By Amie Sillah
At Ti’s House
Dad promised a date with the children and they were excited about it.
Mary Mantome helped them dressed up.
“We are going out with dad! We are going out with dad and he willbuy us chocolate and ice cream wow!” They shouted with excitement.
Gaa
From the hospital he came out a completely different person
contemplating and cursing quite worried.
“I am finished! I am finished! But how?” He could not answer the
question. He came home and the children rushed to greet him as usual
but he sulked and pushed them away, walked past his wife and shut his
bedroom.
The children are disappointed as they went to mom to complain and protest.
“What is happening to dad mom? He never behaved like this before,
he is not himself and he has promised us a date.” Posited Kumuna the
eldest and wisest among the siblings. She is referred to as the lawyer
and activist of the family. She asked mature questions for her age of
8and demand answers and you better give her correct answers if not she
will research and later embarrassed you.
Ti
“Dad must be tired from work don’t be hard on him give me chance to go
and find out.”
Kumuna
“There must be something bigger dad never behaves in such a fashion
to be so impolite not to even greet us when he has promised us a date?
Let mom find out and inform us accordingly he better has a good reason
for his action.”She told her younger sibling Jomfolo who concurred.
She is the receiving type easy going just like Tida her mom who avoids
confrontations.
Ti
She is worried her husband has never behaved as such and today hewas
scheduled to go back to the hospital to collect his results.
“What is happening to you? Please open the door and speak to me,
your action is unnerving me and the children; darling open the door.”
She begged but to no avail. The family is disappointed but Ti decided
to fake the children.
“Dad is very fatigued but he will talk to all of us tomorrow by God
power. Let us support dad and be patient with him.” She kissed them
good night as she tucked them in bed.
Tida sat upon the floor outside and sobbed quietly. She is heavily
burden, psychological torture.
Mama Sawdatou
She is equally worried George was to ring and inform her his results
but she heard nothing from either Gaa or Tida. She tried but poor
network and unclear voice made it impossible.
“What is happening to my children oh? What is happening? Gaa was
supposed to collect his results from the hospital he is very naughty
did he go? Can Tida impress it upon him? She is too soft, delicate to
handle my naughty son. I am worried stiff and my BP has risen. George
oh George!” She lamented.
Gaa
He is distraught, melancholy and withdrawn into his shell,
incommunicado to his family and refused his food.
Ti
“Gaa! What have I done to you? Speak to me, let us share your
problems, am I not your wife? Marriage is for better or worse etc.
I’ll be your rock as you would be mine if I am depressed; if you don’t
speak to me how can I help you solve your problem?” She begged but Gaa
just walked past her which made her more worried, sad,anxious with
psychological trauma. His immaturity is silently killing his wife.She
is in a dilemma as she does not want to alert the kids who depended
upon her for support and at the same time her husband’s immaturity is
killing her silently and slowly. What was she to do?
She pretends to be composed to the kids but when they are not
around she cried bitterly Mary Mantome knows her boss and friend in
out and is always a rock for her to lean on. She approached Tida and
comforted her at night as she strolled the big compound.
Mary Mantome
“Pray to God to help you in your time of need you are a virtuous woman
and I am sure your trial and tribulation will end in glory for you.
Amen!” They both chorused. She caressed and consoled her.
Mam Degane (Mabel)
She paid Ti a visit to enquire about Gaa and whether he has collected
his results and the action he has taken.
She found her sibling in melancholy a shadow of herself as she was
sick for a long time, she easily drain when she is in anxiety, she is
a calm and easy going personality.
“What’s wrong with you Ti? You are a shadow of yourself. Are you
still worried about Gaa? Has he got his results and what does he
intend to do with it?”
Ti
“That is my problem big sis, this man was supposed to collect his
result on Wednesday which was yesterday, he does not only came late
but came incommunicado to me and the kids who he was supposed to take
out on a date. He put me in a funny position of what to explain to the
kids and worried stiff of what his results were; Gaa is silently
killing me with psychological torture. What is this Mam? What have I
done in marrying this man who I have sacrificed for so much?”
Mam Degane (Mabel)
“Didn’t I tell you that these men are not worth dying for? The more
you sacrificed for them, the more you are treated as thrash. Gaa is a
patriarch, a mama’s boy,find job and you refused, you better act fast
before he betrays you. I never supported your marriage to Gaa; you
did not know him enough but was just taken by good looks and sweet
tongue. I courted Prof at least for 3 years until we know each other
very, very well and by God’s grace throughout our 37 years we are
still die heart lovers, friend, companion and you name it. Where is
he? I’ll confront him you came for holidays to my family and he saw
you and marry you, our parents do not know him as well as me. Who is
he to guff my youngest sibling’s heart? I’ll not allow him to kill you
for me.”
To be Cont.
