"ONOME!!!!"

He screamed! Pacing in the room as though in labour monitoring his contractions.

"GET UP RIGHT NOW!!"

"I want to talk to you" He screamed.

She was busy enjoying the afternoon nap obviously, but heard his voice nonetheless because her body moved slightly. The rage Tega felt inside could not be comprehended, the fact that she was still resting was more annoying. His eyes screamed bloody murder.

"ONOME"!!!!!! he growled louder!

"What is it? why are you screaming? Onome tossed to the side and replied gently still feeling sleepy. She tried raising herself up,so she could lay her back on the headrest of the bed.

"What did you just say? Who is screaming? Onome are you mad?" He moved closer to her sleepy face and without warning, his next action brightened her eyes.

His left palm connected to her cheeks. The slap was hard, hoping it will reset her brain from that insulting reply Tega thought.

"Shut up your mouth and answer every question I asked you truthfully if not I will spill your blood" he added.

"Ok" she answered quietly keeping her head down.

This was what he wanted. The quiet and submissive girl who kept her head down whenever he was talking.

But suddenly, as though gathering momentum, she looked up at him, gazing directly at his eyes, not looking afraid. He was taken aback because Onome was usually the scared little girl who was frightened every time he raised his voice, that fear was no longer there but he pretended not to notice. He decided to go to the point. 

"who sent you this message?"

"which message? are you still with my phone? Tega don't you get tired? are you a police investigator?" She asked calmly, daring him.

Tega was shocked!

"Where is this one coming from? Onome are you asking me questions? since when did this nonsense attitude start?" He asked vibrating in fury.

"please read the message out for me since you don't want me to touch the phone". Onome said sarcastically.

He gave her the phone and she looked at the message although she was frightened inside she didn't let it out. Why did Doctor Ola have to send her such a text. Tega watched her nonchalant attitude as she reads the message acting as though there was nothing to be upset about.

"This must be one person I was asking his sister about. I thought they were married and all that but why are you furious? you know him, why are you scared or something? why are even angry, am the one he insulted for being with you".

"what do you mean by these rubbish questions, Onome are you mad? Do you want to die?"

He pointed his finger at her face. She did not flinch or attempt to duck her head.

"Who the hell is he?" He barked at her.

"He is the Doctor who treated me the last time I had injuries in that hospital in Ughelli" she replied dropping her phone on the bed.

"Oh I see, you told him that you want to be friends with him and he rejected you huh? You offered your body to him right? That's where you learnt being on top eh, and he says he doesn't want you eh?"

"Tega when I did have his number to contact him? Just think logically by reading this message, its clear he took my number from someone. I didn't speak to him in the hospital and remember it was your staff who drove me home".

"Which time did I see him to sleep with him?"

Onome was intent on having a conversation like a civilized lady. She had learnt from Mrs Tolulope that fear feeds the anger and guts of the attacker.

"You bitch!" Tega stretched out his arms and slapped her across the other cheeks.

However, he didn't see it coming. Onome jumped down from the bed,grabbed her phone and ran out of the room like a lightening bolt. Tega was astonished. He felt like he was in a movie. He heard sounds coming out of the other side of the room. What was she doing?

"Onome!". He shouted.
"Onome!"
"I am talking to you and you have the audacity to walk out on me?"

He stormed out of the room in anger as he intends to show her how serious he could be. Searching the next room which was the library, he found it empty. Entering the living room, he couldn't find her. But as he walked towards the dining area, Onome came out with a sharp knife. She already had a cut on her hand with light blood dripping down. She had her phone in one hand.

Tega was speechless!

"Since you intend to inflict injury on me as always, let me help you today! Tega I will kill myself and i will call the police to let them  know, you are the killer. When they come, even if you deny it, my entire body filled with marks will verify my story." She panted.

"They will come here to meet my dead body, they will carry it and obviously arrest you, Tega, even if you go scot-free, the sight of my dead body and the thoughts of how you have hurt me will never leave your memory for life".

Tega opened his mouth wide! This girl was obviously mad! Her mind twisted and her eyes looked as though she would go through with her sucidial plans.

