The Come Back

Jessica never expected Harold could walk away from their home. Go absence without leave. There were no obvious signs. There were no impending warnings. She couldn’t tell that he had something up his sleeves. She didn’t see the handwritings on the wall. He left home as routine to go to work and never came back. She stayed up waiting for him as she does anything he said he would be working late. This time around she waited longer than normal. She became worried. She was afraid that something bad had happened. So many conflicting thoughts ran through her mind. Though he had his shortcomings. Though he had cheated on her several times and a times came back drunk to stupor. He had never stayed away from home. Has he been attacked? Was he involved in an accident? She called his phone several times. It rang but no one picked. By this time her heart was almost in her mouth. She shuddered with fear. With trembling fingers she picked her phone to call the police.

“Hello, hello,” she called with trembling voice.

“Hello! Yes ma'am. How can I help you?”

“Please, am I on to the police.” By this time her voice had become so low that she could barely be heard.

“Yes! You are actually speaking to Joe. Is anything the matter?”

“Yes... My husband is not back home. I....” There was silence. She couldn’t speak any further. She was already in tears.

“Please ma'am calm down. I need you to take a deep breath. I need you to piece yourself together so I can get the necessary information. Ok?”

“Yes. Ok,” she replied with teary voice.

“Ok. When last did you see him?”

“We saw this morning. He was well and fine. He kissed me goodbye before he left for work.”

“Was he worried over anything a night before? Did he discuss anything disturbing with you? Was he looking worried when he left for work?”

“No, not at all. He was fine and good,” she spoke with a pained voice.

“Ok. Does he come home late a times?”

“Yes. He sure does. But not, not this late at all.” Her voice trembled.

“Have you called his phone? Probably he had an usual backlog at work,” the officer spoke with reassuring tone.

“Yes! I have. I called a million times but he didn’t pick. I don’t know what to do. Is he still alive?” She broke down in tears.

“Ma'am. Please calm down. Am sure he's still alive. I'll come to see you by morning time. Ok?”

“Yes. Ok. Thank you officer.”

“No problem ma'am.”

Jessica couldn’t sleep a wink. She tossed and turned. The night seemed so long. She kept looking at the time earnestly expecting day break. Officer Joe came alongside his partner, officer Terence. They asked her series of questions. They promised her they were going to do their best to bring him back home. She thanked them. Two weeks later she was sitting on the porch lost in thought when her phone beeped. She hurriedly looked at it. It was a message. With ambivalence, she read through the message.

How are you? Hope you are okay? How are the kids? Am sorry I left out of the blues. You've been indeed a loving wife. Hope you'll find happiness in someone else / something else as I have. I hope you'll find the strength to move on as I have. Don’t bother yourself too much about me. Am fine and okay. Tell the kids I've gone for the greener land. Bye!

Jessica couldn’t hold back the tears that welled up in her eyes. They flowed ceaselessly. What was she going to do? How was she going to move on? How was she going to raise the kids all alone? These thoughts made her cry the more. After a while, she became stronger. Though it wasn’t easy. She was able to move on. She told herself that she wasn’t going to throw in the towel. Her kids needed her more than ever. She had taken his misdemeanour for a long time. She had overlooked his shortcomings for the sake of their children. She didn’t want them to be raised in a broken home. The final straw had broken the camel’s back. Now, it was time to move on with her life. Indeed, time heals wounds. She took up more jobs to make ends meet. Her kids kept asking to know why their dad left. They asked if there was a quarrel between both of them. They asked if he never loved them. They asked if he was still alive.

“Mum, will dad ever come back?” Jayden, her younger son asked.

“Oh! My love. I don’t know. I can’t say,” she replied with a worried look.

“Mum, do you know where he is?”

“Jayden my love. I don’t know. I just know he's alive somewhere.”

“He is so cruel and unkind. Mum, if he comes back. Will you accept him?” he asked with his gaze fixed on her.

“No! Certainly not. Not ever,” she replied with a frown.

Though uneasy, she was able to give her children all they needed. Despite her busy schedule she still had time for them. They spent most of the weekends together. They were her friends, her confidants and her love. She locked the door of her heart to any other man. She ignored their advances no matter how insistent they were. She wasn’t ready to be heartbroken again. She wasn’t ready to be torn apart again. But it wasn’t for too long. Hugh was able to find his way into her heart. He was able to break the rock she built in pieces. He was able to pull down the wall of divide. He was a colleague at her new office. Her diligence endeared him to her. But he noticed she was unusually withdrawn and reserved. He tried several times to start up a conversation with her but she just ignored him. He never gave up.

“What do you want from me? Am not interested!” she shouted angrily.

“No, I don’t want anything serious. Just want to be a friend,” he stuttered.

“Am not ready for any friendship! Am not ready for any talk! Am not ready for any man! Am not... Am not...” she paused and took a deep breath.

“I know you’ve been deeply hurt. I know you’ve been cut to the deep. I just want to be a friend. No strings attached. I promise I won’t hurt you,” he spoke with caution.

She took a long stare at him. “Ok. Just friends. That alone I'll let you be and nothing else.”

“Yes. Certainly.”

It didn’t take too long until they became inseparable. He assisted her in as much ways as he could. He took her kids as his own. He lost his wife in a plane crash few years ago. He had been a loving father to their two kids.

It was time for Jessica’s oldest child, her daughter to get married. Catherine was through with college. She met Alex in college. They were head over heels in love. After five years of dating, they decided to walk down the aisle. Jessica took time to study her daughter’s love bird. She wasn’t going to allow her fall into the hands of an impostor. With time, after a cursory study, she gave her consent.

Jessica was at the garden for the nuptials when she noticed a car drive in and park very close. She wondered who it could be. The door slowly opened. A middle-aged man came out of the car. She was amazed to see that that same man was her estranged husband.

“What brings you here Harold?” She asked with a stern look.

“Are you not happy to see your lost but found husband?” He threw his arms wide open.

“Certainly not.”

“Jessica, see am so sorry. It’s just that I had to leave to work things out for us. For you and the...”

She interrupted. “ For who? For me and the kids? I don’t think so. She shook her head and continued, “At least you should have stayed. You should have hung on. Together we would have worked things out. I thought you said you have found someone else. I thought you said you have moved on.”

“No. It was a figurative statement. I meant my new job.”

“Ok. Besides what kept you so long? Why the long silence? Why the long stay away?”

Drawing close he replied, “I had to make sure I settle down fully. I mean get all the necessary documents. Am so sorry.”

“There’s no point to be sorry. You should have at least called. You have no home here anymore. We've survived it. We’ve weathered the storm. We’ve moved on.”

“I lost your ...”

He was surprised to see a man walk up to Jessica, hold her by the waist and kiss her on the cheek.

“Hey! darling. Sorry I left you for long.”

“Oh! Dear. You need not worry.”

“Honey, meet Harold. Harold meet my husband, Hugh.”

Hugh stretched his hands towards Harold who reluctantly shook him. He was surprised to see that Jessica had fallen for another man. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Indeed she had moved on, he said to himself.