Even if i don't find peace episode 15

Even if i don’t find peace episode 15
By Edwin Lamptey
As Maxwell slowly pulled Alberta’s hand from her eye to see the damage he had caused, Alberta tightly squeezed his other hand. Maxwell’s heart was racing and pounding with great alacrity in,side his chest. Out of reflex, he shut both eyes to prevent himself from seeing the blood which had already started to clot. When he finally downed Alberta’s hand and managed to open his eyes, he saw that his punch had missed Alberta’s eye just by hair’s breath but there was still damage nonetheless. There was a big cut just beneath Alberta’s right eye. Even though Maxwell breathed a heavy sigh of relief, he still had to attend to the cut. “Oh Alberta, I am so sorry”, Maxwell repeated over and over again as he lead Alberta outside to wash the blood off her body. As they both tried to make the best out of the mess they had created, Maxwell’s mother approached them and fired off, “What is going on here?”, “I heard what both of you said over the phone and I want to know what is going on this minute before I involve your parents”, Maxwell’s mother added looking at Alberta who was sitting on the ground with her head hanging between her legs. “Maxwell, I am talking to you!”, his mother scre-med. Before Maxwell could gather enough courage to explain, Alberta lifted her head and Maxwell’s mother saw the cut beneath her eye. “Oh my God!”, she exclaimed. “What happened here?”, Maxwell’s mother enquired. Maxwell wanted to jump in and say something but before he could think of what to say, Alberta said, “Mummy, your son has gotten me pregnant and when I tried talking to him about it, look at what he has done to my eye”, Alberta said, pointing to her wound. “Maxwell is it true that she is pregnant for you again and you just beat her up?”, Maxwell’s mother asked Maxwell…
 
“I just can’t believe this”, Linda cut in, bringing Maxwell back to reality and giving him a chance to get a break from his story. “You don’t look like what you have been through”, Linda said, looking at Maxwell who was also now standing in front of the huge mirror in his room looking at his own reflection. “You look very calm and collected and it would be difficult, if not impossible, for someone to believe that you went through all of this” Linda added. Maxwell fetched his phone from where he was charging it on the sill of the window and showed Linda pictures of Alberta and Nancy. “Alberta is too pretty to have done all the things you are telling me now”, Linda remarked when Maxwell revealed her identity to her. “If I saw her on the streets any day, I would never attribute such things to her”, Linda said. “Nancy too is beautiful”, Linda added. “So what happened when Alberta told your mum that she was pregnant again?”, Linda asked Maxwell giving him the indication that she wanted him to continue the story. “And what happened to her eye?”, Linda requested to know. “My mother got very angry and as usual, jumped to my defense and it almost flared tempers”, Maxwell recounted. “I knew there was nothing she could do to save me from the path I had chosen by my own volition but who was I to interrupt?”. “I did not like the back and forth and banter that ensued after this revelation so I moved out of my house to live elsewhere”, Maxwell revealed. “When Alberta’s family heard about what had happened, they reported the issue to the police and the mounted a search for me”, Maxwell said. “I had to always stay indoors for fear of being seen by a familiar person who would give me out to be arrested by the police for hurting Alberta”, Maxwell said. “The last time I heard about this issue, the word that was making rounds in the neighborhood was that I had gotten Alberta pregnant and beat her up despite her condition and it was a classic case of assault and domestic violence”, Maxwell added…
 
“So when all of this was happening, where was Nancy?”, Linda enquired. Maxwell looked at Linda and sighed. “She was around, I went to see her several times”, Maxwell revealed. “We made the best out of whatever time we had on our hands”, Maxwell added. “I loved her so much and I wanted to tell her about what had happened but I didn’t know how she was going to react to it”, Maxwell said. “I wanted to find an opportune moment and tell her about Alberta’s pregnancy “. “At a point, I was willing to damn the consequences of what may lie in the wake of telling Nancy that Alberta was pregnant but every time that thought came to mind, I lost all courage and melted in her presence and in the warmth of her loving arms”, Maxwell said. “The day I had finally gathered enough courage to tell her about Alberta’s pregnancy, something happened and it further complicated my situation”, Maxwell said. “Tell me about that, I am interested”, Linda said with a sense of excitement because she knew it was going to be an extraordinary episode. “What happened, Max?”, Linda asked getting ready to delve into another suspense-filled rollercoaster ride about Maxwell’s life….
 
