Everybody’s Man – Chapter 4

Everybody’s Man – Chapter 4: African Folktales, Origin Story, Jackal Tales, Fabling, Pam, Free Short Stories

“Mmm, Stacy is getting married.” Alero opened the Facebook wedding invite on her laptop while sipping her coffee. “Nah, not going.” she closed the invite then opened the freelancer tab, she had a few gigs waiting for her to accept. She dropped her coffee and got to work.

She had been working for six hours when someone furiously knocked on her door. “That sounds like Dixon,” she muttered then went to answer the door.

“You weren’t picking up your phone.” He said, the second she opened the door. He was steaming with anger.

“I told you, I put my phone on silent when I work,” she said.

“When don’t you work?” he asked.

“Dixon, did you come here to fight again?” She rolled her eyes. She was only making him angrier, she knew it, but she did not ask him to date her. He begged her to give him a chance, and she did. 

And now, he wanted more from her, he said he did not mind that she was a workaholic who couldn’t make time for him, he thought he could make her change and now his failure was his frustration.

~~~~~

Femi had had a stressful day, he had gone for the interview the HR got him, and by the looks of things he would be getting the job; since this new HR also wanted a piece of him. He was driving home now, he thought of ending his day at a bar, but he remembered he had promised a neighbour he’d help check her plumbing.

He turned out of the express and into a street in his Lexus and spotted Aisha. 

She lived a few blocks away from him. He knew her because she always ran away every time she saw him, and she had 5 brothers who more or less hated him. He thought of driving past her, but he felt like doing one good thing to ease his conscience, so he pulled up beside her. 

“Aisha right? Do you need a ride?” he asked.

“Thank you.” she looked at him, then averted her eyes quickly, but got in his car.

‘She is weird.’ He thought.

The ride was quiet. He dropped her in front of her building then went to his neighbour’s place to help fix her ‘plumbing’. Because easing his conscience did not help his mind. 

After about 30 minutes of ramming into his neighbour’s drainage, she finally fell asleep, and it was his cue to leave. 

He quietly picked up his things and left her flat to wash away the act.

As the shower poured down his body, he choked. He wanted to cry but didn’t know how to, and didn’t know why. But the tears still flowed down and mixed with water.

He scrubbed his body over and over again but he still felt filthy, he scrubbed his shoulder until he flinched in pain. 

Accepting that he could not get any cleaner than he was, he stepped out of his bathtub, then grabbed a bottle of schnapps from his fridge and downed it before wiping himself and getting dressed. 

~~~

“Oh, your husband is here.” Dixon scuffed as Femi staggered in.

“He is not my husband.” Alero retorted as she rushed to help Femi in.

“Everybody knows he is a community penis, and you are always with him. What does that say about you?” his voice rose with every word.

“Dixon, I’ve had enough of you for today, please leave.”

“So he can service you?”

“Yes, Dixon, so he can service me. Get the fuck out of my house.”

“If I walk out now, it is over between us.”

“I have no problem with that, get out of my house! You are no longer welcome here!” 

Dixon was perplexed but angrier. He slammed the door as he left.

“I’m sorry,” Femi said.

Alero was helping him onto the couch.

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” she patted his head.

He was sorry, he had tried to stop coming to her place, but even when he was drunk, he could only fall asleep around her. Around her, was when the voice in his head let him sleep.

“Don’t look at me like that.” She covered his eyes with her palm and he smiled. “I told you, I’ll be by your side forever.”

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