The Clock Is Ticking – Episode 49

Sequence 49

 

*****

 

An hour later, Mattie sat on her couch trying to decide what to do. This was a massive disaster, she couldn’t be pregnant. Not now. Not with Chard’s baby. Absorbed in her thoughts, she was barely aware of her sister’s presence.

 

‘Are you okay?’ Vanessa asked as she stood in the doorway of the living room.

 

She nodded and tried to smile, even as she fought waves of panic.

 

Vanessa approached her and sat next to her, ‘Tell me what’s wrong.’ ‘I…I … am pregnant,’ she spoke, tears pouring down her eyes.

 

‘Calm down Mattie, being pregnant is not a disaster. All you need to do is call Chard and tell him about what’s going on, I am sure he will be happy to become a father.’

 

‘You don’t understand,’ she stood up

 

‘Then make me understand.’

 

‘Chard and I are no longer together, we had a huge misunderstanding and we broke up. I can’t tell him.’

 

 

‘You have to tell him who knows maybe this is what you need to get back together.’

 

‘I can’t tell him not after what happened, he will think that I am entrapping him

 

into being with me.’

 

‘Then what will you do?’

 

‘I don’t know Vanessa, I just don’t, I have so many going on at the moment, a baby is the last thing I need.’

 

‘You want to get rid of it?’ Vanessa asked horrifyingly ‘Abortion!’ she asked her eyes wide open.

 

‘Yes, do you wanna get rid of the baby?’ Mattie thought deeply before she responded.

 

‘No,’ she shook her head, ‘That’s the last thing I would ever do, I can’t kill my own child.’

 

There was a brief silence between them and both of them seemed lost in the confusion.

 

‘What am I going to do Vanessa? Two children born out of wedlock from two different fathers, this is now how I pictured my life, why didn’t I use precautions.’ ‘I still think Chard deserves to know about this, I know he messed up but babe you need to put your anger aside and think of the baby, think of what’s best for the child.’

 

She was about to respond when a knock sounded at the door,’ I will get that,’ she said as she walked to the door, she opened it to reveal her mother and sister Claire. ‘Mum! What a pleasant surprise,’ she managed a smile.

 

‘I am not your mother child if you want to see your mother you can visit her at the grave.’

 

Hurt by her mother’s response, Mattie chose to keep quiet.

 

‘We are here to see Vanessa,’ Claire said

 

Mattie stepped aside, ’Come in.’

 

‘They walked in and she closed the door behind her back.’

 

‘I will go and get Trinny ready for school,’ Mattie said before she hurried off to her room, she didn’t want to be part of the drama that was about to unfold.

 

***

 

‘Mother! Claire!’ Vanessa said

 

‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ her mother growled ‘I don’t understand.’

 

‘What do you mean you don’t understand?’ Claire asked ‘Like I said I don’t understand.’

 

‘You left your husband’s house only to come and hide here?’

 

‘I am not hiding, if I was you wouldn’t have found me here, what do you want mother?’

 

‘I have come to get you. You are going back to your husband’s house.’

 

‘I am sorry to disappoint you mother but I am going nowhere, me and Andrew are

 

so done, I have already contacted my lawyer and she will begin with the divorce

 

process soon.’

 

‘Di what?’

 

‘Divorce Mother, divorce. I am finally going to divorce that sorry ass of a man.’ ‘You must be joking.’

 

‘I am serious,’ she said flaunting her hand in her mother’s face, ‘There is no ring here anymore.’

 

‘You are joking right?’

 

‘No.’

 

‘What has Mattie done to you?’

 

‘Leave Mattie out of this.’

 

‘That woman isn’t your sister,’ she yelled

 

‘I don’t care what you say, Mattie is my sister.’ ‘Vanessa let’s get going.’ ‘I said no.’

 

‘I will….’

 

‘Disown me right?’ she finished the sentence for her, ‘I don’t care if you disown me mum, you are wicked and I am seriously ashamed to call you my mother.’ ‘Vanessa? What has gotten into you?’ Claire asked

 

‘My eyes are finally opened this woman standing right here is selfish. She doesn’t

 

care for any of us, she only cares about what the public will say about her and the

 

kind of lives we are living. I am done.’

 

‘Wonders shall never end!’ she exclaimed

 

‘I need to rest, if you don’t mind,’ Vanessa stood up. ’Close the door on your way out.’

 

‘Vanessa!’ her mother called as she walked back to her room but she ignored her. ‘Have you seen your sister Claire?’

 

‘Mum let us go she will come back and beg you soon.’

 

‘Yes let’s go. I actually need to meet with Chrissie’s fiancé he said he has

 

something urgent to tell me.’

 

‘Then let’s go.’

 

*****

 

 

‘I am glad you could make it mum, please come in,’ Jericho said ‘Hey Claire,’ he politely greeted his sister in law. ‘Tsup my nigga?’

 

‘We are trying,’ he said as he ushered them into his living room.

 

‘Please sit down,’ he said

 

‘Thank you.’

 

‘Where is Chrissie?’ Her mother asked, ‘I haven’t been able to reach her on phone.’

 

‘Well, I don’t know where Chrissie is.’

 

‘What do you mean you don’t know where Chrissie is? I left her with you remember?’

 

‘Can I get you guys anything to drink?’ he asked

 

‘What’s going on Jericho? When you called last night you said you had something urgent to tell me, did something happen to my daughter?’ ‘No,’ he shook his head

 

‘What’s going on?’ Claire asked

 

‘I called you because I wanted to talk to you about Chrissie.’ ‘I am all ears.’

 

‘I don’t know how to say this.’

 

‘Jericho, tell us what’s going on please.’

 

‘I am sorry mum but I don’t think I want to marry Chrissie anymore,’ the words rushed out of his mouth before he could stop them.

 

‘What!’ her mother’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open. ‘What do you mean you won’t want to marry my sister anymore?’ ‘I have lost interest,’ he said

 

‘You have lost interest. Are you even listening to yourself Jericho?’

 

‘I am sorry but Chrissie is not who I thought she was, your daughter is not ready to be married and she is definitely not the woman for me.’ ‘Meaning?’ Claire angrily asked

 

‘Your daughter has been cheating on me.’

 

‘What do you mean she had been cheating on you? Chrissie would never cheat on you, she loves you and she knows how important this wedding is for our family.’ ‘Things haven’t been rosy between us at first I thought I was just being paranoid so I asked her what was happening and she said it was wedding stress, I let it go even when I knew she was lying because she hasn’t been committed to the wedding preparations for the past few weeks, she never even shows up for rehearsals…..,; ‘So how does that imply that my sister is cheating?’ she cut her short.

 

 

‘I hired someone to follow her about two weeks ago.’ ‘You did what?’ her expression turned grave

 

‘I hired someone to follow her and you won’t believe what I found out.’ ‘What?’

 

‘Chrissie has been sleeping with a man called Thomas, a man that Mattie once dated and she is also after Chard, Mattie’s boyfriend.’ ‘You are a fool,’ her mother stood up

 

‘What?’

 

‘How dare you sit here and tell me all these stupid things about my daughter, oh Mattie put you up to this right?’

 

‘I haven’t spoken to Mattie since Chrissie left her house but I intend on speaking to her now so I can warn her to be careful, Chrissie doesn’t have good intentions towards her….,’

 

She slapped him across his face, cutting his sentence short and Chrissie chose that same minute to walk in.

 

‘What’s going on here?’ she asked

 

*****

 

TBC

 

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The Clock is Ticking

 

Ella