A long walk to nothing episode 20

A LONG WALK TO NOTHING Episode 20

Cecilia is so dumbstruck by what Liam just says to the head teacher even more so, in front of the pupils but he doesn’t look any way sorry for what he just said

“If she’s paying this school a visit it has to be for a different reason other than these two children”

“I don’t understand” the head teacher says

“You don’t have to understand, you just have to do as I say, I’m a hundred percent sure this is what Alexia would also want” Cecilia at this point stands there like a statue, the head teacher has no choice but to ask the two girls to come with him and the innocently follow leaving Cecilia alone with Liam who has nothing but rage in his eyes

“What was that for?” Cecilia asks

“I presume you don’t think we’re friends right, because we are not”

“Look, I don’t know what Alexia and you discussed about me but I won’t stand here under the scorching sun to listen to you belittling me and insulting me”

“I’m just telling you how I feel about you miss Cecilia, I don’t understand why Alexia took so long to figure it out in all these five years you have been pretending to be her friend all along but I saw right through you that very day you walked into my office with your fake workout plan…..it wasn’t actually hærd to figure it out because it was written all over you”

“I know why you’re like this, you’re just mad because your plans failed, I wasn’t throwing myself at you, you loved what I was doing and now you’re just jealous because another man was bold enough to say goodbye to twenty years of living in a lie of a marriage ”

“I actually agree with you on the last part you see….. but guess what, i know nothing about you and Donald but I can now confirm something, you both deserve each other…. Get lost” he walks away living all standing there all fuming as he follows the head teacher and the girls to put more emphasis on his warning earlier
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It’s already evening, Alexia is seated in the living room waiting for her husband who still hasn’t showed up, she has been sitting here since they got back with her son….good enough Eddy helped with picking Celine up from school but she continues to think about her life and how it has taken an unexpected twist

“Mum please!” Eddy who has been watching her feeling sorry for her comes hugging her from behind she smiles, he sits down next to her

“I’m fine son”

“You’re not Mum, don’t lie about it…. Don’t you think you need to get some rest now, Celine needs you….I need you even more if you ask me”

“I can’t go to bed now….I have to face your Father and it has to be tonight”

“And what if he doesn’t come back tonight, what if he chooses to be with her”

“I know it’s possible but I have to wait a little longer” just then the door opens and they both look up, Donald who has put on his most serious face steps in and Eddy stands up walking towards him right away

“Where did you find your Mum son… After all I don’t have to eat her raw because she’s healthy and hearty I can see” Donald says sarcastically and this gets Eddy all worked up

“Did you even hear yourself before you let that out Dad?” Eddy moves closer to him

“Son that’s disrespect….I only stated the obvious…were you not looking for your Mum earlier…so you wanna hit your Dad too wait! Are you doing drugs, are you high on something?”

“Stop it Dad….. did you even stop to think why I was looking for her the way I did earlier?”

“Son that’s enough” Alexia steps up preventing Eddy from hitting his Father

“I’ve always said it…growing deadlocks was never a good idea, look at you, you don’t even have respect for your own Father who made you who you’re now….you’re not the son I brought up”

“That’s enough Donald” Alexia steps closer to him now

“How do people hurt the persons they claim to love?” She asks him looking directly into her husband’s eyes

“Where is this coming from?” He asks trying to move aside but she’s not going to let him

“Don’t act dumb with us Dad, you know damn well what Mum is saying”

“Eddy please… Let me handle this” Alexia says

“Can I have some alone time with your father please……”

“Mum please!…we talked about this”

“Trust me” she taps his shoulder and his phone starts to vibrate from his pocket and he gets it out, looking at it he steps aside

“Hello…..OK” he turns to his parents

“I’ll be back Mum”

“Don’t be Long” Alexia says and Eddy walks out of the house, closes the door behind and now it’s Alexia and her husband standing in the big living room facing each other

“I still don’t understand what this meeting is all about” Donald says

“Can you sit down with me please” Alexia says trying not to show her emotions and Donald sits down with her, Alexia holds his hands and he looks a little uncomfortable

“Twenty years ago…..a young seventeen your old girl was desperately looking for a job after obtaining a diploma in nursing….she really wanted the Job so real bad….then on this fateful day, she went to this particular hospital and encountered a very humble young man, it was a very ugly encounter as she spilled coffee on him”

“Alexia”

