Life Support 3 (Sons & Daughters)
Contd from part two
Two boys lay on the floor of their bedroom, playing Super Mario. The sound of breaking glass reached them first, then the screams followed. The youngest turned to his brother.
“Keep playing.”
He did as he told, blotting out the sound of his mother wailing. She was gone when he woke up the next morning. The boy was sure she was buried somewhere in his father’s garden, just like it happened on his favourite TV show. It was his father’s conversation with a neighbour that calmed his nerves.
“She’ll be back,” he’d said, chewing a stick vigorously. “She’ll come back.”
When he came back from school, his mother was home.
Philip watched the kids eat breakfast, oblivious to his turmoil. Mina had called his mother, asked her to help out at the house. A work trip had come up suddenly, she’d said. He was only glad to play along. The last thing he wanted was his mother looking at him the same way she had.
It’d been three days since the mother of his ex torpedoed his marriage out of sheer vindictiveness. He and Brenda had always known their relationship was headed nowhere. But to hear her mother say it, he had ‘used and discarded’ her daughter. Brenda had chosen to raise the boy on her own, a decision her mother had been against. Her death had only given her the opportunity to get what she wanted.
He buried his face in his hands. He couldn’t deal with all of that now. Not yet. A money transfer into her account had bought him some time. The rest would come later, when he could talk to his mother. When things went back to normal. When she came back.
As they left home, he dialled her number for the umpteenth time.
The number you have dialled cannot be reached…
“Boss?”
Philip looked up. His friend held up a piece of paper.
“You forgot to push 445 to the shop.”
“I did, and sent an email to three of you.”
“It’s still in queue.” He got out his chair. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Thanks, boss.”
“Everything alright?” Esi looked up from her laptop.
“Yeah. I’m just a little distracted.”
He reached for the draft pitch of their latest social media campaign, staring at the words and not seeing.
“How’s the missus?”
He looked up at her. Of course she knew. Telling Brenya anything always carried the risk that everyone would eventually get to know.
He shook his head.
“So, you still haven’t heard from her?”
“I’d prefer not to discuss my marital problems.”
“I respect that, but you know what they say about a problem shared. Besides, I was married once. Maybe I could help.”
“Ho.” Bilal scoffed. “He’ll come to you if he ever needs a divorce lawyer. ”
“Is she asking for a divorce?”
The door opened and Brenya walked in.
“No.” Philip turned a page. “She just needs some time to think. That’s what she does.”
Bilal laughed.
“What’s funny?”
“We’re talking about the … thing,” Esi offered.
“Oh…” Brenya cast a furtive glance at Philip. “Sorry, man. It slipped out.”
“The fact that a married woman with two kids can just up and leave her home because of a slight misunderstanding,” Bilal said.
“You call that a misunderstanding?” Esi countered.
“It happened, like, a million years ago.” Bilal shook his head. “She’s even lucky he told her. Go and ask. Some people’s husbands are spending every night with different women and they’re sitting there quietly.”’
“So if it were the other way round, you’d have the same opinion, right?”
“Here we go again, flipping the scripts and what nots.”
“It’s common human decency, actually. Do unto others and what not.”
“Well, like it or not, men and woman are not the same. That’s a fact.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that one before. It’s okay if a man does it. But when it’s the woman, cry bloody murder, ‘package her home’ or burn her at the stake.”
“It’s not always like that Esi. We’re not all like that. Things are changing.”
“Not fast enough, Brenya. My husband sleeps with the house girl. I ask for a divorce and the church says no. Instead, I’m told it’s my fault for hiring help in the first place.”
“So how’d you get the divorce?”
“I left him and I left the church after two years of back and forth.”
“But you really can’t blame the church. The Bible doesn’t condone divorce. They can’t make exceptions.”
“Adultery is the exception.”
“True, but even with that, you can’t get remarried. And if that was allowed for everyone, then there would be no married people in the world.”
