Three is a crowd: Oh Sandra, you naughty girl! 

(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

It was Tracy who eventually broke me out of my prison when she called one morning and informed me that she was on her way to pick me up.

The determination in her tone made it clear she would not take no for an answer; just as well, because after weeks cooped up in the house, I was more than ready for a change of scenery. In fact, I was so eager to get out, that when she arrived about half an hour later, she found me dressed and ready to go.

After the usual hugs and greetings, she held me at arm’s length and studied me closely.

“You look tired and have lost a bit of weight,” she observed seriously. “But at least you’ve still got your great sense of style, that dress is fabulous on you!”

“Thank you; I’m glad you like it,” I laughed at her candour. “Where are we going?”
“First to put some flesh back on you with a long leisurely breakfast; after that, we’ll see. Are you ready?”

I picked up my handbag from a table by the front door, and then nodded affirmatively, and followed her back out to her car. Tracy drove me to a small café close to the boutique where she and I had gone numerous times in the past, and I had not realized just how much I had missed being out and about until we arrived.

Walking in, it felt like a huge weight had been taken off my shoulders, a feeling that was only magnified when the waiter walked off with our order. Tracy turned to me and simply asked, “What’s going on?”

Her question seemed to open a dam within me and I told her everything. As usual, she was a great listener, quietly letting me get everything off my chest, only interrupting occasionally for clarification on one point or another, and just enough to let me know she was actually listening.

When I was finally done, she stayed silent for a few seconds, then taking a deep breath, looked me straight in the eye: “This is more serious than I thought – we’ve got work to do.”

JULIE

“Can I ask you something?” Sandra asked, her tone hesitant and nervous.

We were in the kitchen, I cooking dinner while she washed the lunch dishes. Until then we had been enjoying a companionable silence, with each one of us focusing on our tasks.

“Sure; what is it?”
“Are you planning on ever returning to work?”

I had not known what she was going to ask, but it certainly was not this, and I wondered what had brought it on.

“Why do you ask?” I asked in surprise, turning to face her directly.
“I was just thinking you must get pretty bored when I’m at school; I mean I haven’t seen any friends of yours come by – apart from David, that is – and although Junior is a sweetheart, surely you must get tired of spending all day talking in baby babble. Besides, before you know it, he’ll be starting nursery, and then you won’t even have that; so, I was just wondering what your plan is,” she explained.

It was freaky that Sandra had raised the subject at a time when I had privately begun to question the limited scope of my world myself, and I wondered if I had inadvertently been giving off signs of my personal thoughts.

Be that as it may, and that Sandra had in fact been spot on in her analysis, I was not ready to admit that to her just yet; I knew that I wanted my life to have more dimensions than it currently did, but until I knew just what those dimensions were going to be, and had a solid plan for how I was going to attain them, I was not ready to concede that my life was anything less than perfect to anyone – not even my sister.

“At the moment, there’s actually too much for me to do with Junior and the apartment for me to get bored; of course that might change when Junior joins nursery, but I’ll cross that bridge when I reach it,” I answered casually, with a forced lightness in my tone.

“As long as you’re happy, I guess that’s all that matters,” she shrugged, thankfully buying my act. “Yes, I’m happy,” I nodded, hoping I sounded a lot more confident than I felt.

DAVID

I could tell there was something bothering Julie within an hour of arriving at the flat one evening; although she welcomed me with her usual warmth, and went through the usual routine of all the things she normally did, she had always been as transparent as an open book, and I could tell she had something on her mind.

I was tempted to ask her what was wrong, but I suspected I already knew the answer to that, thanks to a text I had received from her sister earlier that day that read: ‘Hi David. Sorry for bothering you, but really need your help with something that I don’t think Julie has told you about.

My mother is in deep financial trouble and might even be evicted from the house soon if she does not pay the landlord what she owes him (I think it’s two months now). I don’t even know if my brother and I will be returning to school at the start of the term because Julie usually pays and of late she’s been saying she doesn’t have money.

I know you are a kind and generous man which is why I am begging you for your help, but please don’t tell Julie that I have contacted you because she will be mad at me for doing so. If you can help, please send it to me on my number and again I beg you, please don’t tell Julie. If you can’t, it’s fine too, just don’t tell Julie I asked. Thank you.’

I was more than a little surprised by the message, first because Sandra had never texted me before, and secondly, because I regularly gave Julie money for her mother; so, it did not make sense that her mother was in such dire financial straits.

My initial impulse was to call Julie and ask her what was going on, but Sandra’s plea for me not to tell her sister about her text stopped me. I knew the two sisters had just been through a rough patch in their relationship, and with things between them just getting back to normal,

I did not want to stir up any fresh trouble; so, I did not tell Julie about her sister’s message – or the million shillings that I sent Sandra, with the accompanying message: ‘Give this to your mother, and don’t worry about you or your brother’s fees, I’ll make sure Julie has that before the term begins.’

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