Maxwell visited Nancy one afternoon during the days he was waiting to get posted to do his National Service. Maxwell had missed Nancy so much because it had been weeks since he last saw her. Nancy was more delighted because she knew that Maxwell was going to surprise her like he did all the time with gifts whenever he visited her. In preparing to welcome him, she cooked him his favorite meal and waited for him impatiently. When Maxwell finally arrived, Nancy was so excited and jumped into his arms, she welcomed him in and gave him royal treatment. Maxwell enjoyed Nancy’s food to the last morsel but he enjoyed basking in her company even more and above all things, he enjoyed her body and took his time to explore every little fiber on her body. Nancy could not control herself during Maxwell’s visits. She found herself moving at his whim and caprice as if to say she were his stooge. She loved to be in control but she lost her senses when Maxwell took over. When both of them finally lay in the bed gasping for fresh air out of exhaustion, Maxwell received a phone call from the National Service Secretariat. Maxwell had been posted to a far away place and when he told Nancy about it, her countenance suddenly fell. “What is the matter with you?” Maxwell asked sensing that she did not like the idea that he was going far away from her. “This is just going to be for a couple of months and I would be right back here with you”, Maxwell explained. “I know that, but I am just not happy”, Nancy said. “It is just that…”, “It is just that…”, “It is just that…”, Nancy started. “What is the matter, Nancy?”, Maxwell asked. “Please talk to me”, Maxwell pleaded. “Don’t worry about me Max, I would be fine”, Nancy said, placing her head on Maxwell’s chest. “Come on Nancy, it is not as if I am going so far that you cannot come and visit”, Maxwell explained. “I would be glad to host you anytime and any day”, Maxwell added. Maxwell pulled Nancy closer to his chest and planted a k-ss on her l-ips. When their l-ips parted, he realized that Nancy’s eyes were filled with tears. “Nancy, why are you crying?”, Maxwell asked, hugging Nancy tightly. “Maxwell”, Nancy started. “I have not seen my period yet this month and I am a couple of days overdue”, Nancy revealed. “What?!”, Maxwell exclaimed. “Does that mean you are pregnant?”, Maxwell asked, as if missing ones period could mean another thing. “It is possible”, Nancy replied, with the tears beginning to drop from her eyes. “So why are you crying?”, Maxwell asked. “I promised myself not to get pregnant out of wedlock but if my guess is right, I have just gone against my word”, Nancy said amidst sobs. “I know you are not ready to settle down right now and I would not want my child to suffer”, Nancy said. “We can think of something”, Maxwell said, adjusting himself in the bed. “I love you so much, Nancy and I am willing to settle down with you right now”, Maxwell said. “You don’t know what you are talking about”, Nancy said. “This is not a fantasy so stop saying what you are saying”, Nancy added. “If you are willing to have this baby, I promise you that I would do my best to help take care of both of you”, Maxwell said. “I am not going to have this baby”, Nancy revealed. “I am not ready for that, honestly”, Nancy added. Maxwell tried to convince Nancy but she would not just budge. Maxwell, when he left Nancy’s house wondered why he badly wanted Nancy to carry his baby. Before long, reality set in and he began to see the sobriety of his actions. “Two women are carrying my babies and look at what I am thinking about “, Maxwell recounted. “I am in one of the worst situations any young man at my age can find himself in”, Maxwell thought out loud. “What am I going to do now?”….
 
