chapter two

 The entrance to the house as Caine observed while he got there appeared neat.. as it was while he left for work in the morning. The glass door and windows were tightly shut, the curtains within flown down completely, length to length. He had merely pressed the door bell, and not expecting any response,, dipped his wizened hand into his pocket for his own spare keys, when someone opened from within…that was his wife- Sandra.

"You're welcome Caine` she said, holding back the door for him, but he went past without saying a word.

She slammed the door back into place, approached Caine at the couch where he seated, seemingly to examine him.

`You don't look good Caine… is anything the matter? Uh..` `I had a bad day babie, can't you understand that!` Caine spat.

Sandra shrank... . Something was wrong, no doubt, she observed. .But what could that be? Could it be that the manager at the store in his unruly behavior hounded him like a criminal once again? What exactly? She sat beside him, unable to figure out anything..

"Caine, you gat to talk to me, I'm your wife` She said softly, finally.

`I need to be alone to think`

`I don't think so, Caine. You gat to share your predicament with me, so I can help think out a way to deal with it and …`

The doorbell buzzed suddenly. The both of them exchanged a quick glance wondering who that could be…

As Sandra rose to open the door, the bell hummed again, in three quick succession. Caine, furious, had had to sit on his anger. Only he watched with a curious gaze, to know whom it was. But Sandra, having peeped through the curtains, paused with a shock

"The landlord's lawyer is here," she revealed to Caine in a hush tone.

She had barely opened the door, when the lawyer- .Mr. Blind jolted in.

"Mr. Caine why have you not responded to my letter?`` he barked at once.

He was such a roundly fat and huge man whose protruded stomach shook while he spoke.

"Look!! You gonna be thrown out of this apartment, if you cannot pay up your rent!!`

"Shut up! " Caine responded, jumping to his feet.

"Are you mad!? How dare you come here to shout at me? Uh!` The atmosphere was tensed.

Take it easy, Caine...` Sandra intervened, visibly apprehensive.

"Well-` the fat lawyer broke in ` I'm gonna throw you out!`

`"Stupid fool! ` Cain cursed,

"You'd be soaked in blood if you don't leave the next minute` That said, he dashed into the inner room, Sandra ran after him,

"You gat to take it easy Caine, uh` she begged. The next moment she got out hastily, alarmed..

`Please sir-!` she said to the lawyer.

You have to leave, my husband might do something terrible right now..

As she opened the door, she urged the man on and on, to leave.

"Alright, I`d have to call the police !` he threatened, as he left.

By the time Caine returned with a hammer, he was gone.

"Caine, you must find a way to tame your emotions, uh ` Sandra advised.

"You aren`t gonna break the lawyer's head because he came to ask for our rent`

`But he doesn't have the right to insult me right here," Caine objected.

You think so, Caine?` she asked

`When you know he`s not gonna sit and watch while we owe him?` .

Caine merely sat down, without further words, but his legs shook with anger. Sandra carefully sat beside him.

"You must learn to take things easy, Caine, uh..` . She chipped in.

Her voice was cool and controlled... `

`The man was only doing his job., If we had paid him, he wouldn't be here, honestly` . Caine only hesitated. The next seconds or so, he fumbled his hand in his breast pocket. While he brought out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, and lit himself a cigarette, he took a long draw,, so that his mouth became full of smoke instantly. . And then, his eyes wandered.. at nothing in particular. . The cloud of smoke that went I off his mouth eventually, enveloped the area around them and dissipated later. . Sandra just watched with her hand propping up her chin. But he smoked on. When he returned his gaze at the cigarette, he merely eased off, and asked,

`What about Kelvin?`

Not back from school yet?`

"Oh yeah…. ` Sandra answered. "His class teacher rang me a while ago to notify me of an emergency lesson that his class had to undergo…`

"Hope that won't be too much for that little boy? Uh`!`

`I don't think so Caine, Kelvin will be fine.`

`Just hope so too `..

Momentary silence, then, Sandra glided out of the sitting room. Caine merely ran his eyes on her. . She wore an ivory colored gown which stretched down her tall size but tapered upwards, so that the curves of her breasts and hips could be clearly seen.

Her long wave of hair strands only curled gracefully behind her. . Aside being natural to look on, she was blond and fashionably thin. With the noise in the kitchen, Caine knew what actually she had gone to do. As expected, she returned with some food and a transparent jug filled halfway with red juice.

Having carefully dropped them at the dinning, she approached Caine where he seated and informed.

"You may have to take your meal now, Caine`

`And what do you have there?` Caine asked, seemingly curious to know exactly.

