5 Bella The Maid
Tinka roamed the sitting room of her fiancé's house thoughtfully. Ray had never raised his hands against her violently ever since she had known him but he had come very close to doing so today. He hadn't done it but she knew that if she had pushed him, he might have hit her without thinking twice; and now he is out of the house, and who is with him? That blasted maid.
She groaned. She had always wondered what was going on between Ray and Bella, considering their strange closeness. The girl almost has more say in the house than she herself. To assume that Ray would stoop so low as to get involved with a maid is something she could not fathom. And who is that ragged girl they are all fussing over? She wondered. Whoever she was did not concern her as long as she did not interfere with her relationship with Ray; but she was already doing that now. As for Bella, she would be damned if she sat back and allowed a mere maid take her place in Ray's heart. She picked her purse and car keys, left the house and headed for the hospital. She already knew where Doctor Timothy's hospital was.
Ray sat at the hospital reception of Joy Hospital, waiting for the doctor to come out. He was worried about the girl being attended to but what was giving him more stress was Tinka. He wondered how he had gotten himself into such a mess. How was she able to hide this character of hers for so long? He wondered. She had been so cold-hearted that she did not even recognize their struggles in the house. He wondered if she would have showed some emotions if the girl had died. He sighed inwardly. Maybe his friends were right and they needed a break from each other.
Bella stared at her boss. He looked older than he should with lines of worry on his head. She had never known a more handsome man than the one seated in front of her but that fiancée of his was practically making his life miserable. She stood up and went to sit beside him. "It will be alright sir. You will get through this" she whispered. Ray looked at her. She always understood him; she was always there for him.
"Thanks Bella" he said and held her to himself, grateful for the support.
He heard the hospital door open and the next person he saw was Tinka, standing at the hospital entrance.
Tinka stared at Ray who still had the maid in
his arms. She hadn't expected her assumptions to turn out true. Her anger skyrocketed as she saw her assumptions becoming a reality. Her first instinct was to go there and cause a scene; beat the living daylight out of the miserable girl and make Raymond understand that she is not to be
messed with. On second thought, she decided
otherwise. Ray gazed at her, not leaving Bella
who was oblivious to the current changes.
Tinka advanced towards them, drawing their
attention by standing directly in front of them.
Bella saw her and the piercing glare she had in
her direction and recoiled. She jumped to her
feet and stepped out of reach. Tinka faced Ray with a face that Ray thought would not pass for remorse as long as it came from Tinka.
"I am sorry Ray" she started. "I don't know what is coming over me these days; I think it is due to the pressure my parents are mounting on me. Please forgive me. I would like to do what I am supposed to do by staying beside you now. Please" she bowed her head.
Ray stared at her for a long minute, not knowing what response to give her. Tinka does not just beg for forgiveness, she only did that when there was something fishy or something at stake.
He stood up to his full height before her and
swallowed hard. One thing he knew for sure is
that this is not the Tinka he had wanted to
spend the rest of his life with. Tinka stood with
her head bowed, expecting Ray's arms to close around her in any minute. She knew he had a soft spot for her, no matter how bad things degenerated.
After he had looked at her to his satisfaction, he stepped out of her reach and marched out of the hospital without uttering a word. Tinka opened her mouth, not believing what she had just experienced. She stared at his vanishing
backside, feeling her pent-up anger return. She saw Bella with the side of her eyes and faced her.
Before anyone could do anything, her palm
connected with Bella's cheeks, sending her
crashing into a nearby chair. Some of the
hospital workers came to intervene but Tinka
stormed out before anyone could do anything.
Mr. and Mrs. Mbabazi arrived at their daughter's
apartment very early in the morning. They
hadn't slept ever since they started praying and their apprehension hadn't reduced either. Peluce knocked anxiously on the door but got no response. She banged and banged until her
husband took over, shouting 'Lucy' as he
knocked. No answers came forth and worry lines displayed on his forehead. The compound housed only two tenants, so he went in search of the other tenant, hoping to get something valid from her.
Sighting her at the back of the house doing her laundry, he went over to her with his wife
hurrying to match his quick strides.
"Good morning ma'am" he greeted the young
woman who was doing her laundry. She looked up from her task and greeted them, giving them her attention.
"Please madam, we are looking for our daughter
Lucy; she is your neighbor but we can't find her inside."
The woman looked at them, seeing their worry.
"There is no problem. I saw her last night, she entered late but I saw her enter the house. I
am sure one of her friends, a guy, visited her last night because he waited for her to arrive for a long time."
Peluce's curiosity arose and she spoke for the
first time since they approached the woman.
"Who is that guy please?" She asked, hoping it
was not what she was thinking.
"Oh, it is Fred. He comes here often. He must be really close to her" she said with a slight smile which vanished when the smile was not returned.
"Can you please describe him?"
The woman started giving descriptions and by the time she was through, Peluce was as white as snow. Her hands were placed on her head in alarm.
"Is everything alright ma" the woman asked.
Peluce ignored her and raced back to her
daughter's door, pounding it like a deranged
woman. Ken got there and dialed Lucy's number again. It went through and listening carefully, he heard the phone ring inside. Peluce started yelling and Ken did not bother to try stopping her. The neighbor joined them, wondering what the matter was, fearing what the outcome would be. Without much effort, Ken kicked the door continuously, till it gave way.
They met an empty bed that looked like no one
had slept on it. Lucy's bag was on the floor and her phone rang out from it. Peluce was beside herself with rage and worry, crying and squealing. Being the man, Ken took out his phone and searched for a number. His face was bloodshot, desperately wanting to punch someone. After speaking for sometime into the mouthpiece of his phone, he hung up, picked his daughter's phone, copied a number and dialed it with his own phone.
