(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 made Diane wait for several days after her call before finally showing up at the house on purpose; I wanted to ensure that she had learned her lesson, and prove the point that she was not in charge; I was.

The fact that I ended up going on the same day Julie and I were moving out of the apartment, however, was not quite as planned; the girls had called, begging to see me, and although I suspected that it was Diane who had put them up to it, their pleas had succeeded in breaking me, and so, rather than going to help Julie with the move, I had wound up going to the house after work.

I knew it was unfair to Julie, and did feel guilty about how inconsiderate I was being, but that guilt only lasted until I drove up the driveaway of the house, and saw the girls come running out the front door, their faces lit up with delight and excitement, their happy calls of ‘Daddy! Daddy has come! Daddy is here!’, clearly audible through the rolled-up car windows.

Diane and Daniel were, as usual, a lot more reserved in their responses to my arrival. Daniel muttered a quiet “Hello, Daddy”, while Diane let out a sigh of relief, and then, unable to help herself, added sarcastically, “So nice of you to finally make it.”

I did not rise to the bait and instead turned back to the girls; “What have you little munchkins been up to? How is school?”

“Fine, but we missed you! Where have you been?” Samantha demanded.

I glanced at Diane for any clue of what she had said about my absence, but she studiously avoided my gaze, giving nothing away, and making it obvious I was on my own with this one.

“I’ve missed you too sweetie, but I’ve been really busy with work,” I lied, hoping this explanation would satisfy her. It didn’t.

“Have you finished your work now?” she insisted innocently. “Not yet, sweetheart; not yet,” I sighed quietly.

DIANE

I was more than a little relieved when David finally came to the house; he had kept blowing me off the entire week, and I had worried that I had pushed him too far this time, and he really was going to go through with his threat to take the children from me.

In desperation, I got the girls to call him, and was thankful that that had worked, and at least he was here; it wasn’t much, but it was a start.

For the first few hours after he arrived, he focused on the children and practically ignored me, and I had just about given up on us talking, when he sent the children out to play, and finally turned his attention to me.

“Did you receive the papers from my lawyer?” he asked as coolly as if he were asking if I had done the grocery shopping.

“What!” I gasped “The papers from my lawyer; did you receive them?” he repeated the question.

“No, I didn’t. I didn’t think you had actually called him,” I answered quietly, my voice trembling, my eyes filling with tears.

“Why not? I said I would, didn’t I?” “Yes, but I told you, you could see the kids whenever you wanted to, and you’re here now, and they’re here, and everything is fine; so, there’s no need for your lawyer to file those papers,” I argued, rambling breathlessly in panic and desperation.

“Diane, I’m here because I wanted to see the children, and the girls asked me to come; that’s all! It doesn’t change anything between you and me; we’re still over, and I still intend to protect my right to the kids – especially now.”

“What do you mean ‘especially now’?”

“Julie and I have moved to the Katosi site, which means I won’t be able to come every day, and I need to know that when I can see them, they’re available for me to do so.”

“They will be,” I mumbled.

He continued like he had not heard me.

“We’re going to be in a smaller unit until our main one is ready; so, there’s no space for the kids there now, but once the main one is done, there will be, and I will have them there!” he swore determinedly.

His words sounded like a threat, except looking in his eyes, I knew he meant every word of them.

JULIE

David didn’t arrive at the Katosi unit until after eight that evening; long after I had finished unpacking and putting everything away – by myself.

I was bone tired, and hurt and disappointed that he had abandoned me on a day when I had really needed him, but when he walked in, froze for a second, and then turned and looked at me with a look of awe and wonder like I was the most incredible woman in the world, my fatigue, hurt and disappointment faded away.

All I could think of, was that I had impressed and pleased him, and somehow that was all that mattered.

“Honey, this is amazing! How on earth did you manage to get all this done?”

“Do you like it?” I asked shyly. “Are you kidding me? I love it!” he exclaimed, and as though to show me just how much, he strode up to me, pulled me into his arms, and kissed me long and hard.

When he released me, it was only long enough for us to catch our breaths, and then we were back in each other’s arms, impatiently tugging off and discarding clothes, before making love right there in our new living room with even more passion than we had the previous night.

The next time he released me, we were both so drained, it was all we could do to stumble to the bedroom before collapsing tiredly into the bed.

I thought I was exhausted, but minutes later, I heard David’s breath slow and deepen as he dozed off before me.

“Welcome home, darling,” I whispered, as I gently ran a finger down his cheek. “Mmmm,” he moaned in a semi-conscious response. I smiled, closed my eyes, and moments later, I was asleep as well.

margaretwamanga@yahoo.com

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