THE DIAMOND OF THE NIGHT

THE BEGINNINGS.

I forced myself to look directly into the piercing eyes of Aunt Matilda as I waited patiently for the answer. Aunt Matilda used to be a very intense person but now, she appeared far away. I had never seen her in this way- she seemed distracted mentally. Finally, I asked her again- "what happened today with that man?"

She turned away for a second to collect her thoughts before turning to face me again, and then she apologized, "Sorry, what did you say?" I had never witnessed this kind of courtesy before in Aunt Matilda and it made me even more uncomfortable. Something both frightening and confusing had happened that morning. And now, Aunt Matilda seemed as if she were a different person. It seemed as if there was something new in her, a softness or perhaps a meekness that was unlike her. Aunt Matilda had never been an intentionally mean person, but she was always intense that she continually hurt the feelings of those around her, even her family. Now she seemed almost sensitive, though lost in thought. "Who was that man that you talked with this morning?" I continued, "and what does he mean about you, having to make a choice?" Aunt Matilda wore shock in her eyes. She looked at me and I could tell that she was trying to think of something else to tell me. "How-What did you hear?" 

"Aunt, please. "Don't lie to me, I knew what I heard." Frankly, I could not hear everything the man said to her because he was speaking in a low voice but I heard him say 'you can't keep me away forever...' Aunt Matilda steadied her breath, her chest slouched as she bent her face to the floor. And then she did the unexpected, she began to cry. Aunt Matilda never showed emotions. I used to think about what human she was because nothing you ever say or do moved her. She was always indifferent and acted unperturbed by people's actions or inactions towards her. Now here she was, crying like a baby. Whatever it was that man had said, must have pained her so much for her to cry like this. I felt pity for her. "Aunt, I started, I don't care what that man told you. All I know is that we're going to get through this together," I promised her. "Carrie, I'm so scared," she said as she held unto me tightly. "You have nothing to worry about, aunt. You are the bravest person I'd ever known." Maybe I said that to reassure her but if there was one thing very clear to me, it was that Aunt Matilda was dead scared. It was one time when I had expected a sudden change from Aunt Matilda but it never came. It was three years ago, on a day we visited the mall on Christmas Eve. John, my brother had demanded we go somewhere special together seeing he had just been promoted at work. Everyone was excited except Aunt Matilda who acted indifferent and wickedly cold. I had wondered then what her two daughters could think of her because she kept a straight and rigid countenance throughout much of the day and didn't bother to care how her acts were hurting the family. What exactly did my brother saw in her? I asked for a thousand times. And so to brighten up her mood, my brother suggested a shopping trip to the mall. Everything was going on smoothly until Aunt Matilda spited an elderly woman. I didn't get what happened between them because I was with her two daughters up in front. "You watch where you are going!" Aunt Matilda blurted behind us. I brought down my face in shame. That was rude of Aunt Matilda. I never believed she'd be so Ill-mannered towards an elderly woman.

"Sweetheart, that was a mean thing to say- she's old, you should have considered that," John said to her. "Old doesn't mean she should walk blindly. She stinks, John." I couldn't take it anymore, I quickly hurried the kids to the car. A look of horror on their faces. She's poisoning the minds of these kids, I hoped she realized that soon. I came back to where they were and the old woman just stood there, watching her. "Aunt, you should apologize," I told her. "Seriously! to an old hag?" "She hit me on purpose, Carrie. John? Why are you all blind to this?" 

"This is not right, Mat. You're disgracing yourself." "Keep quiet for heaven's sake" John shouted her down. 

"Now I see you for who you are, John. A coward." She turned to leave but the old woman called out to her.

"You should listen to them, daughter." "You are proud and heartless and you are going to end badly unless you change." You would expect Aunt Matilda to keep quiet and reflect on her ways rather she answered back- "You have no right to preach to me, hag, no one tells me what to do." The old woman simply smiled at her and walked away. When we returned, John was so angry at her that he refused to eat her meal. She was ignored completely yet she never cared. My half mind thought that she'd meditate on what the old woman told her as she slept that night but I was completely wrong. Aunt Matilda won't change overnight. I had thought that nothing could break her until this morning. Something had happened that I was not getting. Something that could change the family, either for good or bad...

A DIFFERENT MATILDA.

