Chapter Eleven

It was a busy day for Anna. Taking care of the twins felt like a full-time job; they wanted to run around the park, which meant she had to keep up with them. After their piano lesson, the family decided to go shopping, where the kids wanted almost every toy and treat in the store.

Eventually, they made it home, all exhausted. Anna fed them dinner, and before long, the kids were in bed, snoring away. It had been a well-spent day, and she finally had some hours to catch her breath and enjoy some quality time with her husband. After taking a shower, she put on one of her best nightgowns to entice Fred, who had been watching TV all day. Before taking her seat beside him on the couch, she locked the front door.

“I don’t think Amanda is back,” Fred said.

“I know. I’m sorry I forgot to tell you; she called to say she would be staying at a friend’s place tonight and possibly till Monday,” Anna replied as she settled next to him.

Anger rose within Fred, and he tried hard to control himself. “When did she start sleeping out?”

“Well, she’s a big girl and can take care of herself,” Anna responded with a smile.

“So that’s a reason to stay out?”

Anna paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She wasn’t about to discuss Amanda tonight; all she wanted was to enjoy the evening with Fred. “Anyway, that just means we have quality time to enjoy together… you know what I mean.” She gently caressed the back of his head.

“Seriously, you need to talk to your sister; she can’t live in this house and lead a wayward life,” he said with a look of disgust on his face.

Anna exhaled slowly. She couldn’t understand his anger; he was the one who had constantly encouraged her to live her life, go out, and meet friends.

“Maybe she’s out with her boyfriend or friends. She isn’t a young girl, you know; she’s old enough to have a husband,” she replied gently.

“Boyfriend!” He pushed her hands away from his head. “Is that what she does these days? Go around sleeping with men in the name of finding a husband? I will not tolerate that kind of behavior in my house, not that kind of life.” He walked toward the stairs.

Anna felt her heart skip a beat. She couldn’t understand why he was so upset or why he was rejecting her advances. “Where are you going?” she called after him.

“Upstairs to sleep. I’m tired,” he replied without even looking back at her.

Frustrated and angry, Anna felt deflated. She had perfectly planned this night, and part of her was even happy when Amanda had called to say she was spending the weekend away. Anna had hoped to create a nice, romantic evening with her husband, but the way things had turned out left her heart sinking.

She sat back on the couch, rubbing her hands against her forehead in an attempt to ease the ache forming there. She couldn’t understand why it always seemed to be the women who ended up suffering. Her husband had been withdrawn and neglectful for a long time, with no reason or explanation for his behavior. Despite this, she tried to maintain a brave face and do everything she could to win him back, but nothing seemed to work. He would walk out of the room the moment she began to take off her dress or deliberately wait in the living room until she had fallen asleep.

At first, she was convinced he was cheating on her but found no physical evidence to support that suspicion. For the sake of her sanity and well-being, she decided she must be paranoid and that nothing inappropriate was happening. Still, she struggled to understand the neglect and silent treatment in their marriage. She almost felt compelled to speak with their pastor about the issue, hoping he could provide some insight and perhaps talk to her husband on her behalf. However, she knew how much Fred despised outsiders knowing their business.

Years ago, when Fred lost his twin sister to cancer, he fell into a deep depression and became extremely withdrawn. He would isolate himself for days, refusing to speak to anyone in the house. Occasionally, his grief would manifest in anger, and he would shout at everything and everyone around him. Initially, he justified his behavior as mourning, but months passed, and it began to take a toll on their marriage. He would often stay in the living room, sometimes even sleeping there for days without touching her or sharing the same bed.

After so much pleading and consoling him over his loss, there wasn’t much improvement; instead, he directed all his anger toward her. She decided to involve their pastor in the matter, asking him to encourage her husband to move on with his life and, most importantly, to stop punishing her with his neglect and nagging at home. Although he listened to his pastor, he later begged her never to involve anyone else in their family matters. He insisted that whatever problems arose in their marriage, they could always resolve them together.

The thought of going to anyone else for help was out of the question. She felt out of options and had nowhere to turn except to keep praying for peace in her marriage.

Anna decided to call her friend Pat, hoping that a conversation with her could take her mind off everything.

“Hello,” Pat said when she answered the call.

“Anna, how are you?” Pat asked.

