TIT FOR TAT – 3

Adese emptied the content of the last pot into the bin, then took the bin outside and came back in through the kitchen backdoor. She blew out a breath as she surveyed her cleaned-out kitchen.

She would miss it. She would miss this house which she had known as home in the last two years. They’d bought it, Demola and her. She’d made the most contribution but still she’d considered it more his than her own—that was until she’d found the video and photos and her world had come crashing down.

Again, she exhaled and started out of the kitchen into the living room. That was in the past. Now, she had a different future ahead of her. Maybe she shouldn’t have done what she did. Maybe she’d gone too far, risked too much. But they had struck at her first. They had first taken her joy and her peace and left her with only bitterness and anguish. If they hadn’t first hurt her, she wouldn’t have hurt that… that pint-sized whore.

Anyway, her plans were already made and in motion. She was waiting for her cab driver to arrive and drive her to the airport. Once in Dubai, she’d start a new life. It was that simple.

Well, maybe it wasn’t so simple as she was leaving everything she knew behind. It was the thought of foregoing the life she knew and her family that had made her almost change her mind. But she’d gotten out that damned tablet and watched, again and again, that damned video and her resolve had once more become unshakeable. She’d entered into the theatre with the image of Tiwa pleasuring herself to the delight of her husband in her head and her vengeance had been coldly carried out.

Now it was over and time to start afresh.

She turned and started in the direction of the stairs when she heard the noise of the gate opening and the thudding footsteps. She frowned and moved towards the front door but before she could reach it, it flung open and Tiwa stormed inside.

Adese was momentarily shocked. “How did you get my home address?” She asked, staring at the young woman in dishevelled appearance.

“Your chatty receptionist once mentioned it. And all I had to do was ask for Dr Adese Ehimhen’s house at the Estate’s gate.” Tiwa replied, coming towards her, her eyes furious as she snarled. “You evil bitch, what have you done to me?”

“What you deserved.” Adese responded coldly, her shock leaving her.

“Deserved?” Tiwa looked flabbergasted. “What did I ever do to you? I don’t even know you. Until my mother and I unfortunately entered your office, I’d never met you.”

“But I knew you. And you knew my husband.”

“Your husband?” Tiwa gaped. “I don’t know any one by the name Ehimhen. You have me confused for someone else, you psycho demon doctor!”

“No, I don’t.” Adese regarded her with utter calm. She hadn’t considered a confrontation but seeing her, she knew she wanted a chance to tell her what she did and why she’d struck back. “I use my maiden name professionally but my married name is Adetunji. You were sleeping with my husband, Demola. You were his little spitfire.”

“Oh my God! It is you.” Tiwa staggered forward and then stopped just two feet from her. “You are the wife he wanted to leave.” She shook her head as if to clear away her bewilderment. “How did you find out? Did you… did you kill him?”

Adese let out a dry laugh. “Please, don’t be melodramatic. He died of natural causes. Poetic justice, I’d say. I found out after his death. Imagine how my mourning ended. I didn’t know if I was to mourn a marriage that was never what I thought it was or to mourn a husband who’d been cheating on me… in just a twenty-month old marriage. You took my grief and turned it into shame and bitterness.”

“I took your… oh my God! Is that why you misdiagnosed me and took my breasts?” Tiwa looked horrified.

“Another poetic justice, seeing you walk into my office and recognising you. I saw your nude photos and disgusting porn video. He saved it on his tablet and I guess he frequently jerked off to them when he wasn’t jerking off into you.” Adese felt the bile of repugnance. “I watched that video over and over again until I memorised every scene of it. And when you walked in that day, I thought God has brought me justice. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I knew I wanted my pound of flesh. And your Fibroadenomas provided me the chance to literally chop of that pound of flesh.”

“You removed my breasts because I was having an affair with your husband? My God, are you crazy? Did you think I really cared for him?” Tiwa screeched. “Did you think I wanted him? I am only twenty-three, too young to be saddled with a second-rate lover or husband! He came after me. He wouldn’t leave me alone. He wanted to leave you, but that was his choice and not because I asked him to!”

“He made that choice because of you!” Adese flung out, despising her even now. Not only for ruining her memory of her marriage but also for doing so for careless reasons. “He believed himself in love with you—fool that he was. I loved him. I loved him with my heart, my body and my soul and yet he was considering leaving me for you… you who cared nothing for him!”

