(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

Even though I was physically, mentally and emotionally drained, I hardly got any sleep that night, as the words of my father, kept running through my mind.

When we got up to his room, he asked my mother to excuse us, and after she had left, he instructed me to pull a chair up, so he could look me in the eye as he spoke. He looked so weak and frail, but his voice still commanded attention, and when he spoke, I listened.

“I’m so proud of the man you’ve become,” he began quietly.

“I’m lucky that I can go on to whatever comes after, knowing I’ve left behind a son who will carry on what I haven’t been able to finish. I know you’ll look after your mother and sister, and I’m grateful for that. The only thing I am worried about, is that you’ll make mistakes that I’m responsible for.”

“I don’t understand; what do you mean?” I asked, my brow furrowed in confusion.

“I know I haven’t always been very kind or accepting when it comes to Julie; I was worried about how Diane’s family would react if I was, and that was my mistake. You see when you get to the end of your life, you realize that other people’s opinions of you or your actions don’t really matter, and that all you’ll remember is the people who loved you, not those who judged you. I’ve been blessed to have shared my life with your mother; she’s a good woman, and one who showed me love every day. Julie is that same kind of woman, and I don’t want you to let go of that because of how I treated her.”

At that point, he went into a coughing fit, and it took him a moment to catch his breath again, but when he did, he continued: “I’m not suggesting you leave Diane; just don’t let go of Julie because of how I acted, because if you do, you’ll have let go of a really good woman, for one who will never love you the way I’ve been loved.”

He closed his eyes then, and thinking he had fallen asleep, I stood up to leave, only for him to open his eyes again: “Bring her to see me tomorrow; she and my grandson.”

I nodded silently; and satisfied, he dozed off again.

JULIE

I was up at the crack of dawn the next morning, fussing about what to carry to the hospital, and in the end, I had juice, tea, coffee, and a whole array of snacks, that looked like I was preparing breakfast for at least ten, rather than just David and his parents.

By the time that was done, it was almost seven and I hurried to the bathroom for a quick shower, before turning my attention to what to wear; I settled on a long-sleeved, ankle-length- flowing dress that was appropriate for meeting David’s parents, but not much else.

By the time David arrived as it approached eight, Junior and I were both ready and waiting.

“Why do you always cook like you’re cooking for an entire village?” David complained, when he saw how much there was to carry to the car.

“I wasn’t sure what your parents would like; so, I made a variety,” I explained. “That’s just being wasteful,” he grumbled, as he picked up the baskets, and rebuked, I fell silent as I carried Junior in one hand, and his bag in another, and followed David down to the car.

I was dying to ask David for any hints of why his father wanted to see me, but his cold tone and stony expression were a sufficient deterrent; so, we made the short drive in a silence that was only broken by Junior’s baby chatter.

It was only once we got to the hospital and up to his father’s room, that his demeanor changed to soft and gentle, as he opened the door, and motioned me in ahead of him.

It took me a few seconds to recognize the frail, shriveled man in the hospital bed; so completely changed was he from the last time I had seen him, and my eyes involuntarily filled with tears.

David’s mother was asleep in a two-seater couch to one side of the room, and she did not stir when we walked in, but his father opened his eyes as David shut the door behind us. A slow smile spread across his face, and raising one of his hands with a lot of effort, waved us over.

DIANE

I woke up with a restless energy the next morning, and for the first time in a long time, arrived at the boutique before Tracy, as I had left the house shortly after David had.

I was anxious to talk to Tracy about the latest developments and could not sit still; so, I busied myself with irrelevant tasks, waiting for her arrival. I practically mobbed her as soon as she arrived, ushering her to our office like there was a huge emergency.

“What on earth is going on?” she demanded once we were alone. “David’s father has cancer, and he’s dying,” I announced directly.

“What! Oh, my goodness!” she exclaimed in shock, and then as the words sank in and registered, she went from shock to an almost panicked consternation: “What are you doing here then?” “What do you mean?” “If his father is dying, why are you here, and not at the hospital?”

“I can’t go to the hospital! Have you forgotten that his father and I don’t exactly get along?” I reminded her wryly.

“All the more reason for you to go! He’s dying; so, now is the time to bury the hatchet, or have you forgotten that he owns half that Katosi project you’ve been crying on about?” she shot back sarcastically.

“Of course not! I’ve thought of little else apart from that since I found out, but I don’t think he wants me there; I don’t even think David wants me there! Or his mum for that matter, who will no doubt be there as well; what if she causes a scene and throws me out?”

“I don’t think she will, with her husband dying in a hospital bed next to her, but even if she does, at least David will see that you made the effort, and trust me, that will mean a lot to him.”

“I don’t know,” I hedged.

As usual, Tracy was making a lot of sense, but I just didn’t know if I was brave enough to go to the hospital, especially knowing I probably would not be welcome there.

“Think about it; this is no doubt a really tough time for David, and he’s going to need all the support he can get. If he’s not getting it from you, who do you think he’s going to get it from?”

Her question was rhetorical, and its inference hit hard – now was not the time to give David space, for his whore would only rush to fill it.

Turning around, I picked up my handbag and car keys.

“I’m going to the hospital,” I announced determinedly.

margaretwamanga@yahoo.com