The following morning I shower, get dressed and head to the medic warehouse. I find Silu eating his breakfast while reading a newspaper. I clear my throat and he turns to stare at me.
“How are you?”
“I was shot because of my gangster fiancé, how do you think I am?”
“Please don’t call me a gangster because I am not one.” He chuckles and closes his newspaper.
“Enlighten me then Empress, or you are going to tell me more lies.”
“But I have never lied to you before. Just that I was scared to tell you about this other part of me because I was avoiding disappointment and judgment from your side. I can’t stand it.”
“I don’t care if you are a gang leader or a stripper or whatever. My problem is that you don’t trust me Adriane. We have been together for so long we were even set to be married in a few months but that still didn’t make you trust me enough to tell me about your other life.” I keep quiet starring at the ground. “Tell me, when were you planning on telling me about Empress?”
“Before the wedding.” He chuckles angrily.
“Don’t lie Adriane. This is not time for lies. When?”
“I don’t know. I was scared that you were going to leave Me.” he huffs.
“What an excuse. Listen I didn’t care about what went down between our grandparents but the fact that there is no trust in our relationship means that it is not going to work. I mean what is marriage without trust?”
“We can work on that.”
“You mean you can work on that? Because you are the one with trust issues not me.”
“No, we can because we are in this together.” He breathes out loudly.
“I have to rest. Can you please leave?”
“Is the wedding still on?”
“How can you commit yourself to someone you don’t trust? You are smarter than that Adriane.” He turns back to reading his newspaper. I look at him for a few minutes and then head out. Shreya today is your death day.
--
I get to the warehouse and tell everyone to wait outside. I go to the room where Shreya is being kept. I drag her to the slaughter room. I wear scrubs and gloves. I take all the medical equipment that doctors use in theater rooms and place them on the operation table. I carry Shreya and also place her on the operation table. She is still conscious and she is looking at me with begging eyes. Surely she is begging me to make her death quick and less painful because she has suffered enough but I am not about to grant her that today.
I cut her open and start by taking off her heart followed by her lungs, liver and kidneys. I place them in a container that can prolong them. I know that Salizwa is going to make so much money with these in the black market. Shreya is already dead, so I carry her useless body and toss it in the bath tub that is full of flesh eating acid.
RIP SHREYA. IN YOUR NEXT LIFE, LEARN TO STAY IN YOUR LANE.
--
My phone rings waking me up from my sleep. After killing Shreya, I went home, showered and just drifted to sleep. It’s already in the afternoon. I wonder why gran hasn’t woken me up yet. I check the caller ID and I sigh when I see who is calling.
“Talk.”
“Boss I have already found buyers for all the organs you gave me today.”
“Good job Salizwa. Anything else?”
“Are you okay?” I sigh and sit up straight.
“He broke up with me. His main reason was he can’t continue a relationship with someone who doesn’t trust him.”
“I am sorry boss. Should we go and talk to him?”
“No it’s okay. Let him be. I will try talking to him again after a week or so. I don’t wanna pester him.” she sighs.
“Do you need some comfort food to cheer you up?” I chuckle.
“I could use some whiskey right now.”
“Say no more.” She hangs up and I just laugh.
--
I head downstairs after freshening up and find mom watching TV with gran. I sit down on the couch and stare at mom.
“I don’t mean to sound rude mother but when are you going back home? When are you guys fixing your marriage with father? Or are you divorcing him?” she sighs and turns her attention to me.
“I don’t know Ntando. I don’t know if I should divorce him or go back to him and accept his second wife. I really don’t know what to do.”
“Follow your hear mother and don’t stay because of ‘the children’. All your children are old enough to understand what is going on between you two. Take a decision that you are okay and comfortable with. If you are undecided then go see a marriage counsellor.”
“Thank you baby.”
“He dumped you, didn’t he? You wouldn’t be a motivational speaker like this if he didn’t.” gran says.
“He did not necessarily dump me gran. He said he doesn’t think a marriage without trust is going to work because he feels like we lack trust. I didn’t trust him enough to tell him about Empress. I am just giving him some time to breathe then I will go back and try to fix our marriage.”
“All the best love. What would you say if he tells you to quit gangsterism?”
“I will tell him that he should stop using the drug he is using because it is making him delusional.” They both laugh and I chuckle.
“Spoken like a true Thompson.” Mother says.
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#TheEmpress
