Chapter 13-Tension Rising
The day of their meeting with her parents, Tanya decides to pay Father Ben a visit. The old man always knows how to calm her.
They are sitting across from each other in his office, he is still using his chair that swallows all but his smile. She is undoing and redoing the clasp on her bag as she struggles to find the correct words to describe how she feels about the woman who birthed her. Father Ben looks on, patiently, a smile glued onto his face.
‘She is being difficult about this whole thing and I have come to my wit’s end. She wouldn’t even get in the house. She, of all people, should be happy , knowing how badly I’ve wanted children.’ Once she finds the opening words she doesn’t stop.
‘If she doesn’t want to be a part of my family’s life, it’s okay. I’ve put up with her drama for so long. We’ve let a lot of things slide because they are our parents and they are respected but ahhhh! Ndazvitadza!’ Tanya is near tears now.
‘Mai Tembo Moyo, the reason for conflict is just that 2 or more parties fail to appreciate each other’s point of views. She has her ways , have you talked about why she is finding it hard to accept your new family?’ Father Ben is gentle, always.
‘She just goes on and on about them not being my blood , senseless really’.
Father Ben chuckles, ‘Well in our culture, a stranger is a stranger. Rather sit her down and explain that parenthood is not only through blood.’
‘But they are church elders! Surely ‘culture’ and traditions should not detect how she lives.’ Tanya is exasperated, she throws her hands in the air, letting her bag slide off of her lap onto the floor.
For a moment, the smile on Father Ben’s face is buried in his folds of skin. His eyes take on a glassy shine. ‘Should it not, Mrs Tembo Moyo? Should it not?’
‘Yes, the word says we are of Christ, no? New creatures and….and the Word is our standard.’
‘Yet you will find that the recounts of the early church are heavy with Jewish culture,’ he moves on swiftly, ‘anyway I just want you to approach this knowing that she is not being malicious, she believes in what she believes. You can only win her over by making her see this from your view point. And be patient child, be patient.’
Father Ben sends her off with a prayer. Armed with this prayer and his advice, she watches the clock tick as she waits for her husband back at the office.
~~~~
One could easily cut the air in the room with a knife, it’s so solid and heavy Tanya feels her lungs are failing to combust it. She is sitting on the edge of the chair as they wait for her mother to join them. There is nowhere to look.
A while later, the older woman makes her way into the room. As only her mother could , the entrance is an event. She is wearing a fur coat, the most expensive coat she owns, it is a warm summer night. At the door, she drops a handkerchief, it is not clear if this is intentional. She uses the door to support her weight as she bends, the door in response, swings with an accompanying screech.
‘Yohwe! Old age is not kind, merely picking up something could kill me,’ she exclaims.
Seeing that no one offers a response, or asks, in the least about her heavy clothing, she offers an explanation.
‘My blood pressure is so high today, I feel cold. It may be a fever. I just want to relax with no stress’.
Everyone gets the message, she would rather be anywhere but in that room. Tanya’s father gives her the daggers as she takes her time to sit.
‘Erh mkwasha,’ Tanyaradwa hates it when her father reduces her to an insignificant extension of her husband by only addressing Dylan, ‘We thought it noble that we apologize for what happened the other day.’
‘Ehhh!’ , everyone looks at Tanya’s mother who decides not to say anything further , folding her hands instead. Her father ignores her and continues.
‘We love our grandkids, who are we to reject how they are given to us? They are part of the family and we would love for them to stay here this weekend.’
Both women jolt in surprise at the last statement, Tanya scared for her children, her mother scared for herself.
Her mother speaks first, ‘Some of the things you should discuss with me, isn’t I just said I am sick, who will take care of the children? Why is it men now want to take over household management anyway?’ The last statement is muttered under her breath.
‘Has anyone asked for your opinion?’ the room temperature drops by 20 degrees Celsius at the question . Had it been a movie, this would have been a good part to insert cricket sounds.
For a man who has chosen silence and retreat for years, everyone is caught unawares by the patriarch’s boldness. Tanya’s mother decides to call his bluff.
‘As long as you cook and wash for the kids, no problem. If they get sick, then what? Do you know their clan names? I won’t…’ the statement is never finished. Noone sees the fist coming.
