#ISADORA
Episode 38
Val’s side of the story continues from the previous episode
I returned home later in the evening to discover that Jane was already in the house. I kept my feelings to myself and headed to my room to rest. But Unfortunately I couldn’t have any rest because my mother joined me minutes later.
‘’how are you?’’ she curiously asked, sitting on the bed. I smiled and sat up, knowing she came to discuss something serious with me.
‘’I’m fine mum, hope everything is okay?’’ I asked softly. She breathed deeply.
‘’I’m worried about Jane. The poor girl has gone through a lot’’ she breathed while I shrugged.
‘’life isn’t easy these days mum. We pass through a lot everyday’’ I replied, softly placing my right hand on hers.
‘’I know but the poor girl is totally devastated. I feel greatly for her. You promised to wed her and dashed her hopes on the last minute. She’s pregnant with your child and clueless on what to do with her life after your rejection. Now her brother is equally dead. You have to be kinder to her because she’s going through a lot’’ she preached. I nodded in agreement.
‘’I understand mum and I will try’’ I promised.
‘’no you don’t still get me. You have to wed her. You have to be by her side. You have to be her man. I don’t want to lose my grandchild’’ she urged, looking into my eyes with great desperation. I instantly felt terrible. I couldn’t say a word.
‘’I’m pleading and ordering you at the same time to wed that girl. Do this for me. I beg of you’’ she pressured solemnly. I looked down, still unable to say a word. Of course I just didn’t know how to react. Turning down Jane was one thing; turning down my mother’s request was another ball game. It was something so hard to do.
‘’mum I respect you a lot and I have never disregarded you in anything but please I’m an adult and I beg you, don’t run my life for me. I know what I want’’ I softly pleaded.
‘’no you don’t know what you want. Yes I agree Jane isn’t 100% but where on earth can you find a woman with every quality? .if you have anything against her family, don’t push it on her. She’s only a woman and has no say in anything’’ she desperately tried to convince me, using her motherly whims to hold me down but I wasn’t willing to have any of it. I quickly stood up, surprising her.
‘’mum it’s time I move into my own house. I have been living with you all these while because I couldn’t afford staying away from you but I’m now a man and I can afford running my own home. I’m leaving this evening’’ I suddenly opened up, leaving her gasping for breath. She couldn’t believe her ears.
‘’so you can now afford to leave me all alone in this big house? What madness has come over you?’’ she asked with a raised tone.
‘’I’m just being a man mum but I promise I will be coming to see you everyday’’ I promised.
‘’so you already got a house and never told me till now?’’ she asked while I nodded even though I really had nowhere to go other than a hotel. But I just had to lie because I had to.
‘’very well then. Good luck’’ she hissed and walked away while I breathed deeply. Deep down I knew she was totally pained. I equally had no prior plans of leaving the house but had to start packing up some of my clothes immediately.
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Minutes later, I walked into the sitting room with my travel bag, expecting to say goodbye to my mother but only met Jane in there. She quickly stood up, took a long look at my bag and sat down without saying anything. I breathed deeply, swallowed hard and walked away. Of course I really felt terrible leaving the house in such manner but I felt I was doing the right thing.
But unfortunately for me, I barely had settled down in a hotel when I got a distressing call from Martha.
‘’Madam jane and i are taking mum to the hospital. your mother is terribly down. We feel her blood pressure is very high. She’s uttering incoherent words. The family doctor asked us to bring her over to his clinic’’ she cried over the phone, breaking my heart with the information. I instantly rushed out and headed to the hospital, feeling extremely guilty..
(The hospital was about twenty minutes drive from the hotel and when I got there my mother was already responding to treatment. She was very fast asleep when I walked in with the doctor to check her).
‘’she will be alright but please you guys should always avoid anything that could bring up her blood pressure. I know she has been following the diet I recommended sometime back and Martha confirmed she still uses less salt with her routine medications. I was told you left the house after arguing with her this evening. Please don’t be so careless with her next time. This could have turned to a stroke and I don’t need to educate you on that either?’’ the doctor counseled me before walking away, leaving me all alone in the room with my mother, Jane and Martha. The guilt I felt was really so much.
I slowly knelt beside my mum, wishing I could reverse things a bit.
‘’I’m so sorry mum. I still very much need you alive. Please get better for me. I promise to move back to the house. I promise to wed Jane’’ I promised. Even though it broke my heart, I meant every word..
To be continued
