Of course, that was the last thing on my mind. That was the last thing I will do. MD is not just my son’s father, he is also security for me. If I walk away, who pays the bills? Who will see to my boy’s well being? How will Junior go to a good school, one that’s befitting of the son of who he is? Who will take care of me?
I thanked Aunty Meg. “I really appreciate your time, Aunty, I will digest everything you have said and act accordingly,” I assured her.
“Are you sure you will be good?” she asked, genuinely concerned about my well being?”
“Sure, Aunty, thanks,” I answered. She gave me a hug and left for her apartment.
I was tired. Mentally, physically, I was drained. I needed a lot of rest. I needed time to process a lot of things. I needed to know how to go about handling the situation I have found myself in. I can’t afford to make any mistake. The last thing I want now is to trigger a major rift between MD and I. A lot of things were running through my mind. MD would definitely come and see me at home later in the day, how should I handle him when he comes? Should I play the victim by acting angry, frustrated and cheated, or I play things cool with him and be apologetic? I didn’t know what to do but I was sure of one thing though, when that moment comes, I would definitely know how best to approach the situation. And besides, everything would depend largely on how MD relates to me.
And just like I anticipated, MD showed up at my door in the evening. He obviously came straight from the office. He was still dressed in suit and had clearly not gone home yet. He wore a serious look on his face. He didn’t come beaming his big smile at me, he had a big scowl on his face that showed clearly that there was a lot on his mind. This was not going to be easy.
“How are you, MD?” I greeted him as I opened the door for him. “I was starting to think you might not come and see me today,” I said as I turned to allow him come inside.
“Oh, really? And why would you think that way, because you know I must be very upset with you?” he shot back at me.
I shrugged. “Well, I don’t know about you being upset with me but perhaps that makes two of us because I am upset too and you know it!” I returned, looking straight into his eyes.
“You are upset? With whom?” he snapped back at me. “Let me ask you a question, Anita, do you even have any idea what you did at all? Do you know the damage you have caused?”
I was expecting MD to be a little angry with me but I wasn’t expecting he would be this angry. His eyes were burning with rage and I could see he was barely trying to suppress his anger. But yet, I wasn’t ready to crumble before him just like that, I had to put up a fight myself and it had better be a good one.
“MD, are you here to fight me or what? Are you here to finish the humiliation you and your wife gave me back in your house? Is that what this visit is about?” I formed my own anger for him. And from the way I raised my voice, I could tell from the look on his face that he was taken aback by my reaction.
“Oh, so you are now claiming you were humiliated, right? You are now playing the victim, right?” he shot back at me, gazing deep into my eyes. I did not look away, I met his gaze and very firmly too.
“Who humiliated who?” he’d continued, his voice raising. “Do you know the humiliation you caused me, making look stupid before my wife? Do you have any idea the kind of pain you have caused my wife? She has been weeping since yesterday!”
I shook my head angrily. “And you expect me to believe that a woman that treated me the way she did in your house is now emotionally broken so much so that she’s been crying since yesterday? Oh, please, MD, spare me!”
“Shut up, Anita, shut up your mouth for a moment!” MD barked at me. “It’s not just my house, it’s her house as well! As a matter of fact, it is more her house than mine!” MD continued. “So, tell me, how would you feel if another woman came here to meet you in your house and speak to you the way you spoke to my wife, how would you feel?”
“What do you mean it’s more her house than yours? Does that house not belong to my son too at the very least? Are you not the man of the house anymore? Why should she have a problem with the mother of your only child coming to spend some time in the house with your son?”
MD sat down furiously. “Anita, you don’t get it, do you? Or, is it that you simply don’t want to be reasonable here?” he shot at me. “You think everything must be about you and my son, right? You think that my wife should concede to you her position in my life, in my home just because you have got me a son? Is that how things work? Is that how life should be?”
He sighed heavily and with a wry smile on his face, he said to me, “I think I must tell you a bit about myself today that you didn’t know, it’s a story I have hidden from you. I think it’s time you know the reason why no woman, I repeat, no woman, can take the place of my wife!”
…To Be Continued