“Please let me talk Donald…. You’ll have enough time to respond to me” she continues

“We didn’t really have enough time to get to know ourselves because things beyond our control happened and it turned out to be the most wonderful thing that happened to me in my life maybe even my entire Life because that’s when my son came into existence, it was the time I felt alive…..you gave me one thing every woman dreams of having, a complete family…..never for once have I imagined my life taking another twist but today, I got the shock of my life…..my husband of twenty years old wants to be with some one else, the only woman I call my friend” she poses and looks at him as she smiles

“Donald, if it’s not too much to ask, I want to know my fault, I want to know where and how I failed you in this marriage, I want to know what next for us” she poses taking a deep breath fighting her tears

“Talk…..I’m listening….you can talk now, go on”
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“I’m glad you didn’t take time to come out Eddy…. How is your mother, her phone is switched off” Liam asks as Eddy joins him in the car close to the gate where he’s packed

“At this point Mum doesn’t even know where her phone is but don’t worry, she’s OK… She’s cried and even though she’s hurting, she’s managed to keep cool….I never left her side since the time we got back”

“That’s not looking good”

“I know….I looked for her everywhere and couldn’t find her but guess where I found her”

“At Cecilia’s…you don’t even have to say it ”

“That devil, even though Mum doesn’t say it, I know Cecilia was not even apologetic and it looks like they even fought because when I got there, I found Mum crying and her top was torn”

“I wouldn’t expect any less from Cecilia, she has no heart…I hope Ale isn’t hurt”

“My Mum is not hurt but actually I don’t blame her I mean Cecilia, I blame my Dad for exposing my Mum to her, she just knew where to attack and break her and she succeeded”

“And what has your father said”

“What do you expect, he’s all cool in there, he just got back and I really wanted to get it on with him, I felt like breaking his face but Mum said no….they are in there talking but to tell you the truth, I’m scared”

“I understand your fears but it’s for the best they actually talk…it’s better now than later”

“That’s not why I’m scared, I’m scared because I know what’s coming next for Mum, even though she doesn’t see it, Dad is going to see this as the perfect opportunity to ask for divorce from her” Liam now doesn’t know what to say but he pats Eddy’s back in a consoling manner

“Ale is a strong woman, don’t underestimate her, I’m sure she can pull through whatever your Dad may demand of her….she just needs people around her”

“But that’s just where the problem is, she has nobody, no family, her only brother is so far away and…”

“And she has us….you, Celine and me too, unless you don’t consider me as her friend but even so, she has her two children”

“How can you say that boss, you’re one of the people I have so much respect for, I’m so Happy you’re my boss and you care about my mum, otherwise you wouldn’t have driven all the way here to try find out how she’s doing and besides, you had the courage to tell her about the betrayal of her own husband and friend, something I her son couldn’t even do” they hug

“I’m so glad you consider me her Friend, Alexia is a sweet woman with a Golden heart
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“What is there for me to tell you Alexia, you already know everything that is there to know”

“No no no Donald, don’t get me wrong, I know nothing about this wh0le thing, all I know is my husband…. The husband of my youth, the one I married for twenty years now is planning to leave me for my Friend of five years, a friend he never liked from the word go….a friend…”

“That’s enough Alexia, Cecilia is not just any woman, she’s not a stranger too”

“Does this….”

“Listen please, didn’t you say you wanted to know it all…well let me talk” he cuts her short

“Many years ago before I met you, I was already in a relationsh¡p and she was the woman, we were both young and ambitious, she had all big dreams and I had mine too….we were cool and then supported each other in building who we wanted to be in the near future because we were looking for a long forever and ever life together, everything was cool but unfortunately her dreams were too big that she needed to move out of the country and out of Africa…….something that was a major blow to our relationsh¡p…. We had our first big fight and disagreement as the young couple we were that time in deciding what was good for the two of us, it became more like war, it was as if we wanted two different things……we couldn’t choose one thing, I didn’t want to let go of her because letting her go meant saying goodbye to us, she was the reason why I worked my ass down to start that telecommunications company….she was smart, gorgeous, a princess that deserved a life of a Queen, she was going to have everything she wanted in life provided by me but she challenged me, she didn’t want to sit home and wait, she also wanted to make her dreams of struggling for a long time to come to pass….somehow we couldn’t agree on this and she left for Canada”

“And broke up with you”

