As Seno got into the house, he tried to summon peace of mind. His sons appeared in his side with plates of rice, soup and chicken in curry sauce.
The Antihistamines and beer he had in the plane made his head swim dizzily as he staggered to a seat on the dining.
"Are you okay daddy?" Eugene asked boldly?
Seno nodded as he took a glass of water from the table and gulped it down his throat uncontrollably.
Everything seemed different in his eyes; His sons grew taller. Eugene was twenty two, while his youngest son Ubong had clocked twenty a week before Seno's return.
They both graduated from Army schools. They had gone all gruff and macho when their dad asked them to sit so that they could talk.
They waited anxiously for their mother to come to the dinning table with the bowl of chicken; while they glanced at each other.
Susan appeared in the dinning moments later with a bowl of chicken and a sword.
She placed the Chicken on the table and curved a smile as she lowered herself gently on the Chair with the sword on the floor.
"What are you doing with a sword?"
"It's for keeps." She chuckled.
"We missed you Darling, welcome back home. The boys missed you so much."
Susan said shrilly as she forked a chicken lap into her plate and passed it on to Seno.
For a few minutes, only sounds of cutleries were heard until Ubong broke the silence.
"Daddy, where have you been all these while?" He asked gruffly.
Seno choked as he took the glass of water and gulped down the second time.
"Emmm...London, yes. I was London."
"Doing what?" Eugene threw the question at him rudely.
"Didn't your mom tell you guys?" Seno asked, looking confused.
"We wanna hear from your mouth that you were living with a woman In London!" Eugene exclaimed.
Everyone dropped their cutleries as they all stared at Seno sternly.
Seno turned to Susan and then said, "Susan, you told the kids about our misunderstanding, that wasn't right."
Susan got up immediately and poured the juice from the jug on his head. He yelled and got up from the dinning table, but his two sons held him down firmly.
They took a rope under the dinning table and tide his hand and legs to the chair.
"What are you doing? let me off!" He yelled shrilly.
Susan took the sword from under her feet,held it in her hand firmly.
"So Seno...You walked into this house with full confident, that even as a woman who loves Jehovah, I will let you in just like that?"
Seno shook his head desperately. His heartbeat accelerated and a bead of sweat limned his upper lip.
"I am sorry Susan, so sorry please..." He said, breathing heavily.
"I have been hearing this for twenty three years now. 'I am sorry Susan.'
You spent all my hard earned penny on women. You bought them cars, built them houses, slept in five star hotels with girls and came back falling sick on me.
You came back with STDs and Infections I spent so much money to get rid off. And after every pains I bore, you still came back to say 'I am sorry'.
When Eugene was born, you left me on that hospital bed, and went away with Mercy your former staff...For
Three consecutive months. I came back home and did the work of a boss and a mom, all alone. And then when she finally eloped with the company's money, you came back home pained and walked right into my arms. You still said 'I am sorry.'
We started from square one, I suffered, sold my family's gold, sold lands that I wasn't supposed to, just to start up life over again.
" Her voice broke down, as she sobbed softly. Tears running down her sons eyes.
"And after we picked up, and the company name became firm again, you slept with hundreds of girls, came back home drunk and weak.
I took over my company, and you came back begging that things were going to change, and that you were going to be a good father to our sons and a good husband to me.
I came down and handed to you the position of a CEO, you took advantage of it woefully. You failed again. This time, even worse.
You eloped with your staff, worse a married woman. A woman who had not been married for even a year, you ruined her home and took her away from her child and her less privileged husband.
And now, You're here again to tell me you're sorry." She broke down and wept bitterly, then comported herself. Her countenance changed, she unexpectedly held Seno's fourth finger and chopped it off, blood oozing out. His son's faces were stern and mean.
By the time his brain registered, he yelled and screamed uncontrollably; his voice echoed.
©reserve
Written by Vicky Bon
May 30, 2017
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