Sacrilege - Season 1 - Episode 39

4 years ago

Sacrilege - Season 1 - Episode 39

Laura realized that the walk had served the purpose her uncle intended. At first, she was irritated. She didn’t know why her uncle was walking so briskly when they were supposed to be taking a walk together, not him walking ahead while she pretty much ran after him. But after several minutes of playing the chase, Laura felt her blood flowing again for the first time in days. She was alive again, though she wished she wasn’t. Her uncle slowed down his gait, his strides dropping to match hers.

They walked together in silence for few minutes, both dwelling in their thoughts until her uncle finally spoke. “Let me guess, you are happy you left your bed”
Laura glanced at her uncle briefly. “Happiness overstretches it.” Right now, happiness was pretty much an unfamiliar emotion. She did feel better though but she couldn’t bring herself to vocalize it. Nothing could bring her succor in this miserable state she found herself. “You shouldn’t have cut short your stay in Belgium for me”.
“But you are glad I did”
Laura glanced up to see her uncle’s smiling face and her face broke into a smile of its own for the first time in days. She would always be happy to see her uncle. He was the only fatherly figure he knew right now.

“How do you feel now, Laura?” Mark asked after a few seconds of silence.
Laura’s face released a dry smile. “You want a comprehensive list?”
“You are being too hard on yourself” Mark said shortly.

Laura turned her eyes on him sharply, nearly pulling her feet to a halt. “Too hard? Father, do you know just how I feel right now?”
“I know you have a list”
“I feel useless” she snapped, not worrying anymore that her tone might be disrespectful. “I feel worthless, I feel pathetic, I feel stupid, I feel… like a…” she turned her face away, sternly holding back the tears that hung desperately to her lids.”…like a barren woman” she finished.
Mark Johnson pulled to a halt, turning to face his niece with a stern look on his face. He already knew this was coming. “Don’t you ever think that, you hear me?”
“But it’s the truth”
“It’s not”
“It is! It’s the only truth in the midst of all these lies. I’ve been with Deolu for six years! Six years and I’ve never been pregnant, not ever” Laura said heatedly, her eyes teary. “But Teju…” she turned away from her uncle, biting hard on her lips to stop the onslaught of tears.” Deolu slept with her and now… and now…” she groped around but could not bring herself to voice the obvious. “Gosh! I’m such an idiot”
“You’re being too hard on yourself, Laura” he repeated.

“Not hard enough, father. I’ve been such an idiot, such a blind conceited fool. Tito warned me about this!” she said angrily, laughing without mirth. “Apparently, everyone with eyes knew something was going on with my dearest husband and his famous best friend except me” she twisted her mouth bitterly. “While I was there playing the doting wife, my husband was busy… busy… arrrrhhh” she groaned in abject frustration.
Mark exhaled. “I don’t think it went on for a long time”

“Don’t tell me you are defending him now, father”
“I’m not” Mark was lost on how to handle this situation. “What I mean is, this must have been a mistake. We don’t know how it happened”

“I don’t care about how it happened” Laura snapped, throwing her hands in the air and leaving them to fall back to her side carelessly. “I’d much rather do without the details, honestly. How am I to stomach the fact that Deolu is about to have a child and it is not from me? Ehn? How can I?” Laura took a deep breath and shook her head. “I can’t bear this… I just can’t” tears clouded her eyes and spilled over. “I love Deolu so much, father, so much… I can’t believe he’d do this to me”

Mark was silent for some seconds. “He is not perfect, sweetie. I know you love him but you have to realize that he is also not above mistakes. Sometimes, the people we love the most are the people we hurt the most”
Laura shook her head, pushing her legs into motion, walking off the tension and forcing her uncle to keep up with her. “Mistakes are costly. I don’t know how we would get past this” she swallowed, toying unconsciously with the ring on her fourth finger. “I don’t think we can” Mark remained silent as Laura stared at her ring with watery eyes. “I… I asked for a divorce”

“You didn’t” he pulled to a halt, turning his niece to face him.
“What else would you have me do? Stay married to him and remain a laughing stock?”

“So you want to throw in the towel and let some other woman have your man? You won’t fight for your home?”
“The ‘other woman’ is having his baby, for Pete’s sake” Laura exclaimed. “What’s left to fight for?”
“Is that why you married Deolu? Just to bear his children?” Mark snapped. He seemed to be done with the sweet talks, he needed to put some sense into his niece. “If that’s the only reason why you got married to your husband, you might as well get an annulment instantly because another woman already beat you to it”
The words settled on Laura and she swallowed, looking away. “That’s harsh”
“Not harsh enough. I know you are hurt and all that, you should be; but you need to put aside your pain and fight for your home. Marriage is not all about having babies, Laura, and I know you know this. You and Deolu are a lot more than husband and wife, you are friends… companions”

Laura swallowed. “I am not so sure anymore”

Mark sighed, putting his arm around Laura. “I know this is really hard for you dear, anyone would be devastated in your shoes; but you made a promise on the altar to stand by your husband for better and for worse. This is the time to fight for your home, girl. Don’t give up what’s yours for another. Show me that fighting spirit I know you have in you. It is not going to be easy but you have to try”. Laura blinked back tears. Why did it all have to be so difficult?

*****