Edna revealed

Edna struggles to forget her ex husband.

Edna walked down the stairs, holding in one hand her suitcase and in the other hand her sunglasses. She stopped at the last step and headed back to her room.

 

The room was a mess. Sunlight poured from behind the drawn, red curtain. She passed a mound of socks, shirts and skirts then opened the wardrobe.  “Where the hell is it?” she said under her breath as she threw torn papers behind her. “Bingo.” She unfolded a wrinkled paper, examined it, and then headed back down the stairs.

 

After locking the door of her house, she carried her suitcase to the car and drove off.

 

The heat of the sun poured down the front screen. After some minutes of driving, Edna started feeling the sweat tickling her at the forehead. She wiped it with the back of her hand and turned on the radio. A Mozart symphony was the best thing for her current mood.

 

Her cellular rang. She raised her feet from the speed pedal and started rummaging in her handbag on the chair next to her, for the cellular. She got it and took a swift look at the screen. Her brows cocked and she threw the phone back into the bag.

 

The cellular went silent for some minutes then it started ringing again the same, playful ring tone.

 

“I won’t reply, James.” Edna screamed then she held back the phone. It was her mother this time.

 

“Hi, Mom’ Edna said, “Everything’s fine?”

 

“Where are you?” her mother said, “I called you twice at home.  You just simply go without telling me.”

 

“Mom,” Edna straightened her arm over the steering wheel. “I guess I don’t need to tell you every single move that I take. I can handle my own life. Please, stop it.”

 

 

 

“Are you shouting at me?” her mother said, “how dare you?”

 

Edna stretched her lips and smiled coldly. “Bye, Mom.”

 

She closed over her mother and slung the phone back next to her in the bag.

 

By the time, she reached the bookstore she was feeling all drained up and sleepy.

 

“I must find a nearer job.” She thought as she took some books out of the suitcase and headed into the store.

 

Edna smiled at the woman standing behind the counter as she placed the books on a round table; her name was Sally “Sorry for being late” She smiled again her artificial, cold smile.

 

Sally was nearly 40 with short hair and a long neck that remained motionless whenever she talked, as if her head was caught on a spear planted in the ground.

 

“Stop it, Edna.” Sally said as she collected some papers, an old book, and a perfume glass into her cotton-strewn handbag. “Your shift is at 9 am and you come at 10: 30 am. This is stupid. Next time, I really won’t wait for you.”

 

She walked from behind the counter raising one side of her lips. She stopped at Edna and gestured with her head towards Edna’s hair. “ and Get a nice hair cut.”

 

Edna raised a hand to her hair and turned to the mirror beside the science shelf. She was palely white with a few freckles on both sides of her nose. She usually got her hair long at the sides to hide her big ears that reminded her of elephants usually; flying elephants actually.

 

The day passed as slow as usual with Edna sitting behind the counter, resting her head against her fist and holding with the other hand a children’s book. Some times when she lost hope that anyone would come in, she started reading out whole chapters as loud as she could, as if reading to the shelves.

 

 

Standing against the shelves, arranging some books, the image of James ran into her head. Being her ex-husband, she could not simply forget him. With every passing day, the pain augmented. Deep down inside, she wanted to see him, but her pride!

 

She caught him sleeping with their maid and it wasn’t an easy moment.

 

It was on a cold evening in mid December. Edna was on her way back home, with a chocolate cake her mother made for them. As she went up the stairs, she imagined John’s reaction to the chocolate cake. How would he hug her and kiss her? How would they lounge together on the couch and she would feed him crunches of the cake and then kiss him gently?

 

She opened the door and tip toed her way to their room. The door was closed. As she went closer to the closed door, she could hear John yelping out heavy sighs. His heavy ah’s mixed with airy shrieks of a lady.

 

Edna’s face reddened and her heart caught speed. She pressed her lips and pushed the door open.

 

Her husband was sitting naked in bed with a brown lady, sitting on his penis. John looked at Edna from behind the wide shouldered lady and smiled. “What were you expecting?”

