Chapter 36
The next day as early as 6:45am, Juana was at her boyfriend's. She left home very early to avoid answering questions and more importantly, facing Selena. Both of them had returned late the previous night and retired to bed after discussing the necessary and the unnecessary things in the living room. She could hear them talking about her that night.
They both sounded drunk, because each of them laughed at everything the other said and Juana could almost see them staggering. Her Dad WS a different man now and it was not for good. For these reasons, she had sneaked out of the house that morning without even bidding her grandmother goodbye.
"I wasn't expecting you here, especially not this early. I thought we agreed to me coming to pick you up instead" Colin said after ushering her in. He looked sleepy.
"Does your family know you're here?" He yawned. He was still in his pyjamas and he really looked like he could do with more sleep. Juana sat on his couch and stretched. She didn't say a word.
Don't tell me you sneaked out of the house. You..." She cut in by covering his mouth with her hands.
"Is that how to say good morning, huh?" She whispered. Without uttering a word, he pulled her up and embraced her tightly. Then, she began to cry.
"What's wrong?"
"Everything"
"Talk to me"
"My best friend is ... My best friend, she's mmm...pregnant. Dad is cheating on mom and granny is blind to it. Mom is not ge..tting any better, my birthday is..is just three months away.. Seems everyone's given up on mom... Colin, I..I want her back but we're hopeless, even me". She stuttered amidst sobs.
"Everything will be okay. We'll talk it all out when you stop crying " He let her cry and she only stopped after six minutes. He gently took her head off his chest and laid it on the couch
"Don't leave me" she mumbled sleepily.
"I love you honey and I'm here with you"
"Hold me" she whispered
Colin practically held her back and kissed her softly until she drifted into sleep.
He soon slept off too, and when they opened their eyes, the sun was high in the sky. It was 10am.
"Jesus!" Colin got up quickly after he realized how long he'd been sleeping. He was to be at the ranch by 8:30am to feed the animals as usual and be at Dr Paul's by 9:45am as agreed. But here he was, at 10:00am, just getting up from sleep. He shook Juana's body gently and she opened her eyes.
"I'm late for work" he said and dialled Mitchelle's number pacing around the room. Mitchell was one of the ranch hands too. She starts work at 9:00am.
"Hello I really ...
" Yeah I know you're late. I've fed the animals already... but err..the boss is angry with you" she said.
"Thanks Mitchell" he quickly hung up. Just then, Juana's phone rang.
"Where are you?" Baron's voice asked her.
"I'll be home by one" she said and hung up. She was still mad at him.
Colin's phone rang again. This time, it was Baron.
"I think he'll fire me" he whispered to Juana before answering the phone
"Whatever. You'll find a better job." She said fully awake now.
"She's here" he whispered into the phone. like a wounded child. Juana's eyes grew large with fear.
"What's going on between you two?" He barked into the phone.
Juana went up to him, snatched the phone and hung up.
"Don't answer any of his questions for now. I'll talk to him later. For now, let's go see Dr Paul"
So they got ready and in ten minutes, they were on their way to his house.
Dr Paul's was a lonely place, a old small house filled with old books and old rotting furniture and smelt like baking powder. Obviously Dr Paul baked well. He was up, and drinking coffee in his living room when they arrived. He looked really sad.
"My children, I appreciate your coming" he said. In his sadness, his eyes showed strength that had once been.
"What would you like to have?" He asked. Juana wondered how a man with so much intellect and knowledge would be so sad and lonely.
"I'm so sad this morning. Please pardon my countenance. My son threatened to kill me this morning" he said serving them cups of coffee.
"Oh my! Why's that?"
"It's a long sad story and that's why you're here. I want y'all to learn from my story. Listen attentively please" he said and sighed. The atmosphere was tense. The house looked like death. Juana tried her best to control her allergies.
"I was once a happy man, or maybe I've never been happy. Let me start again, I was once a man with a good wife and a child. Well, he is an adopted son because I've never had a child of my own. My father said I would never be a man. He abused me emotionally, hated me and beat my mother to death. I ran away from home when I was twelve. My siblings left home and started life on the streets but I waited. Not until he killed her. I had to flee for my life.
The words he said to me stuck. It's lived with me for so many years, and I believed that I would never do what a man did. I got married when I was thirty six. I was unemployed and miserable them but I found this woman I loved. So I married her. But I was so wounded and hurt by my past that I transfered them to this innocent woman. I had several nightmares about my dead mother, how he hit her head with a table and she died as a result. I was depressed and she tried to help me, but I was rigid. I started to hurt her too unconsciously, and one day, she left. We already had two children then. She took them away. I kept accusing her of sleeping with another man. I believed that I could never father a child. I believed I was impotent even when the test said I wasn't. I believed I would never be a man. She was frustrated, so she left. I'm happy today that she did.
I was single again and more miserable. I was lonely. I sold my house and spent the money drinking and gambling until i had nothing left. Then i thought of suicide. I bought a new rope and went into an abandoned farm to kill myself. I was really happy i was going to die. That day, I...
