Christa nodded and smiled, pretending to listen to her husband. It was an old reflex. When he built up a head of seam it was best to nod and smile until the coal ran out. Trying to talk, even trying to get clarification, just added coal to the flames.
"Yes Pauwel. You're right."
"These kaffirs CAN'T love each other! They're animals, tainted by the blood of the apes they eat! They DON'T love God which means they have NO love for each other or for us! They're animals, debauched and ravaged! EVIL!"
Christa could feel
Bongani's eyes almost boring into her. She could see him just outside the door, lingering in the hallway awaiting orders. She was sure her husband could not see him. How could she say nothing? It was one thing to let her husband's rants was over her when they were alone, but he was saying such horrible things, and a man covered by the net Pauwel was casting was in the hallway.
She made eye contact with Bongani and opened her mouth to speak.
Bongani viciously shook his head and put his finger to his lips.
She closed her mouth.
Bongani turned and left. She heard the front door open and close.
"What was that?" Pauwel barked, his train of thought interrupted.
"Servant leaving for the day," Christa replied.
"How do you KNOW?" Pauwel said, the sneer in his voice palpable.
Christa gestured at the clock on the mantle.
"Watching the clock are you?" Pauwel nearly bellowed. "You're so bored with my lessons that you're watching the clock?"
"No," Christa said. "I only glanced when I heard the door close-"
"LIAR!" Pauwel screamed, smashing the clock to the floor. He looked at the damage and continued, "That was my GRANDMOTHER'S Clock! Look what you made me do with your faithless questioning! Your disrespect brought this upon you! It is your DUTY as my WIFE to... to..."
It was a dangerous moment. There were only two things Pauwel did when he was at a loss for words. Christa still carried bruises from her last beating. A thrill of horror ran though her when she realized the only item in the room that could really be used for a beating was the fireplace poker. She made a mental note to put a few decorative brooms in this room as well, assuming she survived.
Pauwel cast is eyes about the room wildly, finally spying the Strong's concordance and the Bible Bongani had put on one the mantle to the left of the clock. He snapped up the concordance and opened it uttering "Wife, wife, wife," to himself.
Christa did her best to hide the waves of relief that were washing over her. Pauwel had chosen to hunt for Bible verses that supported him instead of beating her. In a few minutes he was ranting about a wife's duties to serve her husband, to be subservient. Relieved that she was not going to be beaten, "corrected with husbandly love," as Pauwel called it, she did her best to listen. Pauwel had only found three verses, so he kept on them again and again, repeating the same arguments with slight variation in wording and cadence. Behind Pauwel, was an old Victrola. It hadn't worked in living memory, It had been Pauwel's grandmother's. As Pauwel droned on, Chirsta's mind played tricks on her. She could see Pauwel and the Victrola merge, fuse into one. In her imagination the open end of the Victrola's horn was moving in tune with Pauwel's words, acting as a massive, spittle spraying, mouth. The base of the horn, which for some reason was the tip of Pauwel's penis, kept skipping over the scratched record it was playing with an audible "Scritch!" whenever Pauwel looped back to the first of the three verses he was focusing on.
Christa blinked her eyes feverishly to clear the vision. It was then she noted that her husband had an erection. She thought back to her conversation with Bongani, and the revelation that be resembled Kgosi so strongly because her childhood love was Bongani's uncle. Her mind was swimming with memories of Kgosi. She felt her own arousal rising. She looked at her husband, this time with appraising, evaluating eyes. They were both aroused. They were married. So what if neither of them was really thinking of the other, so long as they were sated in the end? That last part was always a gamble with Pauwel, but the force with which her memories of Kgosi had returned had her halfway to climax already.
Christa took a deep breath, stood and said, "You're quite right my husband. I have duties to fulfill for you."
"Amen!" Pauwel screamed. She could see his erection twitch as he said the word.
"Amen," she replied, casting her eyes down at his groin. She waited for Pauwel to notice were she was looking.
"Amen, and God's will be done," she said. With that she reached under her dress and took off her stockings and panties.