If Only She Knew

Episode 1

He walked inside the house with a worried on his face. He was immaculately dressed in a dark suit
and tie, the white of his shirt enhancing his attractive tan. Dropping his keys onto a a table, he took
off his jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair. She watched him as he loosened his tie and
unbuttoned the top of his shirt.
“Bad day at work?”
He nodded taking a seat.

“I guess that’s a Yes. Dinner will be ready in just a minute,” she said heading to the kitchen.
“Emily!” he called out
She stopped walking and turned to face him.
“We need to talk.”
The tone of his voice was warm and soft. She walked and sat beside him.
“What is it Andrew?” she asked worriedly holding his hand.

He didn’t know how she was going to react after telling her the bad news . Already things were
hard. It had been two months since they last paid the rent. The landlord had been on their neck.
She had threatened so many times to kick them out or sell their property if they don’t pay on time.

The kids had not paid their school fees and worst part they had been chased out of school. Well
he didn’t know about that yet since she had planned to tell him after dinner. He inhaled deeply. He
had to tell her what was going on.
“I quit my job,” he finally spoke.
“What!” she exclaimed raising her brows. “Wh wh wh…,” she stammered.
She shook her head, a look of disappointment crossing her face as she stood up. What the hell
was this man saying to her? He bit down hard on the sudden urge to go to her and tell her
everything was going to be alright. But he couldn’t. Things were bad enough and soon will sell his
car and move out to a one roomed house with the kids. She stood tall for a few seconds, her gaze
fixed to his, then she left and headed to her room. He didn’t have the strength to call out her name.

He didn’t bother following her and opted to sleep on the couch. He tried sleeping, kept tossing and
turning on the sofa and counting sheep but he didn’t seem to get any shut eye.

It was morning when Chloe poured drop of water on his face. He woke up with a start.
“Hey, princess.”
“Daddy!” she said sitting on his lap. “I waited up for you in my room last night. You didn’t show up
to read me one of my favourite stories. Beauty and the Beast. Why were you sleeping on the
couch? Did you fight with mummy?”
“Lady! What’s with the 21 questions?”
“I was just asking daddy.”
“Morning, dad!” he greeted.
“Morning, Calvin!”

She looked at him and rolled her eyes. A useless man, she thought. “Calvin! Chloe! Let’s go,” she called out the kids.

“Aren’t we going with daddy?” asked Chloe.
“Calvin. Take your sister and go wait for mummy at the verandah. I need to talk to her,” said
Andrew.

“Okay, sir!”
The kids walked out of the house and closed the door. She sat opposite him but he stood up and
went to sit beside her. Looking into her face, staring at her beauty. Hers was the sort that would
not fade or grow jaded with time any years. Hers was a beauty that no other possessed.

He remembered how he used to be shy around her at high school. How he just constantly stared
at her gorgeous face? Unable to speak as he gazed at her.

“Are you okay?” she asked as they sat by the mangoe tree back at the rural areas. “It seems you not with me here. Your mind is somewhere else. Tossing on the ocean where yoir argosies will portly sail,” she said to him with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

“You are beautiful Emily. I would really love to date you,” he finally said it with lot of confidence.

It was bythen that he started dating the most beautiful girl at school. After finishing school she was already pregnant with his baby. He paid bride price and went to look for a job in town. After getting
one. He went back to take his wife to live with him.

After she gave birth, he paid for her course at a Poly where she did her Diploma in Accounting.
“Andrew,” she snapped fingers in his face.
“Huh!”
He was taken aback.

“I need to get going. What’s that you want from me?”
He cleared his throat. He placed his hand on her cheek.

“If only you knew what you mean to me. If only my heart could sped then it could tell you how
much I love you. If only I could give you gold or diamond, but oh, my dear wife. I have only my
heart,” he said softly.
“Is that all you wanted to say?” she spoke rudely.

“I know you angry at me that I quit my job, but you know very well that I had not been paid for six
months now. I had to quit. I will find another job I promise.”

“When will that be? You know very well that I had been the only one supporting this family for far
too long. Now the kids were chased out of school yesterday,” she said furiously.
“I will make a plan Emily.”
“Oh please! I will make a plan..For how long are you going to say the same thing,” she said getting
up.

He quite kept for a while facing down.
“You see? Useless of a man. You should go back and beg your boss. I am done with you,” she
walked out slamming the door in his face.