If Only She Knew - Season 1 - Episode 2

5 years ago

If Only She Knew - Season 1 - Episode 2

☆☆☆

“I am going to sleep. Not feeling well today,” said Emily late that night.

After she came back from the market with the kids. She spent the whole day locked up in her room
and didn’t talk to her husband.
“Emily, I need to talk to you.”

“Whats there to talk about? That you had been sitting in this house the whole day, not job hunting.

I am tired of being the man of this house. You should be the one working extra hard to support the family but No instead you decide to quit your job,” she said angrily.

“You don’t need to shout at me. It’s not easy to find a job,” he said calmy.

“Listen to yourself speaking right now. Why then did you decide to quit your job? If you knew
perfectly well that it will be hard to find another one. You good for nothing of a man. I don’t even
know why I got married to you,” she said bumping into him in the process as she walked out on him.

He pulled a chair in the kichen and sat, hands on his head. Thinking about his wife and if he was
going to survive another day in the house. He rose from the chair and as usual went to sleep on
the sofa, since Emily had locked the door.

Everytime they fought she would lock the door and
made him sleep on the sofa.

“Dad!” said Calvin tapping his shoulder
“Ohh it’s you. You gave me a fright. Why are you still awake?”
He sat beside his dad.

“I was just thinking about my life. What would I be in the next five years to come? Am I gonna
finish school? Take care of you, mum and Chloe,” said Calvin with a sad look on his face.
Andrew just stared at him.

“Calvin. You only 15 years old and I will make sure you go to University.”

“We both know that is not going to happen. Dad, you can pretend as if everything is okay in this
house but I know it’s not. You can try to fool me but you can’t maybe Chloe. She is just eight years old and maybe a little too young to understand,” he said. “I am a man dad not a boy that is why I
have decided to stop going to school and be a conductor.”

“What!” he exclaimed raising his brows. “No child of mine will do such thing. And you are not a
man. You will finish school and go to University, end of story.”

“Says who? You, dad. Mum always calls you a failure and a useless man. I don’t want my wife to also call me the same thing. You my role model but from the way things are. I need to step in and help you also. Mum hasnt found a permanent job yet. How are we going to survive?”

Unable to talk, he just stared at him. Looking at how young he was, he already knew about life.
Maybe his wife was right after all. He was a useless man, he thought. He wiped the tears that had escaped from his eyes before facing his son. He sniffed and put his hand on his shoulder.

“I am proud of you Calvin. You have grown up so fast but I won’t let you be a conductor. If it
means selling my car so that you can write your final exams and go to University, I will. I am
responsible for taking care of you, your sister and mother. I am the man of the house,” he went on.

“Tomorrow morning I will go and look for a job.”

“I love you dad. All those things I said is because I care. I always want to help you. I will finish school. Every thing is going to be alright.

They hugged each other. Calvin got up.
“I am going to bed now. You can come and sleep with me in my room.”

“No it’s okay I will sleep here.”

“Okay if you say so. Goodnight dad!”
“Goodnight son!”

Andrew said a prayer before he fell asleep on the couch.

Early in the morning he woke up and took a bath. His family was still asleep when he walked out of
the house. Prayer was his key of the morning and the bolt of his everning. Everytime he rose in
the morning. He gave thanks for the light, for the life and strength unlike his wife. He was about to
start the car when he realised there was no fuel. He walked to the taxi rank and got into a taxi that
dropped him off to town.
“I am sorry but the position was already filled. You should try sometime, next year,” said the
manager of the company.
He walked again and got into another company.
“The position of Assistant Manager available. You don’t qualify with a Diploma in hand. We need a
degree. Close the door on your way out,” she said.

It was around 7 pm when he started walking heading back home. He was very exhausted and had
bad day. More than ever he had so many things to worry about. His kids and wife. He knocked on
the door.
“Come in!” she responded.

They had lighten the candles and was cooking on a primus stove.
“What happened with the electricity?” asked Andrew as he sat down on the chair.
“It’s the landlord. She said we must move out tomorrow or else she will kick us out by force,” said

Emily. “I am starting to think maybe we were cursed so that we can be poor for the rest of our
lives,” she said with tears in her eyes.
He stood up and held her tightly in his arms.
“Shhhh, don’t cry. It’s going to be alright,” he patted her back thinking of a job offer he had
received from his friend to sell drugs at a club in town.