For the Dream of 5 Years: Chapter Twenty: Christmas

The following morning, they woke up early; Shanice did not want to go to the rural area. She tried to stop the Daves from going because if they went, they could have extended their stay into the new year. She wanted to start the year with Dave, had given him enough time, and wasn't going to leave for the village. Michelle rushed from the kitchen, where she was making breakfast, and ran to the toilet, covering her mouth to stop her vomit from pouring onto the carpet. She has had terrible morning sickness lately. Shanice, hearing Michelle vomiting in the toilet, was concerned. "Michelle, are you okay?" Shanice asked, knocking on the bathroom door. Dave had stepped outside to get their newspaper when all this was happening. Michelle opened the bathroom door for Shanice and let her in as she proceeded to the sink area to wash her face and rinse her mouth. "Yes, I am okay, Shanice," she said, drying her face with a towel, looking at Shanice, behind her, through the bathroom mirror. "I have some news; I am pregnant..." She said, placing her hand on her chest and wearing a wide grin on her face, waiting for Shanice to jump with excitement, the way women do to show support and scream endless 'congratulations.' She didn't; she only stood there, eyes wide open, frozen, jaw-dropping to her chest. Shanice was not a close friend to tell such news, but Michelle felt the need to say it to her for no apparent reason. Maybe it was because she was with her in the toilet while she vomited, spent the night in her house, or because the pregnancy would eventually show in a few months. "What?!" Shanice almost screamed. "I'm sorry, congratulations, forgive my reaction. Mike is younger than Dickson, and you are already giving him a sibling? Wow," she said, trying to salvage the situation. "Oh, don't worry, dear, in God's time, you will also be able to give Dickson a sibling, too," Michelle told her, putting her hair into a near-perfect bun. Shanice took this opportunity to peep onto Michelle's tummy to establish how far her pregnancy could have been. "When are you due?" Shanice asked after spotting no bulge on Michelle's stomach. "I'm about two months now," Michelle said. "Why are you pregnant?" Asked Shanice. "I mean, why now? Were you guys celebrating something, and you decided to mark it with a conception, or did you decide, 'let's have a child and an expensive ride?' Congratulations on buying the jeep, by the way. Dave seems like a perfect husband, isn't he?" Asked Shanice, trying to sound as cool as possible. "I don't understand what you want to know," said Michelle, now more than ever concerned about Shanice and feeling unsafe with her in the bathroom. "Did it just happen, or did you guys plan to conceive?" Asked Shanice again, forcing a smile. "Still, Shanice, this information is very personal. Why do you want to know? You seem so interested in my marriage. For heaven's sake, I am a married woman, and these things are bound to happen. It doesn't matter how or why," she said, turning to face Shanice. "Yes, I am very concerned, darling. There is something about me that you don't know; my husband married another woman, and I recently found out he had impregnated his wife. I wanted to know if a husband and a wife decide together to get pregnant or if it just happens. I want my husband back, you know? Learning you are pregnant triggered those reactions because I'm still bitter with my husband being with another woman while his son and I were evicted last night," Shanice replied. Michelle was already feeling uncomfortable with Shanice's interrogations and discussion. She wanted to be as polite as possible, so she told her that they had planned to give Mike and the next child a gap of five years. "And sorry about your family separation; I didn't know you were married. If you like, we could talk about it sometime later, but this is a busy morning; we need to leave before the sun gets hot," she said, opening the bathroom door to leave. "Oh, you guys stuck to your word, eh?" Shanice asked, not willing to let go of the topic. "Let's go in the kitchen; I know the porridge is ready now," Michelle said to Shanice, leading the way into the kitchen and trying to avoid the discussion. Dave got in just when they came from the toilet and headed into the kitchen. Michelle gave him a look to suggest something was not okay. "Are you okay, darling?" He asked and walked into the kitchen. "Why would she not be okay? You think I'd hurt her?" Shanice asked before Michelle could answer. Michelle was now concerned and wondered what could have been wrong with Shanice. Was she depressed because of her business and her eviction? She wondered. "I asked Michelle," Dave said sternly. "What is up with the two of you? Could someone tell me what is happening?" Asked Michelle, now switching off the gas and placing the porridge pot in a big bowl with half-filled cold water to cool it down. "Finally! Someone has had the guts to ask the question that could liberate everyone!" Shouted Shanice moving almost nose to nose with