Aunt Matilda started to act strange ever since that morning of that day. She began to be careful with her words as if worried she might let out something she shouldn't. To make matters worse, she was avoiding the family entirely. She would give short answers and would go to bed early which was unlike her habit of staying up till midnight on her favorite TV programs. On more than one occasion, I had caught her looking cautiously out the window and anytime she heard a knock on the gate, she tensed up and looked broken. John had ignored her completely. Maybe he thought she was depicting her usual cold-like behaviors. But I knew what was happening, it all started with that man-stranger she was with that morning. As much as I had disliked her personality, she was still a family and I hated to see her like that. "You have been acting off since you met with that man, aunty."

"Talk to me, please," I said to her on a particular morning. 

"I'm not acting off, Carrie. I'm just" - she turned her face away. ''I'm only bothered about us." "About us?" I asked. "We both know something is not right, aunty." "You cried that morning," I reminded her. "You told me you were scared." I was expecting her to deny it, and tell me I was wrong rather she only stared at me, and then much to my pity, she covered her face with her hands and started to cry again. "No, no, no..." she lamented. "I'm not going to lose my family," she further said. "Aunt, please." I placed my hand on her. "You are not going to lose your family, you have to tell John." That wasn't the first time since that day that aunt Matilda would mention family in a bad way. She was downstairs on this particular day while I was upstairs. She received a delivery from a postman and after she had read it, she tore it up angrily and trampled on it. She then began to pace around saying that she wouldn't let someone ruin her family. I was sure she meant that man-stranger. 

"I love John so much, Carrie." She wiped her tears with her hands and continued. "I would never do anything to hurt him on purpose." My mouth was left hanging as I listened to her. As much as I tried to understand what she was saying, I couldn't. I wanted to do something, to encourage her at least but I wasn't sure what to do or say. "John must not hear this, Carrie." She added and left. I stood there trying to recollect myself. I knew something was wrong somewhere, but I just couldn't get it.

THE MAN-STRANGER.

It was at my nieces school career day that I met him. My brother John and his wife, who were meant to be there, could not make it. John was held up at work while aunt Matilda asked me to go in her place because she was slightly down. All the while we were in the hall, I noticed a man who kept looking in our direction. Particularly, he was looking at the girls. He wore a red suit and had black glasses on. At first, I thought that he was looking at the girls because he was impressed by their excellent career outfits. But then the look was getting too much. All the same, I ignored him and re-focused my attention on the event. After about an hour, I got up to buy some snacks for the girls and it took me about twenty minutes to buy what I wanted because I had to wait my turn in the queue. Cursing under my breath, I made my way back to the hall. I didn't see him from the distance that I was, but as I came more closer, I saw him talking and laughing with the girls. Why did he have to wait until I was out before he approached the girls? "Excuse me, sir, can I help you?" I asked as I got to him. I was able to see him more closely now. He seemed a man in his late thirty's and he was quite tall and muscular. He flinched as he saw me and it took him a second to compose himself. Then he said- "Not at all, I was only asking the girls what they loved about their respective careers." He had a very odd accent as he spoke, I knew I had heard that accent before but I couldn't remember where. "The girls are smart, their parents must be proud," he added. Then he smiled and left. I kept on looking at him as I struggled to remember. One thing that made it difficult for me to remember, was the glasses he had on. 

After the career day had come to a close, I held my nieces hands as we walked to the school park where we could get a cab home. Then I saw him coming towards us. This time around, he removed his glasses and I could now see his face. Immediately, it clicked. I remembered that morning I saw him talking with aunt Matilda, I remembered his words- 'you can't keep me away, Mat. It's either you or them...' Them?- "Get away from us," I said as he came nearer. "Calm down," he said. "I just thought that perhaps you all would need a lift." He shrugged and smiled. "No, thank you. Now go." I replied him. "You don't want to keep the girls under the hot sun, do you? He asked and looked at the girls. "Sweethearts, I turned to the girls, go under the shade over there and wait for me." I needed to confront him and ask him what he wanted with us but I dared not do that in the presence of the girls. Now with the girls gone, I turned and faced him- "I know you, what do you want? and whatever you told Matilda, were lies." He remained silent for a moment as he observed me. Maybe he was wondering how I got to know about it or perhaps he was wondering at my audacity to confront him. After a moment of silence, he sighed in deeply and said- "Matilda told you they were lies? He scoffed. "She knows I only came for what's rightfully mine." "What is yours?" I asked. "What do you mean?" He turned his eyes to where the girls were standing- "she knows what are mine." He started to leave, then he stopped. "Tell Matilda,...I'm coming soon for them." I stood shocked and confused as I watched him go in his car. Them? I voiced out. I turned to where the girls were-oh no, it can't be. They belong to my brother, don't they? 

