Bliss

Flashback

"Tracey, look mummy is about to sing...yaay, daddy will mummy sing 'Jesus, I love you'...yes my darling, she would. Now let's listen" my family as had become their custom every Sunday sat on the same pew in church, on the third row to listen to my ministration and always said encouraging words to me when we closed from church, my husband especially and my baby girl.
"Mum I told you not to be giving her sweets, I would be the one dealing with her when she's had too much sugar in her tummy for a day...relax my dear, she's my only grandchild, let me pamper her a bit...and you wanted me to bring her to you for a whole month, she would have no filters by the time I pick her up...look at you, didn't I raise you...you did but you know what I'm referring to, anyway we have to be on our way, I don't want us getting home late...okay, where's your husband?...he should be outside waiting...he couldn't say hi to his in-laws?...mum we've discussed this, he feels you don't like him so he doesn't want to bother you...he could at least try to win us over...we're going, see you later, love you, Tracey say bye bye to grandma...bye grandma...bye sweetie, be a good girl okay?...okay grandma"

We went outside but didn't see my husband, so I took my phone out to call him when I saw him approaching us "I was about to call you...why?...because we came out and didn't see you...I'm here now, aren't I... yeah, can we go home?...let's go darling" he addressed Tracey as if she asked him the question. You may find this strange right, that he compliments me after ministering but that's just a facade he puts up when people are around, when we are alone, we couldn't have a conversation for 5mins without arguing but he wasn't like that before, something had changed in him and I didn't like how our marriage was going. I opted for silence because my mum with whom I could talk wasn't really a fun of my husband, so it would be like 'I told you so'.

I kept it to myself until I couldn't bear it anymore, I needed to talk to someone about it and I decided to speak to my mum, I was prepared for the 'I told you so". I was into buying and selling of cosmetics by then which I was managing on my own so I could skip work and wouldn't have to answer to anyone. I dressed Tracey up for school, her dad went to drop her off and I proceeded to my parents' house. I had called my mum the day before to inform her of my coming, my dad had also gone out so that we could talk uninterrupted. I told her everything that was going on and she wasn't surprised at all

"I wondered when you would finally come and speak to me about your husband's behaviour...you knew?...of course, listen my daughter, I have nothing against him but his character made me not want him for you, you were so much in love that you didn't really see beyond his outward appearance and whatever sweetness he was showing you to be able to trap you...trap me? oh mum, that's a bit too harsh...I'm saying it as it is, your dad discovered something but he didn't tell you because he doesn't want to break up your marriage and also he doesn't have much evidence...what did he find out?...you have to promise me you would calm down and not try to confront your husband...tell me already mum, I am calm...okay, he saw your husband with another woman and a son with her, the woman was sitting where you usually sit in his car and the boy was sitting behind...okay?...they went to shop at the mall and your dad happened to see them, from the way they were behaving, it's like they are a couple but like I said he's not too sure, no concrete evidence yet so he got someone to look into it...hmmm, I knew something was going on, please let me know what dad finds out. I have to be on my way now...okay dear, take care of yourself and Tracey for me, everything would be fine okay?...yes mum, bye"

I went home and started searching our bedroom for anything that could serve as an evidence, on the other hand, I hoped it wasn't true what my dad saw because I wanted my husband back, not this cold person he had turned into.
Few hours later I received a call from my mum and she told me when my dad arrived, he confirmed his suspicions and what he saw, he actually went out to meet the person who was looking into the case. I slumped into the couch and was numb for a while before becoming myself, I tried to wrap my head around what I heard, then the door opened, I saw him and my daughter smiling and laughing with no cares in the world. I just became angry at him at once and asked Tracey to go to her room. When we were alone, I confronted him
"How's your son?...which son?...don't act all innocent with me...you and I have a daughter so what are you talking about, are you sure you're okay?...what did I ever do to you, to deserve this treatment...woman I am very tired, let me go and rest...now I am 'woman' to you, what happened to us?...what is wrong with you?...oh you want to know? who are these people to you?..." I showed him a picture of he and the said woman with the boy, it looked like the perfect family picture

"How did you get this?...how did I? so it's true...that was just a fling, I have nothing with her anymore...oh I see, so how do you explain your trip to the mall just last week?...have you been following me?...I wish I had been, then I would have seen you with my own two eyes...look here, I don't have anything to do with her anymore, get out of my way, I need to rest...you won't go anywhere till I'm done" I stood in front of him, impeding his movement, all of a sudden he just pushed me and I almost fell, I was still trying to hold him back and he started hitting me, all this while, Tracey had come out of her room and was watching us, we heard her scream and she came rolling from the top till she got to the end of the stairs, apparently she was coming to stop her father from beating me. Blood was on the floor at where her head hit, her dad picked her up and rushed outside to the car as I followed suit.

"If anything happens to her, you won't like me" I regretted confronting him, I should have just left him for his conscience to prick him, now my little girl was suffering for his mistakes. The doctor came out after we waited for so long and shook his head, trying to tell us that she couldn't make it. He then told us that she had a growth on the left side of her brain which we never knew of till that day and that's where her head hit the floor. According to the doctor, the growth could have been operated on to shrink it but the fall had an impact on her brain and that's why she couldn't make it. Her dad immediately put the blame on me, that I caused her death, he left the hospital and that was the last I saw of him"