To Find Grace – Episode 16

To Find Grace – Episode 16

“Jena calm down now, you cannot keep like this. You have to stay strong for your kids” Jena`s uncle spoke softly rubbing her back. She looked at his white head and moustache and shook her head tears falling down,

“Uncle, you know me very well, I couldn’t have come here if this was not this bad for me. Can you imagine after finding the two in his office, I run away to our home. Well, I gave him yet another chance, thinking like he had told me in his explanation, she was going on to him. I hated to know the truth about the woman destroying my marriage being that Ch¡po. Well, I tried, I swear I tried to push it away just to receive a phone call from my husband`s line and guess who answers on the other end? “she pauses looking at her uncle.

“Ch¡po again” he responded shaking his head.

“Yeah. Not only does she answer my husband`s phone, she tells me he loves her and am not doing it for my husband anymore. She called me names Uncle. I had no words, I listened to her talk like I was an idiot until Ben`s voice cut in I heard them fight for the phone on the other side, I just had to cut it, I could not take it anymore” she cried

“Am sorry, am so sorry Jena, I will call Ben and talk to him. Am sure there must be some explanation to all this, I know he is a good man what has gone wrong now? “Jena`s uncle asked disappointed.

“I was married to your aunty Nelly for years and I never even once cheated on her. Yes the temptation was there sometimes but we have been given the ability to overcome especially as Christians. Nelly was a difficult person may her soul rest in peace, but I loved her and respected her as my wife till the end. This way Ben is taking will lead him to doom” the old man complained feeling sad for his niece. The woman he had seen grow from a little girl to a successful lawyer and a good mother. He felt her pain and looked her face seeing how she looked tired and puffy in her eyes.

“I know this is hærd for you my child. I know at the same time you are stronger than this, you will stand up and smile again you will see” her uncle sighed

“Andrew! Come here with a bottle of water for your aunty” he called out to his grand child who was the daughter to his first born daughter Tina. He waited for the boy to bring the water which he handed it to Jena

“Here, drink some water it will calm you down.” He breathed out as he watched her in silence.

“You look bad my dear, what is really going on apart from your issues with Ben?” the uncle asked holding her hand.

“Oh Uncle, you know sometimes I feel like am the most blessed person in the world and cursed at the same time. Every time my happiness is almost complete something just comes up and messes me up. Just look at me. I have a good Job, I have two beautiful Kids and until recently I had a wonderful and faithful man by my side. But there is always something pulling me down” Jena wept her heart feeling deep hurt and pain.

“What now? You can tell me you know that”

“It’s something we never wanted to involve you people till we proved and found the entire truth but I guess I cannot hold it from you anymore. We found out Grace never died in that car burn uncle, she was kidnapped and all these years we lived thinking she was dead” Jena went on giving her uncle the details of what they had found out.

“That is something I never saw coming Jena, are you sure?”

“Am 100 percent sure uncle, It was just a feeling earlier but now I even have proof she never died. Anyway the thing is we were in the middle of the search before Ben went back to his girlfriend after promising to never do it again. Am not going back home Uncle, I still have some days before going back for work and I am not going to stay in the same house as that traitor, not until I find a way of living by myself with my kids”

“no, you will do no such thing Jena, you cannot leave me alone” Ben`s voice cut her short she and her uncle turned to look at him

“Ben what are you doing here?” Jena`s uncle asked

“Am here to get my wife Uncle. I have looked for her since morning and after searching all places in Lusaka I thought she could be at, I figured she mighty have come to you. I can explain it all Uncle, I have not done anything I swear” Ben spoke pleadingly his voice cold with sadness.

“Am not getting anything from him Uncle, please tell him to leave me alone. Please am tired and all I need is some rest” Jena shook her head trying to push up the tears that had blinded her eyes.

“Please hear me out, I have not done anything.”

“Well, since you cannot stay away from me, I will leave you here. please let me have some peace for a moment Ben, God knows how much I have endured this pain the past weeks, please let me find peace please in God`s name I beg you. What have I done to deserve this Uncle? What have I done or maybe not done, see what I was saying, maybe God is still punishing me for giving away a newly born baby. This will haunt me for life Uncle. “She poured her heart out feeling weak her BP was getting low again she could feel herself go down.

