Susan ekerete - Season 1 - Episode 21

Episode 5 years ago

Susan ekerete - Season 1 - Episode 21

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When Susan and Michael walked into the hotel, they were both tired but he found himself struggling to stay aleret. Michael regretted the single bottle of beer he had taken earlier in the day. He had stayed away from alcohol for months before then,so he had lost most of his tolerance for that kind of indulgence. He could feel fatigue setting in prematurely. His mind felt dulled and slow; he knew he would come up with no brilliant solutions that night. He was used to the way his body worked. He needed at least one uninterrupted hour of sleep to recover.When he suggested they find a hotel and rest for the night, he was surprised when Susan raised no objections. To avoid any unpleasantness, he had already decided tohimself that he would book two different rooms for their use, but as they stepped into the lobby of the hotel Michael had driven into, Susan twined a hand around one of his and leaned lovingly against him. He frowned down at her, wondering what she was up to.“Just play along.” She hissed, her teeth bared in a brilliant but fake smile that almost blinded him. “Samson Udofia and co are not looking for a married couple. Just in case, that’s what we are right now.”They reached the reception desk and Michael used his credit card to pay for a single suite under Susan’s watchful eye. He felt it wasn’t a stellar decision, but he was too weary to think about it for too long. When they entered the room, he was relieved to find the suite had a small foyer,complete with couch and chair, attached. While Susan went straight in to the room and single bed, he pulled off his shirt and trousers, and settled onto a long couch. When Susan emerged about twenty minutes later to check up on him, he was fast asleep. She draped one of the large hotel towels over him and returned to the room, where she took a quick bath and then slid into bed, dressed as non-seductively as she could manage- a cotton t-shirt and shorts.In bed, her mind returned to the past hour after she had had told Asuquo that Samson Udofia had his phone number. His reaction had been unsurprisingly nasty.There had been a short, shocked silence, broken by the sounds of busy hawkers and pedestrians walking past the parked Honda after Susan told Asuquo the bad news. A truck drove past the car and the loud roar made her wince.“You did what?!” Asuquo screeched. Susan winced and pulled the phone from her ear, then put the call on loudspeaker mode.“You sent Samson Udofia my number anddidn’t think to tell me all this while? Sometimes you can be so dumb..!”“Okay, watch your mouth right there!” Michael cut in, glaring at the phone in Susan’s hand. “Or Samson Udofia will not be the only person you have to avoid.”There was a pause, and then Asuquo continued raging. “Unbelievable! That’s that nosy boyfriend of yours isn’t it? You’re in a life-and-death situation and the first thing you think of is to run to the arms of your lover…”“Oh be quiet, Asuquo!” Susan snapped. “If I had a kobo for every time you opened your mouth to vomit this kind of nonsense,I would be a millionaire. Now is not the time for your pathetic s--t-shaming attempts. The matter is more serious thanthat.”“You’re d--n right it is.” Came her ex-husband’s grim response.

“I’m dumping this phone right now. And I suggest you do the same with yours.

The only other advice I can give is for you to lay low till this blows over. That’s what I’mdoing.”“Blows over?” Susan said incredulously. “You do realize I have a job and a child to attend to…”But she was speaking to herself as all she could hear was a dial tone.

She had raged in frustration for a minute, until a weary Michael suggested they find a hotel to rest.Now she couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned under the thick duvet for over two hours as her mind worked feverishly through her limited options. Running awaywould not work; she could not abandon her responsibilities like her ex-husband had apparently decided to. She would have to deal with Samson Udofia and his cohorts through proper channels.As she decided she would take the risk of going to the police the next day, the room door opened quietly. She stayed still as Michael edged his way in and then made his way into the single bathroom.She listened, eyes wide in the dark, as he took a quick shower. Her mind went haywire and she bit her lip as she imagined the beads of water running over his body.When he emerged from the bathroom and began to quietly tiptoe past her, she broke the silence.“Hey.”He stopped walking, and the smell of the bathing soap he had used wafted to her nostrils on the cold wings of the air conditioning. “Oh hey. I thought you were asleep.”“I can’t. Too wired up.” Susan said, sitting up in the bed. She hesitated, and then asked. “That couch can’t be too comfy, right?”Michael chuckled. “I’ll survive.”“Come to the bed.” Susan said impulsively. “It’s a huge one; I see no reason not to share.”Michael hesitated and awareness throbbed in the cold air between them.

When next Michael spoke, his voice was husky.“I can’t promise I won’t bite.”Susan took a shaky breath and respondedbefore her courage failed her. “I don’t mind a bite or two.”