THE BLIND SPOT (i)

BY SAYDHAR BILKIS

After he heard the news, Marcus knew this was the beginning of the fall. That even after a peaceful seven-year marriage that bore them two beautiful girls- Kiki and Bianca. Lola would throw everything away like it was nothing the minute she hears the news. Maybe not the exact minute, but at least she definitely would in the very short long run. This is because Marcus knew, as he had always known, that no matter how beautiful her life with him has become, he and everything he had given her would always come second place to Johnson. Johson would always be first to her, no matter what she says. She was only with him and happy because there was no Johnson but now Johnson is back. He arrived a night before with his very pregnant wife and now he was in the town square meeting the people.

Marcus turned to look at his sleeping wife if only he could wish for her to sleep forever and be oblivious to this knowledge he would. She grunts something in her sleep and he shushes her, lightly patting her back to sleep.

He was on his way out of the hut when Lola called out to him ‘ifunanya m’ she says in a voice dense and very heavy with sleep, when he doesn’t answer her, she calls again ‘My love’ this time he turns around to look at her.

‘where are you off to this early morning?’ she questions

‘To the farm’ he was being short and curt with her but he couldn't help himself, he was irritated and the fact that this was only the beginning meant this was only little. If she noticed his curtness, she doesn't mention it. She rolls over and stretched a bit which raised her blouse up and exposed her waist beads. She was about to go to sleep when she remembered then asked ‘what about the children?’ but she got no reply back because Marcus had already left for the day’s work. She owned a shed in the town square where she sold fresh from farm produces but it only opened on Wednesdays as markets do. There was only one day a week where people sold and bought things. She didn't have to wait around much for sleep to come, it came really fast and she went back to sleep.

 Marcus knew it the minute he entered the house that his wife had already known of Johnson’s arrival. It was impossible for her not to know, with the village as small as it was and news like these spread like wildfire. He was anxious to see her reaction to the news. A part of him wants to turn back, and walk all the way back to Obi’s hut, Obi who was a very good friend of his, who everyone knows would never get married and even if by some miracle he got married it would not be a decent woman. Obi the promiscuous drunk, who had a never-ending supply of the local palm wine. Right now, Marcus was in so much need of that, to drink so much he passed out in Obi’s hut and doesn’t have to see Lola. But Marcus is the son of the late Chief Emeka, his father was no coward and neither is he, with that thought in mind, he pushed the curtain aside and entered the hut he shared with Lola.

She, Lola was all dressed and ready to go out. She was wearing one of the attires that were for special occasions, the ones he usually buys when he takes trips to other villages. This specific one he remembers he bought last year, just before the yam festival and she wore to the festival.

Hearing his footsteps, Lola turned to look at him, her hands busy with hooking the big bangled earrings on her left ear loop. She flashes him a smile ‘the kids are in bed’ she said grabbing a matching beaded necklace.

‘I made you your favorite soup, it's in the kitchen. And don’t worry about us we have all eaten’ she stands in front of him and holds the necklace up to him, signaling he helps her wear it.

‘you ate without me today’ he meant to say it as a question but it came out as a statement, an accusation.

‘I had to, you were running late and I had somewhere to go to’ she answers.

‘where are you going to?’

‘we are having a women's meeting, over at Indu’s place’ she replies without missing a beat. He tries to detect a lie or a flaw in her reply but he can't she was either saying the truth or hiding the lie pretty well. She normally had these meetings, but today seemed different.

‘But aren't you dressed too much for just a meeting, this late in the evening?’

She doesn't answer at first, but then later turns to him 

‘I am a woman, Marcus, somedays I want to feel pretty. Just like I do now, don’t make trouble my dear’ she playfully says as she rests her palms on his shoulder, he takes in a deep breath and says ‘ Well, I guess I am just making trouble, you don't be late for that women's meeting. And hurry back it's already getting dark’ he pecks her on her cheek and watches as she smiles. He was trusting her, he wouldn't listen to his guts even as watched her leave the house and it screamed so loud for him to not let her leave.

Lola knew she would meet him here, where all the action was. He has always been the type of person to live for the crowd, to soak up all the attention, to be the life of the crowd. And she was right, there he was in the middle, sat on a stool a jug of palm wine on his left hand and his righthand swung with dramatic reflex as described whatever it was he was talking about. His loud boomeranged in the night. Everyone within close range gave him their attention, he didn't ask for it. He commanded it. He stole it in fact, and Lola was once again caught in the web of it all. Once again she was remembered of everything and she was surprised at how it felt like she had never even forgotten.

She actually had a meeting which she had already attended, but she did not dress for it. She didn't dress for Johnson either, or did she? She only wanted to see what everyone had been talking about. And maybe he would see her too, and see how good she was without him, she wouldn't even speak to him. Just wanted for their eyes to meet, to find closure of some sort. So she was so surprised when he walked up to her, with the vigor only men like Johnson possessed. She was now his full attention, and so she was also the crowd's full attention. He was only inches from her when he stopped, his dark brown- almost black eyes pierced into hers. They stood there gazing into each other's eyes for what felt like a long time. He was the one to break the trans, he said

‘Lola, finally we meet. How I’ve missed you Lola’ it was like he was talking to something inside her and it was responding to him. Because to God, all that she wanted to do was turn around and walk away but she found herself whispering back, answering him.

‘Johnson’ it was more of a sigh, relief. That finally he was here, and she was seeing him.