Life Support (Sons & Daughters)
Hey there. I’m starting a series of short stories under the title Sons & Daughters. There will be at least three stories. I will strife to keep the narrative tight, exploring some societal norms and expectations. If you happen to vibe with any character or theme, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Enjoy. 🙂
Mina picked popcorn out of her hair and tossed it onto the carpet. Laughter filtered in from their bedroom. She double-checked her mute button was lit and turned.
“Amanda, I told you to watch your sister!”
She looked out the open window, searching for her husband. One more prank and they’d join him on his “farm.”
“Enam, are you there?”
“Yes, ma’am!” She adjusted her headset.
What were they talking about sef?
“Um… as I said, we’re two weeks away from opening day. I may not be available to travel for Gerardo’s meeting, but Janet will be on site coordinate if that happens.”
“Great, we’ll…”
The living room door creaked open and Phil sauntered in, whistling. Mina grabbed the TV remote and hurled it his way.
“Yes, that works. Okay. Thanks, everyone.”
She pulled off the headset and turned to him.
Phil was holding up the remote. “Seriously?”
“I told you I had a meeting. Why were you whistling?”
He walked past her into the kitchen. “You know, one day you’re going to break my head. There’ll be blood, and you’ll be sorry.”
Mina followed the trail of mud and grabbed a mop. “Mr. Best farmer, wash your hands.”
“Hm.” He turned on the tap. “Make fun all you want. Soon, you’ll be sneaking out at night to harvest pepper from my farm in shame.”
“Again, it’s not a farm. A garden at best.”
“Yoo.” He leaned against the sink. “What was the meeting about?”
“The usual. The rent stuff is sorted out. We’re still on schedule to open the new office in three weeks, which is great.”
“So, that means you’re still on for next week?”
“On for what?”
“I thought you had some grand finale meeting in Kenya.”
She propped the mop behind the door.
“And I thought the only way I was traveling again this month was over your dismembered dead body.”
Phil grinned. “I didn’t say that.”
“Word for word. I can show you the transcript.”
He wiped his forehead with his sleeve. “Okay, in my defence, I hadn’t slept in days, I’d been in and out of the hospital worried sick about the coughing queen and her linguist, and you’d just returned from another three-day trip.”
“I know. Which is why I’m not going. It’s fine, really. Janet can handle it.”
“But you want to be there.”
She shrugged. That was a no-brainer.
“Your flight is at five o’clock on Wednesday.”
“I cancelled my ticket.”
“Yeah, I called Baffour. It’s ‘uncancelled’.”
Mina suppressed a smile. There was no need to tell him the agent had tattled days ago. “Really? You did that for me?”
“No smiling business.” He held up a finger. “You owe me, and I’ll come collecting. My thesis has still not been edited.”
“I’ll get it done,” she grinned. “But in the mean time, maybe I can show my appreciation in some other way. ”
Phil raised an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”
Mina closed the door. “A pre-anniversary teaser of sorts. We stay in all day, I draw a bath, light some candles, seduce my husband. Stuff like that.”
Phil rubbed his chin. “I thought you were doing laundry.”
“We have clean clothes.”
“The kids?”
She flung her arms around his neck. “Your mother is home all day today.”
“How do you…”
She kissed him. “Oui ou non, monsieur?
Phil cleared his throat. “Kids, we’re going to grandma’s!”
‘YAAAAAY!”
He picked more popcorn from her hair. “How about I just get an Uber to drop them off, teach them a lesson.”
“That’d save us some time,” she laughed.
He kissed her. “Thirty minutes.”
“I’ll be here.”
Mina was combing out her tight curls when the knock came. The sound of water boiling on the cooker reached her as she opened the door. An older woman stood there. Tall and lean, her sharp features reminded Mina of her late mother.
“Hello.”
“Good morning, madam.”
“Morning, Maa.”
“I’m looking for Philip Minkah.”
“I’m sorry, he’s stepped out for a minute.”
“Will he be long?”
No, but we have plans that don’t involve you.
“Yes, please.”
Forgive, father.
If she was disappointed, it didn’t show.
“I’m his wife. Could you tell me what this is about?”
“No, I’ll take my leave. When he comes, tell him I came looking for him.”
“Sure. And you are …?”
Philip slammed the car door and hopped to his front door. It’d been a while since they had the house all to themselves. If Queen Amanda and her partner- in-crime stayed put, today was going to be a good day.
“Babe, I’m back.”
No response. Had she stepped out? No, she wouldn’t leave the door open.
He checked the bedrooms, returned to the living room. In the kitchen, he turned the cooker off. When he turned, he saw her.
She was sitting on the floor behind the door, legs pulled up, arms folded over her knees.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Either she was so lost in thought he was nothing but a hazy figure in her sight, or she was ignoring him. Philip clenched his fists. He had done something wrong. That much was evident from her demeanor. A lone tear made its way down her cheek and she wiped at it forcefully. She was crying. Mina didn’t cry over his trivial transgressions. Something terrible must have happened.
He started towards her but stopped mid-stride when she turned to face him. Perhaps it was a guilty conscience springing for freedom at a perceived opportunity, or the fact that her brown eyes were now flaming orbs of fire spewing magma his way. A single thought formed in his head as he took a step back:
She knows.
Photo by Caroline Veronez on Unsplash
