A long walk to nothing episode 19

A LONG WALK TO NOTHING

Episode 19&20

Alexia is still exiting Cecilia’s house when she completely breaks down, her tears have clouded her vision and she’s not seeing where she’s headed to, she hates herself right now, she hates her body so much that she just wants to die, how could her husband of twenty years turn to hurt her like this, has she not been a good wife, has she for once denied him his conjugal rights? No not once that she knows of….she cries as gets to where her car is packed, she’s made up her mind to go and meet the lion himself at his office, she doesn’t care if they have no privacy there but she’s going, she has to end it today and can’t wait for him to come home….just as she’s about to open the door

“Mum” Eddy calls running towards her and she turns, seeing her son breaks her even more

“Mum wait” by the time Eddy calls her again, he reaches fast enough to catch her from collapsing

“Mum please… Don’t do this…not here please” he’s begging her, she rests her head on his shoulder now sobbing louder….

“Let’s get out of here now Mum” he begs…. Eddy helps her in the car and asks her to sit still, he’s going to drive her home
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Liam is pacing in his office with his phone on his ears trying to call Alexia but her phone is already switched off, he has tried it for the eightinth time and still the same thing, he calls Eddy but the young man isn’t picking either he’s blaming himself for whatever is happening now

“Couldn’t you just keep your mouth shut you fool, like seriously?”…. He dials Richærd now, he’s moving up and down pacing just praying he picks up, just as he hoped, Richærd actually picks up immediately

“Man tsup”

“Are you in the office Ritchie” he asks right away

“Yep anything the matter? You sound jumpy”

“Are you alone?”

“Of course not….I work with people”

“OK I want to talk to you….I mean now”

“You know that’s not possible, I just got here”

“I mean on phone, can you move a little away from the prying eyes and ears”

“OK….but this better be short” Richærd gets up and walks out, when he’s sure he’s alone he speaks

“Man you’re scaring me what’s going on”

“Is Donald there at the office”

“Yes why”

“Has Alexia gone there”

“No but his son was here a while ago, it’s like he just came to say something and ran out what’s happening”

“I finally told her the truth”

“What? Are you out of your mind?”

“Before you say anything or even judge me Richie, first listen to me, I had to….. you know me, I don’t like it when someone I know is going through a lot and I know why but I don’t do anything about it……my conscience couldn’t let me keep shut anymore”

“That’s not the point here”

“What’s the freaking point?”

“The point is how the woman took the news….that’s what I want to know”

“That’s why I called you, I thought she would want to go face her husband off and ….”

“You’re so annoying Liam, what were you even thinking, what if that woman does something to herself”

“Don’t even mention it, I’m already scared to my bones but if anything comes up, please call me up…let me know”

“I will…let me go before someone starts spying, you know how these people are”

“Thank you”
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“Take me to your father’s office I need to talk to him” Alexia who has managed to calm down a bit tells her son who is driving besides her but fuming in,side too

“Did you hear me son”

“I did Mum but that’s not where we are headed to, I’m driving you home…..rest is what you need not talking to my Dad”

“Edmond”

“Mother please I’m boiling up here, I need to talk to Dad too but office isn’t the place….don’t even argue about it because I’m about to explode”

“Fine but home is not where I want to be either” Eddy doesn’t say anything else but continues driving

“Did you even hear what I said last”

“Alexia please!!!” At this point she knows he is loosing it too so they both keep to themselves as he drives, they get home and he comes down to open up for her……they walk in,side and when they get to the living room, Alexia looks over to the cupboard where the big plasma TV sits, there on top of it is their wedding picture on the Right, it was taken in church where they were saying the vows and on the left is another family portrait, with four of them in the big frame and Donald looked happy in it. Alexia posses to look at the picture

“What is it Mum” Eddy asks concerned and gently but Alexia doesn’t respond, she walks to the cupboard and picks the two frames, walking back to where Eddy is still standing, she looks at him and proceeds to the couch, she sits down still holding the two frames

“Let me make for you coffee Mum” Eddy says

“Sit…..son Sit down with Mummy” Eddy doesn’t like the tone but he does, Alexia puts the wedding picture down and holds onto the one with her children, she shows it to Eddy

“Do you see this son…..three years ago, we took this picture, you were about sixteen and almost seventeen, Celine had just learnt how to walk and it was overwhelming, I had no one to help me around the house, you had finished highschool and waiting to join the university but Donald asked you to work with him at the office…….I was struggling between trying to be a good woman, mother and trying to keep up with the kind of trophy wife the society today wants, it wasn’t easy but no one saw my struggles and dilemma, at first I tried juggling both but I couldn’t keep up, I didn’t want a domestic help because I knew I needed to manage my home myself… I had high hopes in you my two children and the fact that I had the best husband in the entire world but look at me now….fat and ug….”

