Marriage Chronicles - Season 1 - Episode 8

5 years ago

Marriage Chronicles - Season 1 - Episode 8

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continues..

..COREEN..

Why don’t I just divorce his sorry a-s and move on? You might wonder.

The answer is simple, I’d sworn to be by Cephas’ side through thick and thin until death do us apart and I was willing to stick to my vow no matter what. Even if it meant Kimono me would torment me, so be it.

Speaking of Kimono me, I had not seen her in the past four months, not after she’d taken my unborn baby with her. Life had been rough these past months, what with Cephas and I experiencing terrible dialogue? See, I had confronted him about Kimono me and Ceph Donut but he had bluntly denied knowing anything about what was going on and this pushed me to lose some faith in him, I even moved to the guestroom. Grandma had once suggested I go back to Kapiri so that we could proceed to see the witchdoctor but I refused, I wasn’t afraid of Kimono me, not any more.

So today, the maid I’d hired three months ago had just knocked off when I decided to take a shower and maybe sit down and watch some series. I had just stepped out of the shower and was drying my wet hair when my phone rang, R. Kelly’s ‘Storm is over’ acting as the ringtone. This had to be either Anna or Cephas calling. It was Anna, so displayed my screen.

“Hi..”

There was a noise and then shrill laughter, Kimono me kinda laughter. “It’s been long, Coreen.”

Did I just say I was no longer afraid of Kimono me? I take that back cause hearing my own voice on the end of the line sent shivers down my spine.

“Anna?” I was really hoping it was her, the caller ID insisted it was her.

“No..” her voice echoed. “It’s me..” she laughed. “I missed you. Did you miss me, dear Coreen?”

Since when did ghosts start making phone calls? This had to be Anna. She had after all heard some of the stuff I’d said back in the hospital that on the day of my miscarriage.

I took a deep breath and warily spoke into the phone, “Anna, if this is a joke then stop it, please.”

“You think this is a joke, huh? Does Ceph Donut ring a bell?”

I hang up and threw the phone on the bed, placing a hand on my fast beating heart.
Not again, I thought. Just when I thought she had left me alone and now this?

‘Oh I haven’t left you alone,’ I heard my own voice say inside my mind. ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet!’
I rushed for the bedroom door which was shut tight, obviously. So she was telepathic too? This was getting spookier by the minute.
I was still thinking about what to do or where to run to when my phone rang. I slowly walked to the bed and checked the caller ID.

“Hubby,” I mumbled, grateful. “Cephas?”

“Coreen,” it was Cephas’ voice so I calmed down a bit. “Just calling to check up on you.”

“Oh..I-”

“Come on you dumby,” it was my voice speaking now, “Don’t tell me it’s this easy to trick you!”

I hang up, throwing the phone against the wall where it shattered to pieces.

“Leave me the hell alone!” I screamed, covering both my ears as I shook on my spot.
Just then, like someone was manipulating the pieces of the broken phone, they rose. Up, up, up and went still in mid air where they came together. My phone was whole again, no trace of it ever being broken visible. And then it rang.

I won’t pick up, I inwardly decided while watching the unnatural happenings.

As if reading my mind, the phone started floating towards me. My first thought was to take a few steps back but that didn’t happen as I was glued to where I stood, literally. I tried moving my legs, all to no avail. I was suddenly practically paralyzed!

My phone answered itself and rested on my right ear. “You now ready to listen to what I have to say?”

At least I was able to talk. “It’s not as if I have much choice, is it?”

“Good. I’ve noticed you’ve failed to crack a single word out of Cephas, right?”

“You’re the ghost so am guessing you already know the answer to that question.”

“Yes, I already know the answer, Coreen. Why don’t you imitate me and see how Cephas will react?”

“Excuse me?”

Kimono me told me about this fake American accent that she was fond of using, she also saw to it that I learn the accent. I didn’t have much choice so I learned, to the extent of sounding exactly like her.

“Impressive,” she said, 40 minutes after agonizing me with some whack accent. “For your looks, Coreen, you’re too dull for my liking..” there was a weird noise. “That’s a metaphor.. Now, do you want me to stop tormenting you?”

“Only a fool wouldn’t jump for the opportunity.”

