Joseph awoke. He wondered why the alarm had not sounded. He stretched his body, yawning as he did. After a word of prayer, he flung the sheets off Him and yawned again. He glanced at the pendulum clock and noticed that he had overslept. Chichi still asleep, rolled from one corner of the bed. As she stroked the pillow, her eyes opened. She turned over to look at him, and then she closed her eyes again and stretched. Joseph stood up and walked towards his wardrobe. Chichi sat up, after kneeling to pray,
“Sweetie, good morning.”
Joseph turned to her and smiled; what a morning beauty she was! The sun was glistening now and its rays were very visible in the small, but exquisitely, furnished bedroom.
“The woman of my life.”
Chichi stood up and took a glance at the mirror. Then she gave him a fake frown.
“Is that what you tell your wife when you are almost late for your leadership class?”
“No one,’’ he said and he moved towards her, putting his hand around her waist. ‘‘... No human has a right to stop me from pouring out my heart to my dearest.” He looked into her eyes.
“Mmh.’’ She voiced, looking into his eyes more deeply. “What if I say,’’ she put her hands over his shoulder. “…You just have fifteen minutes to get dressed?” He laughed. She seized his arm and playfully dragged him into the bathroom. She shut the door behind.
“Five minutes!”
She hummed a song as she walked to the kitchen.
Fifteen minutes later, they were having breakfast; wheat bread, scrambled eggs and mango juice. Chichi coughed,
“Sweetie, How about Bisola spending the weekend here?” Joseph took a sip from his tumbler, gently swallowed and gave a look of disapproval,
“I don’t like her.” He said truthfully.
“I don’t know why.”
“Dear, I just want you to stop hanging at with,’’ he shrugged. ‘‘...bad friends since you are born again.”
“That’s too harsh.” She tucked in a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“Bisola is my childhood friend-I mean I’ve known her for a very long time now,’’ she gesticulated. ‘‘We went to the same-’’
He interrupted moving his head in a- don’t-matter-it-is-not-important- manner.
“I know you’ve practically spent your whole life,” he shrugged. “…or decades with her but,” he lowered his voice to a whisper. “…Bisola is not saved. She goes to clubs every weekend, and she’s a smoker, an alcoholic –she even sleeps around.” He sighed,
“She just stopped smoking and she only takes-”
He nodded slightly, “Two bottles of beer every week right? It’s enough to take her to hell.”
She sighed. “Sweetie, let’s just say you don’t like her-it’s not about this ‘saved’ issue. I’m not so close to her anyway. We’ve not ‘actually’ talked after we got married-apart from her call yesterday night. Bisola needs to leave her neighbourhood. She was almost robbed a week ago. Can she spend some days with us before getting a house here, at David Hills? ’’
“I don’t want her here- I am sorry- I’ m acting….” he paused, placing a hand on his forehead, “it’s for our own good. I love Bisola, but I have a feeling that something evil will happen if she does come here, I don’t know but I feel it.’’
“Sweetie, if you say so.” Chichi pouted, looking unsatisfied. “…I ‘II let her know.’’ He looked at her,
“I will do anything right to put a smile on your face- Bisola means trouble.”
A car horn from outside interrupted them. They both turned towards the window. Chichi recognized the car anytime. She turned to Joseph, poker faced.