Inner Demons

Lisa jerked out of her train of thoughts, grabbing her phone almost immediately. Looking at the caller’s ID, she sighed, deliberating whether to pick up the call or ignore it. Just then, a soft rap came on the door.

  “Who’s that?”

  “Dinner is ready, ma.” A maid’s voice sounded from outside.

She sighed. “I’ll be down in a bit.” She replied without bothering to open the door. She then returned her attention to her phone and put it quietly on her ear.

  “Hello, Dad.” Maybe because she was a bit tired, her voice was crackly as she fought back tears from her eyes.

  “I saw the news. You handled it quite well. I am proud of you.”

Even if he couldn’t see her, she smiled wryly with a ‘hmm’. She had not expected him to say anything less but somehow, in her heart of hearts, she had hoped he would ask after her. Even if he didn’t mean it.

  “The Chinese agency called.”

  “Oh! Did they?” After the press release, she had been so tired and had gone straight home. Sally was yet to update her.

He grunted. She could tell happy he was. Maybe, it was worth it after all. “I want you to know that I am grateful. Thank you for all you do for this family. I guess handing over the company to you this soon was a good choice.” He laughed; a low rumble that used to make her smile when she was little. But that was years ago. Now, she couldn’t tell if it made her smile anymore. Maybe, because she was all grown now.

  “I have to go now, Dad. Give mother a kiss for me.” All she wanted to do now was take a long rest to help her clear her mind of all that had happened.

  “Oh! By the way, it's going to be your mother’s birthday in a week. Don’t tell me you forgot.”

She slapped her head silently. “Of course not, Dad.” Of course, she did forget. She had been knee-deep in handling all of Raymond’s shit that she even forgot her own mother’s birthday.

  “We are throwing a party. I want something the media would talk about even after one month gone.”

She rolled her eyes. Her father sure loved extravagance. “I’ll tell Raymond.”

  “Are you okay?” he finally asked; only that the question came too late. She had been expecting him to ask her that since the beginning of their dry conversation.

She nodded anyway. “Sure. I am just a bit tired. I just need to take a nap.” She was long used to the façade; to the wall, she had had to build around herself.

  “You know you can talk to me, right?”

And tell you what? That I am lonely? Or that I have a husband who lays any woman he comes across? “I know Dad.” She feigned a tired yawn. “I just need some sleep and I’ll be back on my feet.”

  “That’s my girl.” She could swear he was wearing one of his signature grins.

  “I’ll talk to you later, Dad.” She ended the call swiftly, letting her frail body fall back on the bed. She bit her lower lips while blinking away the tears in her eyes. She was not going to cry.

You are a strong woman. She chanted her mantra. Heads high, chin up, and…smile.

Doing a few breathing exercises to calm her raging emotions, she arose from the bed, took a quick shower, and changed into her favorite teddy bear pajamas. Nobody knew of her obsession with teddy bears. Well, except…

She shook her head quickly like a child who withdrew his hands immediately after realizing he had just touched a flame. It was one topic she would never go back to again. One topic that was buried inside a box in her heart and the keys, thrown far, far away.

Anyways, she walked down for dinner. The plates were set for two without question and the head chef stood on the ground, ready to serve her.

  “Good evening, Ma’am.” She greeted gingerly.

Lisa smiled. “Evening, Sonia.” One thing she had learned over the years was not to transfer her aggression to anyone else. Be it the maids, her employees, her Personal Assistant, her chauffeur, or even the sluts she knew Raymond was sleeping with. She had learned to bear her cross herself.

She allowed the woman to push out a chair for her and push it back in when she was seated. She then busied herself with her phone while Sonia served the food. Against her wish, she took a glimpse of the empty chair at the head of the table. It had always been empty except for a few times Raymond was home. Somehow, she had gotten used to it. Even the maids too must have gotten used to it but they still set the table for two every day out of courtesy.

She ate her meal quietly, even though the bacon was tasteless in her mouth like she was chewing rubber. When she was filled, she took a large gulp of water before leaving the dinning, leaving the maids to clean up after her. Reaching her room, she walked straight into the study. She dialed Sally to send over the necessary documents and began furiously typing away on her keyboard. That was her.

Whenever she was not stuck in her large office, she was home, locked away in her study and typing away furiously, signing off documents. It was a regular routine she was getting used to. She didn’t have a friend; she only had a circle of rich socialites. Well, it was common for people of her caliber to belong to such circles.

When Lisa finally looked up from her computer, the skies were already dark. She massaged her aching neck with her palm. How did it get dark so quickly? Or was she the one too engrossed in her work for a long time that she didn’t notice when it was dusk? She walked out of the study, her delicate bare feet looking all glorious as she walked. She headed downstairs to grab a cup of milk. Despite that she was old enough, she never went to bed without a warm glass of milk; one she made herself.

The house had become quiet when she reached the kitchen. The maids had retired for the night, or they were around somewhere, trying not to disturb her. Since they only had to serve her, she, most times, let them retire early. Grabbing a cup of milk, she returned to her room, and only then did she recall she had to call Raymond. For a brief send, she debated if to call him or to ignore him but then, she couldn’t afford him to miss the party because she didn’t inform him on time. Moreover, to the outside world, they were still the perfect, ideal couple every couple wanted to be like.

Sighing loudly, she dialed his phone. She didn’t want to think of where he was now or what he was doing at the moment. After all, he had houses scattered all over the city from which he could pick anyone he wanted and spend the night. He didn’t answer immediately and just when she was about to end the call, he picked up his phone.

  “Yo! Wifey. Do you miss me already?” His unstable voice carried an underlying tone of mockery. There was distant loud music playing in the background. She could tell he was in a club; a private room, maybe—and very drunk.

Lisa rolled her eyes. “Dad called me earlier.” She broke the news. “Mother’s birthday is next week. They’ll be throwing a party.”

He groaned like someone in pain. “You need money? I’ll tell my secretary to give you a card later.”

  “I don’t need your money. I only need you to show up and not embarrass me.”

He didn’t reply to her. He groaned loudly instead, followed by a long string of curses.

Then, she realized what was going on.

At first, she had thought the female moans she heard were from the loud music or from the people around. She scoffed at the realization. Her beloved husband was fucking a girl—no, a whore—while talking to her on the phone. She chuckled dryly. What was she expecting from a man who showed up to his own wedding in a pair of pants stained with pre-cum that wasn’t his wife’s?

  “Raymond!” Her inner demon was threatening to unleash itself but soon realize it was fruitless as he didn’t answer her. Not like he would anyway. She was about to hang up when his voice came from the other end, breathing hard like someone who just ran a marathon race.

  “Drop the details with my Personal Assistant. I will be sure to be there on time.” She could imagine the satisfied smirk playing on his lips. Angry beyond words, she hung up on him, threw her phone on the bedside table, and slipped quietly under the cover.