Sequence 4
.
***
Mattie stopped into the daycare so she could pick up her daughter, it was a Friday afternoon. She and Trinity were scheduled to drive to Kafue for her sister’s engagement dinner. However, Mattie wasn’t looking forward to the dinner because she knew her family would use this moment to mock her for being unmarried at her age.
At 34 and being the eldest of four girls, Mattie’s family expected her to be married by now but this wasn’t the case because Mattie had been unable to trust any man with her heart following George’s betrayal. However two of her younger sisters Claire and Vanessa were both happily married and now Christina the youngest of the four sisters was engaged to be married, though this didn’t bother Mattie, her mother would make a big issue out of it.
She stood at the door of the classroom and smiled as she watched her daughter play with the other kids.
‘Trinny, mummy is here to pick you up,’ her teacher said turning Trinity’s attention to her mother.
Trinny stopped what she was doing and ran towards Mattie. Mattie bent down and picked her up in her arms.
‘Mama Bear,’ she kissed her forehead.
‘Hey mummy.’
‘I missed you baby did you have fun with your friends?’ Mattie asked
‘Yes,’ she responded
‘And how was class?’
‘Amazing, I learnt how to count.’
‘Great.’
The teacher handed Mattie Trinity’s bag.
‘Thank you,’ she smiled and they walked out to the where she had parked her car.
She loaded her daughter into the car seat and headed home.
They were home in less than an hour, Mattie parked the car in her drive way, she got out of the car and opened the passenger door for Trinity to step out.
As soon Trinity stepped out, she ran inside the house, leaving her school bag behind.
‘Trinny!’ Mattie yelled out as she entered her house.
‘What?’ Trinity frowned at her
‘You left your bag in the car.’
‘You couldn’t carry it?’
‘I had to carry my own bag.’
‘But mummy, that’s mean.’
Mattie laughed, ‘What’s mean is you expecting me to carry two bags Mama Bear, my hands.’
‘Whatever!’ she rolled her eyes
‘I am going to spank you for rolling your eyes at me like that young lady.’
‘I am sorry mummy,’ she giggled
‘You are forgiven,’ she smiled
‘Good afternoon auntie Mattie,’ Tess politely greeted her
‘Hey Tess.’
‘How was work?’
‘Work was great. And before I forget, Trinny and I are going to Kafue so you can
have the rest of the afternoon off.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Yes but we will be back tomorrow because I have a function on Sunday.’ ‘Okay.’
‘So help me pack some clothes for her, for tonight and tomorrow plus anything
else she will need while we are away.’
‘Alright.’
‘In the meantime I need to quickly work on something.’ ‘Ok.’
Mattie walked into her bedroom, she stripped off her clothes and wrapped herself
in a rob hanging on the back of the door and sat by her laptop responding to some
emails regarding her work.
***
Two hours later both Mattie and Trinny were all dressed up and ready to go, her mother had called earlier to remind her about the dinner, even though deep down she didn’t want to go, she knew her mother would skin her alive if she missed this event.
‘Baby let’s go.’
‘Okay.’
She grabbed her two bags, walking from her room and snapping the door shut. She looked around the house to make sure all the windows were closed, satisfied, they both walked out of the house, she locked the door and slipped the key into her purse.
Tess had already left and would only be returning the next day.
She walked to the car, unlocked the doors and placed the bags on one of the seats then she carried Trinny and put in her car seat.
She got into the driver’s seat and quickly started the car.
The drive to Kafue was filled with noise and laughter, Trinny went on and on
about school and her friends.
***
They got to Kafue an hour later, when she parked her car in the parking lot, Mattie was nervous she hadn’t seen her mother and siblings for over a year now. She had kept her distance after all the hurtful words they said to her when she gave birth to her daughter.
‘Why aren’t we stepping out already?’ Trinny curiously asked
Mattie smiled at her daughter’s innocence, ‘Mummy was just taking a minute to
rest.’
‘Okay.’
Mattie stepped out of the car then she opened the passenger door for Trinny. She carried their bags and they walked towards the front door.
At the door, Mattie took a deep breath before she pushed it open.
‘Come baby,’ she said leading Trinity into the living room where the whole family was gathered.
Claire was the first one to spot her.
‘See what the cat dragged in,’ she said
‘Hey!’ Mattie managed a weak smile this didn’t feel like home, she wished she could go back.
‘Hey Mattie,’ the rest of the family greeted her. ‘Is this Trinity?’ Mattie’s auntie Debby asked ‘Yes.’
My God she has grown so big, Trinny come and greet your grandmother,’ she spread her arms wide open for the little girl. Auntie Debby was the only relative that Mattie could count on, the only one who never judged her for having a child out of wedlock.
While all this was going on, Mattie’s mother was quiet she glanced at Trinny then back at Mattie. She wasn’t happy that her daughter had come with Trinny even though she knew how she felt about the little girl.
‘You came with her?’ Where the first words she asked when she finally spoke up. ‘Yes.’
Sensing where the conversation was going, Debby grabbed the bags from Mattie and asked Trinity to follow her to the bedroom.
‘It’s not like I don’t love your daughter or anything but people talk you know, you should have left her home, don’t you have a maid or something?’
Mattie’s heart ached she hadn’t expected her mother to still be this cold towards Trinny.
‘Mum, Trinny is my daughter………….,’
She cut her short, ‘She is the product of that awful relationship that disgraced my family. Seeing her just reminds me of the humiliation I suffered at the hands of the church after you got pregnant.
‘Maybe I made a mistake coming here in the first place.’
‘It’s your sister’s engagement dinner you owe her your presence but the girl……..,’
‘Mother!’ Clare called out.
‘What?’
‘It’s okay please don’t start arguing least you spoil Christina’s night. The girl is already here, we can’t send her back, just pretend as if she is invisible like you have always done.’
Mattie shook her head, ‘Coming here was a bad mistake maybe we should leave,’ she said her voice cracked as her eyes glistened with tears.
‘It hasn’t come to that now?’ Vanessa said
Mattie didn’t respond, she stormed out of the room and marched to the bedroom. ‘Trinny! Get your bag we are going back home.’
****
THE CLOCK IS TICKING
Ella❣