“calm down Jena please, look what you are doing to yourself, just calm down” the uncle spoke comforting her as Ben trued to get close but he looked at him and shook his head.

“Not now Ben, just go home and let her calm down, there is nothing that can be said with her being like this, you know her BP gets so low sometimes and that is not good.

“Okey, please watch her for me, am sorry” Ben sighed wiping the tear from his face and walking out painfully

“Aawwwwwww!” he yelled in his palms when he got in the car feeling anger and pain his gullet was painful. He placed the key in the ignition and drove like a mad person back to Lusaka.

“she will know better than mess me up” he spoke to himself as he headed direct to Ch¡po`s house.

He could not even knock when he got there, just rushed through the door with a bang and scre-med her name.

“Ch¡po! Ch¡po! Come out dammit!” he scre-med and she came out slowly smiling at him

“What now? Why are you yelling like a mad man?” she chuckled and before she could say anymore, Ben was on her throat grabbing her to the wall angrily.

“What do you want from me you b***h, what did I ever do for you to destroy my life like this?” he scre-med in her face his fist trembling as the other hand kept the grip on her throat.

“You are hurting me Ben” Ch¡po guzzled chocking.

“How could you steal my phone Ch¡po? How dare you walk into my office and steal my phone calling my wife?” he yelled angrily recalling how he walked into his office from a meeting just to find Ch¡po on his phone talking and shouting. He had grabbed the phone and shouted for her to stop the nonsense but it was too late, he could not even get to explain that fact to his wife and she was gone.

Now he knew the chances of getting his wife to trust him again were minimal. How was he going to tell her Ch¡po had vowed to destroy him if he never went back with her?.

Ben was in his anger state as he remembered the events of that morning not realizing how tight he had held on to Ch¡po`s neck she was gasping and struggling to breath her hands on top of his hand.

“stop hurting my mother!” the voice of the small boy, the son to Ch¡po scre-med making Ben throw her down she chocked and cried from the pain from Ben`s grip.

“If I ever see you close to my family again. If I ever hear, even just rumors you came to my office or anywhere near where my family is, I swear to God, you will not live to tell what am going to do to you. I left you years ago you know why?” Ben paused angrily moving closer to her as she looked at him with fear her eyes red.

“You were never a woman enough for me. You have always been pathetic and no matter how much s€× I can have with you, it can never be equal to what I have with my woman in a second. She is part of me, she is my life you b***h and not you or anyone will ever come between us again. Never! Get that through your dull brain” Ben added and stormed out leaving Ch¡po in tears she was shaking with the effect of the near death experience she had.

“Mommy, are you okey?” he son asked her

“Am, um” she chocked wiping away her tears.

“Am fine baby, am fine now” she tried to smile through her pain as she heard the sound of the vehicle outside.

Ben drove back home and found his kids seated sadly in the living room the servant trying to force them to eat.

“What is going on here?” he asked as he walked in.

“They have been crying for their mother Sir, Mapalo especially. Where is she Sir, madam took off this morning and I have not seen her since” the maid went on.

“She will come back tomorrow, she went to see your grandfather in Chilanga okey?” he spoke looking at his kids he sat close to Mapalo.

“Daddy, why was mommy crying in the morning? I saw her before going to school, has she hated me for breaking the plate?” the girl sobbed and ben held her in an embrace

“No, no, baby, it’s not that. Mom can never hate you okey, you two are the best thing that has ever happened to her and myself and I want you both to know that always okey?” he tried to smile but Isaac looked at him and stood to walk away Ben had to hold his hand to stop him

“Isaac come back here what is going on?” he asked the boy.

“Why do you want to leave us daddy? What have we and mom done to you?” the boy asked pushing back the tears in his eyes.

“Am not going anywhere Isaac, where did you get that?” he asked wondering what was really going on

“I overhead aunty(meaning the maid) and uncle, the one working outside that you found another woman and you will leave this house. “ the boy cried out making Ben hold his face in shame.

“Those two were just talking nonsenses never mind them. Come on now how can I leave my beautiful family. I love you all you know that right? “He pulled them both close and looked at the family photo hanging on the wall he felt broken at the turn out of things. Slowly Ch¡po was breaking them apart and he could not stop regretting the day he allowed himself to be led into her bed.

“I love you so much” he whispered to his kids.

Story continues…

©Tisa Phiri