"Should I make it easy for you?, you love to hurt me to drive home your point right?, not once can I have a conversation with you without you getting upset and attacking me physically". Onome cried, taking the knife, she slashed the injury on her left wrist and the blood increased.

"No no no no no no no no no I don't want to kill you. Never!! Onome where did you get this dangerous idea from?"

Tega felt his anger suddenly draining from him replaced with fear and confusion. This was not the girl he knew. He reached out to her, thinking that blood flow is becoming too much. But she flinched and moved backwards

"Leave me alone, dont touch me, you slapped me twice for what? You could not talk like other civilized human being. Or you think those slaps are not painful?"

"Onome am sorry but let's bandage that hand. I don't want to kill you. The blood is too much." He pleaded.

"Obviously this is how, this entire charade is going to end. This relationship will end in my death!!!" she screamed.

"God forbid, you will not die. Sugar please drop the knife." Tega pleaded.

"No I won't huh. First, you will beat me to a pulp and I will feel like dying all the time. Not anymore!"

"I want to make it easy for you. Tega I won't attack you,
I don't want to kill you,
I don't want to even retaliate,
I want to end my life so that you will be at peace.
You will get another girl who you can continue with because I don't have enough strength to go on".

She ranted like she was mentally deranged and this scared Tega alot. He was out of ideas on how to calm her down.

So he knelt down, he knew kneeling down normally calms her down.

"Sugar calm down
Please calm down
Please!!!"

He repeatedly pleaded with both palms together.

"My angel please, drop the knife, let me attend to that injury. It's bleeding. Onome please," wells of tears gathered at his eyes.

"I will never hit you again, sugar I promise this time".

She laughed sarcastically.

"A leopard never changes his spots, you treat me like garbage. I don't have a say in my own life. Tega tell me what am I living for? Is it not better to die and be buried.? At least I will be in a better place, free from from this bondage".

Suddenly he panicked,she was acting out of control. Moving her heads towards different sides.

"Onome are you okay?" He asked as she looked lost.

"I told you there was something different about you when I saw you. My sugar I'm sorry I hit your face". Tega cried, pleading desperately

"I'm sorry. Please this will not repeat itself" He pleaded still kneeling.

She was still panting as she dropped the phone in his hand withholding the knife, she went into the kitchen.

Tega took the phone, and suddenly it felt like an explosive device in his hands. He got up from his kneeling position and  dropped it on the dinning table.

He dashed into the kitchen to find her sobbing as she washed her wrist in the kitchen sink, wiping it and applying pressure to the bleeding hand. He helped her by getting the first aid box in the library. He dashed back to apply methylated spirit, iodine, gauze before applying a bandage to the wrist.

He was worried. He wondered what had gotten to the pretty head of hers. He lifted up her face and she looked dizzy,like she could faint.

"Please let me take you to the room to lie down. Please"

She looked at him filled with glaring hatred and he could not blame her. He opened the fridge as she moved, taking out a can of malt drink, he opened it into a glass, adding scoops of milk. He hoped this solution will suffice for the blood loss. As they walked out the dining,  they both saw the bloodstain on floor.

"Don't worry, I will clean it" he assured her.

Onome laid on the bed as soon as they got into the room. Tega gave her the glass and she drained it, returning the glass empty back to him.
 
"Sugar, I am very sorry, Sugar I didn't mean to push you to commit suicide, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Please don't harm yourself. In fact I promise you, I will change. From today, I swear" Tega reassured her.

She closed her eyes and slept off without saying  word. Tega went to the dining and began to clean the blood. It frightened him the more. What if she had killed herself before he came of the room. He was scared. For the first time, since his parents died, he was scared of loosing someone. He couldn't even understand why he got so angry.

Hours later, Onome woke up to find herself in bed alone. Her hands hurt but it was necessary as a first step to let Tega know, that she was ready to die.

She went straight into the kitchen and started chopping tomatoes and onions. Tega heard the sounds from the living room where he was trying to doze off. He rushed to the kitchen afraid.

