Desolation

Chapter 11

Upon exiting the train she was greeted with the sight of the town she had so desperately fled from a few weeks ago.

Her courage seemed to fade away with the wind. The town had provided auspicious weather, weather that deeply contrasted her emotions and panic that was all of a sudden bubbling again.

As she left the train station and walked along the side path her fear and tumultuous emotions started to garner within. She considered herself a Person non grata. Nothing about this utopic suburbia felt welcoming.

This place was hostile, she could feel it, not only was she not welcome but she was also viewed as a threat to their perfect bubbled lives. All they would ever see Amina as was the antichrist.

Each step she took forward was met with regret. She so badly wanted to leave this town. She knew that she was going to cause disturbance and a raging tempest to such a calm and temperate place but it had to be done.

After a few minutes of walking she eventually arrived at the street where she once lived in. With a deep breath and a few words of affirmation to herself she continued walking, each step she was taking was a step closer to the predicament she ran from.

In her mind a great battle was taking place. It was a battle against her weakness and strength. Her weakness was her self doubt and her desperate want to go back to her husband and act like nothing ever happened. Her strength was her heartbreak, her pain, her trauma and her fear of disappointment, not only disappointing Janis and Aaliyah who out so much faith in her but also the fear of disappointing herself.

The sight of the house she once called home was in sight of her vision. She furiously wiped her clammy hands on the side of her thighs covered by the thick material of her denim.

She marched towards his house while simultaneously blocking out all of the doubtful comments in her head. She could not lose this battle. She kept on reminding herself the one thing she was there for.

Amina now found herself on the front step of the house that she once called home. She knew Henry was home because she saw his car parked outside but there was still no noise whatsoever to be heard from the house. She assumed that he was asleep as it was a Saturday morning and so he didn't have work.

She reluctantly brought her hands to the door and loudly knocked on it three times. There was no response for a couple of seconds and just when she was about to knock again she could hear some shuffling and without any notice the door quickly opened.

The sight in front of her was shocking. In front of her was the shadow of the man she once knew. Under his eyes were dark bags, his skin was sickly pale, his lips were dry and chapped all over the place,his once smooth face was adorned in stubble hairs that looked patchy.

The two of them just started at each other in awe. No one made a move to break the awkward eye contact or even the silence that had fallen between them.

Henry was in disbelief, he thought that he was dreaming or simply just going crazy. He had not slept in days and even when he did it was always cut short. The stress had consumed him  and it was manifesting in his physical appearance.

"Amina" he was almost in tears at the sight of his wife, without even giving her a chance to collect herself he quickly closed the distance between them and engulfed her in a suffocating hug. He held on so tightly to her in fear that she would slip out of his arms but little did he know that she did so.