“And I assume you’re no fool, right?”

right..right..right. I could now even hear her voice from the small radio that was in the bedroom. “You do as I say and you’ll be rid of me sooner than you think.”

So ghosts can bargain too? “Why do I have to be the one to do your dirty work for you?”

“Because you’re the living one!” she shrieked and the call cut, the disconnecting tone so loud and screechy I feared my eardrum would split open.

The following day, I was out shopping for a kimono similar to the one kimono me wore whenever she appeared to me when I spotted them.

There they were, holding hands and eating ice-cream in broad daylight. All carefree.

I took a few pics before deciding to finally approach them. The Kimono hunt was draining me and I was bored so I decided to have some fun.

“Anna, Rajesh, hi.”

The look on Anna’s face when she saw me was priceless.

She let go of Rajesh’s hand like a hot potato. “Coreen? What are you doing here? In this part of town?”

“What is that supposed to mean, Anna? Is it now illegal for me to leave my house? Am not under curfew, am I now?”

“That’s not want I meant,” she was so nervous that she was sweating profusely on a chilly August afternoon. “It’s just that you..you usually call me when you want to do some shopping. Am just surprised to see you here.”

“Am just as surprised myself. Rajesh, I didn’t know you and Anna hang out together?”

Rajesh swallowed, obviously wondering what I was doing when am even the one who had told him about Anna liking him and all.

Anna was staring at everything and everywhere but me so I winked at Rajesh and he caught the message.

“Anna,” I pressed. “What are you doing here with Rajesh?”

I’d never seen her so restless in my life. Why cheat if you’re afraid of getting caught?
“It’s work!” she finally blurted out. “Rajesh and I are just out for a meeting and since we kind of know each other, we thought of buying us some ice-cream. Right, Raj? I mean, Mr. Rajesh Sharma?”

“Right,” Rajesh played along.

I feigned to believe her and we said our goodbyes.

“Her lies will come crumbling down upon her one day,” I thought out loud as I continued looking for the Kimono.

19:00hrs that day found me clad in a Kimono, a replica of Kimono me’s Kimono. I’d tied my hair in a bun, drew fake eyebrows, wore fake eyelashes, and wore Clinique Happy women’s perfume, as per Kimono me’s instructions.

Cephas had texted to say he was on his way but I hadn’t replied so I just sat in the living room and peeled a cucumber which I slowly started eating. By the way, I hate cucumber. But Kimono me had suggested I eat one and carelessly leave the peels on the carpet. She had also instructed I make sure the living room was as untidy as it could be.

I was in the living room listening to news when I heard Cephas drive in so I changed to channel to Trace TV before dashing off to the hallway.

I heard the door open and Cephas gasp seconds later.

“Coreen?” he loudly called. “What’s all this mess about? And since when did you start eating cucumber or become this untidy?”

“Since I was young,” I said in Kimono me’s accent as I emerged in the living room. “Have you forgotten it’s my favourite, Ceph Donut?”

He froze in the doorway, looking at me from head to toe and back again and then back again so fast that I was sure he’d get dizzy if he continued eyeing me like that.

“Ceph Donut?” the accent didn’t quiver.

Cephas closed his eyes and shook his head. “This can’t be happening,” he audibly said . “I must be dreaming.”

“It’s me,” I said, walking towards him. “Am back, Ceph Donut.”

“Lubuto?” he looked straight into my eyes and before I knew it, his hands were wrapped round my neck and he was squeezing my windpipe. “You f-----g b---h,” he growled. “What have you done to my Coreen, Lubuto? So you’ve come to torment me even when you’re in the grave?”

I was hitting his chest, begging him to stop strangling me but he seemed adamant to end my life. “Am Coreen,” I managed to get the words out of my mouth. “Who-who is Lubuto?”

He let me go and scuffled out of the house, leaving me choking and coughing on the floor. The anger I’d seen in his eyes when he was strangling me was new, I’d never seen him that angry before.

After coughing for minutes, I rose to my feet and went to the pantry where I grabbed a bottle of Best Whiskey which I begun gulping down. Even as the whiskey burnt down my throat, I swore to myself that come what may Cephas was going to tell me who Lubuto was, why she looked like me and why she was so hell-bent on getting revenge from him!
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