SILVER LININGS (Christian Romance)

15

Jane sighted Emeka the moment she stepped out of her house. He was leaning against his Camry  and crossed his legs and his arms. She had not expected that he'd be here.

Jane matched towards him angrily till they were so close, his mint breath wafted slowly into the air around them and pervaded her breathing space. His eyes appeared weak and stressed and his skin, scaly.

He held her but she freed herself from his grip. “Feisty Jane,” he smirked. “As always,”

Jane stepped back with reddened eyes. “You monster,” she spat. “No matter how hard you try, you can never have Junior.”

She knew he liked to see her suffer, and goodness she was giving him enough delight to feed his eyes with.

“Jane, I have no other option. You pushed me to this.” he said calmly and stood uprightly.

Jane looked at him in the eye, her nostrils flared in fury. “You're a fool, I have a friend who is a lawyer, do you really think I'd be that desperate?” she asked and pointed her index finger at him. “You’ll regret this, I promise.”

Emeka shrugged and slid his hands into his pocket. “You’re denying me the right to my child Jane , that's inhuman. I have to get custody.”

“You raping and denying the pregnancy is human?” her sarcastic reply was followed by a mirthless laugh.

“I told you I'm sorry,” he reiterated. “But you never listen.”

Jane stood with her mouth agape and he walked closer.

“See, I can call off this case now if you let me have Junior. There's no guarantee you'll win. I mean you have no money or connections, you do not even have witnesses or witness. The last time I heard, your mother disowned you and your father died..”

Jane nodded, her eyes watered. ”It is true I have none of these things, you may have money but I have the love of Junior,” she said. “I hate you Emeka. I'll always see the monster that raped me, denied me and took everything from me. Because of you, my mom never loved me. My father died because he could not bear her hate me and I had to struggle to survive, then one day you pop up and tell me to allow you entry into my son's life. Never.”

“Our son,” Emeka reiterated and pointed to himself. “My son.”

Jane drew in a long breath and hissed “The court will decide that Emeka.”

“Okay, then.” he muttered with resignation, walking towards his car. “I came here to talk. It turns out that that purpose is defeated already. See you in court Jane,” he shut the door and began to drive.

Jane watched him raise the windscreen of his vehicle and swerved left, she saw the car left.

“See you in court,” she whispered to the air.

Her heart dropped and she felt the sudden urge to give up because she was fighting a losing battle. Emeka would win and that was for sure.

She began to cry– she cried for the unfairness of life, of how the universe never gave one what he wanted, she cried because she regretted being born.

To ever exist, to live, was of no essence at all. One is born, suffers and when one dies, it seemed as though one never existed.

She feared.

***
The house smelt of lavender and orange, he had changed the flavor of  the air refresher  the previous day. A cup of chivita juice stood on the centre table and beside it was a chivita juice pack.

Derek laid on the sofa, typing furiously on his laptop, he was wearing an armless jersey. His arm had healed and underneath was a tattoo of a bird.

Jane studied it carefully, it appeared familiar. She had not seen it before because it was usually covered with a bandage but now that wound had healed, it was open.