Chapter 3

Peter could see Emma’s look of terror from the rearview mirror all through the ride. She was like a frightened kitten With eyes huge with fear and lips forcing a smile. Why the offer to come with them on the trip had suddenly disconcerted her, he did not know.

But of course, she tried to be as normal as possible and tried to maintain a conversation with Mar who did not notice her unease.

As they found themselves on the highway leading to the outskirts of the city, she was suddenly panicky and then it started to happen.

The car started to swerve, slowly at first as if a few notes had loosened and Peter was going to reduce the speed at which the car was going when it began to swerve wildly and dangerously.

He tried to keep the car from running into the woods and maybe colliding with a tree or worse, falling from a cliff and all he could hear was the screams of the ladies until finally, the car skidded to a halt by the side of the road. They had narrowly escaped being victims of a ghastly car accident and fortunately for them, there had been no car following closely behind them when the car had begun to swerve. They all stumbled out of the car, sighing.

“I can’t believe you almost had us killed, Peter!” Mar exclaimed while still taking heavy breaths.

Emma was standing a few feet away from them, panting.

“I was going to have you killed? How much did you think I should enjoy that?” Peter retorted, visibly angry.

He had just managed to get them out of a mess whose cause he did not know and all he was getting was accusations. The only thing that Maria was good at serving him.

“Well, it was your fault! Our safety should be of priority to you! You almost had us screwed and you say this?”

She was getting vituperative now and Peter’s anger was equally building. Emma was still bent over, breathing from her mouth and still trying to relish the thought of remaining alive while they were about to have another fight.

“You blame for every single thing that goes wrong. How did I not take your safety seriously?”

“You should have ensured the car was in perfect condition before we set out.”

“I did, Maria! I’m not stupid and you know I check the cars before we set out.”

“But you were not thorough this time because you wanted to get back at me for making you come on this trip!”

Peter stifled the impulse to reply immediately. She was accusing him now of taking them out in a faulty car to have them killed. Did she think he was that vile or that he hated himself so much that he wanted to get back at them at the expense of his own life?

“You always prove to me that I cannot rely on you. You have shown me more than a thousand times that you do not care but I always stay by you even though I know you do not deserve me,” Maria said.

She continued talking as Peter turned away from her and opened the bonnet of the car to see if he could have anything fixed.

“We’d better not use the car again until we have some engineer look at it. Even if you figure out the problem, that is,” Emma said, straightening.

She was over her panting and worried look now and her voice came out firm as Peter began to work on the bonnet, checking for wires and sniffing around. It was wise to not reply to both of them.

“What do you think we should do now? We are so far away from town,” Maria said.

“We could hitchhike. Flag down some good Samaritan and…”

“Only two cars have passed us, it doesn’t look like we can get anyone to help us here. Besides, they will think it is unsafe to stop and attend to strangers.”

Peter was still humping over the bonnet and trying to see how he could make out the problem with the car so they could be on their way. He was working with a torch that he found inside his boot and after minutes of trying without progress to make out the problem with the car, he took off his shirt, he was sweating beneath it and he worked only with his singlet on, his biceps flexing as he worked.

“But we could try. If we call someone from town to bring us a car, it would take them over two hours to get here and we cannot wait here that long,” Emma said.

Peter was slowly taking in everything they were saying without a word.

“If Peter was not incompetent, we would not be in this mess.”

Peter straightened at Maria’s words.

“I have tolerated more than enough of your madness and wagging tongue…”

“You call me mad?” she asked incredulously.

“Listen, I will no longer let you say all you want to say about me without a just cause. That is the last time you will say anything condescending about me, Maria, and I mean every word.”

Maria was awestruck as she blinked. Besides the moon that had come out fully to cast its brightness on them, there was no other light

“What did you say? How dare you, Peter?” Maria asked at last.

“I put up with your shrewdness and your meanness because I feel within me that you…”

“You call me names, Peter. Oh my!” Maria cried.

“Maria,” Emma said as she drew near to hold Maria’s hand. “Don’t be like this. You two should not fight. It is your anniversary!”

“He calls me names, can’t you hear him?!” Maria asked as she started to cry.

“You know what, I’m not one to speak too many words, Maria,” Peter continued. “This relationship has ended here and now. I’ve had more than enough of your nonsense and that’s final.”