Chapter 2

Clinton returned home late in the evening depressed being that he was not able to fulfill his wife's instruction. He couldn't reach the threshold. He had a rough day and couldn't make up for the five hundred dollars she asked him to bring. He only made three hundred dollars.

As he walked through the grounds of the three-storeys residential building of his wife and her mother, his heart began to race, beating heavily. He already knew what waited for him. When his mind was taken to Frederick, his legs began to shake.

None of the humiliations he had faced from his wife was worse than her bringing another man into their home, it was the most horrible thing for a married man like him to bear. Mara would be free to do anything she pleased as a human with rights but she was married and needed to give up some rights, which belonged to singles. He saw no need for what she did. He was unsure if Frederick was still there in the house but something told him he would be there.

He caught a figure of a woman in the dim light at the corner of the parlor, he stopped. It was like the sight of the devil to him, who could it be other than his mother-in-law, the very devil that had been existing in the house.

Sometimes he was forced to believe that most of the unpleasant experiences he passed through were caused by her and not really from his wife. This was true to some extent. Kate is the one that makes her daughter do most of those things she does, if not all. She was the one that had been persuading her to do one horrible thing or the other to him, when he made the slightest mistake, and even when he didn't err. It was just her wish to make him have a terrible time with them.

"Are you back?" The cold, sinister voice of his tormentor came up. Now this was not a welcome, it was not a question either but a mockery. In it, he felt that she never wanted him to be back, they don't want to see him around, they want him out of their house. Perhaps this is the reason Mara decided to bring in another man.

"Yes."

She stared at him with those cold eyes of hers, and a glass of wine in her hand. He was ready to hear the next thing she would say but she turned and walked away. Now he had to face his wife and the man his mind was telling him was around. He walked up the stairs with unsteadiness in his chest. He was going to his wife's room. For years now, they've been living in separate rooms, he was only allowed to visit but not to stay and worst of all that his room was chosen. It was a former storeroom, poorly ventilated and unfurnished.

Eric sighed as he thought of this, he was just a servant bearing the name of a husband in his wife's house. Two years ago when she got the status as L'Greenz new CEO, she built the house. It was a thing of joy to him but his joy did not last long as his life began to change, Mara caused this change herself together with her mom.

He reached to the top and walked through the corridor to her room which is on the left while his' was at the farthest extreme. He pressed the button of his small Nokia phone, 8:20 PM appeared on the small screen, he sighed. This was not supposed to be the phone he should be holding, everyone had got an android except him but he had no choice. He knocked on the door. He listened, there was what sounded like a woman chatting with someone, that must be Frederick, electricity traveled through his spine as this came to mind, then there was laughter from the inside. It was from his wife.

"Come in!" She finally said. He opened the door and walked in, but was suddenly taken aback by what he saw. His wife and Frederick were lying on the same bed. He gasped, Frederick shot an angry glance on him.

"I thought it was mom, so you are finally back, I never thought you were gonna be back." She said with disgust clearly shown on her face and in her tone.

"Arrghh!" He grunted, biting his lips, same thing Kate said to him downstairs. "What the fuck is going on here?"

"Listen!" Mara firmly said with stern eyes. "I didn't call you in to utter rubbish from your mouth, rather to get the money you have made today from you." He got nervous here. "If you misbehave, I make sure you pay for it." Mara said, pointing her fist at him, he sighed regretfully inside him.

He was a failure, a total loser, he was not gonna fight past this ugly situation to a better life, he thought as well inside him. Look at the way his own wife was talking to him, he sighed as he contemplated this.

"So...how much did you make? Let me have it." He couldn't focus his eyes on her because he didn't have what to show, what he had was far less than the amount she demanded. He was done for! He said inside him as he walked forward with shaking legs to Mara on the bed.

"I'm so sorry, this is the only amount I could make today, I couldn't meet up with all deliveries due to the long distance of some customers." He said as he handed over the hundreds of dollars he made, less than what he was asked to.

As he said this, Mara's countenance changed, she was now like a wounded lioness in the wild, ready to strike, her eyes turned deep in anger and she rose up.

"Come on, what did you just say?" Her scolding came with a slap across his face. Frederick grinned, Clinton became pissed at his reaction. He should be advising her not to do this to a man like him, most especially as he was her husband.

All these were not just going to work, seeking for his rights so he thought the best possible way was to beg for forgiveness. He needed to beg her to forgive him otherwise this would mean a great hell for him as long as her anger was sustained, she would not talk to him and her nagging would go worse, he did not want to face more of her aggression. She had the audacity to do all these to her because her mother saddled her with the responsibility of seeing to his returns.

"Will you come up?" Mara shouted at him, he hastened to her immediately, just a few inches from her body. She raised his face with the tips of her fingers. "Do you know you're the most miserable man and worst husband I've ever seen?"

"I'm so sorry, I tried my best but I just couldn't…." His voice trailed off when another slap landed on his cheek. Mara began to search through his pocket to see if money was hidden anywhere.

"You have gotten some punishment for yourself, being that you are not able to make up to the amount I asked you to."

Clinton looked at her steadily hoping to hear the next thing she wished to say, he would gladly take the punishment if this would appease her. "Go and wash the dishes, my clothes, just search around and make sure everything is in order in this house before morning."

He gasped. Isn't it too much for him, he wondered.

"Now go!" She said at the top of her voice. Clinton was so filled with shame, he just couldn't go away suddenly as he has always done, this time around. His eyes were just fixed on Mara, he had some thoughts running across his mind, he felt regret and he doubted if his condition would ever change. Then he lowered his head facing the floor, raised them up again and stared a little while at her, like he was planning something.

Frederick rose up from the bed, puzzled at the way he looked at them but the truth is that he was not planning anything, he was having his own thoughts about his life.

"Hey man! Why're you staring at us that way?" Despite his firm voice, he looked away, snubbing him. He didn't seem afraid here.

"Are you deaf, why are you behaving ridiculous? If you stay a second longer, I would either increase your punishment or do the worst." His heart pricked as he heard these last three words, he wondered what could be the worst Mara was talking about. He had to leave before it was too late.

"So sorry!" He forced it out of his mouth. Tears began to form in his eyes but he fought them off, he was so ashamed of himself and mostly because another man was there witnessing how his wife was treating him. He was puzzled that she had no respect for him but he needed to endure for as long as possible. He was mostly afraid of a situation where she might send him out of her house, he had nowhere to go, no job to take care of his needs. He left the room, with his head bowed. He gasped as he heard Mara's footsteps behind him, following him.