blame it on the weatherman

Tick tock. All she could hear was the ticking sound of the clock. Mariam had always promised herself to get a digital and finally end the misery of her having to listening to the annoying sound but she never got round to it. There she sat again, listening to it as she tried to fall asleep on the couch, ‘I can’t believe he’s not come to check up on me!’ she muttered to herself. ‘I,m really done this time!’ she promised herself.

She had been down this road before, but the hurt she felt deep in her heart was a new feeling. “It was an informal business meeting” the words kept revisiting her mind over and over again. This seemed like the fiftieth time he was going for a business or late meeting and ended up in a fight. But now as with the Swahili culture, a man could never sleep on the couch and since he is not the one who had a problem, Mariam would be the one to sleep on the couch. She gets up and slowly tip toes her way to the bathroom. As she is heading there, she hears Ashraf on the phone. She leans closer to the door and hears him saying ‘I love you too’ then hangs up. This is it. he has really done it this time.

Not only was Ashraf the man of her youth, the only man she has ever known and promised to know, but now he is wasting that away with some cheap hookers he meets in the workplace? He was not going to get away with it this time. She felt her body tense and she begins to shake. Mariam stormed in the room,

“You cheating bastard!” she yelled, “who is she? I have heard you!! Today is the day I will leave you Ashraf!”

Miriam was no longer herself; she had taken on another personality. Shetan as Ashraf would often call her, that’s what she felt like and he knew she had become. Ashraf remained calm in the bed, looking at her with an indifferent gaze that she loathed. “Baby, take a look at my phone” he said gesturing for her to take the phone. Miriam stormed towards the bed and grabbed the phone. Punching the buttons she immediately went to dialed calls. Mum. That was the most recent call on the list. She felt her body immediately relax. She looks up at him and realizes that its her hormones that made her act that way. “baby, I am so sorry. I don’t know what comes over me some times.” “Must be PMS” he immediately responds, “My mom thinks you could be having severe ca…” Ashraf stops mid way due to the angry look Miriam is giving him. “Just come to bed babez” he pleads as he uncovers the bed, let’s just blame it on the weatherman this time.”