But Sandra hesitated a while.

"Tomato pancake` she disclosed. Caine apparently lost interest.

Such meal was never among his favorites, he only enjoyed them when there was a blend of those spices he liked most. And so Sandra gazed straight into his eyes and stated,

"I added some of your favorite spices, you'd like it, uh…`

Caine never wasted any further time, he reached for the dinning, slipped out a fork and a knife from the cutlery stand, and began to eat.

There was one thing spectacular about Sandra. When there was nothing at home, she could cobble some vegetables together and a few other items to churn out a decent meal.

Caine would not stop praising her for the ingenuity.

Sandra walked up to him, eventually, and as she did, she sat on the chair beside him, watched him for some time, and asked with a soft smile on her face,

`You like the meal Caine, don't you?`

Caine only nodded intermittently, as he gobbled the food. The next thing, he reached his hand affectionately on her hair, to bring her close, and dropped a kiss on her cheek. . Sandra paused admirably, then gathered her over flowing gown, lifted her leg on top of the other.

That done, she heaved herself, so that she rested her back on the arm chair she sat upon.

That was her usual way of relaxing.

"So Caine, how was it today at the store?" she questioned.

`Well, the manager- Mr. Bid `s gonna turn a mad dog, any time, I swear` , Caine revealed.

"Really ... and what then? Came Sandra's response.. She paused itching to know more when Caine added,

  "He yelled at everybody all through today, he must need some treatments to have a good sleep tonight, having strained his head with the shout`.

He took a sip of his juice next...

Sandra watched with a sobered gaze..

"We aren't gonna be blamed for the bad business climate at the store`. Caine went on..

`We all do our best, I swear…`

Done eating, he shoved aside the plates, and eased his body, but went on to take some more juice,

Sandra hesitated with thought...

The situation at her own work place was not better, either. . She was a tutor in the college where what she earned could be judged as a prisoner's wage, after a breath sapping job.

How everything came crumbling, for a family that started well, was what she could not tell. And what if the situation finally got to a budget crunch? Could they possibly swallow their pride and file in among the poorest households for hand outs from the government?

Certainly not .Caine. He was not a fellow to descend so low as that, at least. He would rather take his own life than let that be. He, growing up as an orphan raised in the street, saw more than that, though, he . had since built himself an adult with self worth, at least before things fell out of hold. And even at that, he would not stoop to take crumbs!

Sandra knew that well enough.

At this point, she examined Caine intently, and shook her head.. He had strained since the past days from the situation in his workplace.

His slime figure, which had always matched with his height, had begun to shrivel.

As he sat in his thick shirt and trousers, he appeared very much older than the thirty two years that he was.

Being slightly older than her, and yet looked much older, as though he was her father, was one thing that bothered her the most.

Sound of an approaching bus faded in, just right then'

"Kelvin`s back… ` Caine announced.

 He looked, enthusiastic as Sandra hurried to the door. Then, with the door opened, Kelvin ran in excitedly, in his full school kit, his school bag strapped at his back.

A plump looking kid of about four, with thick red lips, and an overly dark afro hair..

His pair of round delicate eyes, green like the emeralds shone, without a blink. Being always charismatic, without a dull moment, he joked a lot, recited whatever he was taught in school, and hardly got angry.

On seeing his father, he threw away his lunch box, and ran towards him. Caine who readily grabbed him, lifted him over head and brought him down again to his feet.

The boy quacked with laughter amidst so much excitement.

The next thing as was his manner, he gestured with an open hand and gave Caine a high five,

"That's my boy, ` Caine remarked.

"Yes dad, I love you very much, " the little boy replied.

Caine grabbed him again and dropped a kiss on his forehead, he laughed once more

`The boy is good, ` Caine observed.

"You're good too, dad, aren't you?` Kelvin returned, his gaze fixated at Caine.

."Why not? Or don't you think so? Uh` Caine interpolated very friendly,

"You `re the best dad in the world, better than mum` came the boy's soft innocent voice

"You buy me cheese, but she doesn't`….

"Sure boy,` Caine concurred, as he fondly held him tightly to himself.

Sandra could not help being amused, while she watched.

A hand- set beeped far away, cutting short the happy moment…, it was Caine's.

As he leapt for the phone, amidst the intriguing silence, his heart pounded.

Who could that be?

Someone else that he owed? A call from one of the organizations he applied for a job in, to notify him of his eventual success or failure, as most of them would do? Or that the lawyer had involved the police, as he threatened?

Who exactly? The house cat suddenly showed up from no where. Its weird pair of eyes beamed at them. Only it whimpered softly the next moment and was gone.