CROSSROADS

The twins had never been my brother's. They had the blood and vein of another man. Yet, it didn't stop my brother from loving them as his own. How would he know, unless someone tells him? It was a day when I thought to tell him the truth, but the circumstances weren't right. Aunt Matilda had fallen very sick and she was at the hospital. She had coronary occlusion in the words of the doctor. Would it be the right time for me to tell him that this woman, whom he loved, had cheated and lied to him all these years? My brother loved her so much. He had been by her bedside and would not leave her. "You should go home and bath, I will stay with her," I told him sometime during one of our visits. He only gazed at me and I saw the pain and sorrow in his eyes. "I can't lose her, Carrie." I almost cried as he said that. It would hurt him if he realized the truth. I could not even imagine what he'd do. I knew I should tell him the truth but what he would do. If I should hide the truth, the way Mat had done all those years, I would be like her, a liar and a deceiver. I would be worse than a betrayer. And even if I succeeded in covering up the truth, how about the man-stranger? He would come for his girls. Should I risk destroying my brother's happiness, and tell him the truth he deserved to know? Should I pretend like nothing had happened and pray the man-stranger never showed up and allow John to be deceived forever? Unfortunately, Mat who could have decided this was at the point of death. "You are not going to lose her." I smiled to reassure him. "You've got a brave wife, John. She'll survive it for you, and your daughters." I felt guilty saying that. The girls were never his. "Go on then, the girls need you now." 

"Thank you, Carrie," He sighed and left. I hope I'm doing the right thing. I looked at Mat as she laid unconscious, and she seemed so innocent. I thought of the pain she has had to go through. What could have happened, Mat? Was this a mistake, could Mat have done this on purpose? Why would she have kept it from John, if it were never on purpose? Surely there must be an explanation. Then I thought of John, does he deserve this kind of punishment, to lose his family, to be unhappy?

THE DIAMOND OF THE NIGHT.

"You...are not the...father of the girls...," I winced as I said the words. John never interrupted, he listened as I told him everything, at least everything I knew. I never wanted this, but I knew this was the right thing to do, John deserved to know the truth not because he was my brother, but because I owe him the truth. He had the right to know he was not the father of the twins. After I had finished, John still never said a word. He just sat down and stared unblinking into thin air. "I think Mat is sorry about everything, I think she never wanted this to happen." He still remained unmoved where he sat. I continued-" she never told you because I think she didn't want to hurt you...because she loves you." He looked at me as if questioning the worth of that statement. Then he got up and fetched his keys from the table and headed towards the door. I could hear the pounding of my heart as it raced in fear. "Where are you going, John? What are you going to do?" He stopped suddenly. Then he turned around and said, "to Mat, of course, she'd be expecting us." I swallowed hard. Oh God, please keep him from doing anything stupid.

We got to the hospital and I suddenly began to imagine how it might all go wrong. One weakness of John was that he could let his anger control him. When it came to anger, John often lacked self-control. "John, please, don't do anything harsh," I whispered to him. He didn't say a word, but I could see him fighting the emotion and trying hard to hold it. Then we entered where she was. It was as if she was expecting us. My heart continued to pound as I expected the worse. Aunt Matilda suddenly burst into tears as she held on to John. "John, I'm sorry for everything. I kept the truth away from you all these years." John didn't move. He was only staring at her. His face was expressionless. "Believe me, John, she continued, I love you so much and I never wanted this to happen, It was a terrible mistake on my"- with a speed of light, John silenced her with a kiss. I was left shocked. Aunt Matilda couldn't believe it either. "John, how can you" - "shhh" John stopped her short. He smiled at her and said "I know sweetheart. The girls can go but I am not willing to lose you." I shedded tears of joy as I watched them share a last deep kiss. Then, with renewned passion and commitment, they chorused the last words of their marriage vow- 'till death do us part.'