Chapter Fourteen

Suddenly there was a vibrating beep on Richard's phone. His countenance altered in suspicion. Shadowing its screen by cupping his hand he held it close and flicked on it. It was Julie's message. "Richard, where are you? I am waiting outside." Richard instantly shook with fear. The knowledge that Julie was capable of rummaging everywhere to get close to him agitated him. His knees shook. He peeked at his company and then lifted his neck and peered through the window but it was impossible to trace her unless he moved outside.

"Honey, let's get going," Jina said after waving to her hosts dismissively. In her opinion, she had overstayed her welcome. Richard felt a flutter of panic in his stomach. She flicked her eyebrows in a gesture and smiled, put her hand around his waist and they went out.  

"What was that?" Mrs Wabua reckoned and furrowed her forehead. Her husband walks to her and pats her shoulder,

 "Don't worry about her. She will be fine." He said and entwined his hand in hers and they joined the kids for breakfast, but she couldn't hide the fact that she was worried.

Richard's legs faltered. Jina could feel his shaking body. He lingered around in case he saw Julie and signalled her to hide.

 "Honey, you are shaking!" She said with a worried expression on her face. 

"Am I? I think I am exhausted." He said and twisted his face away to hide his nervousness. Jina had a conviction that he might have caught a fever. She thrust her arm inside his shirt to measure his body temperature and noticed he was bathed in perspiration.

" Honey, look," she said gesturing to her hand that was wet with sweat, "you are not Ok at all. How can you be sweating in this timid cold weather?"

"I can't say. Suddenly I feel anxious." 

"The more reason you need to see a doctor," she suggested as she leaned against the bonnet. Richard was anxious and impatient. He wanted to leave immediately but Jina was delaying him with her nagging. 

"I will call Dr Elly. Let's go back home. I will drive."

 Richards's heart throbbed with fear. All her suggestions weren't in any way favouring him. He was at crossroads; going home with Jina would mean the cancellation of a date with Julie while lazing around was risky.

 "She must be somewhere around.'' he thought and wandered his eyes around. He attempts to suppress his fears and convinces his wife that he was feeling much better. 

"Let's get moving. I am now Ok. I still have pending work in the office."

"Is that so, or Julius is pestering you for a job?"

"You are right. He too must be waiting impatiently. We'd made an appointment. I cannot betray his trust." He said, trying to coat his deceit. Jina gazed at him with knitted eyebrows. Her countenance portrayed the discontent in her heart.

"Even at the expense of your health?" She asked with a grimace on her face and reckoned, 

"You amuse me sometimes," she smiled ridiculously and resumed, "How can I forget that you are a rich and famous man whom every pauper hopes to depend 

on?"

 Her tone was full of sarcastic reproach. Richard gazed at her, drew closer and held her hands. With a soft voice, he clarified, 

"Darling, there's nothing wrong with being a little bit kind. Julius needs me now. We might need him in the future, hm. Now enter the car and we go." He kisses her on the lips and enters the car. Jina's folly of nativity couldn't let her sense his treachery.

"My sweet darling husband. I wish I could be like you." She smiles at the corner of her mouth.

As they drove on the high lane, Richard's mind swayed from his focus and all he could think of was Julie as if he was under her spell. He hardly saw the lady that was trying to cross the road. She too must have a plague on her mind that she didn't notice the car that was advancing.

"Honey!" Jina yelled as she honked on the car horn. The dark-skinned lady dressed in a pair of jeggings and a hood jerked and stood shell-shocked in the middle of the road in anticipation of her fate. Standing in the face of the danger of the two speeding cars coming from either direction, she knew that if not by luck, she would be crushed into minced meat. Richard snapped out of his thoughts as if he had been in a dream and tried to control the vehicle but with no prospect of saving the lady. 

A look of terror flashed at his face. Jina clapped her hands on her mouth in a nervous disposition hoping against hope.

"Richard, please do something!" She shouted, wringing her hands and watching in horror as the car drew near. The shouts and screams echoed in the lady's ears and her head began to spin. 

She blocked her ears with her hands and shrieked. Richard managed to pull on the brakes with bravery and the car stopped with a loud screech. She pitched forward and fell on top of the bonnet. "Honey, I think you've shattered her legs. I told you to go see the doctor but you wouldn't listen. " Jina said in reproach. She was breathing heavily. Richard hung his head in shame for a moment. He could still hear the loud noise around him.

" This is all your fault, Julie. You are driving me insane." He thought and felt as if he was the most damn fool on earth.

Rapidly he grouped out of the car and strode to check on the casualty. He was tense."I hope she doesn't die, '' he muttered and gaped in terror. Jina followed behind, wringing her arms in terror. People stood their heads out of the car windows hooting in disgust.

"Stupid, careless man!" One brash driver hurled insults at Richard. The flagrant insult stung him deeply but he felt he deserved worse more than that.

"You must have been flirting with your harlot in the car or else you wouldn't have been so careless." He said angrily and clicked his tongue.

Jina heard the hot stinging comments and she shrunk.

 People converged around the lady who lay motionless on the bonnet. She didn't stir. Richard tapped on her with his trembling hand. In a moment, out of the blue, a fat woman with flabby arms stood over her and sprinkled water on the lady's face as she whined, "Sandrah honey, wake up, please don't do this to me. She wailed in despair.

There was tension in everyone's heart. 

Suddenly, unexpectedly the lady slowly opened her dreary eyes and propped her elbows on the bonnet. The air was filled with sighs and murders; murders of disdain towards the culprits. It was a miracle that she wasn't injured.

"Young lady, are you Ok? Can you hear me?" 

"Yes, I am fine." She smiled miserably and stood up.

"Mom!" she muttered and tears stole from her eyes.

" The fat lady screamed and swept her in her arms." Sandra, dear, you can't do this to yourself. What were you thinking, child? Ok, you can marry him if that will make you happy. I don't want to lose you because of my foolishness."

Sandra nodded and leaned on her mother's shoulder and the two tottered away. It was a miracle that she wasn't harmed in any way!

"Hmh!" The crowd muttered and stood agape as they watched with curious faces. "So, this was a suicide mission! God damn it!" Said the short man with a bulging nose and shook his head in disbelief. Suddenly, the rude man from the crowd came forward and stood with firmness looking sternly at Richard and hissed,

"You should be sued for reckless driving, foolish man. You rich people don't value the lives of others. He said with a furrowed face and jeered. 

"You are the definition of stupidity. Why don't you shut your loudmouth," Jina said in fury? Being a sensitive and highly strung person, this was expected of her. She was becoming more of a hindrance than a help.

"Let him be, "Richard retorted, " Don't make it harder for us than it is already," he told Jina and hurled her inside the car. The crowd scattered and there was normality.