The woman had flinched to the wall now, staring at Brian with obsolete, blank eyes, and yet to believe he was standing next to a violent mad man some seconds ago.“Now I recall his face,” the woman pointed at Brian thoughtfully as she spoke to me, “He is Brian, the most violent mad man in Rio Hondo. His billionaire father almost got him registered under our care some months ago, but he changed his mind.I lowered my gaze in shame and barely shook my head to all that she said.“What have you come to do, ma’am? Why are you here?” Nehi queried me, her hands on the door for easy escape should Brian dare to attack her again. “We are ….”I dared to speak when she interrupted me, “There is no need bringing him to the chronicles. We don’t have facilities anymore to cater for the insane. We don’t have financial security anymore. Look at our drainage system, dilapidated and messed up. We don’t have good pipe-borne water for these insane people. Do you know that we barely have enough food tha
Brian had run into an oncoming vehicle which ran into him and smashed him on the tar. I believed the universe heard my scream because I had shut my eyes and let loosed at the tops of my voice. Literally and in my head, that was the end of Brian; my husband was dead.I couldn’t stop shouting as I beheld his body convulse hugely on the road.“What the hell did you say happened to my son? I am asking you, Melissa. " What happened to Brian?” Fanny almost pinned me to the wall as his loopy voice questioned me.I had been all tears since the ambulance brought Brian to the hospital. After countless explanations, the entire Fanny were yet to understand my story. Although Eva believed me, she couldn’t understand how Brian smashed down a bullet-proof wind screen with his bare hands. Considering the thickness of the windscreen, it wouldn’t have been possible, but he actually did.“Calm down, Fanny! Perk up!” Doctor Emma nursed and beckoned on Fanny, who was already flaring up at me.“How can you
Once upon a time on a crisp November morning, late summer in Rio Hondo, at the Fanny’s mansion, bottles of beer, rum and cigars were seen littered all over the table. And carelessly scattered on the floor were G-string, pants, sleeves and a polka-dotted dress. In the other corner the bed was creaking hugely under the weight of two figures. A sonorous moan blared and hung over them. Like a trumpet, the female voice amplified the most out of the window, while the male voice groaned and grunted at a terribly disturbing way.Opula was bouncing and having her fragile, slender waist astride the legs of Ken, whose mouth was gaping, and hands infinitely stroking and fondling her fragile small breasts.“Y – you are not doing badly today,” Ken stuttered under her weight and squeezed her tapering waist.She shut her eyes and breathed hard. “Yesterday’s sex was horrendous,” she sounded through a moan and clenched her teeth to pound harder. “I am going to give it to you hot!” she managed to say in
Indigenes of Rio Hondo often referred to me as the poorest, ragged girl, but I could barely fight anyone over it or prove them wrong in any pragmatic way because, literally, I was poor.My poor father died when I was six. Mother said he died mysteriously, but whenever she mentioned that I often understood her empathy, after she must have elaborated, he died out of the depression of poverty. With nothing to fall back on, we relocated to our grandpa’s house to perch with him. Not that he was richer, but he was poorer. Daily we clung to the jaw of hunger and wants, since the meager vegetable garden he groomed could barely sprout enough produce, let alone make it to the market.Grandpa died and opened the door of intense lack for us as we looked forward to joining him soon. Inheriting a poorly grooved vegetable garden and a fragile, roofless, thatched, cane house, we waited for the hands of death to pay us homage soon.It didn’t stop us from going to the market anyway. While others sold th
I was heartbroken all day. Ruin and disappointment pervaded my countenance, and while on my way home I wailed bitterly. I thought about what would become of us, especially my mother who was slowly dying of a mysterious ailment. I could barely say what mother was suffering from because we could barely feed her well, let alone afford to take her to the hospital.The previous day we struggled to earn a square meal and I can recall promising mother that today would be better. I wondered if mother perceived the falsity of my promise because of our poverty. She had never believed life could get better for us. She only had consolation in her reverie.After promising to buy good food for her with the proceeds from our vegetables, she only responded in tears and kept staring at the ceiling while she lay in her sick bed.And today being the day I promised her at least two square meals, that billionaire’s mad son ate all my raw vegetables and left us to die of hunger.“What nonsense a billionaire
When I advanced to the villa, I noticed my feet couldn’t carry me further. The splendor that hung across the mansion overwhelmed me so much that I deemed myself not worthy of being anywhere around it; not even its flowers and ornamental trees, which looked healthier than me.I quickly distinguished myself from smearing the expensive environment by my poverty countenance.Suddenly, I came to a halt once I caught sight of a uniformed band of security men, all well-suited with strong facial features, who asked me a thousand questions with their hostile faces and hefty chests.My entire body vibrated as I folded my arms in anticipation of what they intended to do. Now they surged close to me.One of them stared at me from head to toe, and must have perceived the wretchedness that encompassed around me; I perceived they were bored with seeing the scraggly faces of the poor hounding the villa all in the name of seeking the billionaire’s help.Noticing one of the security prancing towards my
