Just a Little Sugar

Toasted coconut flakes

Why  was Richard currently in his house acting like a vampire? Mark didn't know.

Richard had been in Lagos for two days already and all he did was lock himself in Mark's guest room and emerge at night for food to keep in the room like an ant so he wouldn't have to leave the room the next day. It annoyed Mark. A lot. So much that he had actually picked up the phone and called Rahmat.

"Come and get your husband out of my house." Mark said as soon as Rahmat picked up.

"Good morning Mark" she replied sarcastic.

"Rahmat. Richard is going to die. I'm not joking. One of these days I'll come home from work and he'd have killed himself. "

"You're exaggerating." she said simply

"You told him to leave the house!" Mark yelled.

"Yeah. I meant book a room in a hotel or shortlet an apartment for a couple of weeks not move back to Lagos." came Rahmat's reply.

"You are the reason he moved to Port Harcourt in the first place, Rahmat. What was he supposed to do there when you were not talking to him anymore?"

"You're yelling at me. Did he tell you what happened?" Rahmat asked .

Mark went quiet. Of course he hadn't. Richard hadn't even be able to throw two insults to Mark since he got here. His best friend was broken. This was why Mark hated marriage. It broke people just like this. He'd seen it in his father and now he was seeing it in his best friend.

Rahmat ended the call and Mark dropped his phone on the worktop of the kitchen sighing.

He needed help. Rahmat's girlfriends were probably behind her sending Richard out. But he wasn't about to throw himself in that situation. Rahmat's girlfriends were crazy, Mark didn't understand how calm, sweet funny,  Rahmat was friends with those nubskulls.

"Mark. Medicine time" Sheila announced as she pulled a basket from the top self containing all meds. She popped selected pills into a transparent plastic medicine cup and handed the cup to Mark alongside a glass of water.

Mark got both items from her hands grudgingly. He hated taking meds all the time. And he hated the stress that he had to undergo because of the situation that Richard was in.

"Are you hungry? What do you want to have?" Sheila asked him. She wasn't wearing one of flowing gowns today. Today she wore shorts and a yellow tank top. They looked nice on her. Why did she have to wear those owing gowns everywhere? Was that what married women did? Mark couldn't help thinking.
His father wasn't even around much anyways. Maybe once a month he came home. Mark didn't even understand why Sheila would marry a man like his father.
She was in her thirties. His father was almost 60. The concept baffled him. It's why he'd insisted that Sheila was a gold digger when they'd initially gotten married. Because mark couldn't think of a reason why Sheila would marry his dad. Other than the obvious. Money.

"You're not answering me. Sugar is bringing her toasted coconut flakes... If you want to try it out... " Sheila began but trailed off when she noticed that Mark wasn't listening
"What's bothering you?" Sheila asked.

"Richard"

"He still hasn't spoken to you?" Sheila asked

Mark shook his head. "I've given him space. I've given him so much fucking space"

"Then stop giving him space." Sheila shrugged, "Slap some sense into him"

"Do you know what he did?" Mark asked, "You talked to Rahmat didn't you?"

Sheila shrugged again.

"Tell me" Mark whined, "Tell me please"

"I know nothing" Sheila said