Mistress of Secrets
Have you ever done something you do not want anyone to know?
In the comforting cloak of darkness or the glaring light of day?
Information they say is power.
When that information is supposed to be a secret, the word ‘power’ becomes an understatement.
Nothing they say is hidden under the sun.
Do you believe in that statement?
Perhaps not.
But if you ever had the fortune or misfortune, as the case maybe, of crossing paths with Cha Cha, she would single handedly make you a believer.
The woman who had the curiosity of ten cats and the tenacity of a bulldog, you just don’t cross paths with her and leave without her getting to know something about you.
Some have given her the title of chief gossip; others say she is a perpetual meddler who doesn’t know how to mind her business, but no matter what they call her they all agreed on one thing, that she always spoke the truth. No information from Cha was ever false.
She was the one people go to, to confirm or discard a rumor.
She was a woman both feared and revered.
Feared because she didn’t believe in keeping secrets, the second she got information, she disclosed it to the concerned parties.
Revered because no one knew how she came about her knowledge. She was the Mistress of secrets. The god of chao.
As she walked down the path to the market, each step firm and determined, people stepped out of her way even as they felt sorry for whomever it was she was going to see. For some things were better left unsaid. That is their believe, unfortunately It wasn’t that of Cha Chas
Behind her the big loyal wolf like dog followed majestically.
For if ever there was a woman who needed protection it was the Mistress of secrets.
Kawo market was thick and alive with people of different calibers, both buying and selling and every other thing in between. People buzzed like clusters of beehive and mostly never hearing each other, the afternoon was hot and palpitating with odor not just from the different wares being sold but also from the people roaming about. The littered streets, the puddles of mosquito infested water here and there, the old dilapidated stalls and stands with the exception of a few shops, depending on the section of market you find yourself, made the market the most unsanitized place Katherine had ever seen. It was her least favorite place to be. But she had to endure it every month.
“I think that is everything.” Katherine said absently, to the fat light skin complexioned woman selling provisions for her as she perused her list.
“How about this new chocolate cookies that just came out, kids love it a lot.”
Katherine glanced at the pack offered to her as she rose from where she was sitting and shook her head without taking it from the other woman.
“You know I don’t buy what is not on my list, but I might write it down for when I come back next month.”
“No problem Madam. Chioma, come and help her take these things to her car.”
“I should still call the woman about the garri you requested right?”
“Yes please, call me as soon as you hear from her. I loved the last one she brought for me.” Katherine said as she watched the store owner count the money she just handed to her. When she saw it was complete she looked up smiling.
“Yes, I will call you as soon as I hear from her, let me give you your remaining balance.”
Katherine waved it off.
“Use it to get something for that beautiful daughter of yours.”
“Thank you very much Madam.”
She stepped out of the shop and was waiting for the young girl to finish loading her things in the booth when she heard her name and she turned to see who it was, her heart skipped a beat and the ensuring pulse rate was erratic.
“Cha Cha.” She breathed.
Justice, the forty years old father of three parked the car and the kids jumped out, tired and hungry. He helped his four years old son with his school bag and watched him run after his sister and brother. Inside the house away from the glaring sun, they started kicking off sandals and throwing school bags about as they rushed to the dining room calling to their mother.
“Mum?!”
Justice heard his first and only daughter call out as he picked up the remote and turned on the TV
“Daddy mummy is not in the kitchen.”
Before he could reply, Junior his four years old son cried out.
“I am hungry.”
“Joy take your brothers to the room and change out of your school uniforms then come back to the dinning to dish out food, maybe your mum is tired and resting in the bedroom.”
“But Daddy there is no food on the dining table.”
“Mummy!” Junior called rushing past his father to head for the master bedroom.
Justice, surprised at what his daughter just said, dropped the remote and followed her to the dining where he confirmed what he had been told, just then Sam his first son and Joys younger brother rushed in, his shirt flying about.
“Dad mum is not talking to me.”
“Where is she?”
“At the back of the house.” Deciding to go through the kitchen to the back of the house, he saw the grocery bags still unpacked and wondered what was happening.
She was sitting on a chair rocking back and forth as she stared at the fence.
“Honey, is everything okay?”
Back and forth she rocked on and it was like he never spoke.
“Mummy, good afternoon” Joy greeted. It was then he turned to see that his three children were with him.
“Come on. Go inside and change out of your Uniforms, Joy you guys can eat anything from the fridge or look inside the grocery bags in the kitchen.”
“Ok Daddy.”
“I want to talk to my mummy!” Junior was saying trying to get past Joy.
“Mummy will soon join us, the yoghurt in the fridge is mine!”
“No its mine.” And Junior sprinted ahead. It was a perfect distraction and Justice nodded proudly at his daughter. Joy was eleven and already she fancied herself a mini-mummy, today more than anything he was grateful for that.
He turned to his wife and she was still rocking back and forth as if they weren’t there.
“Kate what is it? What happened?”
Silence. Her rocking back and forth was beginning to scare him.
“Katherine did someone die?” he asked and then placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, she jerked up, looked him straight in the eye, the eyes that stared at him were lifeless and cold. Justice had never seen his wife like that.
“Honey what is the prob—” but she was already heading back into the house.