“So what did you do?”, Linda asked. By now, Maxwell knew that all the thoughts Linda had about him, going forward, were probably thoughts Maxwell would not even have about anyone. “I was in a dilemma but I had to figure out how I was going to get out of it”, Maxwell replied. “Nancy had resolved to terminate the pregnancy so no matter how many times I tried to convince her, she had already made up her mind not to have a baby out of wedlock”, Maxwell revealed. “And what about Alberta?”, Linda enquired. “What became of her?”. Maxwell felt the need that at that moment , there was little use holding anything back so he decide to let out every little information he had concerning his escapades. “I was afraid to contact Alberta for fear of giving up my location so I didn’t really hear from her that often”, Maxwell revealed. “One afternoon, Nancy called me and said she had managed to find a pharmacist who was willing to give her a drug that could terminate her pregnancy, so she needed me to come up with the money to acquire the drug”, Maxwell revealed. “I tried my best possible to come up with the wh0le amount but as hærd as I tried, I came up short and she had to pay the difference herself”, Maxwell added. “So she acquired the drug and to administer it, we had to have s€×”. “So I went over to her house and we sealed the deal”, Maxwell added. “For days, I was haunted by what we had done”, Maxwell revealed. “What haunted me the most was the fact that Nancy had terminated her pregnancy and I didn’t even know what was wrong with Alberta’s or how she even survived”, Maxwell told Linda. “So how did you plan on telling Nancy that she terminated her pregnancy whilst Alberta still carried your baby?”, Linda cut in. “What were you thinking?”, Linda asked. “Did you think she was going to take it lightly?”, Linda enquired. “She would feel so used”, Linda explained. “Several months later, while I was still with Nancy, I received a call form Alberta that she was successfully delivered of a baby boy”, Maxwell said. “I thought she was calling my bluff as usual so I paid little attention to her until an old friend called me and confirmed Alberta’s claim. “She was really carrying your child?”, Linda asked. “Yes, she really was and she had actually put to bed”, Maxwell replied. “I honestly didn’t know how I was going to tell Nancy about it because I knew telling her was going to end our relationsh¡p and I was not prepared to lose her to anyone”, Maxwell said. “The mere fact of keeping it away from her meant you had already lost her”, Linda said. “So did she ever find out?”, Linda asked. “Yes she did, to my disappointment”, Maxwell answered. I had wanted to tell her about it myself but one day, we were eating out and she passed a comment about dating single fathers”, Maxwell revealed. “That was the day I came closest to telling her but what she said scared me and I had to coil back into my shell of secrecy”, Maxwell added. “So how then did she find out?”, Linda enquired. “This is what happened”, Maxwell started…
 
Maxwell visited Nancy and spent the night with her. The following morning, both of them were in the shower making love and Nancy decided to go back to bed because she was tired after several bouts. Maxwell took his time in the shower to recuperate after what had just ensued between Nancy and himself.
Before he stepped out of the shower, Nancy barged into the bathroom, “Maxwell, so Alberta is carrying your child and you made me kill mine?”, Nancy said. Maxwell did not have any defense because Nancy had gone through his text messages and had found out that Maxwell was still in contact with Alberta and that they had a child together. Maxwell tried to explain to Nancy but she would have none of that. She accused Maxwell of being a selfish and inward-looking person who thought about no one but himself. “Baby, it is not what you think”, Maxwell said in his defense. “Don’t give me that crap!”, Nancy yelled. “You knew that she was pregnant all this while and you could not tell me?”, Nancy enquired. “I dint have the chance to tell you and moreover, I knew telling you was going to be dangerous because I was going to lose you bearing in mind that I made you kill our baby”, Maxwell desperately explained. “I love you Nancy and I don’t want to lose you now or ever”, Maxwell confessed.
“You should have done the right thing if you claimed to have loved me”, Nancy cut in. “What was stopping you from telling me this earlier, Max?”, Nancy asked. “We could have found a way out together because I loved you”, Nancy said. “Hold on Nancy, did you just say you loved me?”, Maxwell asked for clarification. “Yes, I did!”, Nancy replied. “I have loved you with all my heart but after this revelation, I don’t think I can still continue to hold onto that love because I would be deceiving myself”, Nancy said…
 
“This has been my story so far”, Maxwell told Linda. “I am far from a happy person and I would do anything to make peace with myself and all the people I care about”, Maxwell told Linda. “So where is your son?”, Linda asked. “He is with his mother”, Maxwell answered. “I hope you are taking care of him the best way you can”, Linda enquired. “Yes, I try the best I can”, Maxwell answered. “So what are your plans for the future?”, Linda asked. “Judging from your situation, It is quite obvious that dating of these women would cause you a wh0le lot more trouble”, Linda suggested. “But I love Nancy”, Maxwell cut in. “If she loved you that much, she would have been here with you”, Linda said. “If you genuinely want to make anything out of this life, then you have to get up and work hærd to clear this mess you are in so you can have clear sight to go forward”, Linda suggested. “That is what I plan on doing”, Maxwell responded.
 
…To be continued