Tuesday, February 26, 2013

New Year


At around nine o’clock, my brother, his wife, Fred and I decided to town to have some fun. We all took squeezed into the car that we came with and drove to town. We entered one of the bars that was a bit full and sat on the chairs on the balcony. We ordered some beers and talked over the music that was playing. As time went by, more and more people came into the bar and it was full to capacity. I guess most of them had the idea to party away the New Year.
I went to the dance floor with my sister in law and we danced to the music. The house music being played was so inviting. The last time I danced like this was way before Anne got pregnant. How times change! One thing I noticed is that there were more mature people in the club. We didn’t get to hear any fights or arguments come up at the time we were there. This was so different from the city clubs where you get to meet different characters.
We kept on dancing but returning to the table to have sips of our drink. Fred and my brother seemed to bond well over beer so we let them be. Just then, the DJ stopped the music and announced that we were almost about to start the countdown to the New Year. We returned quickly to the dance floor and started counting the seconds with the other club goers. As we approached two seconds to go, Fred and my brother joined us and we ushered in the New Year. Hugs went around even to some people we didn’t know. I was glad I got the chance to celebrate this year. Most people like my dad did not have a chance to see it.
We went home at the break of dawn. It was really funny as we left the club just as the morning light was starting to come out. I was tired! I had danced the whole night and I was too drunk. As soon as I got to the bed, I just threw myself on it. I didn’t even think of changing. I just crawled in and slept.
My phone vibrated next to my ear and woke me up. I looked at the screen. It was Anne. I sat on the bed before answering it.
“Happy New Year!”  She screamed.                
“Happy New Year to you too!” I replied sounding like a drunk.
 “Are you okay? You sound like you are being chocked.” She asked.
“Yea, am okay. I’m just having a bad hangover.”
“Seemed like you had a blast yesterday!”
“We went to one of the bars and ushered in the year.”
“Glad you had fun! I was home; too pregnant to go anywhere!”
I laughed.
“I can’t wait to give birth. I’m tired.” She added.
“Just hold on dear. Just two more months!
“That’s feels like eternity!” She replied. “I have to go now and help cook with my mom.”
“Huh? What time is it?”
“It’s one o’clock!”                                                    
“Oh shit!” I cursed.
“You need to wake up!” she said. “Anyways, talk to you later.”
“Okay, talk to you later!” I replied and hang up.
I looked over and saw Fred still sleeping. He was sleeping face up, his mouth a bit open and his legs spread across the bed. Near his chest, I saw his iphone. Something in me clicked. I could as well check out his phone now. I slowly took the phone and checked out his last received and dialed call. The list was erased! I went to his message inbox and got a three text messages that were from a lady I didn’t know. One of the messages was asking Fred to go online while the other two asked him what he was doing. I went to the outbox folder and looked. He had replied to each of the messages in a very suggestive manner. My heart skipped a beat! Was she the one who kept calling him? I looked again at the number.  It was the same number that he was talking to lately. I returned his phone to where it was and went to the bathroom. I needed to cry.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The other Woman

For the next two days, the visit turned out well. By the 30th, I was ready to go see my mum alongside my brother and family. It was a pleasure staying with my in-laws. They usually treated me like a princess. I would provide everything for me when I needed it but I still craved for my family.
So on December 30th, I woke up and started arranging our stuff into the luggage bags that we came with. Fred was still behaving like a child with his phone calls that he was picking up when no one was around. I just wanted this to be over so I carried the stuff to the car that we had drove here with. It was a hired car. The new car that we were given was to be dropped at our place by the driver when we came back to the city.
I looked at my phone to check the time and noticed that we were behind the schedule by twenty minutes. My family stayed a bit far from here and I didn’t want to arrive late. I decided to call on Fred and ask him where he was. His line was busy! This was really pissing me off. I walked all the way to the back of the house and looked for him. He was not there. I walked into the house into our room and found him seated by the bed.
“Can we go?” I asked him.                                   
“Just two minutes baby.” He said while raising his two fingers to indicate the minutes.
“We are going to be late!” I shouted.
He showed me his hand then continued to talk on the phone. I suddenly leaned forward and grabbed his phone and walked out of the room towards where the car was packed. I listened to the other person on the phone as I was walking and heard it was a girl.
“Can you please stop calling my husband?” I said to her then I hang up.
“Kate, you didn’t have to do that.” Fred pleaded with me to give him his phone.
“No. You should have considered where we are going first before spending your time on the phone.” I replied. I shut the car door and waited for him to enter the car.
“Kate, please….” He said.
“Why are you two shouting at each other across the hallway?” Fred mum asked while standing at the door of the house. “What is the problem?”
“It’s nothing mum. We are just on our way.”
“Then drive safely.” She responded and banged the door.
“So are you going to tell me who was the woman on the phone?”  I asked Fred as we drove the car out of the compound.
He kept quiet.         
“Fred?” I called out his name.
“She is just a friend.” He replied.
“Really? Fred, I wasn’t born yesterday.”
“Can we just drive?” He said and kept quiet.
I never thought once ever that we would have this argument. Marriage really brings out the other side of people. I was so angry and also scared. I was scared of the possibility that this was going to come in between us and drive us to the wrong direction. It was so soon to start arguing about stuff like this.
We arrived at my parents place around five o’clock in the evening. Our home was so small compared to my in-laws but I loved it. My mum was waiting for us on the drive way and welcomed us into the house. She looked like she had cut a bit of weight.  My brother, his wife and his kids were inside the house. After quick hugs, I went to the kitchen and poured a fresh juice for Fred. I served him then went and helped with some cooking that was going on. After an hour or so, the food was served. The family sat together by the dining table in the kitchen and we enjoyed the food. The chicken that was prepared by mum was really tasty!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Boat Trip

