The Whirlwind IS A Woman

Kiya stood at the top of a three-story building at Alpha Lane, her set of spy glasses fixed on her eyes, occasionally checking time on her watch. She'd been standing there for about an hour, torrents of thoughts gushing through her mind, unsure of her next move if the rumors proved to be true. Nevertheless, she waited. Having gotten wind of Brad and Linda's affair and the places they frequented, she'd guessed they'd be at Charlie's Bar that evening, since it was on a Friday. True to her guess, at around 4:30pm, a Bentley similar to Brad's drove in through the front gate.

Focusing closer, she smiled slyly and muttered," That fibber!. That morning, Brad had told her he'd be away for an out-of -town weekend meeting, and he'd be back on Sunday evening. Suspecting a lie, she nodded and went about her day, vowing in her heart to investigate.

At 3pm, aware of the time Brad left the office on Fridays, she went and stood at her investigative post, watching and waiting.

There they were, holding each other's hands, as they walked to the garden and sat at a perfect spot, just where Kiya could see them clearly. They were laughing their hearts out and being all lovey-dovey as the server took their order. It looked like they were having the moment of their lifetime.

She took out a cigarette to calm the rage she felt build within her as she stared at the man whom she had given her innocence and built an empire with, resting his head on the bosom of another woman, only to realize she did not have a lighter.

Even though she had noticed inconsistencies in Brad lately, from the many times he failed to come home or came home late and drunk, witnessing them together tore her apart. How could he? She ran down the flight of stairs and drove off to nowhere.

Her eyes were not even on the wheel or the road when a cop tried pulling her over for reckless driving. She sped off even faster down Mafia lane, hoping that the cops wouldn't follow her. Just when she thought she had escaped, a truck blocked her way, and the cops surrounded her car, ordering her to step out.

In fear and frustration, she obliged. She looked terrible.

"Ma'am, is everything okay?" A cop asked, examining her to see whether she was drunk.

Her head was banging furiously. Weakly, she sat down and continued crying. The cop, wondering what to do, just stood there watching her.

When she could finally speak, she handed him her phone and instructed him to call Lulu.

"Hello, I'm officer Alek and I'm calling you on behalf of your friend Kiya. Will you come over to Mafia Lane Junction, please?"

"Oh, my God! I'll be there in a moment."

Lulu drove like a maniac, wondering what in the world had happened to Kiya, whom she'd spoken to two hours ago.

In half an hour, she was there and found Kiya still seated on the ground, the kind cop still standing beside her.

"Sir, thank you so much for taking care of my friend. As long as she's not bleeding or fractured, we'll take care of it." She shook his hand in appreciation and left.

First she drove Kiya's car to a public parking lot, then they drove off together in her car."

Knowing her friend, she just began playing her favorite music, and truly she started smiling and humming to the song. She guessed it was about Brad, since she had complained earlier about how distant they had grown lately.

Lulu just drove silently, not saying a word to her, just letting her soak in the music as much as she wanted, as she made a call to the hotel.

"Lulu, where are you taking me?" Kiya asked, her emotions seemingly at bay.

"I am taking you to Cosby's."

"But what about my kids?"

"I'll drop you off and leave you there. I'll have Jay and Ella at mine this weekend."

"Oh! I don't know what to tell you, Lulu. Thank you so much."

Lulu then called Nana, Kiya's mum to prepare the kids, since she lived across the street and was the one who watched them after school.

"Kiya, don't worry about the kids or anything else. I will take care of everything. Your stay will be billed on me. And don't spend all your time in bed crying about bygones. Whatever it is, have some fun, think it out, and find a solution. Will ya?" Lulu said, winking at her. Kiya just sat looking at her, then smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Bye Kiya. Call me if you need anything. Otherwise, I'll be picking you up on Tuesday." She handed her the dresses and undies she had stopped to pick at the mall when Kiya was still crying and hadn't even noticed.

"Thanks Lulu." She said, her eyes welling up.

Lulu dropped Kiya at the parking lot and left.

A kind receptionist ushered her in and gave her the keys to the room. They received her so warmly that she almost forgot she had problems.