“I’m good; I’m sorry I couldn’t return your call this afternoon. The kids had me running around,” Anna replied with a smile.

“That’s okay. So, how are you?” Pat continued.

“Good,” Anna replied.

“Have you told him?” Pat asked.

“Told him?” Anna snapped.

“Of course not!” “Anna!” Pat called out firmly. “I’m really getting angry at you now. I can’t believe you’re keeping such a secret from your husband.”

“I can’t tell him,” Anna whispered into the receiver.

“Secrets are not good, Anna; they destroy homes, marriages, families. You have to come clean. You need to confess to him.”

“This is my secret, Pat, and I would like it to remain so until—”

“Until when?” Pat shouted in frustration.

“Until I say so,” Anna snapped back. Anna could hear Pat inhale deeply.

“Everyone has a secret, Pat, especially in marriage. Some things are better kept private,” she said.

“What?” Pat gasped. “I can’t believe you’re saying this. Secrets are bad, Anna. This is really troubling.” She spoke gently to her. “You cannot hide this from him; it’s not right.”

“Just leave it as it is, please, Pat,” Anna said firmly.

“I can’t believe you. If I hadn’t caught you, you would never have told me, would you?” Pat asked, but Anna remained silent. “I’m urging you to tell him now before it all turns sour,” Pat warned.

She sighed. “Pat, I called you just to take my mind off some things, but since you’re only adding to my stress, I think it’s best if I hang up now.” With that, she ended the call.

Moments later, her phone began to vibrate. She saw it was Pat calling again, but she made no attempt to answer. Instead, she left the phone on the couch and walked upstairs to their room.

Chapter Twelve

Pat felt anger rising within her. She dialed Anna’s number again, only to realize that Anna had intentionally ignored her calls. She searched for her house number to call, but ultimately decided against it. This wasn’t something they could discuss in a state of anger, and she didn’t want her husband to hear about it from her; she didn’t want to be the reason for any heartbreak in her marriage.

Reluctantly, she set the phone down on the kitchen table to remove the kettle of boiling water from the gas burner. Mama still hadn’t recovered from her cold, even though Joel, her husband, had taken her to the doctor a few days ago, where she was prescribed some medications for both her cold and her high blood pressure. Mama had been repeatedly warned about her high blood pressure and advised to take measures to reduce it, but her agitation and unnecessary anger every day only made things worse. Pat decided to remain calm around her; she wasn’t about to be blamed for causing any sickness. Every day, she prayed for strength and patience, trying to ignore the attitudes Mama directed towards her.

Since Mama barely touched her dinner, Pat wanted to make her a Horlicks drink to help her sleep. She carried the tray of drink down to Mama’s room and knocked gently on the door, but there was no answer. Quietly, she opened the door and found Mama sleeping. She placed the tray on the bedside table. As she turned to leave, she noticed that the window was open, so she quietly closed it. Then, she picked up some of Mama’s clothes lying on the floor and made a quick trip to the bathroom to clean up. Just as she was about to leave, she heard a slight cough. “What do you want?” Her voice was laced with resentment.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Pat whispered. “I brought you some Horlicks; it might help you sleep better,” she said kindly.

Mama scoffed. “I don’t need your Horlicks or whatever you call it,” she hissed.

Pat sighed, deciding not to argue with her this evening. “Would you like me to make you a little something to eat since you didn’t have much for dinner?” she asked.

“I don’t need anything from you, Patricia,” Mama snapped.

“I’m sorry,” Pat replied, unsure of what was upsetting her this time.

“What…” Mama started to cough. “What do…” she said, massaging her chest to ease the pain. Pat quickly poured her a glass of water from the bottle on her table. “What do you want from me?” Mama asked angrily.

“What!” Pat was stunned.
She sat up on the bed, ignoring the glass of water beside her. “You think I don’t know you? You think I’m not aware of all your tactics?”

“Mama, you should rest.” Pat placed the glass on the table and started to leave the room.

“Who do you think you are?” Mama’s voice stopped her in her tracks. “You think you can walk into my son’s life and destroy everything he has worked for all his life?” Her tone was damning.

Pat turned to face her mother, feeling anger rising within her and struggling to control it.

“You, Patricia, destroyed his life. You entered his world and ruined everything, and for that, I will always hate you. Nothing you do or say can change my mind.”

