but when they left so did her smile.
She wanted that divorce and he was going to grant it.
He called up his lawyer and set a date. A week from now she would be happy-he looked at the clock and pulled out his chess board. He had one hour to waste before he set for his home.
Beryl walked into the room an hour later and threw her bag on the floor. It was no secret that her life was a mess and she couldn’t do a thing about it. She had just spent the past three hours in the company of her Father who made it not secret that he was displeased with Mark. Sheila had told him about his betrayal and he had gone ahead and talked to Mark. She felt as though her world was falling apart and that she could still fix it. Three months had gone since she came from Mombasa and her coldness had seen Mark retreat into something she could not understand. They had become strangers. He would do what he wanted as though she did not exist. Somehow she wanted it all to add up. She wanted him back and the only way was by taking him back. She had the power to forgive if only she stopped listening to what everyone else was telling her. Mark was her husband, not theirs. He had loved her and betrayed her but he was sorry too. She looked at the clock and poured herself some tea and sat to watch the television. She knew he would be home at 7:00pm and walk slowly to his room and stay locked there. In the three months she had barely seen him. When they sat down to dinner it was the sound of plates that could be heard and cutlery. She had wanted this and now that she had it, it wasn’t enough!
Mark was a liar, but she loved him. He would definitely cheat again-all he needed was an opportunity and she would have to deal with it. If she walked out now she would save herself the shame but not the heartache. If she walked out now she would not have resolved the problem she would still be mad at him. She knew she was right and she couldn’t wait for the day she would leave him.
Words
Mark waited outside the courtroom looking at his watch. Beryl would be there in a few minutes with her Sister and Mother. He had not told his parents of the divorce because he knew there would be none. He had one last chance of winning her back and he would take it.
He watched Nelson talk to his lawyer and they exchanged a few punch lines. He looked at the floor and gasped. He had four months to make things right and he had taken it all to himself. He had taken a step back instead of reaching out to her. She did the same and maybe that was where he’d gone wrong. He just wished someone had told him about all this before he messed up. He’d also figured that Guinness was not such a bad companion.
She walked up to him and smiled. He looked at her and looked at the floor. “Is this what you truly want Beryl?”
“I do not want to talk to you now Mark, let’s get this over and done with, just sign the papers and let me go.”
“Is it that simple for you?”
“It was simple for you to sleep with a stripper!”
“I guess it was, but look at what it cost me.”
“Really, it seems as though it cost you nothing because you are living your life and doing what you want to do.”
“And what do I want to do Beryl?”
“Win cases and make more money and spend all the time with your friends. Look, let’s go in and not keep the others waiting.”
“Not yet Beryl, all those things I do them because they do not push me away. My friends or my work accept me, but you…you are cold and you push me away. I speak to you and you point at something or nod your head, what am I to do, tell me!”
“Try harder! Gosh! You are to try harder.”
“I have, for four months, two weeks, six hours and the past twenty minutes, have you been paying attention?”
“This is not about time or me Mark…I can’t take this.”
“What can’t you take?”
“I can’t stay near you knowing that when you leave you might be with another woman or that you will lie to me again!”
“So you are walking away without giving me a chance?”
“You brought this on yourself Mark, serves you right!”
“Okay, I guess I tried…I guess I did try. I wish you all the happiness you will find Beryl. Even though some part of me hoped that it would be with me, guess I do deserve all this, well- let us go in and I will sign those papers.”
“Mark…”
“Yes, what is it?”
“If you could go back, would you really change it?”
“Without a second thought.”
“Mark…”
“What is it Beryl?”
“Say you love me.” He looked at her and held out his arms and she walked into them.
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About the author
You can find her on twitter @herhar, or follow her blog: https://www.dora-jodie.blogspot.com
“What do you want me to say Mark?”
“…say you love me.”
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