3/4
When a man loves
Episode 3
‘Did she give you any love portion? Why do you love your wife that much? You trust her too,’ people used to say.
When a man loves, he loves with all his heart and will never cheat on his wife or do something stupid to upset her. I don’t want to be mad at Marisa because that would make me a bad person but I didn’t like what she did. We used to communicate and I used to be well informed if anyone was coming over to our house but this time around, it was a surprise for me. We had finished eating and Marisa was busy laughing with Jay.
‘You are a very good cook Marisa. Vusi is very lucky to have you as his woman,’ he said with a smile.
I placed the water glas-s on the table.
‘Of cause, I am lucky,’ I said looking at my wife.
‘So when are you two getting married?’ I asked him a question.
Jessica was about to open her mouth but Jay quic-kly responded,
‘We are still getting to know each other. We have been together for 6 months and we are taking things slowly. I mean it’s always good to take things slow, you may never know what happens in the future and might end up getting married to another person,’ he said looking at Marisa.
There was an awkward tension in the room,
‘Jessica, why don’t I show you around,’ said Marisa.
‘plea-se, I am dying to go to the garden.’
‘Girl, let me take you there.’
The walked out of the room leaving us together, I nee-ded to know what this man was up to.
‘A refill?’ I said.
‘Yes.’
I got up and walked to the bar area just after taking his glas-s.
‘So what do you do for a living?’ I asked him.
‘I own a mine,’ he smiled.
‘That’s good.’
‘Maybe you and I can be p@rtners one day. Your father is my inspiration.’
I looked at him trying to see what kind of person he was. This guy had alre-ady investigated me right and I haven’t done the same. In the near future, I would never want to work with someone like him. I hand him his glas-s of wine and sit back on the sofa.
‘So you have known my wife for how long?’
‘Since she was 6 years old and I was 8. Now she is 27 and I am 29.’
‘I see.’
‘What are your plans for her birthday?’
Why is he asking me that? I would have responded to that if it was Liam asking but not him. She is my wife and what I have planned for her is none of his business.
‘Or maybe you had forgotten about her birthday.’ shared on whatsapp by Martino
I will never do that and even though Marisa doesn’t like any p@rties, I always find something to give to her on her birthday.
‘We can plan a birthday p@rty for her.’
‘She doesn’t like any p@rties.’
‘Have you tried throwing one for her as a surprise? I will do something special for her.’
‘Marisa is my wife an…’
‘Relax Vusi,’ he cut me short, ‘I know that she is your wife blah blah. She is my friend too and I have to make her happy on her birthday. I got this,’ he said and took a sip.
I clenched my fist and he looked at it. Marisa suddenly walked in laughing with Jessica.
‘You have such a beautiful garden Marisa and those roses.’
‘That’s my husband’s doing. He loves flowers and he grew them,’ said Marisa as she was smiling at me.
We talked for a while and I tried so much not to show my true feelings towards this guy. The honest truth was that, I didn’t like him at all and I wish Marisa would just stay away from him but then I knew she would think that I am being jealous and stuff. So Jay finally left with Jessica and it was at around 5pm. I helped Marisa with the dishes and after that we went to have a bath. I cooked dinner and we ate.
‘You didn’t tell me that we were having visitors,’ I said to her when she was placing her head on my che-st.
‘That totally sli-pped my mind, I am so sorry about that.’
‘It’s okay.’
‘I will tell you next time. It’s just that J….’
‘It’s okay Marisa. You don’t have to explain. I know he is your friend and he wanted to introduce you to his girlfriend. It’s okay,’ I cut her short.
‘Okay.’
‘Well your birthday is around the corner.’
‘No big things. On that day I just want to be with you on this be-d.’
‘n@ûghty girl.’
‘n@ûghty boy,’ she said and I k!$$£d her.