Pat gasped in disbelief. Though she was accustomed to this kind of talk from her, hearing such outright hatred and accusations was jarring. “What are you saying, Mama?” she demanded.

“You destroyed his life, Patricia. My son left Nigeria to continue his studies to become a doctor here in the United Kingdom—a dream he’s had for so long. But when he met you…” She shook her head in dismay. “Everything fell apart; his dreams, his plans, his life—all in shambles.” She looked hard at Pat.

Pat shuddered.

“Do you know how much I suffered for my son, how much I worked hard so he could achieve all his dreams?” Tears were clogging in her throat. “I worked as an enslaved person after his father died so he could continue his education; I sold all that I had… I gave up my own dreams, my life for him….” She wiped the tears away from her cheeks.

“He wanted to become a doctor; he wanted so much to do this, and I made it happen; I did everything a mother could do to help his boy, but you…” She pointed at her in anger and shook her head again in dismay. “You came into his life and destroyed everything that I ever did for him; you destroyed my son.” She shouted.

“What!” Pat was shocked.

“He works in a retail store, a shop, for Christ’s sake!” She shouted in anger. “You destroyed his dream with your pathetic life; you gave him responsibility he was not ready for; he gave him baggage.” She shouted at her.

Pat felt her heart tighten, and tears were in her eyes. She could not believe what Mama said: “I am his wife, Mama, the mother of his children, your grandchildren.”

Mama hissed. “My grandson!” She corrected. “I refuse to claim a lost and wayward child for a granddaughter.” She hissed again.

“What!” Pat gasped in disbelief. It was true; her daughter Rachael wasn’t her husband’s biological child, but he had adopted her as his own, and that had never been an issue in their marriage.

“You heard me right,” Mama grimaced. “Ever since you and your daughter walked into his life, it’s been one downfall after another. His career went down the drain; everyone back home calls my son a doctor. I can only imagine the disgrace if they knew what he does now. You destroyed that—you destroyed him!” She shouted, pointing at Pat.

Pat swallowed hard and fought back tears. “I didn’t destroy his dream of becoming a doctor; he changed his mind and decided to pursue a different career, not me,” she replied, tears streaming down her face.

“You gave him a reason to change,” Mama exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air in anger. “You brought your mess into his life—the same mess that ruined your first home and ultimately killed your first husband.”

Pat gasped, clutching her stomach as it tightened with anxiety.

“You think I don’t know about that?” Mama glared at her. “I’m sure the poor man died because of bad luck with a wife like you; he died depressed.” She rolled her eyes. “Did he have a mother?” she asked in a low voice. “I’m sure he didn’t, because no mother would watch her son’s life be destroyed like you did to him.” She snarled.

Pat allowed the tears to flow freely down her face. She felt her legs trembling and gently walked to the wall for support. She was in complete shock at everything Mama was saying to her.

“You and your wayward daughter are nothing but bad luck, distraction, and mess to my son. You are killing him with all these responsibilities-

“What responsibilities?” Pat interrupted in anger. “What responsibilities are you talking about mama? That a man loves his family and takes care of them. Is that a responsibility too much of a husband and father?” Tears were clogging her throat.

“Mama, I have been patient, I have tolerated, and I have done so much to bring peace between us, but now I can see you hate me so much, and there is nothing I can do or say that will change your mind.” She wiped the tears clouded on her eyelid away. What…do…you…want from me?” she cried brokenly.

Mama straightened. “I want you out of his life, Patricia. I don’t like you, and I know you are not God’s will for him.” She said out of spite. “I want you out!”

Pat could not bear to hear any of this again; the words pierced her like a hot knife, and it hurt. She felt broken, and tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked at Mama in tears for the last time and hastily left her room.

She opened the door and was shocked to see Joel standing just outside. From the look on his face, she was certain he had heard everything. Worst of all, he made no attempt to intervene. His silence justified everything his mother had said to her; it was clear he had been doing nothing all along. Perhaps he shared his mother’s feelings, using her as a voice to express his own. He blamed her for his life, for his failures in his career, and for everything else. Her heart sank in dismay as he just stood there, staring back at her in silence. The expression on his face shattered her heart again. Overcome with anger and sadness, she turned away and went to her room in tears.