 

Edna’s hands started shaking and she ran away.

 

The memory shook her to the core of her being. She could not control it anymore. She gathered her things in her handbag and after locking the place, she dashed out of the bookshop.

 

That night her mother, Frieda, was at her place, preparing dinner for her with the TV humming on the kitchen stool.

 

She was a tall lady, with a bulging belly that she tried to hide by sucking in from time to time as she talked. She had big, black eyes and short hair that she usually covered with a Spanish veil.

 

“ It’s stupid, Edna.” Frieda said as Edna walked into the kitchen with the towel wrapped around her head and the smell of beach shampoo coming out of her, like a garden in spring.

 

“What’s stupid, Mom?” Edna said, “ I told you I was late. What am I supposed to do?”

 

“I don’t mean today,” Frieda said, turning from the marble table on which she peeled potatoes. “ I mean, John. You haven’t seen him for three months now. I guess it’s time for you to find a way out of that thing.”

 

“Mom,” Edna closed the refrigerator and palced the yoghurt on the table. “ I don’t want to talk about it.”

 

“You should, “Frieda said, “are you expecting him to come and beg you to return home; He’s the man.”

 

Edna sighed and raised her head to the fluorescent lamp. “I don’t care, Mom.”

 

Edna walked a few steps towards the kitchen door then she stopped and turned at her mom, placing her hands at her sides. “He betrayed me, Mom. I caught him sleeping with someone else. Do you know how painful it’s?”

 

“I know it’s bad,” her mother smiled and walked enthusiastically towards her, “But he’s a man and men mistake sometimes. But we have to forgive them.”

 

“I’m not ready to forgive, Mom.” Edna said, “I trusted him.” She stopped for a moment and her voice went lower. “I loved him.”

 

 

That night Edna had recurring dreams of James playing in bed with the maid. She woke up screaming and the second time she got out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

 

She locked the door, then rested her shoulder for some seconds over the door and started crying. She slid down over the door and sat on the cold porcelain floor.

 

“Why?” she moved her lips without making a sound. “ why? I trusted you.”

 

She remained sleeping on the floor for some minutes, gazing at the peeling ceiling and the round lamp overhead. Her mind started  slowing down.

 

She got to her feet, washed her face and gazed at the blue shadows under her eyes. She looked dreary.

 

For a moment, she though that may be she wasn’t beautiful enough for the dashing James.

 

She tried to remember moments in which James told her she was beautiful, but she could not. It was a long time ago during their engagement period that he mentioned that she was beautiful.

 

What if someone else could see her beauty? What if she could bring out her beauty to the world and attract attention?

 

She started scrubbing her face so hard then she brushed her teeth and washed her hair. She took a quick a shower then she got cladded in her most beautiful night dress.; the black night dress that she wore for james on their first night.

 

She sat down in front of her mirror and started adding lipsticks and some honey to her dry lips. She ran a finger over her face and felt her dry skin. But she did not care for she decided that she’d get beautiful for someone else.

 

She stood up and examined her back. She was still slim. She smiled at her self and slapped her but.

 

Like a ghost hunting her, the image of James betraying her dashed into her head, draining her of all her energy. She sat for a some minutes on her bed with her cheekbones going down, as if she was melting, as if she was dying slowly.

 

She raised her head back to the mirror and she remembered how she promised herself that she would never give up and that she’d keep on fighting, till she finds someone whom she can trust, someone who can show her her real beauty.

 

 

 

By the time the sun had rose, Edna was sparkling in the middle of her room. She wore a red vest that showed her chest and the upper edge of her tits and a short jupe.

 

She sat down on her bed and ran a hand over her newly shaved feet. She felt beautiful.

 

“Great morning, Mom.” Edna said, walking down the stairs, holding her high heels in one hand. “Hungry, hungry, hungry…” she ran to the kitchen table and pulled the head seat. She sat down.

 

Her fragrant beach smell filled the kitchen to the point that her mother sniffed at the air and pushed the kitchen’s window open.