“That’s the problem, isn’t it? Instead of holding people to higher standards, we all agree that doing the wrong thing is the norm and make allowances for that. There are no consequences for breaking vows so people run roughshod over their partners with impunity. Then they celebrate a golden jubilee, what should really be fifty years of bondage, with pomp and pageantry, while their children, who haven’t got a clue what a good partnership looks like, go on to perpetuate the gruesome cycle over and over again.”
“Woaa see! Margaret Thatcher!”
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
“Oooh, no lies detected,” Brenya laughed.
“You can speak all the big English you want. It doesn’t change the fact that you lie in bed alone at night and they, next to a warm body.”
“Great. If some people want to sacrifice their peace of mind for some warmth, that’s fine. But me, I choose freedom.”
“And loneliness.”
“Guys, guys, let’s not get distracted. We were trying to help Philip, ehn? Esi, any advice, from experience?”
“Is there someone who can talk to her? Her parents, your pastor… ”
“Her father.” Phlip sighed.”They’re close. She’ll listen to him.”
“Great. You should call him.”
“Yeah, I’m just giving her some time. Maybe we won’t have to tell anyone.”
“Three days is enough time, I think.”
“He can’t call her father.” Bilal chimed in. “The first time Mina took him home, old boy talk say something be off about this guy, so he ask if he has anything to hide.”
“And what did you say?”
“What do you think? He played his father-in-law, like a boss.”
“No, I told him the truth. I said I loved Mina and that I had nothing to hide, because I planned to end things with Brenda. And I did. But if I call him now, what do I say? That he was right all along?”
“How do you know she hasn’t told him already? She’s probably at his place.”
“I don’t know. I’m being hopeful, I guess.”
“You’re stalling. If he’s the one person she’ll listen to, then you have to convince him that you’re not the man you were all those years ago. If she talks to him first, then it’s over.”
For a moment, Philip imagined their home without them: Tracy, Amanda, Mina. He thought of having to see his kids once or twice a week, not being the person Tracy run to when Amanda chased her around the house. And Mina, his Mina, in another man’s arms.
He shut his eyes.
“You really think she’d consider a divorce?”
“I think if you really want to work this out, you should be sure she won’t.”
“Or you wait it out. I’ll bet my Lexus she’ll eventually come out of hiding.”
“Seriously, Bilal,” Brenya chided.
“I’m just saying. Look, there’s no doubt about it, Mina is a beautiful woman. She’s smart, funny and intelligent. A great catch by all standards. But she has two children. No woman is going to leave her husband with two children.”
“That’s enough, Bilal. I appreciate your… help, but I’m not taking any chances with my family. “
“What chances? My brother got remarried recently, and he says he wishes he had done it sooner. Divorce is not the end of the world. You really can have it better the second time round.”
“Fine, I’m not disputing that.”
“Then why are you shaking?”
Philip shook his head.. “The day we moved into our home after Mina got transferred, we had a big fight on the way there. I don’t even remember what it was about, but by the time we got there, we weren’t talking. There was a blackout in the neighborhood. I turn in early because I have a job interview the next morning. I wake up, the lights are still out, but my clothes are ironed and folded up. I found out later she drove into town and got them ironed before going to bed. And all the while she was still mad at me. ”
“You don’t give that up. Not if you don’t have to.”
Brenya glanced at his phone.
“I agree with Esi. You should call him.”
“You always agree with Esi.”
“Yes. And also, Mina called Elorm last night.”
Philip leaned into the chair, momentarily stunned. So much for being certain.
“Who’s Elorm?” Esi asked.
“He’s a lawyer. Family law.”
Philip grabbed his phone and stepped out of the office. Mr. Akpalu could set his ferocious Doberman on him or have every trace of his existence erased. Or maybe, just maybe, he would give him a chance. Either way, he’d know where he stood before the day was over. He dialled his number, holding his breath, waiting for the baritone voice to come through.
“Philip.”
He exhaled.
“Good day, sir.”
To be contd….
Hey, you. Thanks for sticking with me so far. I hope it’s been worth it. I’ll shut this down by weekend so look out for the final part. Don’t forget to drop a comment if you’ve got thoughts to share. ❤️❤️❤️
