Angela Kintu (my links are acting up. http://www.angelakintu.com) whispered the story to me. I would never shoot you, Angela. You are in my She’s All That book. So thank you.
And I won’t waste anymore of your time:
As she started the car, Ellyn debated whether she should go to the supermarket first or run to Raymond-her quick fix of normalcy. The supermarket trip was her alibi and so there was no question of not going. But then again what if the stay at Raymond’s took longer than she could anticipate?
Ellyn decided to go to the supermarket first. That way nothing would be hovering over her head as she enjoyed her time with Raymond. She hurriedly walked around the supermarket to get her evidence that she was indeed at the supermarket. Bread, Kellogg’s breakfast cereal, more flour for Jacob’s ingenious baking, a new bottle for Sarah…and oh crap! The mouth wash!
On the way to the counter, she quickly looked at the notice board and stopped in her tracks. There on the notice board was a pale girl with her leg holstered midair lying in a hospital bed. The announcement said that the girl had lost both her parents and her three siblings in a car accident only she had survived. Samantha, for that was her name, was slipping in and out of consciousness and the nearby local church was beseeching people to join them in prayer for the 17 year old orphan.
No they were not asking for money. Not even clothes. Not even a new home for her. Giving some of these things was often easy because then they would have given her something tangible. They were asking that people pray for the girl for her life to make sense again. They were now the family whose prayers would embrace her and perhaps help her to want to live again.
Instinctively, Ellyn’s thoughts ran to her children. She wondered what would happen to them if anything happened to her.
Would they remember to dress Sarah in her diaper in such a way that the fastener would not dig into her skin and hurt her?
Would they remember that she loves having honey in her milk?
Would they remember to give Jacob his medicine?
And if John was gone too, who would take Jacob for his nature walks?
Blinded by the tears in her eyes, Ellyn could not even remember when or how she approached the counter, paid for her groceries and walked away to her car.
With the windows up, she finally let it all out! She wept for the child she had got from hospital who was perfect in ways that scared her and imperfect in ways that seemed to matter. She wept for the husband she had lost to the child. She wept for Sarah-her beautiful angel whose life was undoubtedly going to be affected because of her brother in ways she could not predict. She wept because she had been so taken up with the family that she could not remember the last time she had reveled in her hobbies-reading and writing. She wept because she was so scared of what she knew she had to do to put it all together again.
After what seemed like eternity, Ellyn started her car to a destination she had no idea of. She decided to go to a different park from the one she was sure her family was at and try to pull herself together.
It had been ages since she had taken her children to the park. Most women there were always whispering something about Jacob like he was a strange disease and so she had decided to protect him by not taking him to the park. John had insisted that they do not deny Jacob a normal childhood and when she was tired of fighting over the issue with John, she had relented on condition that he would take them.
She had never stepped in a park since and going there today made her wish she had never stopped coming. There was always a certain brightness about the park. Children running around chasing each other. Truth is, that running around always freaked out the mothers sometimes and they could not help but yell out, “Careful or you’ll fall sweetheart!” but it delighted them because it was the testimony that their children were normal and it was sometimes a nostalgic reminder of how blithe life had once been.
As she settled on a bench under a shade, two boys wheezed past her, one in pursuit of another they almost knocked her over. The pursuer was screaming, “I am going to finish you off, you silly alien! I am the powerful Ben 10!
After watching the children for a while and occasionally wiping the tears that defiantly refused to be blinked back, one of the boys walked over to her and with is doe eyes asked, “Hello. Why do you have thad eyeth?”
Ellyn was endeared by the lisp and yet startled by the question that all she could say was, “Because I want to collect some insects for my son who loves insects but I am scared of them and I brought no tin?”
“How about if I teach you how not to be afraid of the inthectth and I lend you my tin? You can bring it back tomorrow?” he offered.
“Won’t your mummy get upset?” she answered touched by the unexpected kindness.
“No. she hateth that I love to collect inthectth.”
“So if I say yes, will you tell me something?”
“Yeth?”
“Is this something normal that kids your age do? Collecting insects?”
“I gueth tho. Thome inthectth are really funny. Come on, let me show you.”
And that is how Ellyn managed to take five bizarre looking insects for her son aside from the flour.
She decided to prepare the family’s favourite meal: spaghetti, minced meat with a sprinkle of garlic as she waited for them to get home.
When she heard the noise at the front door she rushed to welcome them.
“Look! It’s my favourite family.”
“We are the only family that can stand you babe…Hmm…Shopping agrees with you. You look a lot more cheerful that you did when you went.” John said.
“Really? I’m just so happy to see you guys.” She said as she hugged her family. A little longer and too tightly perhaps.
“Guess what I got you?”
She was so proud of herself she could not wait to give her bottle of insects to Jacob. Hours before, she could not have believed that such a thing would excite her.
She got out her treasure and handed it to Jacob. And that earned her a high-five-her son’s biggest expression of emotion!
“Oh Sarah dear of course mummy couldn’t forget you. I got you the most beautiful bottle in the store…and a flower for your hair.” Sarah clapped her hands clumsily and bent her head towards her mother for the flower to be fixed.
“What do I get? John asked, feigning dissatisfaction.
“The best meal for my eldest baby!” she looked at John ever so fondly!
As she watched her family enjoying their dinner, she could not help but be thankful for her blessings…and Raymond ebbed to the back of her mind. A distant foggy memory.
**********************************************
Why had she not showed up?
Had her husband found out?
Did she suddenly not like him?
He had done everything she had asked him.
Should he call and find out… But they had agreed that they would never call each other and always set their next appointment when they met. Of course he had her number. It had been in the file they had given him when they told him to get in touch with her.
As he pondered his next move, the vibration of the phone on his bed startled him.
Could it be her?
The caller I.D revealed what he had feared the most. He had to give them an update of their meeting and he knew this was going to be a nasty conversation!
END( for now)
Now, because Erique has been on our cases to have our stories turned in on time (and threatening to take all the fun in Blogger whispers), I am whispering it to you Erique (http://rentedmess.wordpress.com). Cos I will blow your fcuking head off if you don’t do it on time.
Good luck dear!