*******
Adam talks to her about everything, he talks to her about Damien, Marybeth notices Gerald tense, but he doesn’t say anything.
He talks about his writing, about securing a job contract with the Mayor, about quitting drinking and smoking since the accident, about a possible tour and even dreams of owning a publishing and book firm, travelling the world and taking her with him. He talks, he laughs, he cries..he lets it all out. He tells her about his book..everything in it.
He never once mentions Gerald when he spoke about family
Gerald felt the strings to his heart pull, it felt strange.
He never cared for this boy, never did and he never felt bad for it.
But right now, this moment..it was like seeing his wife in this near death state and realizing he was going to truly lose her and have Marybeth talk some sense into him, he had realized something..
They both loved Thelma, they both loved Damien…and their mutual hate for each other only further drove the family apart.. and brought nothing but grief, pain , misery..and more hatred.
And as much as he felt pain for losing his son Damien, he never realized that Adam felt such pain for losing his brother too and that this also caused Thelma’s sickness .
It was both their fault Thelma was in this state.. but it was his that caused it from the beginning.
He didn’t want her to die. He was angry and bitter for so long he forgot to be forgiving. Forgot to accept his own part in it. Forgot to truly blame himself for his lapses and poured it all on Thelma and Adam, and because of his anger ..their anger…they would lose Thelma too.
This realization hits him so hard he didn’t realize when the tears start to fall and his heart began to close.. choking him he cries out.
“I am sorry..Thelma” he bursts out, rubbing her hands’ ‘’ I am so sorry” he says “Don’t leave me too, I promise I would make it better I promise…I will do anything Thelma, forgive me..stay please” he cries
Shock causes Adam and Marybeth to turn and look at him..
Gerald breaks down..as he begins to recount the past, the reason..where it all began and why
*****
“It was after a few months we got married. The Gibson Cruz family wasn’t wealthy until much later, but then, I was a struggling young man who had come for Thelma’s hand.
Going against her family, Thelma and I married and eloped. Reconciliation happened later but for 5 years, I and Thelma lived on little. As a scientist looking for his niche, I couldn’t get a good job and decided to work part time as a clerk, an errand and a service provider as an handyman, a mechanic and a deliveryman on certain days, this I did for a year as we go by. But life wasn’t easy.
Thelma loved to bake so she baked and worked in the library on weekends, babysits for nursing mothers too, and sold her flowers at the market. The money coming in wasn’t enough to cover our daily living, our house or her little garden where she groomed her flowers. Her parents would only help if she divorced me and returned home, but for love Thelma refused and they sever all ties with her.
We loved each other, but love wasn’t enough.
Soon the fights began, when the lights went off, when the food wasn’t enough, when our rent bills were behind, when we couldn’t afford anything to go by, a decent three square meals, expenses, etc love wasn’t enough. And thus we had to work more.
Until Mr Jackson Onel offered me a job at the Mine, a pay higher than what I had in my last two jobs.
So I happily accepted, it would make us comfortable but kept me out two weeks away from home and Thelma .
I should have asked why Jackson wanted to help me… Why Jackson suddenly paid me any mind.
Jackson helped people because it helped himself.
While Thelma supplied bread and flowers to their office, he had gone from asking her which she refused reminding him that she was married, to pestering her and to eventually $3xually harassing her.
Thelma , not knowing how to tell me had stopped going to his office, and just like David in the bible, seeing another’s man wife and wanting her for himself, Jackson had reached out to me, playing it on coincidence about a job opening in his construction site in one of the Mines he was handling, and me seeing a good job opportunity had taken it without question, despite Thelma’s protest. Fighting with her and saying she didn’t want my progress and if she liked us to remain poor and unable to take care of ourselves, but I didn’t know all this at the time.
So I left. Jackson extended his visits and harassment to our home and threatened her saying he would have me arrested if she reported him.
And so one day, Thelma gets a call from me, one of the construction sites had blown up, someone forgot to turn off the underground pipe and lit a cigar.
I and some friends were smoking the night before, I left them and went to bed, by morning, we were told there was a fire, hard months work gone up in smoke
They were calling for our heads but I, I wasn’t there. I didn’t smoke with them but I knew no one left a cigar burning, but someone had died in the explosion and they found my lighter amongst the ruins.
I was being charged for manslaughter and destruction of the construction Mine site. I had sent her to plead my case to the boss, Jackson Onel, and nothing she said to dissuade me from sending her worked. I felt she didn’t care enough
Jackson was expecting her, and he offered her a way out for me, to be his mistress, no one would know, and I would be set free immediately and charges dropped.
Thelma had refused at first, but by the fortnight the police came for me, threws me into the cell, tortured me to confess to a crime I didn’t commit.
“He would die in there, the family wants blood, his case would never get to court..he would die in there and no one would hear …unless you give me what I want Thelma” Jackson said to her constantly.
Thelma sort other means to help me, but no one wanted to hear my case or take it up
“He killed a man’’ they said “he had a family”
“He didn’t..help him” she begged
“His carelessness did. We can’t help you” they replied
A month in the cell, starved, beaten..broken, Thelma couldn’t bear it anymore
“I will get you out Gerald, I can’t leave you like this” she told me one day
“Nothing can be done Thelma, I will die here” I tell her, barely able to stand, nor talk
“I will..even if it means to dine with the devil”
“what do you mean ..Thelma, Thelma” but she was gone.
I was released two days later, given my job back with a higher pay and the case was dropped like nothing had happened.
“I noticed Thelma grew quiet, sadder..distant, no matter how many times I asked what was wrong she told me nothing. Whenever the guys from work came around she hid herself.. whenever Jackson made a courtesy visit…she.. gets angry, irritated. I didn’t know why.
“A month later I was sent out of state for work, but I finished early and came back home to surprise Thelma..we haven’t been spending time together and I wanted to treat her nice, but I got home and found him, Jackson on her..and my wife, my Thelma..was crying as he sweated on her but she didn’t push him away..she didn’t..with a blinding rage I lurch for him, not stopping until I felt his skull crack and Thelma pulling me away.. he barely survived, he pushed her causing her to hit her head as he runs, scared I rush her to the hospital..” Gerald sniffs
Adam is speechless
Gerald continuous “ I was going to kill him, I wanted to. So I went in search for him but he told me, he was my wife’s lover, I should be thankful to her for saving my head. Blinded by rage I came back, hoping she tells me it was a lie but instead she breaks down to confess, telling me how he had threatened her, forced her, how she wanted to save me.
And then the Doctor tells me she was pregnant. But I am Sterile.
****
TO BE CONT.
