Just Listen

Chapter 7✔

After the unexpected call from Michael, Uncanny felt agitated. Why couldn't he just let her be? It was her life, her choices. He didn't seem to quite understand it, yet again she never took the time to explain.

How could she face her daughter? It was an experience she did not want to find out about.

Momentarily, her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Uncanny, darling is it you?"

Uncanny began tearing up. "Mama..." Oh how much she missed her mother dearly. Circumstances had her fleeing from her whole family.

"Are you doing alright, my baby?"

She choked on a sob before she could respond, "Yes, mama, I'm fine. How are you?"

"We're okay. How's Kamilah, my granddaughter?"

The world seemed to be caging in on her. There was silence. "Uncanny, don't tell me that you haven't corrected your wrongs as of lately."

"Mom, what do you expect? Michael is doing just fine raising her. She doesn't need me..."

"I will have none of that Uncanny. Sometimes you have to be wrong to get it right. Do what's right, dear. You don't want a lifetime of regret trailing behind you."

Uncanny sighed heavily, "I'll try-"

"No. Just do it."

With that, her mother hung up. She couldn't understand as to what the fuss was all about.

Uncanny got ready for work, even though it was a Saturday. She just had to keep herself busy.

She got to work and did what she wanted to do. "Why don't you love me mom?" With that, she jerked up from her sleep. Realizing she had fallen asleep on her paperwork, she slowly rubbed her temple as fatigue enveloped her. It was weighing on her day by day, but what could she do? If you love someone you set them free, right?

"Explain this to me Uncanny, how the heck are you pregnant? I make sure that none of my seeds find their way inside you, because I do not want any brats. Is it so hard to keep those legs closed? Were you still snooping around with that Maeve fella after when I told you not to? Is he the father?" I sobbed on the floor, clutching to my tummy trying to protect it from the monster that haunted my reality, dreams and nightmares. I've kept my pregnancy hidden from him for 3 months, how he found out? I don't know.

"Who is the father Uncanny!?" He blew a fuse. My vocal cords could not save me. I wanted to scream but I couldn't. It all started with a slap, he would apologize and I would forgive him. Then it got worse. Way worse. "Who got you pregnant!?" He shouted, hitting me with everything he had. I choked on sobs endlessly. Javan's fists were like iron, they burned; Each time they landed on an open wound. He finally let me go and went to take a knife. I begged him to leave me alone, but like a baby, I was defenseless. "We're getting rid of that thing. Today."

Uncanny shook her head to get rid of the bad taste left by the memory she had. She sat back on her chair and allowed her head to fall back, as tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She cried, but there was no sound. Her whole body was numb. Uncanny succumbed to how she used to cry her heart out as a teenager. With no one to aid her sorrow. Her broken heart and soul. How could love have been that painful?

•••

"Michael, I am very worried about Uncanny. I don't even know how to help her."

"What do you expect me to do Marley? She completely hates me. Us. Her own daughter. I tried you know, to get her to change her mind but..." Michael sighed heavily.

Marley could see that even the one she had high hopes on, was just as helpless as she was. "What ever happened to her Marl? She used to be so vibrant and sweet, now it's like she's a robot. Completely different from when we were teenagers...back when-"

"You were lovers!" Marley's eyes bulged out of their sockets when the realization hit her. Slapping her on the face like a wake up call. "That's it..."

"What are you mumbling?" Michael's curiosity sparked when he noticed Marley pacing about in the shop. "Could you at least sit down before you draw too much attention to us, please?"

At that moment, Marley sat down like it was the first time after standing in a long queue. "Michael, try to remember, how did you and Uncanny start dating back in the day?" Michael thought long and hard.

"We weren't dating. We had an affair; while she was dating this other fella...I can't seem to recall his name."

They both began picking their brains. Dating back to their childhood, two heads were better than one they said. Well, it was true. "Javan!" they said in unison. "Yes, yes, yes! That was the guy Uncanny was dating. Believe you me, I always told her she was too good for him. And she never listened. She-"

"Focus Marley." Michael cut her off. She nodded and gathered herself once again. "I met her while she was in a rocky state with Javan. Things were okay for a few months until she fell pregnant. She wouldn't want to see me nor allow me to be there throughout the whole pregnancy. I didn't understand why. The day I found out she was opting for an adoption, I did what I could to gain custody of Kamilah. She never told me why she wanted to do it. I mean, I wanted to be there for her and our baby; she was the one who didn't want me to." Michael's mood dissolved from curiosity to sadness. The only girl he ever loved and the mother of his child pushed him away.

"Javan was not a nice guy, moreover worse to Uncanny. I'm sure he somehow found out about the two of you and maybe threatened her."

Silence echoed in the background as the two gawked at each other.