(Continued from last issue)
David and Diane have been married for years; then there is Julie, the young secretary whose axis collides with the couple’s in ways none of them saw coming.
DAVID
I returned to the hospital a little after midday, and Diane instantly lit up at the sight of me, clearly delighted at my return.
At her response, I felt slightly guilty about having kept her waiting while I was with Julie – but only slightly. I felt like I had made real progress with Julie, though I could not confirm this until I saw how she responded to us getting intimate again, and there would be time enough for that tonight; with Diane at the hospital, and the children at her parents’ place, I could stay out as long I wanted to, no questions asked.
“How did it go?” Diane asked, bringing me back to the present.
“Okay; I sorted it out,” I answered coolly.
“Thank you; I knew you would, but I began to worry when you were gone so long; was there a problem?”
“No, it just took forever for everyone to get there,” I exaggerated the truth. “How are you feeling?”
“Better, thanks. Tracy came to see me; in fact, she just left a few minutes ago, and we were both saying I should get discharged and back home as soon as possible.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard; you’ve just been in a very serious accident; you need to give your body time to heal fully.”
“I know, and speaking of not pushing myself and giving my body time to fully heal, mum has offered to move into the house with a maid and train her for me, so I find a fully trained maid when I come home and can just rest; isn’t that nice of her?” she asked with a happy expression.
“What do you mean, ‘move in”?” I asked slowly, not too sure I liked the way this was going.
“Exactly that – move in; mum is worried that you don’t have anyone at the house to cook and clean for you, and I already needed a maid; so, by moving in with a maid, we can hit two birds with one stone; mum brings someone to cook and clean for you, and I get a trained maid when I’m discharged – it’s perfect!” she smiled triumphantly.
While her reasoning did make perfect sense, I was far from thrilled at the news as it meant I would not have the unobserved freedom I had been anticipating, but there was no way for me to object without getting Diane suspicious and her mother offended; so, I forced on a smile.
“Yeah, that’s great,” I nodded, with what I hoped came across as enthusiasm.
DIANE
There was something off about David, and I could not place my finger on it. While he said he was alright with the plan for my mother to move into the house with a new maid, his enthusiasm did not reach his eyes, which were vacant, like his mind was somewhere else; and twice I had to repeat something I had said, because he was absent-minded and missed it.
When the doctor who had admitted me the previous night came in, I expected David to snap out of whatever world he was in and at least pay attention to what he had to say but, on the contrary, his behaviour only became more confusing; not only didn’t he listen to the doctor’s prognosis on my condition, he did not even stick around to hear it, excusing himself from the room only moments after the doctor walked in.
“Sorry about my husband, he’s had a tough morning,” I explained apologetically. “Haven’t we all?” he answered wryly. “I’m
pleasantly surprised by how well you’re doing after just one night; keep this up and you’ll be going back home soon.”
“Thank you; that’s great news,” I smiled back happily, and after he had updated my chart and promised to return to see me before his shift ended, he left.
As I watched him leave, I was once again struck by the feeling from the previous night that I had seen him somewhere before, but still could not quite place my finger on it, and did not have the time to dwell on it as David returned to the room then and the conversation shifted to the arrangements for my mother, the new maid, and the children’s return to the house.
Because my father had already left, David offered to drive mum back and use the opportunity to visit with the children. I did not want him to leave, for we had not had any time to ourselves, and I was hopeful that if I could get him alone, I would be able to figure out what was going on with him.
However, I could hardly object to him driving my mother home without appearing ridiculous; so, I told him to send the children my love, and then waved him off.
JULIE
From the time David left, all I could think about was his parting words and his almost ominous promised return.
In spite of myself, I had to admit that there was a lot of truth in his words; he had done a lot for my family and I, and that should count for something when it came to how I treated him.
Besides, considering that Kenneth had basically broken up with me, it was not like I was saving myself for him anymore; it did not make sense for me to give David the cold shoulder because of my feelings for Kenneth; when David was the one fighting for us, while Kenneth was in essence throwing in the towel.
Since Kenneth had called it quits because of David’s continued place in my world, then I might as well make the most of what I had left.
What was it they said? A bird in hand, was better than two in the bush? I had David; there was no point in letting him go, for Kenneth who was flying away.
Once I had talked myself through this reasoning, I actually began to believe it, for when David returned later that evening, not only did I not avoid him the way I usually did of late, but I actually made an effort to be warm and welcoming.
He clearly noticed the difference in me as well, and reciprocated my effort by keeping his earlier promises as well, not pushing me for affection or intimacy the way he had in the past few weeks but, rather being patient and gentle in his advances, so that I felt no pressure, and instead, a subtle, almost hopeful invitation that was far more appealing.
Sandra and I had cooked dinner, and while she was unarguably the chattiest of the three of us as we ate, from the corner of my eye, I could see David constantly casting soft, tender glances in my direction, and doubted if he even heard a fraction of all that she said.
Once the meal was done, and Sandra started clearing away the dishes, I expected David to suggest that we move to the bedroom, but he surprised me by making no such move, acting content to just sit and talk, instead.
His restraint and consideration reminded me of what we had been like in the beginning, and just like it had then, I felt his gentle, unspoken persuasion begin to wear down my defenses.
margaretwamanga@yahoo.com
Source: The Observer
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