The rest is history. Sunday morning we went to church and the service was okay, I enjoyed it. We soon went back home and tomorrow being a Monday, back to work. I helped Marisa to iron our clothes. I didn’t want her to overwork but she insisted on doing everything. I just loved helping out a little you know. Monday morning, time flies like it’s nob©dy’s business. I get at my office and start working. I have to see Liam later during the day. I heard his Auntie has fully recovered; there was just something wrong with her diabetes. Anyway it was alre-ady lunch time and I had got up to leave my office.
‘Well you don’t have to leave.’
It was Liam and we gave each other the brotherly greetings.
‘I thought we were meeting at the restaurant.’
‘We can still go there. We can use my car.’
‘Fantastic,’ I say.
I call my secretary to let her know that I will be going out for lunch and if anyone wishes to speak to me, they should call me after lunch. I walk out with Liam and we took his car. The restaurant is nearby my office and so we arrive there shortly. Before calling Liam, I had called my wife asking her if she was extremely busy, I wanted to take her out for lunch but she told me that she couldn’t make it; she was too busy to eat. I had wished to bring her something to eat but she said that she would buy something.
‘So how is Marisa?’ asks Liam when we have taken our order.
‘She is okay.’
‘What have you planned for her birthday?’
I smiled.
‘I want to take her out to Dubai.’
‘Oh wow that would be great. You two deserve a short trip.’
‘Yes, thank goodness on that day she is not going to work.’
I hadn’t told Liam about Jay. Well so far I had nothing to tell him and that would be so rude of me if I say some things I don’t like about him now. I mean I have known him for like what…I just met him twice and alre-ady I know that he can be such a j£rk. We talked about something else and I was asking if his Auntie was well and he said she was getting better.
‘I want to show you something,’ he said and he re-moved a small box from his suit jacket.
‘Is this what I think it is? This is beautiful Liam,’ I compliment just after opening it, ‘when are you asking her?’
Liam has been d@t!nghis university lady for 2 years now and she was almost done with school. He wasn’t that lucky when it comes to love but everything just changed when he met Hilda and here they are about to get married.
‘I am nervous. What if she says no or that she is not re-ady? I am alre-ady re-ady for her and I am scared of her response.’
‘A perfect marriage is just two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other. When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someb©dy, you want the rest of your life to begin as soon as possible. Falling in love is one of the most beautiful feelings ever and knowing that you are going to spend your entire life with that person, is a feeling you cannot define. You want to embark on a beautiful journey as soon as you can, without second. I know you can do this and Hilda loves you. If she is sure about this, she will definitely say yes and I am proud of you. You are doing the right thing, it’s about time.’
‘Thank you brother.’
‘You are always welcome. So you are going to be someone’s husband very soon,’ I say with a laugh.
‘Oh plea-se that’s if she say yes.’
We talked for a while and Liam got a call from one of his clients that wanted to see him saying that it was an emergency. He soon left the restaurant and I had to finish off my food. I still had 30 more minutes before 14:00pm and so I stayed behind. I took out my phone from my pocket and dialed my wife’s number. It went unanswered, I was about to dial again when my eyes landed at the door and behold, walked in my wife with Jay. Yes you can imagine my facial expression. They walked to the counter and I dialed her number. I was watching her as she was taking out her phone and excused herself.
‘Hey,’ she responded.
‘Hey, where are you? I want to bring you something to eat.’
‘I am at the hospital and I am very busy with work.’
MARISA JUST LIED TO ME!
‘You are at the hospital?’ I said with a lump on my throat and feeling the pain of being lied to.
‘Yes, I will see you at home,’ with that said she hanged up on me and Jay walked out of the restaurant.
I have been married to Marisa for 5 years and she has never lied to me. With so many questions running throu-gh my head, what was she doing with Jay? Why did she lie to me? Why? I got up and followed them outside. Just after getting out and almost heading to them, I felt someone gr-abbing my arm and I wanted to shout at the person because alre-ady I was experiencing a heavy load of different mixed emotions. You can just imagine the anger you feel when someone just gr-abs your arm.