“Muuuum stop it! You’re not fat and ugly…stop saying it”

“Oh my son……growing up, I had always had a low self esteem, not like I wanted to have it….. I was born in Italy, and my late Mum who is Italian fell in love with this wonderful African man who promised her heaven on earth, he loved her I could see it in his eyes though I was young, he was studying there in Italy when they met and we all moved back here when I was seven, he had finished school and remained working there for another two years after school before we moved back here….I was in school too……my poor Mum and I had no idea what awaited us back home in Africa, we arrived but to my mother’s shock, Dad had a wife back home with whom they had three children, one boy and two girls who were way older than me, life wasn’t easy because no one from his side wanted a white woman, we were treated like outcasts always alone but I was too young to understand…..Mum was depressed, Dad loved her but he also loved his people and had to listen to them and choose one……I was young, clueless and had no idea there was actually something wrong going on, Mum loved me way beyond now but she started acting funny, she was no longer happy and I knew it, I stopped going to school…..one day she told me we were travelling back to Italy, I didn’t understand why but asked if Dad was going with us but she said no he would only visit….two days later, I heard Dad telling Mum he’s not going to allow her go back with me, they started yelling and Mum cried everyday from that day….she got sick and died when I was only ten”

“Mum…….you’ve never told me this…why are you telling me now”

“Neither have I told your father, I don’t also know why I’m telling you this but growing up with a stepmother and step sisters was terrible, something that scares me up until now…..my brother was the fair one because he would actually stand up for me against any one who tried hurting me because now my step mum and siblings made it a point to say thinks that really hurt about my skin tone…it was pure racism but Joe my brother stood out, defended me but that was only during holidays when he’s back from school……I was fat, had a different skin colour from the rest of the people around me, I was always reminded I’m ugly and unlucky that’s why my own mother died……. I joined school pretty late because I was emotionally abused but the teachers loved me, I was leading my class and excelling even from a day school. I finished high school really quick because I was jumping classes and joined nursing, I graduated with diploma and was praying to God to give me a job however little it would pay so I could move out of home to my own space and finally breath, I wasn’t allowed to keep boyfriends because I was constantly reminded the day I get one, I’m in my own….. my brother actually got one job for me in a small private clinic somewhere in town, I worked for the first two months and the boss was good, I moved out of home as promised and got a small place somewhere for myself, things were falling in place and everything was going on smoothly until when my boss started demanding for s€×, I downplayed it at first but he continued, when I couldn’t yield to his demands, he fired me without thinking twice I grabbed my small bag and headed back home because I couldn’t afford food and rent…. Mum and my step sisters kicked me out too before even settling, I had no where else to go so I called my brother who by then was working somewhere in town. he took me in, he had a single room apartment that had everything and yet it wasn’t big enough for two, at night he would sleep on the couch ditching the bed for me, I still owe him one….I remember him having a fight and breaking up with his girlfriend because the girl wanted me out since they no longer had privacy, I felt I had to go but had no where, I started moving from one hospital to another looking for a job, after two solid weeks if no luck, someone told my brother one hospital was looking for nurses, I took my time to follow up because I was already getting fed up…. That day I finally made up my mind to do so, I walked in and asked around, they told me to wait but my waiting lasted for three hours, i was hungry….i remembered Joe had given me some coins, i went for coffee but ended up accidentally spilling it on a stranger, he was nice and I offered to clean his shirt in the process we talked briefly and became friends, few weeks later, I got pregnant, I didn’t know these things because there was no one to talk to me about them……..I told him about the pregnancy thinking he would jump and say hell No but surprisingly he was cool and happy, it happened too fast, my Dad gave my hand to him with my dear brother by my side in a Holy matrimony…. That day my prayers were answered, Donald turned out to be better than I ever imagined, Dad died few months after my wedding without setting his eyes on you even…..I’ve been living in Paradise all these twenty years of my marriage never for once has Donald ever complained about me not working and just waiting on him for everything, he provided even without me asking, he’s an excellent father…. He has never given me any reason to doubt his love, he loved me in my body of course you know I was fat but not this fat…..I don’t remember us having any argument that lasted for more than twenty four hours because we would never go to bed mad at each other….all was roses till when thorns began to come our, Cecilia huh!….. She came in to the picture and Donald was very furious, he was against that friendsh¡p Right from when he found out…..I thought it was just a normal thing but look at me……I’m living the reality of the normal now” Eddy rubs her hands

