For the Dream of 5 Years: Chapter Twenty-Three: Wine and a Beer

Dan was doing well in his studies and his work. His uncle had promoted him to become the manager of the garage. He had some on and off girls in the school, but nothing lasted for a long time because he was trying to find something in them that was in someone else. He was so busy that he rarely thought about Michelle. He graduated with his mechanical engineering diploma and had all the experience needed to start his own business. With all his savings, his uncle helped him set up his small business on the city's outskirts. He rented a house out of town and took online classes to further his education. He was so busy that he didn't realize the time was moving fast. Dave had decided to break all ties with Shanice. Still, since Shanice took him to the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), and he was summoned and ordered to declare his income so that he could pay his child support, he was once in a while forced to talk to Shanice over the child support. That was it; there were no more lunches or dinners at the Blue Valley Mall, she was no longer welcome at Dave's house, and they were no longer being picked up or dropped at her home when her car had a mechanical problem. Shanice was engaged and about to get married to her long-term boyfriend, Chris. She had moved on but often organized for Dickson to meet with his dad at the park. Michelle's classes kept her busy, and she found solace outside her draining house. She intentionally extended her time outside her home, and one day she decided to go for a long drive. She wanted to go and disappear. She packed a bottle of water and a packet of crisps and took a blanket. She took her jeep and started her journey to the coast. Along the way, she pulled up in front of a 5-star hotel, booked a room, and ordered some traditional foods, mukimo, and beef stew. She switched off her phone, took a shower, and went for a massage at the hotel spa. It was night already by the time she lay on the bed. She slithered into sleep until room service woke her up the following day. She had cancelled her coast trip, and she loved that she had the power to decide what and when to do something and change her mind with so much ease. She went to the hotel bar and bought a bottle of red wine. She took a few glasses before she asked for a beer. She had taken wine once when they celebrated their undergraduate degree completion. It didn't taste good; therefore, she never took another sip since then. She went to her room at the hotel with her wine and beer. She wanted to see what could have happened if she had gotten drunk. Would she get high and forget her reality? Would she stagger, fall, hit her head, and erase her exhausting memories? She wondered after drinking all the wine and the full bottle of beer. She got so sick, vomited, and felt so terrible that she wished she could turn back the hand of time and rethink that decision. She wished she had antidepressant pills; she had heard they relieved one of depression. Dave waited for Michelle, called her phone, and left many messages. He didn't sleep the entire night. "Could she have gotten into an accident, met with thugs, or was she kidnapped? Does Shanice have anything to do with her disappearance? Could she have gone home to her mother?" Dave had wondered. He called Michelle's mother before reporting a missing person to the police the next day. "A person is only considered missing after 48 hours," they had told him. His whole world stopped; he didn't know what to do or where to look. In the evening, while on his balcony, he saw Michelle's jeep approach the gate. He ran as fast as he could to meet her just before she parked her car. "Where have you been, Michelle? Where did you spend the night?" He asked, watching a dishevelled Michelle alight from the jeep, her uncombed hair in a mess, her clothes with creases, and her sandals untied. Michelle always wore high heels outside her car, her clothes always ironed, and her hair neat. It was a sight he didn't recognize. "Where have you been, and why do you look like this?" He asked, almost whispering not to attract his nosy neighbours. He couldn't stand someone taking a picture of Michelle in such a state. "Go back inside into the jeep. Go back. Michelle, listen to me; I am your husband. Get inside the car," Dave told her. He moved closer to make her return to the jeep before she closed the door. "What is that stench?" Asked Dave moving a step back and using his palm to block his nose. "Michelle, did you take alcohol?" Dave was shaken by what he had just witnessed. He had never tasted alcohol, Michelle had tasted just once, and now she was pulling up to their house, with a ten-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter inside, waiting to hug her, drunk and dirty. "Go, move onto the passenger seat; I will drive," Dave told her, fastened her seat belt, started the car, and stormed out of the compound to avoid anyone seeing Michelle like that. He worried about her reputation in the university, her status as a mother, and her character as a woman. He went to a local hotel that had an accommodation service. Helping Michelle up the stairs, he asked her to calm down. "You don't have to talk, darling, if you don't want to, but tonight we are spending the night here. He opened their VIP room, put her on the bed, removed her clothes, and helped her into the shower. After a shower and food, they lay on the bed, cuddling until the sun rays hit their magnificent blue curtain. "Good morning, my love. How are you feeling now?" He asked, stroking her hair and gently kissing her lips. "Leave me alone, Dave. I can't be fixed. I am broken." She said, removing his hand off her face.