(…continued…)
“You really suffered o,” Mabel
said.
“It was not easy. My parents
helped me a lot. They accepted two of you.”
“We are their grand children
na.”
“Yes but the manner which you
came, they initially saw it as shameful.”
“Yes, I remember growing up
with them.”
“Yes, until I got somewhere to
stay and moved out. They still helped me with money and food stuffs.”
“The life of a single mother
is not an easy one.”
“Dealing with heartbreak is
worse. Much worse.”
“Men are just heartless.”
“Not all of them. At least my
father is a wonderful man.”
“Yes, grandpa is.”
They TV station
that was on started giving news.
“Do you want to listen to the
news?” Mabel asked her.
“I am not in the mood for that
now.”
Mabel reduced the
volume of the TV set.
“Remembering those days gives me shivers,” her
mother said.
“At least we are consolations
to you,” she said to her mother.
“Yes my dear. I am glad
whenever I see the two of you. You are bundles of joy. That is why I feel bad
when I see you go through all these.”
“So, how did you handle your
own issue?”
Her mother thought for a while and said, “I did not do anything particular
about it. I just made up my mind that men were all the same and not worth
wasting time on. I focused on raising my kids and making ends meet.”
“What about your feelings for
men.”
“It was a struggle then.
Before I made up my mind about the men that were coming to me, I got into some
other relationship, hoping they will lead to something meaningful. Most men
withdrew when they realized I already had two kids. The few who hung on all
wanted to sleep with me.”
“That’s terrible.”
“When it was difficult
settling down, I decided to forget about it and raise you.”
Mabel exhaled
from her mouth and sunk into the couch. Her mother cleaned her eyes with the
back of her hand. They were silent for a while. It was Mabel who broke the
silence
“What do you suggest I do
about this?”
“I think it is too early to
block him off totally,” her mother replied. “You never know what really went
wrong. The other girl could have bewitched him.”
“I don’t think so. He has been
acting strange long before now.”
“How?”
“He stopped calling me. He
stopped hardly picked my call. He only spoke with me and visited when he
wanted…”
“to sleep with you,” her
mother finished for her.
“Yes,” Mabel said shyly. “I am
a bad girl right?”
“Not at all. He was someone you wanted to settle down
with. That is not to say it is right to do it before marriage. It is not.”
“I know. Just couldn’t help
it. I truly loved him.”
“Then just hold on and find
out what exactly happened.”
“Are you suggesting I call
him?”
“Well…”
“Even though I still have
feelings for him, I will not bring myself low for him at all.”
“Don’t mind me. I am thinking
like I was thinking in those days. Just move on with your life for the next few
days and let his friends and your friends handle the situation.”
“Ok. What if he comes
begging?”
“When we get to that bridge,
we will cross it. Just don’t take decisions in haste.”
“But this is not the first
time.”
“I am aware. That’s why I get
worried when I see you going through the same things over and over again. The
way things went on in my life and are now repeating in your lives is not good
at all. Pastor will always call it vicious cycle.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning things that happen to
people and continue with their children.”
“What causes it?”
“Many things could be the
cause of it.”
“Things like?”
“Spiritual problem, personal
mistakes, and maybe the way we present ourselves.”
“I don’t really understand
what you are saying. Can you explain further.”
Her mother paused
for a while, then answered.
“Pastor’s wife will be in a
better position to explain.”
“That means I will see her
within the week.”
“Let’s use the two approaches
to deal with this matter. Let friends handle Segun while you see pastor’s wife
and know what she will advice.”
Mabel nodded in
approval.
(…to be continued…)
-Chinedu Isaac
No comments:
Post a Comment