The room assigned to her had a beautiful view, but as soon as she got in, she began feeling sick and nauseated. She rushed to the toilet bowl, and sat there retching her intestines out, feeling dizzy and thirsty, her head banging like a hard rock music concert. Her skin felt cold and sweaty at the same time. She felt a million emotions, and unable to control herself no matter how hard she tried, she broke down again, this time sobbing loudly. Her world had come crashing down, and all she could do was cry it out.

However, she felt glad she had the space to cry without getting her kids worried.

After an hour of sitting and hugging the toilet bowl, she dragged herself to bed, buried her head in the pillows and drifted off, only to be woken up by the stinging cold since she had left the windows open. It was now about 8pm. Feeling much better now, she jumped into the shower, danced and cried while at it, as if allowing the water to wash away her sorrows, mumbling these words to herself:

"I'm gonna morph into the cruelest version of me,

I'm gonna come back like a typhoon,

Wreaking havoc to all those who thought me docile,

I'm gonna teach them a lesson,

One they won't forget soon,

One for the books.

I'm gonna be the lady arson,

Who burnt down the city,

And walked away smoking a cigar,

Not caring to turn or look back,

At the thick cloud of smoke that rose to the sky.

Brad I'm gonna teach you a lesson"

She stepped out of the shower, dressed up for dinner, and went down to the dining area. She ate, enjoying the solitude, since it was now late and most people were in the bar lounge, when she remembered Lulu's words about having fun. She thought of calling Barnes, but she was a little hesitant. Barnes Spencer was a fine young man, and the CEO of BanTech, a leading tech company in the country, and had been walking her through starting her own business, since the inconsistencies with Brad began. They had met at the Annual CEOs Summit where she had gone to represent the company, and had been going out for a while now. He was also the one who had hinted to her about Brad's affair with Linda, since he was their mutual friend.

He had expressed some interest in her, even though he was yet to make a clear move. Having assumed she was a clueless housewife, he'd offered to mentor her into starting and running your own company. She played along quite well, but what Barnes didn't know is that Kiya was way better than him when it came to tech. Overall, apart from being a classist and exuding a little pride, he was not a bad guy, and on the plus side, she looked up to him and had planned on using him to gather information.

"Hey Barnes, it's Friday. Do you have any plans?"

"Hi Kiya. No, actually. Do you have something in mind?"

"Yeah, I was thinking you could drive to Cosby's."

"Sure. Should I pick you up?"

"No, I'm already at Cosby's. You'll find me here."

"Oh!, alright, I'll be there."

She felt a little embarrassed but brushed it off. Besides, it was just going out, nothing much.

She strolled off to the garden and immersed herself in the breathtaking view of Cosby's Ranch, a perfect place to unwind. She stared at the horizon, the gentle wind blowing her hair and closed her eyes, letting out a sigh. She felt wild, free, and ready to conquer the world with the wind's magical touch. The lights at the furthest ranch looked cozy and beautiful, like stars lowered closer to the ground. She felt like a whole different person now, not the woman who had walked in feeling terrible.

Her phone rang again. This time it was Lulu calling.

"Hello, hey Lulu"

"Hey. I was just calling to check on you and make sure that you haven't locked yourself up in the room, but from the way you sound, I'm gonna hang up, have fun!"

"Wait, how are Ella and Jay?"

"They're fine, Kiya. They're in the playroom, and I'm not gonna allow you to speak to them. Have fun, because they are!"

"Ooh! Okay Lulu, thanks. But please, kiss them for me."

"Bye."

In about an hour's time, Barnes was here. She received him in the parking lot and they headed to the reception together.

The receptionist's face beamed. "Mr. Spencer, you're here again! Is this your new er...?" He asked.

Kiya, confused, asked, "You've been here before?" She recalled Barnes telling her that he'd never been to Cosby's and it was on his bucket list.

Barnes gave the receptionist a long, stern look. Realizing his remark was not kindly received, he apologized, covered it with small talk, and handed him his room keys. They walked away to the dining area. Even though Kiya really liked Barnes, her antennae were now up from the receptionist's remark.

