Sharp Tongue

Episode 7

She pointed at her daughter, “You have
shamed your father and I, when did you
become a Delilah?” She got to her feet,
“Don’t you think at all? ” She approached her,
Sheila backed away, “What is wrong with you?
Sometimes I wonder if I actually gave birth
to you… ”

“Eureka!” He got up.
“Sometimes I wonder if the nurses switched
you… and… ”

John stepped in between his wife and
daughter.

Sheila ran out of the kitchen and headed
straight to her room. She locked the door
and sat on the tiled floor. Nothing was going to
make her sit in the same room with her
mother this morning. That woman would tear her
apart.

Although her parents had never raised a
hand against her, her mother was close to doing
just that. If her father had not stepped in when
he did, she was sure her mother would have
strangled her or worse.

What did she do wrong? She did not
deserve this. Did she? If this was the consequences of teaching the witch a lesson, so be it.

XXXXXX
Martha opened her eyes. The stinging
feeling that attack made her close them again.
Something had woken her. What was it?

Probably she was dreaming. She turned on
her side. Her red eyes found the table clock. It
was 6:00 p.m. The door bell rang. She groaned.
It was the door bell that woke her. Who was
at the door? She had taken time off work so
that she could get herself back together. She did
not want to be disturbed. The door bell
rang again. She pulled the duvel over her head.
Whoever was at the door should go away!

The bell kept ringing. “Arrrrrgh!”
Martha got out of bed. The person at the
door better have a good reason for cutting her
sleep short or else, heads will roll. She marched
out of the room, clad in a baggy jean and big
white tee shirt.

“Will you quit pressing the bell?”

The bell stopped ringing immediately. Her
shrill must have gotten across to the person at
the door. Good. She unlocked the door and
swung it open. She came face to face with Daniel.
“Hi… ” He had been standing at her door
step for the past thirty minutes.

Her frown deepened. She wouldn’t have
opened the door if she had known that he was the one ringing the bell. She wasn’t ready to see or speak with him. Why didn’t she check the
door- hole before opening the door?
“Martha… Darling… ”

She hissed and tried to close the door, but
he held it back.

“Please love, please listen… Please… ”
She eyed him from hair to shoes and
stepped back. He sighed in relief and walked in. She shut the door and led him into the sitting
room.

“You have five minutes.”
“Thank you for seeing me.”
“Four minutes more,” She sat on a brown
leather chair facing him.

He cleared his throat. Where was he going
to start from? He loved her so much. At forty-
five, he had met several women, and none had
made him feel like a King. Martha was the
woman he wants to spend the rest of his
life with.

“The clock is ticking.”

He met her expressionless gaze.

“I love you Martha… I want to spend the
rest of my life with you.”

She looked away. She still loved him too.
“Sheila kissed me… I don’t know what got
into her… She kissed me and… and… I don’t
know how her underwear got into my pocket…
Nothing happened.”

She met his pleading gaze. “I love you too
Daniel… But I don’t know if I will ever be
able to get past this kissing thing between you and Sheila… ” She ran a hand through her
weave.

“We just kissed… She tried to s£duce me…

But I stopped her… Nothing else happened… ”
“That is not the point!” Her voice rose.
“Martha… All she wanted to do was hurt
you…

She wanted to hurt us…”

“And she succeeded,” She got to her feet.
“Martha… ”

She crossed her hands. “I can’t marry you…
”

“Sugar Plum… You know me… I don’t go
around kissing everything in skirts.”

“But you kissed Sheila!”

“She kissed me… ”

“And you kissed her back… You touched
her… ”

She shuddered. “How do you want me to
live with that?”

Daniel fell silent. Sheila was a beautiful
young woman, and if he had given in to her that
night, they would have had a one night
stand.

But, he didn’t. He was a different person.
Gone were the days he used to roll with the boys
and devour everything in his path. He had
surrendered his life to Jesus, he had put his
lustful desires under and he was determined
to keep it that way.

“I am sorry Daniel, your five minutes is up.”
“I want you to know that I am not going to
give up on you. You are the woman I want to
spend the rest of my life with. I don’t care how
long it takes. I will wait for you.”

“Please don’t.”

“I have made up my mind.”

“And so have I.”

They eyes locked.

“I love you Martha,” He turned and walked
out.

Tears gathered in her eyes. She loved him
too.

Her neice had cost her the one thing she
had she praying and hoping for. Sheila was
going to regret ever being born on planet earth.