Chapter 72

Gloria walked into the room, closing the door behind her. Was she seeing a ghost, or was she just dreaming? She just stood listening worriedly as Esau began to shoot questions.

"Where the hell have you been? I've been here all evening." His voice rattled, and his face had a mask of fury as he sought to know.

She did not know what to do. At first, she thought she was just dreaming, but when she started staring into his cold eyes, she realized it was the reality and not a dream.

"I've been at the Whispering Palms Beach Hotel. We hosted a party for our client companies."

"What is this party you're talking about?"

"I meant the cocktail for our fifteenth anniversary celebrations. I tried ringing you the whole day but I could not get you. Each time I rang, I was told you were out."

"Why didn't you inform me earlier? You're cheating on me, eh?" He spoke, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"No darling! I simply forgot. That's all!"

She noticed that there was that far away look in his eyes as he sat there brooding.

"Tell me; what happened at the party?" His voice still showed anger.

"Nothing you wouldn't know. Just talking and drinking. I regret having gone there. It was as dull as a cloudy sky and as boring as a broken radio."

Esau said nothing and walked into the bedroom. He stood hesitating and then jumped onto the bed.

She followed him five minutes later, a puzzled look on her face. Then she asked, "Have you eaten my love?"

His reply and tone were a bitter one. "Would you really care if I didn't?"

"Now come on," she lamented. "You know that I love you, and I will do anything for you. Don't you feel hungry?

"I don't want to eat!"

"Why?"

Esau was suspicious. "Because you've started walking out on me, and yet you pretend to love me. Have you found someone else?"

"No! It's not true!" Her reply was fast as she suddenly remembered the stranger at the Whispering Palms whom she had mistaken for Esau and even made love to.

"Why is it not true?" He was now watching her carefully as he added, "There's guilt written all over your face."

"No, my love," she spoke softly. "I'm just scared you're trying to find a reason to leave me."

Then she started sobbing when the thought came to her that she had been unfaithful to him and even had sex with the stranger at the Whispering Palms. The contemplation of her infidelity finally settled over her mind.

But how she could ever have known? She began to console herself. It had been so unintentional. The other man she had met at the party was the exact carbon copy of Esau.

Were they in any way related? Gloria began to wonder. What was particularly hurting and perhaps even shameful was that she had made love to someone else in the belief it was her fiancé, Esau.

"Stop crying! What is it?" He growled when he saw her crying, "Feeling guilty, aren't you?"

"You're tormenting me for nothing. You know that I love you."

They lay silently in the darkness. Esau's mind was doing quick thinking. Perhaps, he told himself, she was not guilty after all.

With such a feeling, he felt desire begin to take control of his body. Then he reached out for her and began to fondle her.

"Forget about it, darling." He said as he started to apologize, "I was only hurt when you kept me waiting for such a long time."

She said nothing. And then it crossed her mind she had to say something. She began to speak softly as he caressed her.

"It's nothing. It's okay now," he said.

He went to the lobby and turned on her music system. It was soft pop music. Then he returned to the bedroom and found she had changed into her sleeping gown. He began to undress and jumped onto the bed.

They made love for the next thirty minutes, and then suddenly Esau pulled himself away from her.

"What's wrong, Gloria? You must tell me exactly what happened at the cocktail party?"

"Nothing happened apart from what I've already told you."

He was not convinced. At the back of his mind, he thought something bad had happened. He was not sure, however, what it was. But he was annoyed that Gloria was trying to hide the truth from him.

"Stop lying!" He snarled. "You look quite tired and even bored. You never seemed to enjoy the lovemaking act as if you had already gone through it. You were not as good and exciting as I've always known you. I noticed it!"

She said nothing. What could she say? She just lay listening to his accusations.

"Come to think of it," he went on as he frowned in the darkness, "you almost froze when you found me here after the car dropped you at the gate. Who was the man who drove you here? A new boyfriend, I presume?"

This time, Gloria knew her fiancé would never believe her at all. Such realization made her start sobbing once more as it became clear that her romance with Esau was growing cold. It was as if trouble was rearing its ugly head into their love.

Then he began to demand, "Who the hell was that man who dropped you at the gate?"

She continued sobbing. "Darling, you can't... you won't even believe me if I tell you."

"Who was it? Tell me!" He was now hysterical.

"It was only a cab driver."

"Okay, I believe you!" He was rather sarcastic. Then he asked, "But why did you hire a taxi?"

"There was no one to bring me home. And it was very late."

He could find no more charges to bring against her. They remained silent for a while, each brooding over the new development.

For Gloria, a problem seemed to have made its ugly face; Esau was too suspicious. A suspicious and distrustful fiancé was one problem she had not reckoned with.

Then, later, sleep finally overcame them, and they fell asleep.

But she was taken to dream land. She saw Esau coming towards him, smiling as usual. He held her hands and kissed her.

Then, when she opened her eyes, she saw his face and body had been transformed into that of a gorilla, and she suddenly broke away from him and started running away as fast as she could.

She looked behind and saw the gorilla coming hot on her heels. She increased her pace and saw her mother ahead of her seated on an easy chair outside her home, and she fell at her lap and held onto her tightly.

When she woke up from the dream the following day, she found herself holding tightly onto her pillow. She also looked around and saw Esau was nowhere to be seen. He was already gone. It was quite unusual for him to leave just like that.

She knew he was unhappy with her. But did he have to behave that way? Things were getting out of hand, she reasoned, and she had to act fast to put the situation under control.

She slipped into the bathroom and felt cold showers against her body. Satisfied that she was clean, she emerged out of the bathroom feeling quite fresh. Then Gloria slid into her grey skirt and blue silk blouse as she applied her expensive perfume. She went into the kitchen to prepare a cup of tea for herself.

Ten minutes later, she was ready to leave. She walked out of the lounge and went across the compound into the street below. She joined a crowd of people who were waiting for a bus at the bus stop.

She reached her office at quarter to eight; fifteen minutes earlier than usual. She started by going through the morning newspaper, which the office messenger had put on her desk.

There was nothing of special interest in the headlines, and she dropped it after a few minutes. Then she opened the files and became busy looking at them.