"I am famished. I've been swimming all day and when you called, I had just gotten back to the house."

"I am sorry." She said, tapping him on the back.

She kept stealing glances at Barnes as he ate, admiring his deep blue eyes and his sharp look. She knew he was handsome, but tonight, he looked even more charming under the dim lights.

Barnes noticed she was stealing glances at him, and winked at her, smiling.

"Did you drive yourself here? I didn't see your car in the parking lot."

"No, Lulu dropped me."

Barnes wondered why Kiya chose not to drive with him, but instead chose to call him later, suspecting he was the second option, after failed plans. To avoid ruining the evening, he didn't ask any further questions. He would ask at the right time. Besides, her being the wife of a rich businessman and married into a family of tycoons, it would have raised eyebrows if anyone witnessed them driving together from Salsbury.

Barnes developed a liking for Kiya, and badly wanted to be with her, despite keeping so many females at the side, and having his eyes on Linda too. He wished that Brad and Kiya broke up since the time he had set eyes on her, and this was the reason he ratted him out at the slightest chance he got. He'd also realized that she was a very brilliant woman, who only with a little mentorship could move mountains.

"Alright! I'm done here. Can we go to the bar?" Barnes said, clanging the cutlery and reaching out for her hand. Kiya, knowing how emotional alcohol made her, she chose not to have anything strong. She went for mojitos, and Barnes went for martini.

"Kiya, why didn't you tell me about coming here, yet we spoke earlier today?" Branes asked, unable to resist the urge to ask any further.

Kiya went silent for a minute calculating an answer, then said, "At first, the plan was a solo getaway, but later I thought you'd make great company, and said why not? And so I called you!"

"Kiya, you're lying to me. Tell me the truth," He said, moving closer and staring deep into her eyes, as if looking for hidden answers in her eyes.

Kiya melted down saying, "Barnes, I saw Brad and Linda and Charlie's and just couldn't think straight..I was driving around the city recklessly when..."

"Shhh! It's okay, Kiya." He cut her short, moving even closer. He wiped her tears with the back of his hand, stood from his chair and hugged her, then took her hand, and instructed the server to bring their drinks to the garden by the pool, where there were no people. By now, it was close to midnight. He sat in silence, her head on his chest, allowing her to sob away, occasionally helping her wipe her nose and eyes.

Kiya began hitting Barnes' chest with her fists angrily. Knowing that she was letting out her anger, she let her. He just took off his shirt, revealing an enticingly muscular frame, and let her do as she wanted. Kiya, smitten by his chest, stopped hitting him and began running her fingers through it, caressing him. Barnes just sat still, letting her do as she willed. He was an expert in female emotions, and had deliberately taken off his shirt, predicting her reaction.

The server brought the drinks, on finding them in a suggestive poise, apologized and turned to look away shyly. Kiya, startled by the server too, apologized to Barnes, flashed down her drink and asked for tequila this time, even though she had vowed earlier to have a light drink. The drinks were already getting the better of them when Barnes adjusted both their deck chairs to watch the stars as they talked. The moon's reflection in the pool looked magical, and the stars spread beautifully across the sky, a perfect night to fall in love.

"Barnes, why are you here with me? Why didn't you turn me down?"

"Kiya, I've always wanted to spend time with you and when a chance showed up, I took it and ran away with it."

He said, gently stroking her fingers.

Surprised, she turned to look at him.

"You have? How come I have never known about it?"

"Because you're the wife to my friend, dummy!"

"Well, I'm still his even wife now.." she said slyly, watching his expression.

Barnes kept quiet.

She laughed, but deep down she wondered if she was even doing the right thing, sitting with Barnes in a secluded area, when she had felt really hurt by seeing Linda and Brad together. She however consoled herself, saying it was Brad who started the game, and she was just playing along.

They had moved even closer and were now lying on the same deck bed.. Barnes turned towards her, held her hand, and began caressing her chest. She did not resist him. It graduated full caresses with her hands now inside her blouse, and hers on his chest. They were both now very drunk. She stared lustfully at the growing bulge in Barnes' groin, biting her lower lip, imagining the goodness in there. She could feel the fire in her crotch grow wilder, made worse by the fact that Brad hadn't touched her since the year began, as he always gave an excuse whenever she brought the subject up.