And so his house which was run by his wife with strict rules and timetable, became chaotic, for the captain of the ship had abandoned her post. For days she walked about like a zombie, ignoring every single one of them. Junior cried every day that he wanted his mummy, but a woman who couldn’t bear to see her baby frown for even a second didn’t bat an eye at his incessant cries. She sat and stared into space for long periods of time and at night he caught her crying in the shower, one day when he opened his eyes in the middle of the night it was to see her looming over him in the darkness as she stared at him. He jumped out of bed and turned on the light demanding she told him what was happening but she only turned and went back into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.
On the fifth day, he started contemplating calling her mother over to the house, he had already asked her and all of Katherine’s friends if they knew what was happening with his wife, but instead he got more questions than answers, questions to which he didn’t have answers to.
It was either his mother-in-law or he got a maid. Who knew how difficult it was to take care of three children. These days they all went to school late. Nobody was going to get awarded the most punctual in school this year.
That afternoon a woman knocked on the door and he answered.
“I have being trying to reach your wife Sir but she is not picking her calls.”
“I am sorry about that but she isn’t feeling too well. Who are you please? I can take a message.”
“I am her customer in the market, she told me to get in touch with her with regards to the garri she wants to buy.”
“Oh I see, well I will tell her you called, let me have your contact.”
“She already has my number.”
“Ok. Thank you.”
Justice was already closing the door when the woman spoke again.
“Sorry Sir I know it’s none of my business, but it’s just that it is unlike your wife to…I guess I just want to know if this has anything to do with her meeting with Cha Cha the other day at the market.”
“Excuse me?”
“I know the woman can be a lot of trouble, and when she met with your wife just outside my shop I knew something was up, especially when your wife looked to be in shock when she drove off.”
Justice slammed the door in her face as the cold hands of dread clutched at his heart; slowly returned to the sitting room.
After a long time of staring into space, he shook his head as if trying to snap out of a nightmare.
“She doesn’t know, there is no way she knows. It can’t be.”
Katherine lifted the axe and brought it down hard.
“You must die, you will die.” She was breathing hard and her muscles ached and she loved every moment of it. The pain was too much, it was just too much. She brought down the axe again and on and on she hacked into pieces. Her heart was in pain, her head ached incessantly and she just wanted to kill everyone. She hacked at her husband for causing her so much grieve; she hacked at Cha Cha for ruining her perfect life, her very perfect life.
“Why couldn’t you just mind your bloody business?”
UP the axe went and DOWN it came.
“Why would my own husband betray me like this?”
UP the axe went and DOWN it came.
Then her muscles began to protest and she collapsed in a heap crying her heart out.
The unfortunate moringer tree she had pictured in her mind as her husband and her number one enemy, creaked and creaked and finally collapsed to the ground, she had split the tree in two.
Ten minutes later, she wiped at her face, eyes puffy and red rimmed, hair pointing in all directions, she matched to Cha Cha’s residence.
Her three foot dog sensed her presence even before she entered the compound and rose with a low growl, matching towards Katherine, teeth bare and posing to attack.
His mistress gave a sharp whistle and called him back to her side, reluctantly it complied.
“Katherine I wondered when you would come visiting.”
Katherine dragged her axe behind her as she moved towards Cha Cha.
“That is close enough dear.” She said when Katherine was a few feet away from her. Her dog came and stood between them.
“He doesn’t scare me.” Katherine growled.
“He should but I understand that it is your pain talking.”
“I came here to kill you.”
Cha Cha rolled her eyes.
“You wouldn’t be the first.”
“You ruined my life, in just one afternoon you came between I and a man I gave fifteen years of my life.”
“Would you rather I didn’t tell you?”
“Yes” she whispered desperately.
“Yes, every family has their secrets. My family is also entitled to having a few of its own.”
“You are lying. You deserve to know what that man did to you, he had no right.”
“And it wasn’t your secret to tell.”
“It became mine to tell the second I got to know about it.”
“You went digging for it.”
“Please, you guys are not that important to me. The information simply found me.”
“What will I do without my husband?”
Cha cha huffed.
“You are a strong woman from a powerful family. You will be fine.”
Fresh tears started rolling down her cheek again.
“I can’t believe it.”
“Will you help them or not?” Cha Cha wanted to know.
The next day, Justice came back home from work but not with the children. His wife had texted him that he should drop them off at their aunts place and that they needed to talk.
He hoped it wasn’t what he was thinking.
He couldn’t lose a family he had worked so hard to have. He just couldn’t.
He entered and saw her sitting in one of the chairs waiting for him. For the first time, she looked sane and normal. She was dressed in one of her green dresses, her hair was tied up with a matching ribbon and her chin was jutted up in determination. The room was quiet and the A.C hummed softly in the background.
“Katherine.”
“Sit down please.” She said pointing towards the chair opposite her. He stepped onto the soft rug dropped his key beside her phone on the centre table and proceeded to do as she asked.
“Promise me you wouldn’t lie to me.”
He started to lean forward.
“Promise me!”
“Okay, ok.” He said lifting his hands as he shifted pensively in his chair.
“I promise I will not lie to you.......to be continued
I hope you enjoyed this wonderful piece, till we come again with the continuation, so make sure yo check back. Don't forget to drop your comments and suggestios as they will be highly appreciated.
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