“That wasn’t my fault, you psycho! I didn’t ask him to leave his wife. He met me at a club and instantly went berserk.” Tiwa made a sneering face. “He didn’t love you. Well, he said he did at first and then he didn’t anymore. You never had time for him. You were always busy with your career. It was always work, work and more work with you. And when you were finally home, you never gave him the kind of attention he wanted.”

“He was proud of my work. He believed in me and encouraged me to be the best in my field.” Adese didn’t want to believe Demola had hated that about her. She couldn’t believe that he had even discussed her… their marriage with this cheap whore.

“He was lying to you. He was pretending. You were an ice-queen. That’s what he called you—his ice-queen and me, his little spitfire. He said I gave him the best sex ever while you left him cold.”

Adese flung out her hand and slapped her.

Tiwa raised her own hand and struck back. But their difference in height, made her slap feel more like a tap.

“You have taken my breasts, don’t you ever touch me again!” Tiwa howled. “I was only a young girl out for fun and your weakling of a husband was responsible for the choices he made. You had no right to blame his choices on me!”

“You were… are a stupid, cheap whore who should have focused on your life and future instead of seducing another woman’s man and sending him disgusting videos of yourself masturbating and moaning hideously.” Adese ground out. “You may not have been responsible for Demola’s mindless choices, but you were responsible for your own. You took my husband and my marriage from me, and I made the choice to take your breasts—your top assets breasts from you. Tit for tat.”

“You bitch!” Tiwa struck out her hand but she knocked it off. “You won’t get away with this! I am calling the Police. I will sue you. I will have you jailed for life.”

“You can do nothing.” Adese gloated. “It is too late. Be happy I stopped at just taking your breasts. They’re replaceable… so, get a new pair!” She let out a mocking laugh and turned to climb the stairs.

Tiwa came after her. “You know they will never be the same!” She howled. “You put me through pain and anguish for nothing, you should be punished! You have ruined my life and taken everything I value from me!”

“You’re a brainless little twit, aren’t you?” Adese stopped at the landing and turned to face her. “I can never comprehend what he saw in you. But I guess you are right, he was a weakling—in mind, body and soul. But see if you can understand this, your life is not ruined and I didn’t take everything from you—I only took your breasts. And for your information, the human anatomy is not the most valuable asset in a human being, it is what you have in your brain, the skill of your hands and the beauty of your soul. Unfortunately, you don’t possess any of these. Pity!”

“It is you who don’t possess any of that. Beauty of soul? Ha! Your soul is so evil you took revenge on a harmless young woman because of your jealousy.” At Adese’s sneer, she came closer and pushed herself into her face.  “Yes, you were jealous of me. You saw that video and couldn’t believe your precious husband didn’t really love you or want you. You were shocked to find that he wanted someone else. Someone more beautiful, bolder and unspeakably sexy. Someone who gave him the kind of sex and pleasure you could never give him. Someone twice the woman you will ever be!”

“Shut up, bitch!” Adese raised her hand and struck her hard against the cheek.

Tiwa let out a cry and staggered back. She missed her step and let out another cry as she went tumbling down the stairs. A sharp crackle noise came as she tumbled down the last stair and her neck twisted to the side.

Adese stared down at her with horror. Even without having to check for pulse, she knew that Tiwa had broken her neck and was lying dead beneath her staircase now. Her horrified eyes instantly filled but she blinked back the tears and hastened for her room. She grabbed the only suitcase she’d prepared and her handbag and ran out of the room. At the bottom of the stairs, she gave the twisted body of Tiwalade Awoniyi one last look before sweeping out of the house.

Luckily her cab-driver was already at the gate when she raced out of the house, she got in and quickly instructed. “Step on it. I am already running late for my flight.”

Her heart was thudding hard against her ribs but she ignored it and strove for calm. She hadn’t meant to kill her. She hadn’t meant to. They’d brought her to this level—Tiwa and Demola. She had been hurt, wounded, devastated. She had a right to give the cheap whore who caused her sorrow back a taste of her own medicine. She had the right to make her feel a little of the pain she’d felt… and continued to feel. Death hadn’t been part of the plan but maybe this again was poetic justice. She will leave the country. Start afresh. Make penance and retribution. God is merciful. He would understand and forgive her.

Adese inhaled deeply, opened her mouth to ask the driver to go faster but a scream lurched from her lips as their vehicle making a quick overtake came face-to-face with a fast-coming trailer and even as the loud screeches of braking tyres went off, the impact of the slam shook her as their vehicle flew off the road and into the sky.

Her last thought was, this was a double strike. They had taken her happiness and now, her life.

The End.