EPISODE 1


Richard: “You are nothing but a good-for-nothing wife and mother, how could you just be coming back from Heaven knows where it is you are coming from? Your son has not eaten since morning, are you daft?”

Rebecca: “Let me hear you say it again slowpoke,” she said tilting her head to one side pretending to want to hear him better. “Who on earth said a man cannot enter inside the kitchen to prepare food for his starving son? I told you I was going for The Union of Chartered Accountants Meeting and as you well know, I am the Chairlady for the union; shouldn’t your brain have told you I might come back late to prepare lunch?”

Richard: “Chairlady who cannot even take care of her little son, how can you take care of the needs of all those grownup women in your so-called union? Women sure are daft, why elect a lazy thing like you as a chairlady?”

Rebecca: “slowpoke… What do you know? All you want is to have your stomach filled, since you cared that much about Sammy and you are the hardworking one here, I am asking again, why didn’t you enter the kitchen?”

Richard: “Don’t you dare call me a slowpoke again…Do you understand?” he approached her menacingly.

He watched and listened as they raged on and on. His young mind could not comprehend how or why everything suddenly changed for his parents. He could remember the way they were before, amiable and full of love for each other that even he admired and envied them. They forgave each other easily and thought up excuses for the other’s misgivings. He thought it would last forever, he thought couples were meant to remain like that forever. But there they were, almost always on each other’s necks. Bickering over little things which were not worth bickering over. He bled emotionally for his parents’ fractured link. He just didn’t know how he could fill the void or the gulf that laid majestically between them which threatened to swallow them all up.

Richard and his wife Rebecca were the envy of whoever came in contact with them as a couple. The love they shared was out of the ordinary, there was indeed a love marriage; the type Indians call Rabyne bana di Jodi [God-made couple]. Their first and only child Sammy was only six years old when things started falling apart for their marriage. Of course, they were still successful as chartered accountants but along the way, they seemed to have lost what kept their marriage together. That Saturday evening, without minding that their son watched them from where he sat kept lashing at each other.

Rebecca: “Someone’s feathers are being ruffled at last. Dear man, come and demonstrate how powerful you are in the presence of your son on his mother. Let the tell-tale of your machismo decorate and adorn my beautiful neck and face. Your son will grow up remembering how beautiful they were on me” She wasn’t backing off, she was prepared for the worst. The elegant mound on her chest fell and rose intermittently.

Richard: “I can’t believe this. I just can’t imagine how much you’ve changed over the years, it is so surprising how you’ve decided to shirk your responsibilities as a wife and mother in the home” he said frustrated.

Rebecca: “Responsibility? Did you just say responsibility? Don’t I bear yours in this home? Or whose responsibility do you think it is to put food on the table for the family? Shall I quit my job and become a full housewife then? Or what exactly do you want from me? I really can’t do this anymore” she burst into tears and took some steps back throwing her arms in the air in resignation.

Sammy sat at a far corner of the sitting room, watching as they bartered each other with words, he had witnessed their fights get out of proportion several times and so that day, he prayed silently in his heart that his dad would not lose his cool. That he wouldn’t start throwing blows at his mum. He kept praying until his mum walked over to him with a forced smile.

Rebecca: “Baby…” she began, squatting down in front of him. “Were you very hungry today?” she asked fondly Smoothening his thick and dark eyebrows, then the tiny bits of curly hair that lined the sides of his handsome face.

Sammy: “No mummy! I am not hungry at all, please don’t fight daddy” he replied shaking his little head worriedly.

Rebecca: “Don’t you lie to me, baby boy, I know you were very hungry and I am very sorry my dear, something came up at the meeting” she said apologetically.

Sammy: “it’s okay mum, what matters is you not fighting dad, I hate it when you two fight. Promise me you will not fight him again, forgive daddy please?”

Rebecca: “You are still too young to be talking about stuff like this Sammy, I cannot promise you that because your daddy is headstrong, he keeps making us fight”

Sammy: “What is the meaning of headstrong mummy? Is his headstrong? Don’t you like his head?” he asked gloomily.

Rebecca: “You are so innocent my boy and adorable but promise me something?”

Sammy: “I will promise you anything as long as you will no longer fight daddy. I will even be good, wake up on time to prepare for school, I will do my assignments early and brush my teeth before I sleep every day” he said livening up.

Rebecca: “My baby is growing so fast” she said raking her fingers through his afro-styled hair. “Promise me that no matter what a woman does to you, you will never lay a finger on her?”

Sammy: “That is simple mum, I remember everything you do tell me: any man who lays a hand on his woman is not a real man, women are like eggs and so should be pampered, if not, they might break and get wasted. Life is not a bed of roses and so things might go wrong at some point, despite that I cannot give up, I must keep surviving” he finished happily.

Rebecca: “I said it! How can you be so intelligent? Do you even remember them exactly the way I said them? Give me five” she said lifting her right palm up for a high five while he reciprocated the gesture.

Sammy: “It’s very simple mum,” he said proudly, apparently proud of his achievement forgetting all about the fight.

Rebecca: “Now let’s go and prepare something for our little genius, toast bread will do right? Your favorite?”

She said leading him by the hand to their well-equipped, neat, and........................................


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