I was tired again after a tiresome Monday at work. But everytime I recalled that I had Benjamin at my bedsitter, it made me thrilled to bits. It’s like that feeling acted as a coolant every time my body heated with fatigue.

I collected leftovers; meat, rice, in my container for him. I knocked off exactly at 17:30. As I walked across a pharmacy store, I remembered what Benjamin was about to do to me that night. So I forced myself into buying contraceptives.

I reached home and I found my Cake cuddling in the bed. All cooking materials were intact. He didn’t cook for himself. But the loaf of bread was half done. Maybe he took tea. He smiled at me, standing up to help me with my handbag and container. “Cake, how was your day at work?” he asked.

Unbelievable. He also called me Cake.

“My day was fine like this smile on your face,” I replied as he was then stripping me. Squeezing me in the altogether.

He didn’t let me settle down. He didn’t mind I was tired.

He was already puffing on my neck, thrusting me against my bed. I let out faint moans, only to convince him that he was not hurting me, so he smashed me harder. I pinched his back many times with my short nails, but he didn’t stop making me cry. Damn. He was taking so long to finish me.

I snoozed soon after he rounded off his frenzy. He held me to his sweaty chest, mumbling, “Cake, you’re so sweet.”

I just huffed, I was too weak to speak. But I was happy to meet his needs even if it meant tarnishing my purity. He realised my body needed a huge rest, so he let me sleep.

Next morning, I woke up to the roar of my landlady’s rooster outside. I saw the food I brought last night was gone. I was grateful, he just had to eat everything I brought last night. Why not? He was my knight. I smirked at his sleepy face, it looked blameless, like he had never thugged before.

I rolled out of the bed, wrapped my body in a pinkish bath towel, and went to the tap outside. I saw my landlady approaching me as tap water flooded my bucket.

“Good morning, miss Tawina.” She hailed me.

“Good morning ma’am,” I hailed back, turning off the tap.

She stood there, appearing to be scrutinizing me with ease. “I heard you crying last night, is everything alright?”

I blushed “Yes ma’am” as I looked into my bucket. “I’m fine.”

“If you’re okay with accommodating another person, then you’ve to pay double,” she said, “I believe we agreed on that.”

“Yes ma’am, I’ll pay double the rent fee in five days time.”

I vowed just to close that conversation. I always knew living with Benjamin would double my expenses. But I didn’t fear.