"Kiya, can I?" Barnes asked, pleadingly.

"Ooh! This is what you want?" She asked sheepishly, pointing to her crotch, now completely wasted.

"Yeah, that is what I want. Don't you want it, Kiya?" He said, locking his lips with hers.

"Let's go to my room. He whispered, running his tongue across her ears."

They ran, as if going to quench a fire, but wasn't it a fire after all?

At the room, Barnes gently removed her clothes and pinned her to the wall, her lips completely locked to he's, denying her a chance to even utter a word. He slowly dragged her to the shower, his hands buried between her thighs. Kiya moaned Barnes' name slowly. In the shower he made her lie on the bathtub, and her legs obliging, he buried his head deep within her thighs, unleashing the power of his tongue on her. Her toes curled in pleasure as she felt the rhythm of his tongue. He kept going until a liquid gushed out on his face like a hose. Barnes did not stop. He now went in, their crotches now locking, thrusting as if doing the belly dance.

Kiya wanted to ask about the receptionist's statement, and how many women he had brought here, but just couldn't bring herself to speak, feeling his strokes deep within her. She just lay there, moving her waist in rhythm with Barnes', her fingers running up and down on his back. She was lost in the fifteen minutes of love-making, when Barnes clung to her tightly, then slowly rested beside her.

She turned away, not wanting to face him, still feeling the fire of his thrusts even though he was now out. They slipped into the shower again, then went to bed. It was already past midnight.

She slept shortly and was woken up by a warm bulge on her backside. Barnes spooned her slowly, and turned her gently, locking his eyes with hers, watching her moan as he thrusted. Immediately they were done, Linda jumped off the bed, wore her clothes and ran off to her room, which was upstairs, as if coming to a realization of the mistake she had made.

She went and sat on the bed, as if to regret, but on recalling the steamy session they had had, all regrets vanished. She slept off with a smile on her face.

Barnes, on seeing Kiya walk out of the room, quickly went down to the reception and checked out. He had an early date with Ora, the girl his mum wanted him to marry. Besides, he did not want anyone suspecting he had had a thing with Mrs. Sanders. He stuffed a few notes in the receptionist's hand and told him to be quiet.

"Thank you, and sorry for my remarks earlier, Mr. Spencer," he said, as he watched him walk to the parking lot and drive off.

Kiya woke up at 11am, feeling fresh and energized, and asked to have her breakfast sent into a room. The herbal tea and cookies were perfect to her liking. She ate her breakfast slowly as she stared outside the window. On recalling last night's events, she smiled naughtily. She guessed Barnes was asleep, since he had complained about being very tired the previous night, before they went to the garden. She was definitely going for a dessert from Barnes.

After her breakfast, she freshened up and went to knock on Barnes' room. She did not want to call him, as she wanted to find him in the most unprepared state. An old grump came out of the door.

"Sorry!" she said and went down the stairs wondering if she was too drunk last night and hadn't really marked Barnes' room. She tried calling him but his phone was not reachable, so she went to the reception to inquire. There was a dark, beautiful lady, who wasn't in last night when she checked in.

"Good morning ma'am. Would you please tell me the number to Mr. Brad Spencer's room? I have something urgent to tell him, and his phone is unreachable."

"Good morning. Alright. Let me check," she said, turning to her computer.

"Ma'am, he checked out at 3am." She said with a pitiful look. She mumbled a quick thanks and left.

She kept on calling Barnes' phone, but he was still unreachable. She wanted to call Lulu and tell her what happened, when she saw Linda and Brad walking together towards the garden. They looked like they, too, had spent the night here. Shocked and confused, she hid by a rosemary bush, watching them, wondering what to do. Were they the reason that Barnes left?

Kiya bent slightly and began breathing in and out slowly, trying to get her thoughts in order, wondering whether she should confront them. She wanted a divorce, and confronting him would be the best thing to hold him back from denying cheating on her. She waited for them to get seated, and walked out of her hideout, going directly to where they were.