‘I wouldn’t if I were you,’ she said to me and I was surprised to see her.
‘Mother!’ I exclaimed in surprise.
Was she with them? It was my mother-in law who just gr@bb£d me by my arm and I would hear from her. Why was Marisa with Jay?
Episode 4
I have been sitting on the chair for minutes now and she hasn’t said a word to me. She actually dragged me back inside the restaurant and I had to comply. After all she was my mother-in law and I didn’t want to disrespect her. I haven’t said a word to her too and lunch is over, I am supposed to go back to the office. I am just watching her eating her food and when she is done. She takes the white cloth and wipes off her mouth. She drinks the water and clears her throat. I am not allowed to ask questions right now. I think I nee-d the answers coming out from my wife’s mouth.
‘I bet you were surprised to see your wife with Jay. I actually created a mini accident and brou-ght them here together. You see Vusi, I think I told you that this marriage won’t last that long. I gave you my blessings because I didn’t want to hurt my little girl. She was so de-eply in love with you. If only she knew that you can’t give her any children then she would have said no to you. She is still with you, fulfilling the promises and vows you made to each other because she feels pity for you. If she leaves you Vusi, you will be left all alone and no woman out there would want to be with you. You are not a man enough if you can’t give my daughter a child. I don’t want Marisa to grow old without a child and so I have brou-ght Jay into the picture. I want Marisa to realize that she made a hvge mistake by marrying you. She doesn’t deserve you but deserves someone like Jay. It’s time you realize that she was never the right woman for you. She always belonged to someone else,’ she said and I was just listening to her.
All I ever ask for from this woman was to accept me for who I am. I know I couldn’t give Marisa a child and I didn’t nee-d to be reminded of that every time. Because it was me, I knew who I was and this condition that I have. No pas-sing day did I ever forget about my situation? Yes, I felt bad for my wife. I felt that I wasn’t good enough for her, that she deserved someone better. To be told that I am not a man enough, I have heard that several times. If she had told me to find a solution to my problem, I would have thought that maybe she has finally accepted me but she is busy trying to replace me with another man. She knows that I am so de-eply in love with Marisa and honestly I can’t live without her. She knows that I don’t want to lose her but she is here torturing me with her hurtful words. Words are more painful than anything else in this world.
So right now I am just sitting there like a fool. I haven’t responded yet. What can I even say to her? Try to defend myself. I bet this woman would just run to her daughter and come up with all sorts of lies, like I disrespected her.
‘I am sorry,’ I finally said something after having been silent, ‘I am sorry that I am not a man enough, that I am not able to give Marisa a child but I love her. I love my wife very much and there are times that I wish I was born differently. Times that I cry myself to sleep, times that I see Marisa crying and when I ask her what’s wrong, she doesn’t tell me, because she doesn’t want me to worry. I promised myself, I promised her, I promised God while standing on the altar that till death do us ap@rt then I won’t be with my wife. Mother, I know you don’t like me and I have learnt to accept that but plea-se, I beg you. Don’t take my wife away from me. Mother don’t take away the love that she has for me by pushing her into another man’s arms. If I didn’t love Marisa this much then I would have given her back to you. I know that we will live happily ever after with or without a child. What we feel for each other count the most in our relationsh!pand I just want it to stay that way. I will fight for my love; I will fight for Marisa because God gave her to me. I am not going to just sit and relax while you do something so bad to me. What did I ever do to you? I respect you a lot and I have shown you love but why do you hate me that much. Is it still about me not being able to give you a grandchild or it’s something else? Because mother, all I want from you is for you to appreciate me, accept me for who I am and at least to just pretend to love me.’
It hurt me a lot that day when I saw her with Jay. If someone who didn’t know me as Marisa’s husband and had walked in that room, I am pretty sure they would have thought that I was her brother and Jay was her husband. I wished she showed me that love but there was nothing from her.
