“I never wanted to have this kind of life” Assumpta cried, “I never wanted to be a mother, I never wanted marriage or to live in this small slow town and that is why I’m leaving”. Dave could barely believe she was saying this, not after she had told him that she was happy here. He thought of the right words to say but it seemed as if his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. As she dragged her suitcase down the stairs of the front porch of their house all he wanted to do was hold her from behind and cry and beg her to stay with him and the kids but it seemed like a force held him back, releasing him only after she had entered the taxi and causing him to make a fool out of himself by chasing the taxi down the street.
Life after Assumpta left was not as easy as Dave had expected, changing diapers was actually a big deal and chasing a toddler with a bowl of cereal was scary because you had to protect yourself from falling and also from throwing the food away. Seeing as he was a very proud man, he was not going to be caught asking anyone for help, he would to prove to everyone, including Assumpta that he was worth something and that leaving him was a big mistake.
Days became weeks, weeks; months and months into six years; six years of raising two children without any form of help from anyone until he saw her. She was not beautiful in an alluring way and was not the kind of woman you would take a second glance at, her eyes were large and deep, her legs were thin and her lips had no fullness in them. Still he was drawn to her not because of any kind of lust but because of her wild laugh. It was the kind of laugh that could be heard down the hall and it haunted him even as he walked out of the mall that day.
The next time he saw her he decided he was going to speak to her, he did not care if she was spoken for; all he cared about was her laugh. His chance came at the counter when he wanted to pay for his groceries. She was laughing when he got there and with each bout of infectious laughter came a glint he had not noticed before and that was when he knew that it was going to end well.
It turned out her name was Agnes and she was a newcomer to the town, according to her she had left the city as a way of escape from all the noise and madness of the city lights. Soon Dave and the kids found the succor he sought for in her and even though she was young it turned out that she had more experience in raising children than he which was a blessing and an answer to his prayers.
Everything turned sour a week after the wedding, the kids were in school and he was at the stall when her letter arrived. Dave could hardly breathe; it seemed as if his lungs were blocked with wet wool that prevented any oxygen from entering. Quickly without even giving it any thought, he rushed home and broke the news to Agnes; at first a perplexing sensation caused a chilling in her spine but she did not listen to her fears because she thought that Dave would make a right decision.
Dave made a decision quite alright but not one in her favor. Tears eluded her as she picked up her things and left; he had chosen Assumpta over her, he chose a woman who abandoned him and the children for six years over one who was ready to leave everything for him. The pain she felt was so much that when she had returned to her tiny apartment it took her just a few minutes to turn everything upside down in anger.
Tongues wagged at his decision but he did not care, it was not as if he really loved Agnes, they both knew that it was a marriage of convenience, one which would have still crumbled even if Assumpta did not come back. To his shock and despair; Assumpta had not come back to stay, he had been so excited that he had not read the letter properly so it was not funny when Assumpta had come with a haulage truck and taken all her remaining belongings with her. When he had asked, following her up and down as she supervised the packing; “What are you doing, where are you going, aren’t you going to see the kids?” she had smiled and asked; “What do you mean?” shocked he said. “I thought you had come back” “Of course not. Didn’t you read the letter?”. Fearfully he took out the letter, reading it slowly in his mind. “Wow” was all he could say as he went through it once again after she was gone. What had hurt most was how she had smiled and congratulated him on his remarriage a sign that the neighbors and Agnes were right, a sign that his eyes were covered with black cloaks of love and even as they fell off he wished he could be with her.
The next morning though a surprise was waiting for him at the door; Agnes in all her imperfection and boisterously infectious laughter, and even though he had rejected her once, she was back alongside the beautiful changes she had to offer