"Hi Brad, Linda. I didn't know the meeting was at Cosby's?" She stretched out her hand to Brad, as if to greet him.

"Oh my God, Kiya, are you stalking me?" Brad asked, shaking.

Seeing the shock on his face, and the confusion and shame on Linda's, she walked away, laughing devilishly. She went for her bag and proceeded to check out.

She sat close to the parking lot for her taxi, as she called Lulu.

"Hey Lulu, how are you guys?"

"Hey, we're good. You sound even better today. Hope you're enjoying yourself."

"Lulu, I'm coming over to your place right now. We can take the kids to the water park as we talk. Something happened."

Shocked but reluctant to ask any questions, she agreed.

"Okay Kiya, let me prepare the kids."

"Okay, bye. My taxi is here."

She rode quietly, wondering at the spiral of events that had been happening in her life since the previous day, and whether it was going to stop or there was more.

At Lulu's, Jay and Ella ran straight into her arms.

"Mama, we had so much fun. Aunt Lulu is the best." Ella said, as Jay spoke gibberish. Seeing her kids happy warmed her heart. She loved Lulu even more for making sure that her kids did not witness her sadness.

"We're ready. Do you need to freshen up?"

"No, Lulu. I'm fine. We can leave."

Together, they drove off. Reading the excitement on the kids' faces, the adults kept quiet as the kids chattered away. Lulu avoided driving through Mafia lane, recalling the previous day's events and not wanting to trigger Kiya, so she took the longer route.

At the water park, the kids played as the adults watched them sipping wine.

"Tell me, Kiya. Why did you leave the hotel? I didn't expect you to. We agreed you'd be checking out on Tuesday."

"Kiya, yesterday I saw Brad and Linda at Charlie's, then saw them today at Cosby's. But I have a bigger problem now. While there, I called Barnes and..."

"Oh my God, Kiya! Did he?.... Did you guys?..." Lulu asked, stuttering.

"I ran to my room after...and on waking up at 11, I was told Barnes checked out at 3am."

Lulu kept quiet for a moment, trying to find the right words.

"First things first, did you guys use protection?" Lulu asked, with a concerned look. She knew Barnes kept so many women and had even warned Kiya to keep their relationship purely platonic, but here she was, feelings having gotten better of her.

"No, we didn't." She said, her head bowed in shame.

"It's okay, Kiya. We're gonna leave the kids here and take you to the hospital."

"But who will watch them?"

"They have childminders for hire. Well, just hire one."

Lulu rushed to the reception where the kids were assigned a child minder. She walked her to where the kids were, then told them they were gonna be back in a jiffy, and signaled Kiya to meet her at the parking lot.

At the hospital, they met a very kind nurse who attended to them really fast, and they were out in an hour. All through, Kiya spoke less, thinking and feeling glad for having Lulu in her life. She wouldn't even have remembered about the risk she had indulged in last night until it was too late, were it not for Lulu.

"Thanks again Lulu. You're an angel."

"It's okay, Kiya, we're family. We will always have each other's back."

They both smiled as they drove back to the park.

They went and sat in the same spot they were before. Lulu did not want to bring any subject related to Barnes, now that Kiya was already on drugs, and so she avoided asking any questions related to the whole incident. She planned on taking Kiya out for a drink that evening. Maybe then she'd ask her about the whole thing, what she felt, and whether she had an exit plan. However, she would be responsible for making sure that Kiya didn't take anything alcoholic, since she was on drugs now.

"Hi, Lulu, Kiya." Ruby, who worked at Brad's office and was Linda's best friend, said, hugging them. She had brought her kids to the water park, too. "Here, sit with us," Kiya invited her, pulling a seat for her. Ruby felt guilty, knowing what a kind person Kiya was, and knowing the affair her husband had with Linda, her friend. She just couldn't sit with them, so she excused herself, pretending to play with the kids. Ruby was also seeing Barnes and had fallen head-over-heels for him, though he hadn't been paying much attention to her lately. What she didn't know is that Barnes had spent the previous night with Kiya, and it was the reason he had turned her down when she invited him for dinner.