Dave. Michelle was astonished. She wanted to ask why she would talk to her husband in such a manner, but she wanted everything to play out without being uninterrupted. Dave shrank into a mute, he tried to move closer to Michelle, but his feet were glued to the ground. "I'm sorry, dear, but you can't have another child with...," Shanice started talking to Michelle when Dave swung his heavy hand and landed it on Shanice's face, slapping her so hard that she turned red instantly. He grabbed her by the hair, pulled her out of the kitchen and threw her out of the house. "Are you mad? What are you doing? Leave her! I will call the police! Dave! Dave!" Michelle ran after them, shouting, waking the neighbours and the children. "I don't want to see you in my house anymore! Go to your house. You were not evicted!" Shouted Dave, closing the door. "Give me my son, you fool! I'm not leaving here without my son. Give me OUR son!" She screamed. Everyone was awake now, and the neighbours were already with their cameras recording all the commotion. "Our son? Dave?" Michelle asked, her jaw dropping to the ground. "Dave, what did she say? Is Dickson your son?" She asked so faintly as she clutched her stomach in pain, her eyes tearing up, her knees so weak that she sat on the floor. "Dickson is Dave's son. He left me for Michelle and promised to return to me after he had made enough money off her, after five years!" shouted Shanice. Dave opened the door, stormed outside, and grabbed her by the arms, dragging her to the gate. Shanice laughed so loudly, irritating Dave even further. "Get this into your head, you crazy, mad woman. I will never get together with you," He told her, but his words were drowned in Shanice's hysterical laughter. "I'll drop your son home when you regain sanity," he told her, locking her outside the gate. Walking back to the house was a long journey, neighbours on their balconies still recording. He looked at the packed jeep. He wanted to smash it because now it meant nothing to Michelle. When he entered the house, he went straight to where Michele was seated; she had slipped into unconsciousness. "Michelle! Michelle, my love, please don't do this, don't die on me," he said, picking her up. He thought she was dead. He felt a pulse and something else that made his heart almost stop. There was blood. "Oh, my goodness, Michelle, please don't lose the baby," He said between pants as he rushed Michelle to the jeep, carrying her in his hands. She was still unconscious. He remembered he hadn't carried the car keys; he placed Michelle on the concrete next to the car and rushed back to fetch the keys. The neighbours still documented the events, just like during the jeep celebration. On his way, he noticed Mama Cate, the crier, and shouted to her, "Please, Mama Cate, there are children in my house; please look after them. Also, there is some porridge in the kitchen. I'll be back soon." Without waiting for a response, he fetched the keys and left, running back to the jeep. He opened the doors, and after placing Michelle inside, he sped off out of the compound. On his way to the hospital, he passed Shanice on the way; she was walking, looking for a taxi, her car still inside Dave's compound. Shanice recognized the car but had only spotted Dave driving without anyone in the passenger seat. She wondered if he had been thrown out and continued laughing like crazy on the road. Dave saw it through the side mirror but did not care; he was concerned about his wife's health, who was sitting on the passenger seat, resting her head on his thighs. He was driving with one hand and holding her head still with another. The hospital was not far; he got there in a few minutes. The doctor ran some tests on her to determine the state of her pregnancy. "I don't want her to lose the child; please, do anything to save the pregnancy," he begged the doctor. Outside in the lobby, he called Shanice, and Shanice addressed him as 'My Love.' "Shanice, pray so hard that the baby is saved because if it is not, I will strangle you to death with my bare hands," He threatened. "Oh, poor girl, is she having a miscarriage? I didn't do anything to her; you did! You cheated on her, and you impregnated her after impregnating a village girl behind her back. You have done it again after cheating on her with the same village girl you keep running back to at your convenience. Don't you dare put it on me! I have a recording of all our encounters and entanglements, just like I have of this call where you threatened to kill me. I want what is mine, you promised, and now you have to deliver yourself to me," she continued. "Listen to me and listen good. I will never be your husband. If anything happens to the baby or my wife, consider my support to you done!" He shrieked. "You must pay child support and stay with your son in my house," She yelled. "I will support my son, but I will never be with you. Get that into your thick empty skull!" He shouted and hung up. "We shall see," Shanice muttered to herself. She left her house, headed to Dave's house, and picked up her son Dickson.