“I wouldn’t say exactly that but things happened, I was stressed, my head was gonna burst and all that I had built became nothing without her by my side, I was loosing my head and the only person who stood by me that time was my Friend Richærd, not my parents he even booked and appointment for me at that particular hospital to see a therapist, that day I bumped on you…I had gone there to meet him”

“You knew all this and yet when Cecilia and I became friends five years ago you said nothing other than giving her attitude”

“Don’t judge me” this gets Alexia a little upset

“You were having fun huh! Sleeping with both of us and then making fun of your wife with your lover behind my back”

“Please calm down, you wanted us to talk so let me tell you what happened” she calms down a bit

“With you it was different, at first I never really loved you and I was just going on with you but when you told me you were expecting my son, my late Mum just had to encourage me to marry you asap something I never regretted but I needed a reason to forget Cecilia Adams, you and I were fine but the love and the real fire, the Passion, the zeal, the fireworks wasn’t just there because you were not the woman with whom I built those dreams turned reality…. You were not there to support me right from when I started, you were not the one who chose the construction site, where my office should sit, the decor of my office and….”

“That’s enough Donald….. I know you know that it wasn’t just about support…. I mean you wouldn’t have married me if you knew your dreams were not safe with me”

“Don’t get me wrong Alexia, with you there was no dream left, you met my reality and maybe the remains of the dreams I had with Cecilia that I hadn’t turned to reality”

“But I supported you in putting them”

“That’s not the point here”

“What’s the point then, you think I was never supportive enough and now you just want to leave”

“No Alexia” he hits the table and they both calm down a bit

“I tried making it work out but it wasn’t easy with you, s€× was no longer enjoyable….. You…”

“Became too fat” she finishes it

“Yes…and what’s more, you’re not my dream woman, you’re not a go getter, I don’t have a problem providing for you but I want a woman who can challenge me, the one who can have me on my feet ready to compete with me and sadly you’re not that woman” they pose for a while

“You see, I tried Alexia, I really did…you have not done anything wrong it’s that I thought my love for you, the one I thought was there was going to burn like eternal candle but things happened beyond our control…. Love Is like quicksand, our sinking arguments became too much to handle”

“No Donald, don’t get me wrong but our problem started way before the arguments, the arguments started when you began to change…. We were not talking anymore something that is the most essential thing for marriage”

“Because you pushed me, when I asked you for space I just wanted a room to breath”

“And why weren’t you open, I kept stressing myself Donald, trying to prove my f-cking love…….how do people keep the candle burning so one doesn’t get fed up and bored because I tried….. I could swear on my mother’s memory that I was a good wife to you and a wonderful mother to our children”

“Alexia I don’t doubt that but some things are not meant to be, some things were not meant to be known they just happen, some peoples relationsh¡ps should not start and I think we are that people” Alexia begins to cry finally and holds Donalds hands more firmly this time

“I’m sure we can still work this out, if we did it wonderfully for twenty years we can” he takes his hands from her grip as he shakes his head

“Once the candle has burnt out there is no point in relighting it because love will not shine as bright the second as the candle was first lit” she takes a deep breath still in tears

“Sorry Alexia, we both have to move on, no amount of fitness you do will bring me back to you….I’m moving out of this house”

“No it’s your house, if some one has to move out of it, it should be me, you built it before you married me

“No Alexia, I might have had nothing built together with you but this house has your name on the papers it was my marriage gift to you, and it belongs to you and my children so I’m the one moving out”

“Wow…..so easy right” she laughs painfully and he doesn’t say a word

“Now that you have left me here all alone, your feelings for me you said have changed…what am I supposed to do with myself from now on Donald because I don’t know, if you ask me I’m still in shock and a state of denial”

“No one can answer that question for you Alexia, only you can” they both nod and he gets up, she gets up too

“If you don’t mind, I’m moving out tonight….. I’ll just grab a few things”

“Wow……I even thought you were going to give me time to process all this”

“Come on Alexia, let’s not pretend, this has been going on for some time now” he wants to walk away but she holds his arms and then leaves it

“I’m sorry but it’s just that what should I tell the children.
“You mean my daughter? I’m sure we can find a way of breaking it down to her but as for your son…” He doesn’t finish his statement but walks away climbing the stairs, Alexia lands her heavy self on the couch rubbing her palms together before landing hærd on the tile, it’s the last thing she remembers before passing out……

To be continued