The trees swung from left to right while the sun hid behind the morning clouds. The wind, in its almighty power, swept through the Earth and billowed right through Sarah's hair.
"I think I'm going to cut my hair," she said while looking right into Emelie's eyes. You could tell the love was still evident and had lingered for about ten years.
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"You know I'll never approve of that. Can't imagine you with a different look," he replied in a low, romantic tone, with one eyebrow raised and a smile confined to the left cheek.
"Your wish is my command," she said while loading several wheelbarrows with fruits and vegetables they had both harvested from the farmyard.
"The locals seem to demand more pumpkin leaves than other fruits. I think we should solely focus our produce on pumpkin leaves to meet their demands. By the way—"
"Your wish is my command," Emelie quickly cut in while carting the wheelbarrows away to the storehouse, where local retailers would usually come with their bicycles to purchase as many as possible.
Sarah smiled as he left. If there was something she loved about him, it was his humor and communication skills.
"Get yourself a man like mine," she whispered, fixing her gaze on him as he carted the wheelbarrows away.
Sarah lay on the couch in the sitting room while awaiting her husband's return from the storehouse, where he made sales to the retailers. The evening silence was deep, and only the chirping of birds could be heard. Sarah sighed deeply, wishing she had kids to compensate for the vacuum Emelie's absence created.
"Oh my goodness! Bingo, stop it," she calmly said while Bingo furiously caressed her neck with his tongue, sending waves of tingling sensations down her spine. This triggered a hysterical laugh… Her dog, Bingo, was always there to comfort her during her lonely moments.
They both slept off on the couch, her arms embracing Bingo. Their peaceful slumber was soon interrupted by the vigorous movement of the entrance doorknob.
"Who's there? Who's there?" she said as she jolted from her ephemeral sleep while Bingo stood right beside her, barking incessantly at the entrance door.
Sweat ran down her face, trickling into her short, transparent, sleeveless gown. Her evening was about to become a nightmare.
The door forcefully opened.
"What do we have for dinner?" Emelie said, smiling as though he knew what he had just done.
"What is wrong with you? Don't ever do that again!" She voiced out, keeping her rage in check.
"I've always told you to keep the doors locked when I'm not around," he said while walking slowly toward Sarah, who wasn't having any of it.
"You know I love you," he said as he placed his hands on her hips, pulling her close to him.
"Don't mind me. Just wanted to teach you a lesson. Let's go get some sleep—it's going to be a long night," he whispered into her ear and planted a kiss on her forehead.
Bingo sat on the floor and wagged his tail while watching the two lovebirds, as though he were in a cinema.
Hours had past and the sun had already poked its head through the clouds...
"Hey! Are you still sleeping? It's morning!"
"It's morning already?" she asked, stretching her arms and legs on the bed.
"I'm going into town to meet some experts in agriculture. I need to get some ideas and innovations on how to delve into nationwide large-scale farming."
They were financially buoyant, as they were the only ones who sold pumpkin leaves in the entire village. Still, this didn't stop Emelie from striving to enlarge his business.
"I thought we were going to spend the whole day together. Please come back early," she pleaded.
"I will, darling. Love you."
He quickly washed his face with water, brushed his teeth, changed his clothes, and left, happily hopping and singing old rhymes like an innocent little kid.
She waited for his return till evening, despite her plea for an early return.
"He just never comes home early, does he?" she thought to herself while Bingo was all over her as usual.
Not long after, she heard a faint knock on the entrance door. She rushed ecstatically and opened it. To her surprise, she saw Mr. Udoye, a prominent chief in the village. Before she could utter a word, Mr. Udoye broke the few seconds of silence.
"Your husband is dead!"
She paused for a moment, staring deeply at him with her mouth partly open. Her entire life crumbled within seconds.
"He was stabbed during a robbery," he added.
She sat on the floor and cried in pain. She cried so hard that she felt almost breathless.
All the chief could say was, "I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm sorry, ma'am."
Years went by, and her pumpkin leaves gained nationwide recognition. People from different villages came around to patronize her. She became so rich that she employed workers who filled up the wheelbarrows with pumpkin leaves and transported them to the storehouse, where they were sold.
Despite her riches, she sought happiness but found none. She sought freedom yet felt caged. The void never got filled, and her smile faded into oblivion.
Life had lost its purpose, but she endured with Bingo, waiting for the inevitability of death to put an end to her misery.