Fanny shook his head in the affirmative and became all smiles. His eyes sparkled.“You are welcome to my humble family, my adorable sister-in-law,” Kate intoned, with a lop-sided grin.Kate was the second-eldest daughter of Fanny’s. She was chubby, short and with pink cheeks that often smiled. Her hair was auburn. She kept smiling and shaking her head just like every other person except Eva. Her nostrils flared, “Who is she? And who is her family in Rio Hondo?” Eva asked, gritted her teeth, shot her go-to-hell stare at me and walked around me as though I was some laboratory specimen.Among the girls, it was Eva who cherished Brian most. She wanted the best for Brian and wished her family could give Brian a better wife than she saw. Although she rarely showed it, the love Eva had for Brian was rare, and she could sacrifice her life for him if there was need for it.“No, no, Eva”, Opula, the eldest, protested with her hand, gesturing at Eva. She protested yet further, “You don’t have t
Fanny was unhesitant, after sliding out the credit card. His eyes gleamed and his jaw sparkled.A beam of smiles clouded his face before he flashed the credit card at me.Instantly my avarice increased at the sight of the credit card, and I winked nervously, wished he would gift me the card without conditions.“This is a credit card for half a million dollars. It is for you,” he sounded, with an emphatic chuckle that sounded from him.I was abandoned to doubt and argument within me. I gave a half-smile before a lopsided grin. My cheeks couldn’t stop curving. My hands fidgeted. I swallowed hard and winked more than a million times. This must be a dream! I scratched my eyes and confirmed that reality was actually smiling at me. It wasn’t a dream after all. A credit card for half a million dollars all for me! Fortune has fallen down to me. Mom, wherever you are start girding your loins to recover, because not only will I sort out your medical bills, also our family status is about to cha
Brian had run into an oncoming vehicle which ran into him and smashed him on the tar. I believed the universe heard my scream because I had shut my eyes and let loosed at the tops of my voice. Literally and in my head, that was the end of Brian; my husband was dead.I couldn’t stop shouting as I beheld his body convulse hugely on the road.“What the hell did you say happened to my son? I am asking you, Melissa. " What happened to Brian?” Fanny almost pinned me to the wall as his loopy voice questioned me.I had been all tears since the ambulance brought Brian to the hospital. After countless explanations, the entire Fanny were yet to understand my story. Although Eva believed me, she couldn’t understand how Brian smashed down a bullet-proof wind screen with his bare hands. Considering the thickness of the windscreen, it wouldn’t have been possible, but he actually did.“Calm down, Fanny! Perk up!” Doctor Emma nursed and beckoned on Fanny, who was already flaring up at me.“How can you
The woman had flinched to the wall now, staring at Brian with obsolete, blank eyes, and yet to believe he was standing next to a violent mad man some seconds ago.“Now I recall his face,” the woman pointed at Brian thoughtfully as she spoke to me, “He is Brian, the most violent mad man in Rio Hondo. His billionaire father almost got him registered under our care some months ago, but he changed his mind.I lowered my gaze in shame and barely shook my head to all that she said.“What have you come to do, ma’am? Why are you here?” Nehi queried me, her hands on the door for easy escape should Brian dare to attack her again. “We are ….”I dared to speak when she interrupted me, “There is no need bringing him to the chronicles. We don’t have facilities anymore to cater for the insane. We don’t have financial security anymore. Look at our drainage system, dilapidated and messed up. We don’t have good pipe-borne water for these insane people. Do you know that we barely have enough food tha
Even before we got back home, I got a bizarre, disturbing phone call from Salsa demanding from me what happened because they were seeing it live on TV. She pestered me so much with the calls until I was plunged to turn off my phone and broke down in tears.Fanny returned home writhing in pain and misery. I had my face in shame and wallowed in my misery. My countenance fell hugely in sorrow and disappointment. I had flopped in my duty as a contract wife and I wondered the strokes I was getting to get from society over my flaws. The Fanny’s would laugh the hell out of me, especially Opula and Kate. Although I was ready to tell the world what happened was a fight and not the unleashing of Brian’s madness, yet, hi fame as the most violent mad man had deprived me of that; that was little or nothing I could do to defend his madness.That very billionaire was bitten beyond repair.I had derailed in my obligation as Brian’s contract wife and I knew Fanny wasn’t going to take it lightly with m
