For the Dream of 5 Years: Chapter Twenty-Two: The Puppet

Shanice was terrified to think she had caused a miscarriage. She was devastated because there was no one she could ask. She couldn't go to the hospital to see Michelle. Michelle did not take Dave from her; she did ruin their happiness. She did not know whether Dickson was Dave's son because, at the time, she was seeing other men. She only saw Dave as the best bet to take care of her son. She acted aggrieved, yet she knew she was the one who broke this family. She Knew Dave had a long-term girlfriend the night she slept with him. She was afraid that if she pushed so much, and if Dave had any doubt about Dickson, he would request DNA. She did not want that. So, she decided to stay away until things cooled off. It had been six months when she learned that Michelle had deactivated all her social accounts and that she had moved out of her house to live alone. She tried to call Dave, but he told her off. "Just check your bank account; I will send the child support. I will see him sometimes, but don't ever call my phone!" Dave yelled. She regretted her moves because she couldn't talk to Dave or see him over lunch at the Blue Valley Mall. Dave went to see his son in school and took him to his house on some weekends. He did not want anything to do with Shanice. He loathed her. "You might as well move in, Dave. You practically live here," Michelle said, laughing while sipping the smoothie Dave handed her. "Since I came here, when I wake up, it's your face I see first; when I go to sleep, it's your face I see last," she continued. "Well, darling, if I don't take care of you, who will? Besides, I don't want to miss even one day's kick-off our unborn child. I must take care of her, just like I would have if you were still living with us," he explained. Dave had been coming to Michelle's house every day, he had moved his laptop and a few clothes there, and every day after picking Mike up from school, they would come and stay until after dinner. Mike chose to spend at Michelle's place most of the time. Joan was still at Dave's place; she had found work and cared for Mike and Dave whenever she was out. Michelle had allowed Dave to stay over every day, but she forbid him to never share a bed with her. She had started getting some pregnancy complications, and the doctor had suggested that she needed to have sex at least twice a week to increase her chances of smooth delivery. They were together with Dave in the doctor's office, and she had laughed at this so loudly the doctor thought she had another underlying condition. "I think your wife is showing some signs of depression," he had told Dave when he was left with him in his office after his request. "Doctor, my wife and I don't live together. Please insist on the sex part. Show her how crucial that is," Dave begged the Doctor. Michelle was summoned to a private session, and the doctor convinced her she needed to have enough sex for better sleep and lower blood pressure. She had reluctantly agreed, but that night she decided to do it for the benefit of herself and her baby. "Tonight, after dinner, I will need you to do something for me," she had told him. Dave knew that it was the beginning of their reconciliation. He was excited about it, just like he was the first time. It had been three months in a row that Michelle had to forbid him from touching her. The pregnancy had progressed and was already showing. During the fifth month, they started having passionate but very gentle lovemaking. They started laughing again, and they started touching each other. Michelle was defending her Ph.D. thesis when she was six months pregnant. Dave accompanied her everywhere: the shop, the yoga class, and the school. He was obsessed with her, with her unborn princess, and with the idea of them together. Initially, Mike had struggled to understand why her mother had moved to another house. "Mommy needed to be close to her school because her exams are due in a few months. Don't worry; we shall see her every day and spend nights there most of the time," Dave had told Mike. After nine months, Dave took Michelle to the hospital. She gave birth to baby Bianca. "Now darling, we are going to move into our house; the baby room is ready. It is a surprise. "No, Dave, I am done with you. I no longer need sex for survival. Besides, you can come to visit me anytime you like," said Michelle. "Michelle, until you stay at Dave's place for a year to ensure that your decision still stands, you are not going anywhere else," said Michelle's mother, who had also come to get Michelle from the hospital. They had a long talk, and finally, Michelle agreed to move back to her home. Baby Bianca was a blessing to Dave's family. Dave's mother had come to stay with them, caring for Michelle. However, despite everybody knowing about Dave's son, Dickson, nobody brought that up. It made Michelle mistrust everyone who came into that house and pretended nothing had happened. She should have moved on, but she hadn't. She was bothered by it and got mood swings whenever she thought about Dave's betrayal. She felt like she was drifting into depression, she wore a face of a wife, a mother, and a 'woman of the house like the in-laws considered her. Nevertheless, behind her 'I'm okay' mask, she had her face of frustration, she was angry, vengeful, and she harboured hatred towards everyone that knew about Shanice and Dave and yet did or said nothing. After earning her doctorate in English Literature, Michelle decided to work in her local university, helping other students perfect their literature. She buried herself in her work, she played the roles she was expected to play perfectly well. She was dying inside, she knew she needed help, but she couldn't bring herself to forgive Dave. Even if she went to a marriage therapist, a psychiatrist, or a priest, she needed to have a genuine desire to forgive Dave. She was disgusted by Dave's smiles, but she smiled back, she wanted to jump out of her skin when Dave touched her, but she moaned anyway, she was sickened by his presence, but she pretentiously asked him to stay five more minutes, just to cuddle. She had contemplated leaving, but Bianca and Mike had her legs tied. She stayed for the children, she stayed so they could have both their parents in the same house. She was trying. Michelle had a routine for her day; her smile looked the same, rehearsed and imprinted on her face. At 6 am, she woke up, unlike in the past when she would wake up earlier. At 8 am, she played with Bianca before heading out for work at 9 am, unlike in the past when she had no set time to play with Mike. At 11 pm, every Wednesday and Saturday, she made love to Dave in the bedroom when everyone else was asleep, unlike in the past when it was spontaneous and almost an everyday affair. On Sundays, she went to church; after church, she went to the Mall and made dinner for her family, unlike in the past when they used to go and eat out as a family. She had the emptiness syndrome; she was a shell, a puppet in her own home. She needed to be saved by Dave, but since Dave had apologized countless times, she didn't know what saving she needed from him.