FAMILY SECRET
Episode 3
Andrew’s mind was in turmoil as he drove home, the words still echoing in his mind. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that Anita was hiding something from him. When he arrived home, he found Anita busy preparing dinner in the kitchen. He took a deep breath and approached her.
“Anita, we need to talk,” Andrew said, his voice firm but hesitant.
Anita looked up, concerned. “What’s wrong, Andrew?”
Andrew took another deep breath before blurting out the advice. “I think you should get a job. It will make you stop depending on me for everything.”
Anita’s expression changed from concern to shock. “What? Why would you say that?”
“Please let the kids get to one year first,” Anita pleaded. “Taking care of them is very tasking and demanding, coupled with house chores.”
“Taking care of little children is no work,” Andrew stated, his voice dripping with disdain.
“Please wait till they get to one year, please,” Anita replied, her voice laced with frustration.
“I have told you my mind, and that’s final,” Andrew said, and he angrily left Anita.
For the next few days, Andrew’s behavior towards Anita changed. He became increasingly irritable and critical, finding fault in everything she did. He would barely speak to her, and when he did, it was with a condescending tone.
Anita felt like she was walking on eggshells, never knowing what would set Andrew off next. She tried to reason with him, but he wouldn’t listen.
One day, Anita had had enough. “I’ve had enough of your behavior, Andrew,” she said, her voice shaking with anger. “I’m ready to get a job, just like you wanted.”
Andrew sneered. “It’s about time. Who will take care of the children, though?”
Anita hesitated. “Well, I thought maybe we could find a nanny or-”
Andrew cut her off. “No way. We can’t afford that. They’ll go to daycare.”
Anita reluctantly agreed, and started applying for jobs. But it seemed like no one wanted to hire her. Andrew’s behavior continued to worsen, and he even stopped giving Anita money for her basic needs.
One day, Anita received a call offering her a job as a cook at a restaurant. The hours were long – 7am to 10pm – but she had no choice. She accepted the job, hoping that things would get better.
When she told Andrew about the job, he barely reacted. “That’s great,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Anita started working as a cook, and most days she would take excuses to go pick up the kids from daycare and keep them close to her at work. Her boss was sympathetic towards her and allowed her to take the kids to the workers’ lodge after daycare closed. But one Saturday, Andrew didn’t go to work, so she left the kids with him as he was home.
Andrew was excited to spend the day with his twin boys, Harry and Henry. He thought it would be a breeze, but little did he know, the twins had other plans.
As soon as Anita left, the twins started crying simultaneously. Andrew tried to calm them down, but they wouldn’t stop. He changed their diapers, but they continued to wail. He fed them, but they spat out the food. He tried to play with them, but they threw their toys across the room.
Andrew was frazzled. He had never taken care of the twins alone before, and he didn’t know how Anita did it every day. He was exhausted, and the day had just started.
As the day went on, the twins’ antics only got worse. They poured cereal all over the floor, drew on the walls, and refused to take a nap. Andrew was at his wit’s end. He had never felt so overwhelmed in his life.
Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, the twins started demanding attention. “Dada, Dada!” they chimed in unison. Andrew tried to ignore them, but they wouldn’t stop. They climbed all over him, pulling his hair and scratching his face.
Andrew was a mess. He was covered in cereal, formula, and baby drool. He looked like he had been through a war. And to top it all off, the twins still wouldn’t stop crying.
Just then, the doorbell rang Andrew breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Anita had arrived to rescue him from the chaos. But when he opened the door, he was greeted by his gate man, whose timing couldn’t have been worse.
“What? What do you want?” Andrew hissed, his frustration evident.
“Oga, I can perceive that food is burning,” the gate man said, his eyes wide with concern.
Andrew’s face contorted in disbelief. “Oh Jesus, I forgot I put food on the fire! These children are driving me cr@zy!”
The gate man took a step back, looking startled. “Ah, Oga, I think you need some help. The twins are crying, the house is a mess, and…and…is that cereal on the couch?”
Andrew yelled at his gate man, “Leave me alone!” He went back inside, feeling very stressed. The babies were crying loudly, the food was burning in the kitchen, and the house was a mess. Toys and baby things were all over the floor. He didn’t know what to do first. He felt like he was going cr@zy. He took a deep breath and tried to think. “Okay, first, I’ll stop the babies from crying. Then, I’ll fix the food. And after that, I’ll clean up this mess.” But, as soon as he took a step forward, the babies started crying even louder. Andrew’s head spun. He didn’t know how Anita did this every day.
The story continue