"Sugar, I'm sorry, did I wake you from your sleep with the television sound? Am sorry, you can go back and rest."He said placing his hands on her shoulder.

"I don't want to sleep, I just want to cook" she replied shrugging her shoulder so his arms could fall off. Tega kept his hands to himself.

"I'm sorry Sugar, please forgive me, I beg of you. Is there anything I can do to help?" He pleaded.

"No don't worry I'm fine. You should go back to the living room and watch TV. I will soon be out. It's a quick meal. I'll be done in a bit" Onome replied him not looking up. She continued chopping her vegetables.

Tega walked away from the kitchen in deep thoughts. This was not the young lady he saw last. This was not the Onome he knew. This was a woman capable of handling herself. A woman who thought he wanted her dead. A woman not afraid to die.

Tega loved her with all his might and he wants her to himself.  While in the heat of the moment in the living room by himself, her  iPhone rang. He got up and went to the dinning table to get it. Onome was oblivious to whatever was happening as he sneaked the phone to the living room.

He noticed that the new number calling was not saved on her phone. it was the same number that sent the text message, hence he answered the call.

"You stupid bastard" he snared silently, not wanting Onome to hear him.
"it is your grandfather that is a demented boy"Tega said.

"oh you still have the habit of holding her phone and monitoring her right?" Dr Ola questioned.

"What concerns you doctor. Doctor go and find your own girl. Just because you are the unfortunate idiot who treated her, does not give you a right to judge her relationship"

"Mr Tega, I will give you a friendly counsel and do well to remember it, you are not well mentally and a person like you does not deserve a sweet quiet and kind woman like Onome."

"Doctor shut up your mouth and save your nonsense advice for people who actually need it. My y woman loves me and we are going to be together forever."

"Please tell her I called"

"Your father, you must be very stupid. You know I can have you arrested for sexual harassment of my wife"

"I can have you arrested for repeated assault and battery and I have proofs. Proofs that if she continues by your side, she may end up dead." This angered and scared Tega at the same time.

"You are a very useless doctor. Falling in love with your patient and fighting her husband for her. God punish you"

"You take care Mr Tega, if you need to see me, come to Safeguard hospital, you know you can find me there. I can actually give you some medications that will set you free from the mental illness that makes you beat a woman"

"Doctor go and find your own woman leave mine own alone. I'm not interested in your treatment because I am perfectly well. It's your father and your entire family that has mental illness."

"I'm interested in Onome living very well. Her body is not a punching bag, so expect my calls regularly, because I will be talking to her untill she sees that there is no future with a man like you who has a vile temper.. Bye sir" Dr. Ola ended the call.

Tega was furious. However, he did not feel like lashing out to Onome. Instead after the call ended, he deleted the call log and blocked the number.

Just then, Onome came out of the kitchen and a pleasing aroma as her escort.

"I heard you talking to someone, you kept saying doctor. I told you, am fine and I don't want any doctor."

" Don't mind me Sugar. I am so sorry. I just called to know if I can give you any medication myself at home.

"I am fine. I will take some pain medicine. I made fried potato and fried fish with a hot pepper sauce in case you want to add to it" She said, placing the finger foods on the table.

"Wow" he exclaimed.

Taking a seat at the dining table, he was amused.

"Where did you learn to cook this variety Sugar? I had no idea that you can cook this good"

"I can cook. As a matter of fact, I cook at home but I have learnt alot of other recipes online"

She poured him a glass of cold water.

" I didn't know that. It's nice". He smiled.

"Am planning to open my own restaurant or food vending business someday" Onome said boldy. Tega choked on a piece of one of the potatoes and she offered him water. He gulped it down. Confused, he didn't know what to say.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Tega I love to cook and since I don't want to work for anyone, I would open my own business of catering services. It's lucrative and I am passionate about it". Onome said, staring at him.

"Am I not caring for you enough? Should I increase your allowances. I will. Just don't start such nonsense of selling food, my woman does not sell food".

Tega continued eating, hoping to God that this conversation will end soon.

"Then I will stop being your woman" Onome said boldy.