‘I will take my leave,’ I said getting up.
‘She will never be yours,’ she said and I walked out of the restaurant to my car.
I didn’t feel like working anymore and so I drove home. Maybe re-ading the bible or doing something would help me feel better. I got into my car and drove off home thinking about what Marisa’s mother had said to me. If only I had the power to change someone, I would change her, just to be loved by her, just for few minutes before she turns back to her real person. I got home and parked my car; I got out and walked inside just after being greeted by the gateman. I took a bath first and c@m£ out feeling much better. I decided to prepare some dinner for my wife since she was working late. When I was done with everything, I sat on the sofa and started watching a movie. Something to keep me company until Marisa comes in.
At around 5pm, I heard her car as she parked it at the garage. I smiled; I just couldn’t wait to hvg her.
‘Babe!’ she called out after opening the door.
‘I am here,’ I shouted getting up.
I immediately welcomed her with a genuinely hvge smile spre-ad across my face. Someone would really think that she gave me a love portion but that wasn’t the issue. I just loved Marisa people and every time I had a bad day with her mother, I chose not to continuously think about what had happened but focus on the future.
‘The way I missed you,’ I honestly said to her and k!$$£d her on the cheek.
‘I missed you more baby and I am sorry I hanged up on you when you called. To be honest with you, I lied.’
‘About what?’
‘I was at a restaurant with Jay but I can explain.’
She told me that she was at the hospital with her mother; Marisa’s mother suffers from asthma. She had gone there for a checkup and after she was done, she had asked Marisa to accompany her to a nearby restaurant, that’s where they bu-mped into Jay and Marisa had to ask Jay to drop her off at the hospital.
‘So why did you lie?’ I asked with a laugh.
‘I had told you that I am extremely busy at work and don’t have time to eat. I didn’t want you to think that I had valued other people. You know I can’t say no to my mother, the reason why I ended up going with her. I am sorry for lying.’
‘It’s okay,’ I laughed a little, ‘just don’t lie again.’
‘Never, I actually feel guilty for hanging up on you. I am never doing that. Let me go take a short bath and prepare you something to eat. You have lost weight.’
I quic-kly gr@bb£d her hand and held her so ti-ghtly in my arms.
‘I love you Marisa.’
‘Babe, I love you more.’
No matter what happens, I will not easily give up on her. I love this woman and no Jay or Sharon is going to destroy what I have built with her.
‘About cooking, I cooked and let me make you a bath. Should I go and bath with you again?’
‘You know that I hate bathing alone. Geez, I am add!çted to you and I am so hungry for you,’ she gr-abs my as-s.
‘Marisa,’ with my hands on mouth.
I made her laugh out so loudly.
‘You just acted so girlish. You are crazy Vusi.’
‘Well I am crazy for you. Let’s go have a bath,’ I say to her and I lift her up to the bathroom.
At least she had told me the truth, you see I know how much she loved me and she would never give up on our love. I wasn’t afraid of losing Marisa but I was afraid that she will change. When we were done bathing, we went to sit in the dining room and had our dinner. I washed the dishes and even cleaned the whole house. She didn’t want that but I told her to rest. I nee-ded to do my duties as well. When I was done, I went to sit on the sofa and started mas-saging her feet.
‘What did I do to deserve such a good man?’
‘Is it because I am mas-saging you?’
‘Go away,’ she threw the popcorn on my face.’
I just smiled and continued with the mas-sage. Minutes later, she was fast asleep and I just watched her in her beauty sleep. I carried her to the be-d and it was around 8pm. When I was done, I switched off the lights and went back to the dining room to watch some soccer. I had just sat down when I heard a knock at my door. I told the gateman to only lock the door at exactly 10:00 and so I just wondered who was at my doorstep at that time of the hour. I walked to the door and opened it.
‘What are you doing here?’ I asked him and looked at the plastics bags he was carrying.
Tbc