Star of Destiny (4)

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New friends are like diamonds- they glitter

But old friends are like gold- solid and dependable

***

"How many times will I tell you that they are my younger sister's social club members. She begged me to receive them. How could I refuse her?" James stated. After his guests' departure, Muna had accosted him, demanding why he had allowed them to visit him at home. They had been on the issue for some time and he was getting irritated by her attitude.

  He went to the mini-bar in the living room, took a bottle from his wide collection of liquor and poured some in a glass. After taking a sip, he looked at her and said:

  "Look, Muna, this your jealous attitude is beginning to get on my nerves. I have a lot of fans because of the job I do and my popularity. Do you now expect me to ignore them because my girlfriend can't stand them? It's these same fans you are complaining about that made you and I what we are today. Afterall, you have your own fans as well and I don't go crazy when they contact you."

  "The situation is different. I don't allow mine to come too close to me while yours are mostly crazy fans who are all over you all the time. And it pisses me off," she stated.

 "Well, there's nothing that can be done about the situation. So, you have to learn to live with it," he said, taking another sip of his drink.

 "That's where you are wrong. I can't sit here and watch all these boyfriend-snatching bitches come and go as they like in this house. So, the first thing is that, I never want to see any fan in this house again!" she declared.

  He looked at her, a surprised look on his face.

 "What did you just say?" he asked.

 "You heard me. No more fans coming here! They can meet you elsewhere, but not in this house!" she stated vehemently.

 "Is that so? You know what Muna? You seem to have forgotten something. You are my girlfriend not my fucking wife! So, you can't tell me who can or can't come to my own home!" he said.

  "I can and I will," she insisted.

  "Will you shut that mouth of yours or..." James said angrily.

  "I won't. What can you do," she challenged him, getting up to stand with her hands on her hips.

 "You dare talk to me like that? You this..." and jumping up from his seat, he rushed at her. He slapped her, and shoving her in the chair, began to rain blows on her. She tried to avoid the punches, begging him to stop. But he was like one possessed and as the blows got harder, she started screaming. That attracted the attention of Michael and a maid who rushed into the room and struggled to pry the angry James from her...

      * * *

 Muna was lucky. Apart from a few bruises on her arms and neck, she was relatively unhurt from the beating. But it left a deep wound in her heart. How could he treat her so when he claimed to love her, she kept thinking. Debi felt the same way.

 "That guy must be a beast! How can he beat you like this just because of a little quarrel? If I were you, I will keep away from him," she stated, eyeing the bruises on her friend's body.

  Muna shook her head. 

 "I can't. I love him. Besides, he has apologized and begged for forgiveness," she explained.

 "Love!" Debi scoffed. "Do you want to wait until he breaks your head one of these days before you come to your senses? If he truly loves you as you say, he will not treat you this way," she pointed out. 

 But Muna did not reply. She was thinking about his visit to her a day after the fight. He had come bearing gifts with plenty of apologies, blaming his behaviour on the alcohol he had taken.

 "You know I love you Muna. You are the one who makes me happy. So many ladies throw themselves at me. But it's you I truly love and cherish. Forgive me, sweetheart. And I promise this will never happen again," he said in a sorrowful voice. Seeing the sad look on his face, her heart melted.

 They made up then, a move that did not go down well with Debi. But it was her life and there was nothing her friend could do about it. On her part, Muna decided to ignore some of his excesses and his relationships with other ladies for her peace of mind and to avoid further conflicts.

 But she forgot her promise when she visited him at home early one morning sometime later. It was his birthday and she wanted to surprise him that morning. But she was the one who got a surprise. On entering the house, she saw a strange girl downstairs in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Worse still, she had on one of her night gowns she had left in James' bedroom the previous week.

  "What's going on here?" she demanded.

 The girl looked up in surprise at Muna, at the same time exclaiming: "Ah, it's Muna! Hi!" She seemed excited at seeing the popular actress. "I just watched your latest film last night. You were great in it!"

 But Muna ignored her.

  "Who are you?" she enquired. 

 "She's with me." Muna turned to see James standing at the kitchen door in a pair of blue boxers and nothing else.

 "James! Thank God you are here! Who's this girl and what's she doing here?" she demanded.

 James addressed the girl.

 "You! Go upstairs and get dressed. And get out!"

 He left, went to the living-room and stretched out on the couch. Muna followed him.

 "So, it has gotten to this. You now bring all kinds of girls here and flaunt them in my face. James how could you?" she asked angrily.

  He was silent for a while, then he spoke.

 "Look, I went out with a couple of friends last night, got drunk and I ended up here with her. So, what's the big deal?"

 "You are asking me that? Well, the big deal is that I'm your girlfriend and I demand some respect!" she retorted, getting worked up. She could sense another quarrel coming but she didn't care.

  "Fine, you are my girlfriend. But that does not mean I can't have others in my life. We are not married for Christ' sakes. At least not yet. When we get married, you can play this possessive game as much as you want!" he stated.

 Muna slumped on a chair, suddenly feeling weak. 

 "Do you know you are breaking my heart with all these things you are doing? You say you love me but you do things that hurt me. What kind of love is that?" she said softly, tears coursing down her face. He was silent, simply staring at her, looking sad, not saying anything.

 About six months later, Muna got injured in an accident while on location. On the day of the accident, she had gone to James' room at the hotel where they were staying for the shoot and caught him in bed with another actress. 

 What hurt Muna most was that she was not on good terms with the lady who considered Muna a rival in the industry and hated her with a passion. Out of shock, she had run out of the hotel and had been hit by a car while crossing the road.

 She was in the hospital for about a week and though James came to visit her, she refused to see him. She had had enough of his trouble and philandering ways and wanted nothing more to do with him. He had been calling and begging her, promising to change and had even proposed.

 "Let's get married, Muna. Maybe then, these women will leave me alone when they see I have a wife," he had stated over the phone.

 Back home, while convalescing, Alex, who heard about the accident, visited her. Muna wept when she saw him again, realizing how much she missed him. How could she have left him for James? He had always been good to her and had treated her well. It was only now, having lost him, that she realized what she had in Alex.

"Why don't you beg him for forgiveness? Perhaps he will take you back," Debi advised her after he had gone.

"You think he will listen to me?" she asked skeptically.

"There's no harm in trying," she stated.

So, on his next visit, after staying for a while and was getting ready to leave,  Muna had gone on her knees and pleaded:

"Alex, I'm very sorry about what I did to you. Please forgive me. I want you back in my life."

He stood still for a while, shook his head and walked out the door...

  

The End!

Should Muna go back to her old friend, Alex? Or should she accept James, the playboy's marriage proposal? We will like to hear your views on this!

Names have been changed to protect the identity of the narrator and other individuals in the story.

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