I wasn’t good at fashion. Although I had all the luxury dresses and tuxedos for my husband, I found myself wanting in the area of fashion. With the help of Salsa, I chose the best dress and clothes that were the best formal and fit into the occasion. Later that same day, we got our delivery, which had dresses and clothes for the occasion. And when I tried them on, I got Salsa eulogizing my beauty.“Oh you look elegantly beautiful, like the wife of the incumbent heir of the Fanny Group.”Salsa had me blushing with those words, but I rebuked her, “Oh come on, stop. You always forget that I am just here to render services. I am just an ordinary contract wife whose tenure will elapse in a few years time ….” I glanced at the mirror to admire my gown which I would wear to the summit.“Don’t tell me you don’t have bubbles of joy in your veins as your husband is chosen as the successor of the multibillion-dollar Fanny Group.”I scowled my face as Salsa brought her box over to continue her mak
Now there was whirring tension in their midst. Opula flared up, feeling like to flake out within herself. At the time my husband was announced as heir, I couldn’t describe the crimson looks that wired across the face of Opula. But I could best describe it as thunderous; the image you get on the soil when birds scavenge it for food.“Father, tell me you are joking,” Opula snapped, her jaw sagged and voice shook with tension as she surged close to Fanny. “How are you going to disgrace the entire Fanny’s group by presenting your mad son as your heir? Do you realize it is a summit involving billionaires from all walks of life?”Fanny shook his head in affirmation, “Yes, I know, Opula. I know Brian is mad but it should occur to you that from day one I have been presenting him as my successor and not you…”Kate interrupted, “Yes father, because he had his sanity, but right now he is mad. He has lost his sanity, father, don’t you get it? How can a mad man become the successor of the entire F
I was in my chambers the other night when I overheard a whispering at my window, and when I cast my stare it was Salsa. I knew she was out for gossip and having discovered the rear entrance to my chambers, she often frequented my chamber these days unlike before, when one must pass through Brian’s chamber to get to mine.“You know it is the annual financial record meeting for the Fanny’s and soon Fanny Luis will invite all of you,” she mumbled and forced a smile.I raised a brow, “What has it got to do with me? I am not part of the Fanny’s.” I walked to the side of the jug, “Coffee?” I asked, and once I got a nod from her, I poured for two, and handed her a cup.“Melissa, it is high time you started seeing yourself as part of this family. Hope you know you are supposed to go by the name Melissa Fanny and not Brant. But at the hospital you still used Brant,” Salsa sounded.I paused, winked in guilt and snorted, “perhaps it never occurred to me.”“Heh, I can see it in your eyes. Obsessi
Among all the faces that gathered in the dining room for dinner, it was only Fanny’s chiseled face that has the best noticeable shades of excitement.Earlier at the hospital I overheard Salsa giving out orders to the maids and chef over the phone and reminding them of the delicacy to prepare for the warm welcome back dinner.And afterward she had whispered to me, “It is going to be the best and the warmest welcome back dinner for the both of you.”Brain was back from the hospital and it was Fanny’s ritual to have dinner with his son after so long a time. Especially now he survived a kidney disease.Salsa served the best of intercontinental dishes from her magical fingers.Everyone was well seated except the annoying duo Opula and Kate, who had vowed not to share the table with my husband after Opula’s incident.As everyone ate and chatted happily, I struggled to feed Brian who was busy playing with the food, pouring the stew on his head and spitting into his dish of cereal. I could s
Never in my life had I contemplated to go under the knife, even when my mother had similar kidney failure, we were lucky to get a free kidney donor, yet regardless I was so eager to donate a kidney to my mother the same I felt for Brian now. I could feel a ravaging obsession growing in me; it was more than I thought; perhaps I was being more cautious than obsessed.To an extent I had seen fate playing and dominating this marriage. Why hadn’t I seen him all this while? Why did I see him on my way to Ohio? Why did I yell at the train operator to grant me exit when he wouldn’t; even after they warned me the mountain was the natural dwelling for deadly beasts and I could be lynched. I was yet to understand the mystery behind those decision and action I took.“Doctor, I hope my husband is much okay now,” I said from my hospital bed, under the drip bag, watching as the other bag with blood let some infusion in my veins. I had a grin face because the incision they made across my belly still
I had been skeptical since I got to the hospital. All I wanted was Brian returning to the villa to continue his madness; I abandoned myself to thinking about his flaws and how important even his shouting and violence were to me now. My mother had been a victim of kidney failure and I won’t forget how I often battled with thoughts of losing her in those stormy moments.When Opula, Kate and their husbands came out of the doctor’s office, looking blank and drawn, I thought they weren’t eligible to donate him a kidney. Nevertheless, on the contrary, I could say it to their faces that they were eligible but denied Brian their kidney.“Please let me be eligible,” I mumbled within myself.This was my duty; it was part of the contract marriage agreement; to always be helpful to him in health and in sickness except death.But right now with the way my heart skipped for him, I could give up my breath for him to live.“Hmmm!” Doctor Emma hummed once he glanced through the kidney diagnosis paper