Disobeying Grandmother’s Order

 To say he was annoyed was the least of it all as he was also mortified at her ways. He could not believe his ears. His wife was sleeping with multiple men. She could as well be a sex worker.

"What would you do if someone actually knew what you were doing with those men?" he breathed.

This got her alarmed for she sat up with a start, "Don't you ever breathe this conversation to anyone if you don't want me to hate you the way my brother does."

He could not see the difference between her actions towards him and her brother's. They were both similar, the only difference was that he was married to one of them.

Getting out of bed, she headed for the wardrobe, taking out a skimpy outfit to admire. 

He watched her change into the new clothes before taking up her phone.

"Don't wait up for me," she said while opening the door, spraying her cologne at the same time. "I'll be heading out with some friends."

"Where would you be going?"

"I'll be going clubbing, Greg." She was visibly annoyed at his intrusion. She wanted to be left alone.

Before she could go, he stood to his feet getting her attention.

"What is it?" she eyed his rumbling belly.

"Well, you see, I haven't had a meal in almost two days now and I'm really hungry," he explained. "Plus you promised to give me a meal but you didn't do so this morning."

"What are you looking for Greg?" she asked tired of him beating around the bush. "I'm already late for the party. Say what you want so I can be on my way."

"I was wondering if you could help me with something to eat from the kitchen before you go to your club," he sputtered, praying that she would agree to his demand.

"Greg, that's none of my business," she touched her hair, fluffing it up. "I'm running late so I can't do that right now."

Without waiting for his reply, she ran down the hallway making Greg wonder why the universe was never on his side.

***

He looked at his clock while it ticked away. It read 12:00 a.m. 

Unable to sleep and hungry, he decided that stealing food was his only hope of surviving. 

Creeping to the kitchen without making a sound, he found the kitchen to be dark. Switching on the lights could make anyone see him in there so he decided to survey in the dark.

That was a mistake he promised himself to never try again, for immediately he entered the kitchen, he stumbled upon the pots in his way, shoving the stainless pots from the stone onto the ground.

They made a loud clang, reverberating through the entire house with the sounds waking everyone in the house up.

He could hear sounds of running feet getting closer as he froze in his steps.

He turned around expecting the worst as the kitchen lights came on for him to see the mess he had created.

The foods in each pot had been poured onto the ground leaving a huge mess on the kitchen floor. He was toast and he knew it.

Petra's grandmother pushed through the crowd of servants who watched in horror at the mess he had created. When she had seen the mess, she lost her mind slapping his arm before pushing him away.

"You," the old woman growled in rage. "You did this. Did I not warn you to stay away?"

"I was hungry ma'am," he pleaded. "I hadn't eaten for two days."

"And I intend to keep it up for an entire week. I will punish you even more. Damien!" she called for her grandson who waltzed into the kitchen with a huge grin on his face. He was prepared for this moment.

"Yes grandma."

"Call one of the guards to whip this scum with twenty five strokes of the belt."

"I'll do it ma," he volunteered.

"So long as he feels the brunt of the whip, that is fine by me."

Damien got a belt from one of the servants as he started to whip Greg without mercy.

He held his tears back as he was beaten while getting mocked by everyone.

"Now that's more like it," Damien tossed the belt away when he was done, walking off with the servants clearing up the mess that had been made.

Greg stood to his feet, staggering to his bedroom, hungry, bruised and weak. He had gone to the kitchen for food, but ended up with a worse beating on his back.

Getting into his room, he broke down, falling to the ground in tears. This was the height of it all.

***

By one o'clock, Petra returned home to see the house buzzing around in an unusual way.

Overhearing what had happened, she headed for her room to find her husband in bed awake.

Greg stood to his feet expecting her to be sorry for him and help him apply some ointment on his wounds but he got the shock of his life.

"This is all your fault!" she yelled, tossing her bag on the couch while taking off her clothes. "Due to your little commotion, my fun night had been cut short and I had been summoned back to the house. Do you have to ruin my life every single time?!"

He watched in shock and surprise while she paced around the room changing into a nightgown.

"I wish you would disappear from my life and never come back because you are making my life horrible and extremely miserable."

With those words still lingering in the air, she got into her right side of the bed to sleep. 

There was nothing he could do but concur with her wishes. 

He was pathetic and a loser. Even the servants were better than he was.

Trying to sleep was not possible, so he stayed up all night, wallowing in self pity and lost in his heavy thoughts.