Lailah: The Milestone

Her smears can't be cleansed!

      "Was that why you left me back home?"

    She hurled at the man as soon as she got her words after the balance. Her eyes were tuning and Ja could only but watch. 

    He wasn't really sure if that was the best way to start a conversation but twas never his own problems so he'd steer clear of it. 

    "I have no idea what you talking about."

   The man said rather confused. He had a skin which looked like a gourd. Inside the skin gourd, there was coconut water in it. 

   He wanted to make a little rite before drinking. He had just figured what he wanted to do before her arrival. 

    "You won't. Probably she'd tampered with your memory too and now you're her puppet."

   She said again. 

    The man occasionally looked at Ja Lia who made no comment. He was trying not to make the dark thought he was nursing survive. 

     "I guess the pregnancy is messing with your brain or probably something else. Probably it's because it's your first baby."

   He said, hugging the gourd to his chest dearly. He didn't have the strength to go again through the climbing process. 

     She ran to him at that speech and hit him heavily on the chest, several times. The gourd dropped as he tried to guard. He had a grab of her two hands and yanked her off backwardly.

    Ja ran to her aid, but didn't take advantage. She let him hold her for some whiles as she tried to process the strange reaction of her man. 

       She regained her balance and shook herself off Ja's old. Not in detest, she simply wanted to own everything she was about to say. 

    She was swelling in rage. She felt like making the waves lapping several metres behind her into words and drowning the man in it. 

     But all she could say was,

     "She got you really hard."

     She turned away and walked into Ja's chest. He held her gently then let go off her. She wasn't ready for that. 

     "Let's go."

   She called at Ja Lia and began to walk towards the East of the shore. 

   Ja looked at that man. His cloth was wet but he wasn't feeling remorse. Like he had been wanting such to happen. 

     "What did Lailah do to you?"

   Ja asked him. The man stared for long as though he was dumb then he muttered,

     "I bet you have no idea what pregnancy is. Can't be tied to it. And fuck you! Fuck you for telling her about Lailah. Just fuck --"

    He kept munching the F- word as he advanced towards Ja until he grabbed him in the collars and pulled him up chanting,

   "How did you even know?"

     "What the fuck!"

     Ja muttered. How could such man whose height was nothing compared to his, lift him so highly?

     That's what you get when the blood of a mortal misses with that of a Nymph. 

      "I should kill you, but I'll bait."

   The man dangled him for a while then dropped him. 

    Ja fell on his side and rolled away from the man. 

     "Hell."

    He muttered as he struggled to get on his feet. He did. 

   The man grunted and walked back into the hut and slammed the door heavily. 

    "Lailah's a damn bitch! Hell."

    Ja muttered as he picked up his bag and began to hurry to catch up with the lady. 

    He had no idea what he would do with her. Well he had an idea but not at that moment. 

    Had she told him to follow her because she wanted to use him as a surrogate or substitute?

   He was thinking too much. He dumped the thoughts and kept running as he called. 

    "Wait. Just wait."

    He didn't know what her name is. She stopped after he was sure he had called her like the hundredth time. 

    She had her back to him. There was no sound coming from her. Probably she was as strong as rock. 

    Probably she wasn't the emotive kinda lady. If she was, she should be crying at that time. 

   He got to her. He reached out his right hand and touched her from behind. 

     "Hey, I'm sorry. He --

     Before he could roll in more words she turned and buried her face in his chest tearing up. 

    He almost said 'damn!'. She wasn't anything close to what he thought. 

    She was sobbing and swelling. He could hear her whimpering and dragging in the air at intervals. 

    He put his palm to her hair and stroke it gently. 

   He could feel the swell of her breast pressed heavily in his chest. He shouldn't be thinking about that but couldn't help it. 

    He heard her mumbling into his chest but he could not make a meaning of it. He didn't force it. He kept on stroking her hair. 

    The winds were whispering past them but he guessed the waves understood the plight better. 

    He kept his face glued to the vast void up ahead of him. 

   There was a lot he was seeing but he wasn't thinking. He was much of a statue. 

   He didn't even realize that her arms were wrapped around his back but of course he knew that one of his arms was on her back moving up and down gently. 

   She stopped crying and unwrapped herself. 

    "I'm sorry."

   She said. 

    "Didn't mean to bother you with my problems. It's mine."

    She said taking two steps backwardly. He stood on the same position. Unwavering as though he had been hit by a thunderbolt. 

     "He is no longer the man whose baby I'm carrying.  He's a changed man now. I have no idea what she did to him, but it hit him really had."

   She stopped talking for a while and looked towards the calling waves. She ignored and looked back at Ja. 

    "Didn't you see. He raised his hand at me and hurled me away as though I was some twig. He'd never raised his voice at me, ever, let alone his hands."

   Her voice started breaking. He advanced and held unto her. He pushed her into his arms and owned her, muttering. 

    "It's okay."

    He had no idea if he was strong enough to keep the promise when he had a great responsibility lying ahead of me. 

   But the last thing he wanted to do was give a false promise to a pregnant woman in distress. 

    He didn't think he could.