Vince was trying his best to keep his path parallel to that of Harmony whenever they were left in the solitary of the cozy abode. Several times, he had left to campus three or four hours before his first lecture. He found it preferable to hang around campus than to avail himself to the honey-dripping enticements of a lascivious sister-in-law. Keeping Richie out of the situation remained paramount to him as he was determined to handle matters carefully. It was too delicate to compound. If Richie got to know, Vince could never tell which side of the coin would face up to determine his fate.

So far, he was fighting a good fight. He never failed to lock his bedroom and bathroom doors when he was unclad or vulnerable. He was really careful and it was working fairly well until yesterday in the kitchen. He was mixing milk and cereal for a light breakfast over the kitchen countertop. Harmony had strolled into the kitchen too. She suddenly wanted to retrieve a beverage tin from the overhead cupboard which was right above Vince. In the process, she had to position herself behind Vince, pressing herself into his back. Vince could feel the soft and teasing pressure of her breasts on his back, the flimsy pajamas she wore was barely a barrier. His heart had started to pound against his ribcage. If he stepped out, she might lose balance and possibly get injured as her weight was now on him. Even when she had reached the tin, she lingered some more. He endured awkwardly, looking for the right words to say and extricate himself. Finally, she got the tin and moved from him. “Vince baby, don’t tell me you’re leaving for lectures this early. It’s just 7”. Vince cleared his throat to untangle the mucus that stuck in the way. His heart had returned to pace and he finally had found his voice. “Arh, yeah. We have 8am lectures most days.” He had lied. She was not an easy fly to shake off. She dropped the tin of beverage she had picked—which she obviously had no need of—and walked to him, pretended to become interested in his meal. “Hmmm. Golden Morn, how do you mix it to look so mouth-watery?” she had gotten the spoon from him and tasted the cereal. “Wow, this is…yummie… You have to tell me how you do this…I like it.” He knew her game. He had known it wasn’t about learning anything but for decency sake, he had to cooperate on the tutorial. He had managed a shy smile and proceeded to tell her the steps. “Well, it’s quite simple. I usually use lukewarm water to prepare it…I first pour in...” Harmony had walked closer so that she leaned on him and rested her head on his arm under the guise of paying close attention. His heart had started to race again, the words barely coming out audibly. Her hair had a mild fragrance similar to that of a fruit he couldn’t recall the name. It was hard to recall anything. It was even harder to think of a way out. Maybe the gods of chance were in his favour that morning. He had never been so grateful to hear his ringtone at that moment. His phone was ringing in his room and he had to rush out of her snare to get it. Resisting Harmony was harder than his four-credit unit 100L Mathematics but he was optimistic to overcome. He believed she would give up one day.

Today was Thursday. Vince’s first lecture was by 12pm but he would be crazy to stay at home that long. Washing his brother’s car had made him wake up early. It was just 7:30am and he didn’t feel like going to school so early and roam idly as he barely had friends to while off time with in the new environment. He could occupy himself by cooking rice. There was stew in the freezer. He wished to God that Queen Temptation would stay glued to her ZeeWorld or whatever she was watching in her bedroom.
The gas cooker came to life with blue flames and he disposed the used matchstick and placed the pot of rice. Watching the blue and smoke-free flames reminded him of his rickety kerosene stove in his one-bedroom house back in Ikot Ekpene which produced the exact opposite. He chuckled when he remembered how he usually suffered with the burner and the wick adjuster; turning and adjusting several times until it managed to burn. Sometimes, he would run out of kerosene before the end of the meal. He usually had no option than to burn out the wicks. Life here was better, he thought. He was willing to maintain a good relationship with Richie and continue to enjoy the benefits of comfort. Vince headed for the freezer to extract the stew. It had to be taken out and placed in water to defrost. He would dish and warm enough for himself and Harmony. He was on his way to the big Nexus chest freezer down the open passage when he heard the sound of shattering glass. He was sure it was from the house. It was coming from the direction of Harmony’s room. He dashed down the corridor towards her room which was closed. He was afraid something was wrong. When he opened the door, he knew something was definitely not right. Harmony was sitting at the foot of her giant matrimonial bed, sobbing into her palms. There were pieces of what used to be the bottle of Veleta wine on the floor just across where she sat. Vince examined the damage. It appeared someone dashed the brittle vessel against the wall and it shattered and littered the floor. He could see the mark of collision on the wall opposite Harmony. What could have prompted such spontaneous outrage? Vince stepped into the room, cautious of the glass fragments on the tiled floor. Did she receive any bad news from her family? Was that enough to make her haul a bottle against the wall? Was it the miscarriage? It must be the miscarriage. She was in grief for her lost child. Vince remembered when he lost his beloved mother at the unfulfilled age of 53, four years ago. She was a good woman; the kind of woman that helped people even when she barely had enough. Richie had spent a lot of money on her illness, hoping she’d be alright but she still passed on. People had come to the house wailing and sympathizing. He had not felt that urge to shed tears then. It was when he was alone in his room that night that reality him hard. After that night, he had usually pretended to get over it until one noon, several months later, when a particular memory of his mother hit him. He found himself shedding tears and wiping them with his shirt. Maybe that was what was happening to Harmony at the moment; the memory of the lost child after several months into pregnancy, the shattered expectations—it was enough to drive someone into a crazy mood. This was why his brother wanted him around. To be there to keep her good company and help her think less of the past. Vince sat on the bed beside with his sister-in-law and patted her shoulder comfortingly. “It’s okay sister Harmony. It’s okay…” He thought of how best to go about the whole comforting thing. He barely knew the right words to say. “You will have another baby, maybe twins. Don’t hurt yourself with the past. You will have another baby. Please stop crying.” She was quiet but still had her face covered. Slowly, she removed her hands from her face, clamped them beneath her chin and stared blankly at the wall opposite her. Even with traces of tears in her eyes, in spite her early morning face, Harmony was still a beauty queen. She still didn’t say anything but seemed to appreciate his presence non-verbally. Vince stood up and fetched a broom and waste packer. Carefully, he gathered the pieces on the floor and disposed them. She was still sitting and staring blankly. Vince went back and sat beside her. “Do you need anything? I can get you water to drink if…” Vince asked but she shook her head in negation, cutting him off. After a short while, she heaved and spoke; her voice a little above a murmur. “It’s not the baby.” Vince wasn’t sure he got her clearly. He cocked his head in a way that sent the message. “This is not about the miscarriage,” she spoke again. He was taken by surprise. His curiousity pitched higher. He waited anxiously for her to speak. What else could it have been?
“Your brother and I,” she started to speak...

continued @ www.gistcreek..com