(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.
DIANE
David’s unwitting disclosure that he had taken that whore to the land he was buying with his father threw me for a loop, and the calm discussion I had so carefully planned, flew straight out the window!
He sleeping with her was bad enough; him having a child with her was even worse; but getting her involved in a family investment was taking things to a whole different level that both infuriated and terrified me.
“How could you take her to that land? Does your father know? Is he in on this?” I demanded angrily.
“I didn’t say I had taken her to it, I said ‘if’ I had, it would be because she was interested,” he tried to backtrack on his earlier statement, but it was a feeble and pointless effort, for we both knew that the cat was out of the bag.
“I can’t believe you, David! And I can’t believe your dad either, because from the way you’re acting, I think he knows; doesn’t he? Is your whole bloody family in on this? Are you all having a giant laugh at my expense?”
“Careful, Diane; you’re treading on thin ice; leave my family out of this,” David growled warningly.
His tone was low and dangerous, but mindless with rage and pain, I ploughed on recklessly trying to hurt him as much as he had hurt me.
“That gold-digging whore has clearly screwed your brains out, but I always took your dad for a reasonable and pragmatic man; so, what’s his excuse, or is he hoping to get some too? After all, she’s probably loose enough to give it to both of you. So, why settle for the son if you can have the father too?”
I knew I had crossed the line as soon as the words were out, but before I could retract them, David’s open-faced palm struck the left side of my face with such force that for a few seconds, I was too shocked and dazed to do anything, but then my senses returned, and staggering around almost blindly, I grabbed the door handle, yanked it open, and ran into the corridor and down the stairs.
DAVID
I should not have hit Diane. I had reacted impulsively and regretted it as soon as I realized what I had done, for not only didn’t it solve anything, it made everything worse, and in any case, it was not the kind of man I was, or the kind of man I wanted to be.
She had fled downstairs, and while I was anxious to follow her to apologize, I decided to give her some space and time to calm down; hopefully, once she did, she would come back upstairs on her own and I could apologize then.
As I waited, I went over the fight again and again in my mind, going over all the things I should have said and done differently. There was no doubt that she had provoked me with that crude remark about my father and Julie, but nonetheless, I should have had more self- control.
When she had not returned after half an hour, I took a deep breath and went to look for her; I was feeling a lot calmer and composed, and hopefully, she was too. I found her on her favourite seat in the living room, her legs pulled up close to her chest and tucked in beneath her chin, staring fixedly ahead at the muted TV, half a glass of wine on the side table.
There was no doubt she had heard me come in, but she did not acknowledge me with even a glance in. Since she was not speaking, I decided to go first.
“I’m sorry I hit you; I shouldn’t have done that, and I apologize,” I said quietly, my tone soft and sincere.
Nothing; she maintained her fixed stare at the TV, and did not move an inch. I tried a different approach.
“About taking Julie to the Katosi site, it was a purely official visit; neither dad nor I have the time to supervise it full time, and she does, so that’s all that was about.”
This time, she visibly stiffened, and her chest heaved with heavy, rapid breaths like she was struggling to control herself, but she still did not turn towards me, or respond in any other way. I waited for a few seconds to give her the opportunity to answer me, until it became obvious she was not going to, and then I sighed in defeat.
“Anyway, I just wanted to apologize; I’m sorry,” I repeated, and then with a shrug, turned and headed back upstairs to our room.
JULIE
Despite the call with my mother not going quite how I had hoped it would, it was not enough to dampen my high spirits from the great day I had had with David.
He had always provided me with a sense of security, but at the end of the day, the fact remained that Junior and I were living in a rented apartment, and if something ever happened to David, or if for whatever other reason, he stopped paying the rent, we would be homeless, especially since I no longer had a job.
It was this that made the Katosi arrangement he and his father had agreed to so significant; not only did it provide me with a job, it gave me a home that would never have the threat of unpaid rent hanging over it.
It was a giddying thought that kept me awake for hours, buzzing with excitement and euphoria, and as I lay on my bed staring up at the ceiling, I found myself mentally designing the home from its layout, down to the colour and positioning of the furniture.
Sandra had always said I was stupid for not getting more out of David – which was probably why she had taken it upon herself to milk him for money – but I was certain that even she, had not imagined ‘more’ being something as significant as a home, and the management of that project.
I was almost tempted to call and tell her about it, just to rub it in her face, and ask who the stupid one was now, but it was a very fleeting temptation, that I quickly dismissed.
In spite of everything she had done, I loved my sister, but she had taught me a valuable, if painful, lesson; while I would continue to support my family financially as much as I could, I would keep them at arm’s length and would certainly never again invite any of them to live with me, even if it was just for a holiday.
It is often said ‘keep your friends close, and your enemies closer’, but in my experience, I would say ‘keep your family close – but not too close.’
I loved my family, and I hoped that with time we would mend our relationship, but if we did, it would be with healthy boundaries that would protect my relationship with David, from my relationship with them.
margaretwamanga@yahoo.com
Source: The Observer
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