BACK TO LOVE.

70

Ayanda paced up and down her living room waiting on her husband to come home. He had left at nine that morning and it was four in the afternoon and he had not texted her since they took recess. She was getting anxious with thoughts that maybe the trial did not go well. After a few minutes of pacing up and down she decided to start on dinner to keep herself calm but her phone rang before she could go into her kitchen.

' Mama.'

'Hey honey have you heard anything?'

' No Axel still hasn't come home yet and I am really starting to get worried. I'm guessing dad hasn't called you either.'

' No but don't worry because the last time I checked the news they had to take another recess-'

' I couldn't even watch the news and to think I was admant on going to court earlier. I'd be a mess right now.'

' I couldn't even watched the whole thing too. Anyway hun I just wanted to check on you guys and find out if you heard anything. Let me call your mother-in-law. We'll talk later.'

She turned the stove down when she heard her daughter's baby talk through the monitor and quickly went to get her since she had started getting out of the crib. Axel walked into the house just as she walked back down with Amanda in her arms. He did not look like he had good news. He looked tired and disheveled causing her heart to beat irregularly.

' Why do you look like that? Did he it not go well? How long did they give him? Or is it not ov-'

Axel stop her rambling with a kiss. He held onto her face as Amanda watched on. He kissed her forehead with his and pulled her into a hug. They stood in that position till his daughter pushed him away. They were both in tears.

' Why are you crying?'

' I don't know but that kiss you just gave me made me feel calm, like all is well.'

' It is not well because today it hit me that somebody took my baby away and she's gone forever. I'm not going to hear her sigh at my lame dad jokes or go to her for advice because I forgot our anniversary. I will no longer scold her for making us wait on her after school. She's gone Aya and even though he got life sentences for all the girls,...I'll never hear my baby's sweet voice ever again.'

His words cut deep and rendered her speechless while Amanda held put her hands for her dad to take her. Which he did. He carried her on his chest as if she was still a two month old baby and Ayanda followed behind them not sure how to comfort her husband because there was really nothing she could do or say to make the pain go away. It was as if her daughter knew what to do when she wrapped her tiny arms over him as if he was giving him a hug.