Chapter 20- Awkward Silence
“Lord you’re testing me and I am failing.” Tanya tells God after a few minutes of thought. The statement is not said in regret or anger, it merely is an acknowledgment. She feels numb, indifferent about anything. She opens the huge New Kings James Version bible that stay on her nightstand absent minded you. She flips through the pages, hoping to catch a scripture that stands out. She finds nothing.
With very little feeling in her legs, she carries herself to the bathroom, and removes the clothes and jewelry she has worn for the visit to her parents. She runs her bath, adding her favorite bath salts into the already foamy water.
It is 30 minutes later, after the water has gone way too cold, that she stirs up. She goes straight to bed.
There’s the usual morning rush in the house. Dylan is finishing up his coffee wondering how Tanya is still sleeping 45 minutes before she is due for work. He is still too mad at her to want to initiate conversation so he settles on sending Kupa to wake her up.
Kupakwashe is unsure as she walks into her parent’s room . She is relieved to see the slow and gentle rising of the sheets , signaling life from her mother. She approaches the bedside and stands over her mother for a while, admiring how peaceful she looks in her sleep. Gently, she shakes her. Seeing no result, she shakes the shoulders a little harder, to which Tanya responds.
‘Morning mum, aren’t you going to work?’
‘What times is it?’ Tanya asks lazily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
‘It’s now 7.20am, Dad is just about to leave.’ Kupa realizes she is whispering , she has no reason for it.
Tanya rolls over and reaches for her phone to look at the time, she groans.
‘I have a headache, I’m not going to work, please bring some painkiller for me.’
Back in the kitchen, Dylan is a bit worried when he learns Tanya is not going to work. He knows how much his wife loves work, especially when she is stressed, she drowns herself in it. He hesitates for a few minutes, one mind telling him to go check on her, he decides he will call later.
It is several hours later when Tanya wakes again, she can hear Tadiwa throwing a tantrum somewhere in the house. Rudo is always so patient and soft spoken with the little boy. It’s a few seconds before his mischievous laugh fills the air again.
Tanya sits up in bed, a sharp pain pierces her head as she does so and she grimaces at the pain. She takes a moment to catch her breathe before getting out of bed. She is standing at her closet, trying to decide on what to wear before she blanks out.
Dylan has been looking at his watch for the last 3 hours. For some reason he is unsettled. He wants to call Tanya but he keeps procrastinating, not knowing what his excuse would be when he calls, seeing he was ignoring her.
His office phone rings and he picks it up before the third ring.
‘Afternoon sir, there is an emergency meeting in the boardroom.’ His junior informs him.
He forgets about calling Tanya as he collects his laptop and leaves for the boardroom. He knows it is going to be hours before they finish.
