swallowed hard as anxiety tied his tongue, his heart thumped so hard he thought she might hear it. What was wrong with him? He was de nitely over thinking this. He stared at her once more, her eyes still stuck on her food.
"How was your day?" silence was broken.
"Fine," she said without sparing him a look. That was all? He thought to himself. She didn"t bother to ask how his day was. It was obvious he did something wrong but if he did, she would have brought it to his attention. Then what was the problem?
"Where were you?" she nally asked, her soft voice was layered with impending fury. He slightly jerked and licked his lower lip. "I called your phone but you didn"t answer."
"I was caught up with church work. I have been at church all day. You know…." he said quickly. He resisted the urge to pat his head in frustration. He felt so stupid. How come he never thought of the perfect cover story? Now she would nd out, he was so d.a.m.n careless.
"Do you like the food?" she asked
"Yes, very very delicious," he blurted out. "I always love your cooking," he nodded.
"Is everything alright? You are sweating," she said, then dropped her cutlery, her face devoid of emotion. Her lips pursed and ngers interlocked as she stared at him. There was something about the way she looked at him, it was as if she could see the edges and curves of his soul. She had a knowing expression, that look he recognized too well. Those he delivered from satanic possession wore that face, as if they knew everything.
"I am ne!" He declared.
"Are you sure?" She smirked. He nodded in response, not sure he could trust his voice. He couldn"t shake o the feeling she knew of his a airs. d.a.m.n it! She knew, but if she did why the cold response? The woman he knew would have stabbed him a while ago, unless her plan was already in motion. Could it be she poisoned the food? He froze, every nerve in his body red up. He stared at his food, and suddenly he felt lightheaded, his vision slightly blurred. His eyes slowly met hers; she was watching him in antic.i.p.ation. He grabbed a gla.s.s of water and gobbled at it. He felt his throat itch and his chest slowly constricted.
A minute before the incident
"I know what you are thinking," she said. "You think I poisoned the food, am I right?" She said. It was obvious she was nding the situation amusing. He stared at her, eyes pleading for mercy. He placed his hand on his chest. Quickly he eased out of the chair stumbling on the oor.
"Why?" he asked, tears welled up.
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"You know why," she stood and looked over him in triumph. "You thought you could fool me. Do you think I am stupid? I know you have been s.h.a.gging that fat cow. I know your dirty little secret," she yelled.
"Please, help! I"m sorry, call the ambulance," he stretched his hand forward, trying to reach out to her. Regret plunged at him, she needed to understand he didn"t mean to hurt her feelings and he knew of the great sacri ces she made for him, but did that give her the right to take his life? He was going to die, what was he going to do? He was sure h.e.l.l was his destination. He tried to breathe.
"You know how jealous I can be. You know what I am capable of. Being a pastor"s wife doesn"t change who I am. I tried to change for you," she pointed violently at him, and then she stood there for ten seconds watching him, like a lion does with its prey. She knelt beside him as he struggled for air. "Your body will burn up, your kidney will burst into ames and every nerve in your body will scream till it gives out. You would die feeling the worst pain of your life, if I actually gave you the poison," she said, her facade crumbled as he saw the hurt lurking beneath those dark eyes.
"What!" he whispered.
"I didn"t poison you. I must admit I put something in your food but it wouldn"t kill you. I can"t just let you go unpunished; how will you learn your lesson? You will be ne after two hours" she stood. Samuel blinked several times, shocked by her confession.
"Thank you!" he muttered, still struggling to breathe.
"You know what to do," she stared down at him and his face blanched in fear. "If you don"t, the poison would be real the next time and trust me you wouldn"t see it coming. If even run away from me I will nd you and end your miserable life," she walked away.
"I understand, you don"t have to tell me twice," he whispered, voice trembled as he tried to quiet the sobs that came pouring from him. The fact that he would live to see another day lled him with both grat.i.tude and terror.