As we were passing time by the fire enjoying the night, a call came in through Fred’s phone. He picked it up quickly, looked at the screen for a moment then received it as he walked away to a safe distance. I found it odd since he had never done something like this before. He came back five minutes later but didn’t say a word about it. I opted to keep quiet and let it go.
The next morning, we woke up early and took a shower and prepared ourselves for the long trip. We were to go for a road trip with the family. I wasn’t sure where we were going but we were advised to dress light. We had breakfast with the others then got on the SUV that was already parked just right outside the door. Fred’s dad sat behind the wheel and took us on the drive.
After about three hours, the drive came to a stop. We were out on the hot sun overlooking the lake. We walked over to the other side where some picnic table and chairs were set up under some trees. The view of the horizon was amazing! The lake seemed so beautiful. The sun was shining brightly and reflected on the water giving it a glow. I sat next to Fred on the left side of the wooden table. Fred’s brother sat on the end of the table while the parents sat on the right side.
A beautiful petite lady dressed in a black short dress came to our table and introduced herself as Lily. She was the one to serve us. We ordered some cold drinks first as we talked a bit on the view. We then walked down the lake. The white sand looked so damn pretty and it was warm. Good thing I carried my camera. I took some pictures of the whole family, the scenery and everything in sight. Fred and I raced each other along the beach. It was fun.
We returned back to the picnic sight and found the family seated having lunch already. We served ourselves some food and sat down to join the rest. In the middle of eating, Fred’s phone rang again and he quickly walked out and received it. This time around, I knew something was up! There was no way this was usual.
After lunch, we all boarded a small boat to take us to the lake. The boat ride was awesome.  The slow ride across the lake made it special. Since we were seated at the back of the boat with Fred, I decided to ask him about the phone calls he has been receiving.
“So who was that on the phone?” I asked.
“What?” He asked trying to look stunned.
“You have been receiving calls and you seem to run away in order to receive them?”
“Oh that? It was no one.” He said.                   
“Really?”
“Yes, it’s just some business that I am handling.” He replied.            
I knew this conversation was not going anywhere so I decided to just shut up. I was so mad at him. Does he think it was funny? I was not amused by his lies. I’ll get a way of knowing what he is hiding.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Christmas Night


“You two love birds…” Fred’s mom called on us. “Come inside.”
We quickly went inside the house. We were outside admiring the new car that we had just received.
“Catherine, the family has invited some guests who would be here from seven. We had invited some close friends and family members to have dinner with us for Christmas. It will be a formal occasion so please go and prepare. We only have an hour left.” She added.
I was a bit shocked. I didn’t know that we were expecting guests. I looked up at Fred and he had the same look on his face as me. I guess the memo passed him too. I grabbed his hand and we dashed into our rooms.
“I didn’t know we were having guests.” I asked him. “I didn’t even carry a beautiful dress for this dinner.”
“I’m surprised too.”                               
“So what do we do?” I asked.
“We have no choice. I hope it will be a short dinner affair.” Fred replied. “Don’t worry dear. It will be fine.”
I checked my luggage looking for something suitable for me to wear. All my clothes were not that formal. I decided to go with a back short dress I had and top it off with some laid back jewelry. Fred decided to go with a white shirt and black trousers. As he was ironing his shirt, I switched on my phone and a bunch of text messages came in. Most of them were from my relatives and work mates while two was from Ann and Mike. My mum had left a voice message. I listened to it and some sadness came over me. She said she was having a good time with her grandkids and wanted to wish me the best Christmas. This was her first Christmas without dad. Dad had just passed on a few months ago and this was so sad to our family but she suffered the most. I decided to call her. She was so happy when she heard my voice. I told her I was going to see her soon and she prayed for a safe journey.
The guests streamed in slowly but by seven, most of them were in the house. They were about ten. The servants ensured they had a glass of champagne as they waited for food. I was able to recognize some of the guests from the wedding. I said hi as we mingled. I then went to the corner and tried to be invisible but it was not working out. I was glad when we sat down for dinner. A lot that was being said was a bit strange so I kept silent and concentrated on the food. After dinner, the guest went back to the lounge area where they kept on talking. I walked out of the house and stood at the balcony to get some fresh air. Fred joined me later.
“Let’s go out to the fields.”             
We walked around the house to the back yard. Fred’s sibling was all alone on the logs lighting up a fire. We joined him and warmed ourselves with fire.
“I hope the dinner was not too intimidating.” Fred asked as he put his hands on my shoulders.
“It was.” I replied laughing.
“That was mum being mum. She used to do this a lot when we were young but stopped a while ago. I think she decided to revive it again.”
“It’s okay.” I said. “Guess I’ll get used to it.”
“You will never do.” Fred’s brother said.
We all laughed at the thought of it.