YOU HAVE TO FULFIL YOUR WIFELY DUTIES

It had been a week since Megan started working. Because Beth neither agreed nor opposed the notion of her getting a job, Megan delved right into it. At least this way, she had a reason of being out of the house and would earn an income in the process. 

Spending the whole day in the house had become stifling. The people who were still flocking to the house to offer their condolences looked down on her and treated her like the house help. Of course, Beth never bothered to correct them. Her husband was spending more time with his mistress and her sister-in-law had her friends to keep her company. Her cousin-in-law was the only one who occasionally treated her like a human being.

She had already fallen into a routine with Benny. She would wake up at six in the morning to prepare breakfast for Benny while she packed his lunch. She would then rush to take a shower before waking up her son. While Benny showered, she dressed and laid down his clothes.

After they were done with their morning routine, they would then head to the kitchen for breakfast. Megan wanted Benny to have a full breakfast so she normally laid the table with a bowl of oatmeal, eggs, and some fruits which he downed with a glass of milk.

Benny would then be dropped at school by 8 am and thereafter she would head to work. As one of the sales ladies, it was part of her duty to ensure that the display cabinets were well arranged and the catalogs were up to date.

The doors would open for business at 9 am. The shop catered to elegant ladies of class and one had to be on her best of etiquette to serve them. From offering them beverages to showing them the latest arrivals, her day was spent on her feet, moving back and forth until a client was satisfied with her purchases. Her shift ran for seven hours so she would leave work at 4 pm to pick Benny up from school.

She had enrolled him for an hour of extra tuition since she knew that nobody at home would be willing to pick him up from school. Also if he was to go home without her then who knew what kind of torment would await him? Ever since she got married to Richard, her son had never left her side.

To spend quality and uninterrupted mother-son time, they would visit the park for an hour before driving home in the evening. By the time Benny had taken a shower and done his assignments, it was dinner time, and thereafter storytime followed by time to sleep.

Slipping comfortably into this routine, she didn’t expect to hear a knock on the door one night after she had already gone to bed. Not wanting to wake Benny up who was fast asleep in the cot next to her bed, she tiptoed and opened the door without switching on the lights wondering who it could be at that time of the night.

“You have not prepared my dinner for the past week” Rich in an accusatory tone with a scowl on his face which surprised Megan. This was the first time since she got married that Rich has made initiated a conversation with her.

“I am sorry but I thought that you always eat out” she did not want to voice her thoughts knowing very well that he usually spent his evenings with his girlfriend before coming home late in the night. He reeked of Liana's perfume.

“You are still my wife so you have to fulfill your wifely duties. I need a hot meal right now,” he grumbled as he turned to head back downstairs. Having no choice, she closed her bedroom door and went to the kitchen.

Since she started working, she was no longer saving a plate for him so she had to make a meal for him and the simplest that she could make do with was rice and children’s stew.

Placing the food on the dining table, she was about to turn and head back to her room when he asked her to stop.

“I am sorry but do you need anything else?” she checked the table. Everything was in place so what did he want now?

“Sit down. Do you expect me to eat alone?”

“Please I have an early morning so I need to rest” she was not going to be a babysitter for a grown man. Rushing up the staircase before he could say anything, she locked the door and went back to bed.

Rich had no idea why he did all that. He sure was not hungry cause he had been having his dinner with Liana ever since his father's funeral. He always hated it when he came back home in the middle of the night to find Megan still seated in the living room, like a devoted wife, waiting to serve him.

He felt empty the whole week when he came back home to find that she was not waiting for him. He did not even understand why he was mad about it seeing that he abhorred her presence.

After picking on the food, he went to his bedroom and made a video call to Liana.

“Babe, what took you so long?” she answered the call in white lingerie. She still had makeup on and sat cross-legged on her bed.

“I just got home” he avoided her stare. “Why don’t you sleep early and we will meet tomorrow at our usual spot?” he blew her a kiss and hung up before she could reply. His girlfriend was always very quick at picking his mood change and he did not want to get into it right now.

Liana stared at the phone in her hand. Something sure was different with him tonight. He did not even notice the new lingerie that she had put on, especially for him.

“No, I will never allow him to slip through my fingers,” she said with clenched teeth.