The Clock Is Ticking – Episode 35

Sequence 35

 

.

 

A week later

 

He was sitting in his room with the lights off, the emptiness scared him to the core.

 

His whole world was spinning he didn’t know how to cope.

 

He had tried calling her, texting her, emailing her but she never responded. He had even gone to her office and her house but she had refused to see him.

 

 

What would it take for her to give him a chance? He knew he was a mess but he wanted to start afresh with her. She was his safe place, his moral compass, she made him sane.

 

If this wasn’t love, it was the closest he had gotten to it and he didn’t wanna lose it.

 

He picked up his phone and dialed her number, hoping she would pick up this time

 

around.

 

***

 

She was lying on her bed deep in thoughts. The past week had been terrible. She missed Chard terribly even though she had been avoiding him. Mattie had come to realise she was falling in love with Chard.

 

This wasn’t how it was supposed to play out, Chard wasn’t good for her, he was messed up and he came with a lot of baggage. She didn’t want to spend her life fighting his bitter Ex’s.

 

She wanted a man with less drama.

 

Her phone rang, startling her and she gasped. She knew who was calling. She stared at the phone on the bed, her eyes running over and over his name as the screen lit up.

 

She took a deep breath her emotions were all over the place, a part of her wanted to hear his voice, another part told her not to answer. She chose the latter.

 

Shaking his head, Chard went to the living room and sat down heavily on the

 

couch. The living room was a mess. There was food, bottles and broken glass all

 

over the floor.

 

****

 

Pulling up in front of Chards gate, she climbed out of the car and went round to the passenger seat and unbuckled Theo. He jumped out and held his hand we walked to the front door. The door of the house was partly open. That was strange Chard always closed his door even when he was inside.

 

She pushed the door open and walked in, Theo walked in too.

 

Emma gasped at the sight before her, the house was a mess and Chard was lying on the couch. He seemed to be too deep in thoughts he didn’t hear her walk in. ‘Dad!’ Theo said startling him from his trance.

 

He sat up and looked at Emma and Theo.

 

‘What are you doing here?’ He asked Emma, he didn’t appreciate that she had come without calling.

 

‘Theo wanted to see you.’

 

He shook his head and looked at his son, embarrassed that his son had seen him in this condition.

 

‘Hey kiddo,’ he managed a smile

 

‘Hi daddy.’

 

‘How are you?’

 

‘Fine.’

 

‘Theo go to your room, mama wants to talk to daddy,’ Mattie said and Theo did as he was told. Theo had his own room in Chards house where he kept his toys and some of his clothes.

 

‘What is going on?’ Emma asked shaking her head she had never seen him this messed up.

 

‘You shouldn’t have come here,’ he said

 

‘Your son wanted to see you, I did what any sane mother would do, I brought him to see you, tell me was I wrong?’

 

‘I am just on a bad place right now.’

 

‘Why?’

 

‘It’s a long story.’

 

‘How about you take a bath and I clean up, then I prepare you something to eat and you will tell me about what’s bugging you.’ ‘Fine,’ he stood up.

 

She led him to the bathroom and filled the tub with warm water.

 

‘You want me to help you bath?’ she asked

 

‘No,’ I will be fine.

 

Chard stood in front of his mirror and saw the man staring back looking pale and unkempt with dark circles under his eyes. He took a few painkillers to stop the exploding head.

 

As he took his bath, Emma stripped his bed and changed the sheets. Then she placed the sheets in his washing basket. ****

 

She went back into the living room and picked up the bottles one by one before she threw them away and started cleaning up.

 

‘Ma, where is daddy?’ Theo asked when he walked into the living room.

 

‘Bathing baby.’

 

‘Okay.’

 

‘Why?’

 

‘I can’t find the remote to my TV.’

 

‘You can use this one,’ she handed him the remote on the stand.

 

‘Thank you Ma,’ he grabbed it and rushed off.

 

***

 

 

By the time Chard emerged from his room, Emma had already finished cleaning the house and she was preparing him something to eat.

 

‘I will be done very soon,’ she smiled at him. She had changed into one of his T. shirts and had a chitenge wrapped around her waist. She always carried one in her bag.

 

‘Okay.’

 

He went to his son’s room and joined him on the bed, Theo was watching TV. ‘Daddy!’ He giggled and said, ‘I want to sleep here today.’

 

‘You know you are always welcome baby.’ He giggled some more.

 

‘How was class?’

 

‘Exciting.’

 

‘What did you learn?’

 

‘The five senses.’

 

‘Tell me about them.’

 

He stood up, ‘Eyes for seeing, tongue for tasting, ears for hearing……..,’

 

Chard watched his son with an overwhelming sense of joy. Theo was the only

 

good thing that had resulted from his whoring days. He loved his son a lot, he

 

wanted the best for him and every time he prayed that Theo would be different

 

from him.

 

***

 

She stood in the doorway of her son’s room watching Chard and Theo with amusement, the two had a great connection. She would give anything to raise her son in the same house as his father.

 

‘Boys!’ she finally said, trying to erase the thoughts that were popping up in her head.

 

Chard turned to face her.

 

‘Food is ready.’

 

‘Yes!’ Father and son exclaimed in unison.

 

Emma laughed.

 

Chard stood up and held his son’s hand, they both walked to the dining room.

 

She had prepared him Nshima, impwa and t-bone.

 

‘Say Grace,’ she told Theo.

 

‘Bless our food dear Lord in Jesus name we pray. Amen,’ Theo said Emma dished up for them and they instantly started eating.

 

Theo was excited to have both his mother and father in the same room, sharing a meal, he couldn’t stop talking.

 

 

When they finished eating, Chard helped clear the table and Theo rushed back to his room.

 

‘What happened?’ Emma asked as she cleaned the dishes, Chard was sitting on the chair waiting for her to finish.

 

Chard took a deep breath before he opened his mouth and spoke, ‘You met Mattie

 

right?’ he asked

 

‘Yes I did.’

 

‘I am in love with her,’ he said

 

Her heart beat hard against her chest and the plate in her hands crashed the floor shattering into little pieces.

 

Emma stared at the tiny pieces of the plate on the floor.

 

‘Are you okay?’ Chard asked

 

‘Yes,’ she said and dropped to her knees

 

‘I am sorry,’ she said

 

‘No, its okay stand up let me clean up, you have done enough.’ She stood up and sat on the stool while Chard cleaned up.

 

‘I don’t know why I have become clumsy of late.’ ‘Maybe you are pregnant,’ he said She laughed, ‘No.’

 

‘You are sure?’

 

‘Yes.’

 

‘Okay.’

 

‘Tell me about Mattie,’ she said

 

‘Mattie is a lovely woman she loves Theo like he is her own…..,’ he went on and

 

on telling her about Mattie, how they met and how he got to be friends with her.

 

‘She sure sounds like a nice woman.’

 

‘Ya she is.’

 

‘I have no issues with her if she treats my son well.

 

‘If we do get together, I will introduce her to you officially.’ ‘You wanna fight for her despite the obstacles.’ ‘Yes.’

 

‘Wow.’

 

‘What?’

 

‘I haven’t seen you this determined about being with someone. People do change.’ ‘Yes people do change I don’t believe she has me hooked like this.’ ‘Love!’

 

Chard smiled, aside from his baby Mama, Emma was someone he could talk to

 

about anything.

 

****

 

TBC

 

##############

 

 

The Clock is Ticking

 

Ella❣