For the Dream of 5 Years: Chapter Forty-One: "Honey, I'm Home!"

"Honey, I'm home!" Shouted Dave as he pushed the shopping bags through the door. "Dave, you practically live here; you are here during breakfast, lunch, dinner, and every other time apart from at night," Michelle said, coming from the bathroom. "Well, home is where your heart is?" He said, making his usual dance walk towards Michelle. "Remember what our counsellor says; we should do things that we mutually agree on," she said. "Tell me on my face that you don't like me here. Why are you taking a shower this early? Is it not because you know I will get in anytime, and we would make love, like every other day, Darling? For three months now, your cookie has been my breakfast," He said, tickling, kissing, and caressing her, making her towel fall on the floor. "The counsellor said we could move in together if we felt comfortable enough and if we could make love without feelings of resentment. We have been making love for the last three months almost every day," he told her, subduing her on the floor. "What if the children find us here, Dave? Let's go to the bedroom," she said. "Okay, but please tell me you will think about me moving in. This is my house too," he asked, carrying her to the bedroom in his strong arms. "I will think about it. Before I forget, please stop buying me other things; for now, I don't have a place to keep them any longer," she said. "I was waiting for you to say that because I have a surprise for you. I didn't want to reveal it before our last session with the counsellor. We have two more sessions. After that, I will change your life," he said. "Yes, if I still want to be with you when the sessions are over," she said, laughing. "Oh, you know you love me," he said, laughing and kissing her forehead. The counselling sessions ended on a Friday, and Dave drove her to a lovely magnificent suburb. "I bought this house; it is ours, my Love," he said, handing her the house keys and leading the way to the house. He noticed Michelle was not following him but standing at the same spot. "Please don't tell me you have impregnated another woman Dave?" Michelle asked. "Never again. Remember, the counsellor advised us to refrain from such remarks," he said, going back to get her. "I just need to be sure, Dave; I am sorry," she said, walking towards him. "You have my word. I won't betray you again, my Queen," he said. They checked the house, and Michelle loved everything about it, the location, the size, the colours, and the furniture. It was nothing like Dan's 'remote' house, but this one belonged to them, a family in love, and she would live in it of her own free will. It would be a home with two beautiful children running around, maybe three, because she had started getting mild morning sickness. They planned on moving in that Sunday. The children woke up early and started helping with the packing. Dave had spent the night in the house for the first time after so many months. Michelle had prepared sour porridge and sausages, Dave's favourite, and they all enjoyed the breakfast together. Then suddenly, there was a persistent hoot at the gate, Dave moved to the window, and his jaw dropped to the ground. "Michelle! Michelle!" He called, moving fast into the kitchen where Michelle was packing her china plates. "What did you say happened to the Jeep?" He asked. Michelle was shocked, she knew that was her Jeep, and Dan had come to start chaos on her last day in that neighbourhood. She regretted why they hadn't moved a day earlier. That way, Dan would not have located her. She knew there was no way she could explain it. So, she moved past Dave and walked to the gate. The driver was someone familiar, but not Dan. "Hi Michelle, I don't think you know me. My name is Boaz; Dan sent me to bring your car," he said, handing her the keys and a gift box Michelle recognized almost instantly. She had seen it on top of a cabinet inside Dan's house, with tattered lingerie. Michelle knew Boaz, but he knew an unkempt criminal named Boaz. Not a Boaz with neat hair, a suit, and clean skin. She was tempted to ask about Dan, but she didn't. "Thank you, Boaz; I appreciate you coming all the way to bring it; you can get a taxi from the mall. It is difficult to find one from here," she said. "Don't worry, Dan and Madam Rona will pick me up as they come from the doctor. "Oh my God, who is unwell? Who is Rona?" She asked. "Rona is his girlfriend. I hear they went to the same school. Nobody is unwell. Dan said a friend suggested he seek professional help for his head. The friend thought he was going crazy. He decided to see if the friend was right about it, so he went today. He seemed okay to me," Boaz said before Michelle interrupted him. "Hey, Boaz, don't you think that is too much private information to share about someone?" She asked, giving her a cue for goodbye. She was happy that Dan finally agreed to seek help and get rid of the Jeep. It was a good start on the journey of moving on. She got into her Jeep and immediately opened the gift box, wondering what it could be. Inside was her phone, which had gone missing inside Dan's house. She let out a sigh of relief. She leaned back and tried to remember how she felt inside the Jeep months ago, how it had changed her life, how she did not go back to the village to vote this time, and how her only goal was to vote for her peace of mind and family. She closed her eyes and tried to draw in all the feelings she had experienced in that car with Dave, Mike, Bianca, Stacy, and Dan. She wanted to re-live every memory before she did away with the car. She searched her head, and it was almost blank, no happy feelings, no sad feelings, no fights, nothing. The counsellor had reset her mind to a default setting. She was liberated. She smiled and cried tears of joy, and then someone knocked on the window, startling her sharply. It was Dave. "Why are you crying?" He asked, shocked to see her cry. He did not want to see her cry. He, however, was not terrified. He knew what to do with her when she cried. He got in and sat in the passenger's seat. He held her close to his heart and waited for her to finish crying. Michelle knew why she was crying; Dave had remembered how to handle her, they had forgiven each other for cheating, they had rekindled their love, and she did not resent him anymore. She was happy, she was open-minded, free of the past, and she was new. "I still want to get rid of this Jeep, and I still want to give the money to a few children's homes," she said, tears rolling out her eyes. "Whatever you want, my Love," he said, gently kissing her hand and looking into her eyes. They had regained their sparkle even though they swelled up with tears. "As we get out of the old house and get rid of this Jeep, I need a favour. I need to get rid of something bothering me too. Michelle, please be honest with me as you have been about Dan. It is one thing for your wife to cheat on you with a man, but it is another if she went for a woman. Are you and Stacy an item?" He asked. He wanted to ask her about this and finally summoned the courage. "I am straight, Dave. You don't have to worry about that," she said. He let out a sigh of relief, smiled, and kissed her. Her face, a perfect symmetry, looked so pretty and her voice so calm that Dave wanted to listen to it till the end of time. Nothing mattered at that moment, not the Bitcoin, not the country politics, nothing but his Queen. He would put her first because she was his happiness. He had no power to change the course of politics, but one day, when like-minded people came together, they might have an impact. Until the next elections in five years, he would solely commit to his family, his pillar, and his driving force in life. For the first time, he was not bothered by the thought that he did not actively engage in politics, that he did not vote, or that his party of choice did not win. He was happy he had brought his family back together. He looked at her and didn't see her bad side; he was happy she was back. They cuddled for a long time until the mover's lorry arrived. They moved into their new house, a complete pack of Dave Oluoch's family. The End.