"I think we should have dinner with Angie. Hope you don't mind inviting her over to our house."
Shee Bah's request took Madrat by storm, getting him perturbed. He narrowed his face with a confused attitude. Irregular questions began to rain back to back on a sudden, like they were being chased out of his mouth.
"Are you serious? Is that even necessary...? Wait wait wait! And why would you need to sit with Angie?"
He scratched his forehead, stepping left to right in one position with an expression of disapproval. It was obvious to Shee Bah that her husband was not comfortable with her suggestion at all. Why would he even allow it to happen when he was having a secret affair with Angie... unless he was a man out of his mind.
His head spun:
"What is likely to happen when both females sit face to face at one table?"
But at the moment, Shee Bah had a lot of nerve from excessive excitement as she was facing an achievement of music stardom. So, her boldness had just grown strong enough to confront the fears she had been carrying on with, for some good time.
In the midst of her husband snapping with a disturbed attitude, she stuck a piercing eye at him. And with this look, no more intensity of expression in words was required, for Madrat to clearly understand that his wife was more than prepared: so serious to meet Angie face to face.
Although she said nothing, her kind of stare carried an obvious question of concern:
"Are you guilty of something? Rather: are you proving to me that Angie is something and I am nothing?"
He read the silent questioning stare perfectly well. Besides, Shee Bah was innocent to be hurt, come to think of it clearly.
Thoughtfully, he understood that the instant attitude he had portrayed a minute ago was a huge mistake _ sending an implication to his wife that maybe because of Angie, his care for his marriage was shrinking, and he had started taking the relationship so lightly.
Now, Madrat had to cover this mistake up real quick, to eliminate loopholes and candle his desirable love for his wife.
After all, his marriage was already out there in the public eye, making headlines in the news outlets, giving him respectful comments from the fans, a favourable win he never saw coming.
He looked intently at the ring which held tight on his wife's finger. Then all over a sudden, he gave a deep breath, calming himself down from the high tension.
"Alright."
Shee Bah, staring at him piercingly, asked:
"Alright what?"
"I will invite Angie for dinner tomorrow."
She smiled it off with a little grin:
"Good, I will take good care of her don't worry."
Then she immediately found her way out of his sight, keeping a side eye on him.
It sounded too jealous and envious that the confusion Madrat had before remained, if not increasing. He quirked corners of his mouth with a small indifferent grin back at her, trying to show that all was well.
But as Shee Bah climbing upstairs, Madrat's lips began to tremble with tension in his confused mind, body and soul.
Left standing near the coach, as soon as his wife went out of his sight up on the stairs completely, the next second, he couldn't hide his taunt nerves.
"How do I go about this now?"
Taking small footsteps in the direction of the kitchen, he recalled one of today's memories _ a talk between him and Angie earlier on at Angie's duplex apartment.
Both, him and Angie were inside a dimly lit room, covered under sheets in Angie's bed. Immediately after they were done making love, Angie turned on the side on which she was laying and pulled open the bed drawer. She fished out today's newspapers which had a picture of Madrat and Shee Bah on its front page.
The news had left almost the whole public in an open-mouthed wonder _ debating.
As a woman in love, Angie seemed scared. With an envious attitude in a downcast voice tone, she spoke:
"You're always the one with the winning card."
Madrat's eyes were closed, tiredly facing the other side, but each word she said fell direct into his widely open ears.
He utttered a silent grunt. And in a lazy voice tone, he asked with careless curiosity.
"What do you mean?"
"You and your wife Shee Bah are the talk of the public _ making headlines everywhere. Hope it excits you."
"Excites me?!"
Immediately, Angie read a certain line from the newspapers.
"How is the supermodel going to cope after facing this heat?" The man she casted her nets to fish is married!"
Intrigued, the jealous tone in her voice and the envious statement forced Madrat to turn and lay on his back, so he can look her in the eyes properly.
She chuckled, giving him an indifferent beam when their eyes met. And immediately on his unclothed chest, Angie enviously dropped the newspapers for him to look at.
"To the public your wife is an angel on earth."
Madrat sighed in wary and lazily sat up with the newspapers in hand. He knew where this was heading: in a cold dialogue.
"Now what's the meaning of this? Do you really want us to go there? Don't tell me you've started feeling jealous!?"
"What stops me? I'm a woman with red blood moving in my veins!"
"Jealous was obviously written all over her face at this moment.
With an envy face she added:
"Right now, every news outlet has revealed a breaking news, talking about how her beauty leaves heads turning: "a hot babe behind the contagious music album is found out to be the one behind Madrat's smooth skin" _ thats what they're saying."
Resentful of Shee Bah's success, Angie sat up from her back too and looked piercingly in Madrat's eyes.
"What are your plans for us?"
His face narrowed instantly.
"Us! What do you mean is?"
"Yes. Me and her."
Angie's conduct got him to open the paper and looked at the page once more.
"I I don't know! Maybe take both of us to dinner so we can introduce eachother! That's better!"
"And you think I can do that?"
Angie gasped:
"I guess so."
"Have you forgotten this is my wife; a woman I've been married to for two years?"
Next second, Madrat threw the sheets off him and suddenly stepped out of the bed, walking out of her anxious sight to the bathroom.
*****
Up on the next floor, on top of her voice, Shee Bah made a brief return and escorted him with words while he was on his way taking the empty bottle to the kitchen bin.
"6pm tomorrow _ tell Angie to catch time!"
His wife's voice caught him unaware that he turned his face up startledly. By looking at her upstairs, she seemed happy with no worries.
And him, the wary gaze in his eyes was an obvious evidence that the adultery business he invested his time in may started to operate in losses.
"Damn!"