 

“Have you spilled the whole bottle over yourself?” her mother said, placing a plate of French fries on the table.

 

Edna smiled, raising her shoulders in excitement. “Yeah, something like that.”

 

Frieda eyed her daughter suspiciously, sitting down beside her. “Are you ok?”

 

“I’m great.” Edna said, “I’ve never felt any better. “ She breathed in and smiled to herself.

 

“That’s a great start.” Her mother said, patting her over her hand. “You’re gaining back your heads, I believe so.”

 

Edna smiled and added some ketchup to her fries.

 

Edna spent the day at the bookshop, thinking about a proper place where she could meet cute, honorable men.

 

Tanya, her friend from the night shift, once told her that she goes to this mid nightclub where she meets new boys and get laid sometimes.

 

“It’s f*****g cool,” Tanya said, placing some mascara in front of her hand mirror. “I got laid two times last week. They’re real men.”

 

This conversation was two years ago and at that time Edna thought of Tanya as jerk but now she thinks that it might be a good thing to visit this place.

 

After calling Tanya and having the address of this midnight club, Edna gathered her things and headed down town.

 

It was nearly 8 pm when she reached the place.

 

As she walked inside, she shook her head gently to the trance beats.

 

Boys, girls, men and women all gathered at the centre of a round stage and banged their bodies to the sound of music.

 

Edna thought of joining the musical mess, but her quiet nature took her to the bar.

 

She struggled up the stool with her high heels on. After settling down over it, she rested her face against her left palm and smiled at the empty bar.

 

A tall waiter came running from the other side of the bar. “ hello,” he smiled at her, showing his yellow teeth. “ Champagne?”

 

Edna thought for a moment, smiled at the waiter and bowed forward over the bar, gesturing to the waiter to come nearer. “ Are there any hot boys in this place?”

 

The waiter smiled and nodded at Edna, “Now, I know what you want my lady.” He walked from behind the bar, still smiling his forced smile. “Please, join me.”

 

Edna offered her hand to the waiter and got down the stool.

 

He led her through a narrow hallway where the dark lights of the disco turned to red ones. The waiter stopped in front the door of a room with a sign on it, saying, “Felix is busy, now”. The waiter knocked the door twice. No one replied. He knocked again.

 

“What the heck do you want, now?” An angry voice spoke from behind the door.

 

A pale faced man emerged from behind the door that was still attached with a silver chain to the wall. “You know I’m busy, James.”

 

The waiter nodded and stepped to the left and nodded at Edna who smiled. “ Let me introduce to you, Mrs.…”

 

Edna cleared her throat. “My name is Edna.”

 

The waiter continued. “Let me introduce to you, Mrs. Edna...”

 

“Fine,” the pale faced man smiled, “Nice to meet you.”

 

A moment of silence took over then the pale faced man closed the door.

 

 A minute or so passed then he re opened the door, fully this time.

 

“I guess I’ll have to leave you alone,” The waiter said, “I’m always there if you need me.”

 

After placing some bucks in his open palm, Edna joined Felix into the room.

 

Edna rubbed her arms as she sat at a small chair in one corner. “ I guess you should close the air conditioner.”

 

“Oh, sorry...” Felix dashed to the bed that stood in the middle of the room and tugged the conditioner’s remote control from under one of the pillows. He closed the air conditioner and sat at the bed.

 

 

“Are we going to start, now?” Felix said, “You’ll have to turn me on quickly before we can start f*****g...”

 

Edna was about to reply when the door of the bathroom went open. A tall man with a brown beard nodded at Edna as he buttoned up his trousers.

 

Felix turned his head towards him. “Fine, see you soon, Ed.”

 

The man smiled with one side of his mouth at Felix and headed out of the room.

 

Edna looked perplexed. She lowered her eyebrows and pointed towards the door. “What?”

 

“You mean what he was doing in my room?” Felix said, locking the door of the room. “Don’t worry. I can give pleasure to both.

Author's Note

It's the first part. Hope you'd enjoy it.