Short story - moment of reconciliation

MOMENT OF RECONCILIATION Short Story by Ananiya Alick Ponje Chrissie looked at Gerald from the corners of her eyes. In the western horizon, the sun was setting and the evening chill was already rolling into the drawing room. She removed her tinted eyewear and placed it on the smooth table in front of her. At her elbow sat Lusekelo, her eight-year-old daughter who had pestered her so much three days ago to take her to her father wherever he was. And now, they were together in his own drawing room. Everything having been cleared, Chrissie coughed softly and said, “Gerald, I am a friend indeed in spite of all what you did to me. Pray to God for forgiveness. He is always ready to forgive.” Lusekelo stood up and padded across the room to where Gerald was sitting. Then they embraced each other as Chrissie walked forward to join them with cordiality. They were just like refugees who had been dispersed by war and had finally found each after many years. Tears rolled down form Gerald’s eyes as Lusekelo said, “Dear dad, he is no man at all that doesn’t err.” Ukanama sikuchedwa kucha, goes a Chewa saying, literally meaning when you lie it does not take long to dawn. But Chrissie had not proved it to be a lie until Lusekelo spoke the next word. She had promised to take her to her father and the day had come like a flash, sending a cold feeing down her spine. Lies had continued to convince her like the multiplication table and now she appeared to be ready to face the truth. She figured out how her lies were pulling away from justice. From honesty. From God. She thought of what to do to her daughter that would enable her be completely out of the wretched state she was in and finally accepted that the truth had to be known. It was a kind of truth that would make things either worse or better. Lusekelo always arose late from bed but this particular day that was filmy and bleak, she was already up at an uncivilized hour. The day had come so slowly to her and when she listened to the warbling of the buoyant morning birds, it was as though she had accomplished a task of clambering to the top of a very high peak. Her hands were cold like glaciers but her body was warm in virtue of the sweatshirt that she had put on the moment she had risen from bed. In her mind that was constantly in a terrible trance, the knowledge of her father was going to change a number of things in her life. “You are already awake, darling,” Chrissie said to her daughter. That was all she could say at that time. “And I have already had a warm shower.” “Really?” Now her reply was a gentle nod followed by total silence and Chrissie, now in many years understood the significance of having a father and more principally, knowing him. “You will see your father soon, darling. Just hold on to your patience because it is a long way off,” she said, almost unwittingly. “This is the most wonderful day to me. I’m going to see something I haven’t seen since I was born eight years ago,” said Lusekelo. Chrissie slipped into her bedroom and sat on her bed slothfully. There was a strong impulse in her that was urging her to take her daughter to her father. “Be afraid not. Take her and remove the burden off your heart. Necessity knows no law.” Together they walked out of the house en route to Sokola, where Gerald was taking up residence. It was An eight-hour journey by the average bus. After some moment of talking and laughing, Lusekelo became silent and looked at her mother as though she was awfully puzzled. “But mum, why didn’t you take me to my father all these years.” A smattering hint of shock was on her petite face. “I’m sorry, darling; your father was not in exile as I told you. Only that the story is a little bit complicated. But don’t worry; this is the day of reckoning.” “Are you no longer married?” “No?” “Why? Didn’t you take an oath to be there for each other for better and for worse, in health or sickness? Didn’t you say only death should part you, mum?” she said, from memory. Chrissie looked at her daughter again and again like a convict seeking the sympathy of a judge. So this was Lusekelo, a girl who had been known to her mother to say so little or to say nothing at all at the best of times? So she knew more than she exhibited? “Dear daughter, I never married your father. It….it just happened. It’s very hard to understand what happened. Look here, my good girl, just be patient like you have always been.” She failed to look straight into her daughter’s eyes. How did she know people ever took oaths when marrying? Chrissie asked herself. Now, about four hours later, they were in Gerald’s house. Gerald rarely entertained visitors, especially those calling on him in advance of any notice. But surprisingly, this day he was calm and said nothing about the surprise visit of these two souls sitting in his drawing room together with him. “It’s my pleasure to meet you. May you please introduce yourselves. Forgive me if I’m being too formal,” he said. “It’s necessary.” “But you see, your face is not very strange.” He looked squarely at Chrissie’s face. The last time he had seen her was about eight years ago and he expected her to be heavy-hearted and wasted if ever she was alive. And now she was in his own drawing room, yet he could hardly recognize her. Blood was pounding strongly in Lusekelo’s head. How could the man demand an introduction when he ought to know his former wife? How could he fail to recognize the face of someone who had a child for him? She thought of revealing the questions but thought better of it. Maybe her mother was trying to play some games, but what sort of game would that be? The whole scenario was failing to make sense to Lusekelo. “I know it’s hard to understand what I’m about to say.” Gerald looked at her perplexedly “I know it’s hard to understand what I’m about to say,” she repeated stiffly, much to Gerald’s annoyance. Folding her hands in front of her knees, she placed her handbag down. What was hard to understand had to be articulated to be understood, she said to herself. “I’m Chrissie, your second wife’s daughter and beside me is my daughter; your daughter.” A picture of the past quickly flashed through Gerald’s mind. Fear gripped him but he could hardly figure out what he feared. He tried to be defensive. “Chrissie, I lived with you for fourteen good years and you decided to betray me in the end? After putting me through hell, you have come back to stay? I spent months at the correctional facility because of you. I spent four weeks in a padded cell because I was terribly traumatized and now you are here….” “I’m not here to stay, but to show my daughter her father. Although I was your step-daughter I think what you did to me was the worst thing a man could ever do. After bedding my own mother you decided to rape me times without number and now I have to bear the burden. I bear no ill feelings towards you. I forgave you a long time ago.” Turning to Lusekelo, she said, “darling, this is your father, yet he married your grandmother. Don’t doubt what I say, he is your biological father. Such is the pain that I went through and now it’s haunting both of us. But the most important thing is that we should just accept the whole lot.” Gerald was strapped for words. He had never thought such a bitter blast from the past would come to him and now his strength was streaming out of him. He had no choice but to accept the responsibility. “Yes, yes I’m your father. It cannot be altered. I’m sorry, daughter, I’m sorry.” “We have to leave,” said Chrissie after they had embraced.