Lulu noticed there was something off with how Ruby behaved, but didn't say a word.

"Ruby's behavior was very strange. Did you notice?" Kiya asked, frowning.

"You noticed too?" Lulu asked, glad that Kiya was observant enough to see.

"Or maybe she is also seeing Brad. Anything is possible."

"Stop with the guesses, Kiya. They won't help. "

Lulu may have brushed it off, but Kiya was sincerely bothered. Lulu, on the other hand, having gone through a rough divorce, knew exactly how Kiya felt, and extended her all the grace.

Evening came, and they dropped all the kids at Nana's, then went to Lulu's house to freshen up. They promised to pick them on Sunday evening. They then drove off to Kim's, where they loved hanging out. Besides, their mocktails were to die for, and now that Kiya was under medication, they were the only ones she could have. They looked stunning and were sure to turn so many heads as they walked from the parking lot to the bar area.

"Ooooh! Lulu! You and your friend look stunning!" The bartender, a middle-aged man who had grown very fond of Lulu since she frequented the place, said.

"Thanks, I'll have the usual, and my friend will have a bellini. Right, Kiya?" Kiya nodded, smiling. Soon their drinks were here, and they began to sip away. She had resisted the urge to call Barnes, but she really wanted to know why he left without telling her and was partly worried about his phone being off.

"Lulu, I'm calling Barnes to know whether he is okay."

"Okay." Lulu said reluctantly.

A lady answered the phone, so Kiya hung up, her confusion growing even more.

Seeing her confusion, Lulu dragged her to the dancefloor reminding her of their university days, when the three of them, together with their friend Barbara, now deceased, would come to Kim's and share one glass of wine. She burst out laughing, nearly pouring her drink. Well, that was before Kiya met Brad, who was also at the university but spoiled them silly every weekend, since he was from a rich family. It was through him that Lulu also got to meet her ex-husband. Now life had happened, with Lulu was already divorced, and Kiya's was looming.

"Oh, the mystery of life!" Kiya muttered.

"Kiya, a time will come when you will be making boss moves with big money and nothing will matter anymore, then."

"Really?" she asked in doubt, not envisioning how it would happen. But again, Lulu, seated right there with her, was the epitome of effortless female grit. After her divorce, she dusted herself up and was now running a chain of companies. Had it not been her love for a simple, slow life, she would be away on an island, running her companies virtually. That was a wake up moment for Kiya. She realized she, too, could do it.

"Lulu, I am gonna file a divorce. I figured, if you can do it, I can do it too. You will mentor me through this."

Lulu, now tipsy, reached for her hands, and tapped her, saying, "Good choice, my friend. I am glad you've realized that crying yourself to sleep is not the solution. Go get that money, girl! To growth!" They toasted as they danced the night away. They drove to Lulu's place way past midnight and slept till 10am the next day, when they both picked their kids in preparation for school.

Brad came home close to midnight, wasted, perhaps to avoid any confrontations. Kiya spent the night in the guest room. The next morning, she prepared her kids for school, dropped them off and went to see her lawyer. Brad, knowing Kiya, and how much she loved it for her kids to live with both parents, ignorantly assumed that Kiya would be okay after a few days, since she had nowhere to go. He was in for a rude shock.

In the afternoon, she drove to Brad's company, went through to the office, the letter in her hands, to present it personally to Brad. She found Brad pants down, making love to Linda on top of his desk. Unbothered, she stood there, watched them, embarrassment written all over their faces. She waited, and when Linda left, she handed the letter to Brad and left.

Now, Kiya had been buying stocks with so many companies, and through the profits, she had acquired some property secretly. She felt glad for taking Lulu's advice on stocks, and planned on relocating to the apartment she had bought in Derby, as she strategized on how to start her own company. She vowed not to get into a property fight with Brad. Besides, his family hated her, and she was likely to lose if she chose that path, since they were tycoons and very mean people.

She was already making enquiries and had an important meeting that afternoon.