EMOTIONALLY_DETACHED
_14_
RAQUEL
I told myself I would never succumb to the jealous girlfriend or the kind of woman that was always in a man’s case, being pregnant for Stephen is not something I planned but it happened and now I had to live with it.
So using my father’s connections, I managed to get Camilla’s number and called her.
‘Hello.’ She said on the other end of the line
‘Camilla this is Raquel, I guess I don’t need to introduce myself any further. I am heading to arcades right now, meet me at Mike’s kitchen. You and I have some talking to do.’ I said before cutting the line
I paid the cab driver that had brought me and straight away went to Mike’s Kitchen, I ordered some cappuccino as I waited for her to come. You see a woman always has a sixth sense and with the way Stephen had behaved earlier I knew that something was up his sleeve. So instead of buying the things we had gone to buy I went back to the vehicle only to find him comfortably seated with his ex-girlfriend. My thoughts were disrupted when my phone rang, it was her calling.
‘I am at arcades.’
‘Just come to the place I told you I am at.’ I said
I watched her walk in and I knew just then why Stephen couldn’t stay away from her or why he was super hurt that they were not together anymore. She had this purity about her.
‘You can seat.’ I said pointing at the chair opposite me ‘Can I get you anything to drink?’
‘No I am fine.’ She responded nervously
‘I don’t want to waste much of your time so I will go straight to the point.’ She was looking directly into my eyes
‘Do you know that I am carrying Stephen’s child?’ I asked
‘Yes I am aware.’
‘And you also know that I am his wife?’
‘You didn’t come here to mock me right?’ she asked dropping her gaze
‘On the contrary no, Camilla I am not the reason why Stephen is not with you right now. I had nothing to do with any of that.’
‘Is that why you called me here? To remind me that my man.’ She paused ‘That my ex man couldn’t keep his pants up and so I have to blame him for everything that has gone wrong in my life.’
I laughed, not because she was funny but because she was intelligent and Stephen was a fool for letting such a woman go.
‘You are right Camilla, I am not here to mock you. But we both know the kind of man Stephen is and he will obviously come back asking for forgiveness and promising you a good future but I know you are better than that.’
She was now eyeing me seriously and I knew that I had her attention.
‘I don’t love Stephen, there is no love whatsoever between us and the only reason we are doing this is because we are having a baby and I am telling you with everything in me that I will not allow my child to grow up in a messed up environment.’ I said in a threatening voice ‘You are threatening me?’
‘Yes, I am warning you to stay away from anything that will cause my child distress; you can be with Stephen all you want as long as it doesn’t cause my baby to have a messed up future.’ I said
‘Don’t you think your husband is the person you should be talking to right now?’ she asked
‘Let us just stop pretending as if you have fallen out of love with him, I can see through you and I am certain if he was to come back today you would fall right back into his trap. You are an intelligent lady Camilla, don’t allow a man to destroy everything you have built and much worse a man like Stephen.’ I said as I stood up
I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulder, now all I had to do was to talk to my so called husband.
I booked a cab and gave the driver directions to my place, when I got there Stephen was having his lunch but I decided to walk past him.
‘You took longer than expected.’ He said
‘I was securing a future for our child.’ I responded getting into the bedroom
I immediately switched off my phone and stripped of my clothes, I needed to take a cold bath so that I could wash off all the emotions that were beginning to build up.
I looked at my baby bump which was a little visible now and the stretch marks that were showing on my waist.
My heart tore a little as I thought about the future that my child would have, I never imagined myself being a mother at twenty four and much less married to a man that I didn’t even love.
So after taking a long bath I settled for army green sweet pants with a black hoody and socks.
When I got to the living room he was still seated there starring at his phone. I walked to the kitchen and got the food that had been left for me in the food warmers and ate from there, afterwards I walked to the bedroom.
‘Raquel.’ He called when I had just walked past him I turned to look at him without a word
‘I will be going back for work tomorrow.’
I stood there waiting for him to tell me more ‘Well I don’t want you to be lonely.’
I could have laughed but I chose not to.
‘Schools open in three days so I won’t be lonely as such.’ I said with a hint of sarcasm in my voice
‘Oh I forgot you are a student.’ He said
‘Is that all?’ I asked
‘I will assign a driver that will be taking you to school.’
‘You don’t have to bother yourself, I will be going to dad’s tomorrow to get my car.’ I said
He wanted to say something but I just walked away and from the corner of my eye I saw him look at me with shock on his face.
I had made a decision that I was going to raise my child in the best way that I could, if Stephen didn’t want to man up and be the father he was supposed to be I would be everything my child would need; the very essence of her existence.