“I love you my son”

“I love you so much Mum……… If I was given another chance in life to choose a mother, I would choose you but this time a million times…so that’s enough, no more about them” they hug on it

“Let me go make for you coffee… No more tears” he gets up and walks to the kitchen
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Cecilia dressed in a crop top and blue fades jeans comes out of her car wearing the best plastic smile ever, as she emerges from the car, she makes sure to wave to everyone as all heads turn her direction, she walks straight to the head teacher’s office

“Good morning Sir”she greets

” look who we have here….Cecilia the beauty queen”

“You can say that again” she flaunts her expensive Brazilian hair and flashes her perfectly done nail as she talks to the head teacher

“What brings you here today”

“I’m here to see two of your pupils…..Celine peters Stevenson and Glory Peters…was just passing by and I thought I should check up on them”

“Quite thoughtful of you, I was actually wondering why you and Alexia don’t come for random visits lately like you always do”

“Ooh! Busy schedule you know but I’m here now but before you ask, I know what you want to say next Hahaha funny isn’t it, actually I know Mr Liam Peters too I do workout with him”

“Alright…. Come with me, the children are about to come out actually”…… She tags along as the headmaster leads her………Liam drives in and packs his car, he comes out and is about to walk away when he s₱0ts Cecilia’s car

“Jeeee….could you get any sneakier!” He has just taken a few steps when he sees the head teacher and the ski-ny bitch coming out of his office so he stands still

“Mr Liam” the man calls

“Liiiam!…didn’t know you were coming too” Cecilia calls stressing the name longer

“How are you” he greets the head teacher ignoring her

“I’m great, Cecilia here actually came to see your daughter and her friend Alexia’s”

“Oh yes Liam just like I told you” Liam is boiling

“Good of you miss” he turns to the head teacher

“Can I have a word with her please”

“Sure why not” Liam grabs Cecilia’s arm and pulling her back to the packing area

“What are you even doing here….what do you set to achieve with these crazy acts of yours Cecilia” she smiles

“I don’t know what you mean by crazy but if it pleases you to know, I have a goal Liam to achieve…… Actually two goals and I must achieve one if not both”

“Hahaha…. Hahaha I can see you’ve actually lost it, you’ve gone bipolar… Let me guess, you have two goals in the names of Donald and Liam and you must achieve one if not two is that it?”

“Exactly….. Clever boy”

“Well guess what I’m off the table and this madness of trying to sneak your way and try win our children is stopping now…….I forbid you from getting any inch closer to either my daughter or Alexia’s” she walks closer to him

“And what if I don’t?”

“Well, I will give you the scandal of your life you homewrecker, Alexia is crying there because of your stupid little games and you can’t even feel any sense of shame, you lack scruples”

“No no no don’t put this one me, it was you who told her, I was cool playing undercover girlfriend but you blew it off, tell me something, are you jealous it was Donald?”

“Hahahaha did you even say jealous? Like seriously, what do I even see in you”

“Just admit it, you enjoyed the k-ss…. You’ve always wanted to k-ss me but had no idea how and you got the perfect opportunity…admit it, you loved it”

“Dad” Glory calls before Liam could even say a word

“Glory….Celine” Cecilia calls stepping in front but Liam is first, he grabs the two girls by the the hands and head teacher couldn’t miss this reaction

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you two were still talking when I went to call the children” Head teacher says

“It’s OK but please Sir one thing, I don’t want this woman any where close to these two girls got it” the head teacher is surprised and confused too….

to be continued