Friday, May 10, 2013

Through my Eyes- The Pregnancy


-1997
I walked through the doors. I had been living in this house, my house, since my last kid was born. I was proud of my family. Two houses up west, one down south, a worthy Job with a renowned oil company and a beautiful wife who knew how to keep the family alive.
I checked in on the kids, gave my wife a hug and started to tell her about my day.
Work was getting dramatic by the day. As the only incorruptible engineer in my department, I was treated like garbage. 'I'm thinking of getting a new Job". She looked at me and said it would be alright. Served my dinner and waited on me till I was done. If anything happened at my job, I feared I was not going to be able to keep this family as happy as it already is. "Honey, everything would be alright she said again."
She looked so tired and pale, we both went to bed. 
I set to leave the next morning, clothes all laid out by my wife who was getting the kids ready for school. My cousin already called that morning; he wanted his son to come live with us. I had to refuse... I couldn't take care of another mouth. I set out to work...
At work,
More trouble.
Barrels of oil due to have arrived was reportedly missing. The tanker driver was due to have reported for 9 am that morning. It was 2:35 pm, my boss was worried sick. I made a few calls, no news about the driver. I feared he had been in an accident; the roads have become even dangerous this season. The Yuletide fever was slowly creeping in.
I called my wife. I had to travel all night to our head branch. The pressure was greater than I imagined, it seemed like everyone at work was not happy with my work.
I drove my car home that night,  had my wife drive me back to work and then I took the company's car.
As I drove through traffic, I was thinking about everything so far, I needed something better than now, my kids had to be well taken care of, Damn I need to take another route. The traffic was crazy that night!
I turned around on to another route, few cars on the streets, I checked my watch, I had about 3 hours to travel. 
I stopped on my way, to ease myself. In the bathroom came the most shocking surprise. 
Inside my shoes which my wife picked out earlier that day was a piece of paper neatly wrapped and tucked under my extra shoe pad ( I think that's what its called). These shoes had always been weird fitting but they were my best-looking shoes. 
A doctors report, she was pregnant. Again! Three kids, no four Kids, I knew she shouldn't have stood in for her friend when the pastor prayed for barren women. Nonsense talk, I was just frightened. Its a lot of responsibilities being a man, yet alone a family man.
She was pregnant, again! I need a new job; my savings has to increase.... I was lost in thoughts as I drove down the lonely streets... How was I to deal with the pressure... I need a new Job
GODDAMIT
What were these men thinking! Why do people drive drunk at night. I stayed in my car and honked, a second car double- crossed me. It wasn't looking good, this whole scene looked like an accident, I was hit from the side, I had to get out to look. The company's car, I'm in so much trouble.
I started to get out, the damage shouldn't be that bad, I'm not even hurt. Two men came out the car walked straight to me and pointed a gun in my face. 
"Get out of the car now!"
I slowly crawled out; no one was around to hear or to help. A third man came out with a Knife and spoke some strange language to the other two. Then he spoke again, this time I seemed to have picked up a little, it’s a good thing I had a friend that spoke "yigha". He said something about the car. One of the men drove the car, the company’s car, he drove it away.
Just as I though it couldn't get worse, the other two stripped me of my clothes and threw me in the back of one of their cars, tied me up and blindfolded me. 
They drove for about 2 hours. All I could think about was my wife and my kids. I didn't get to see my kids that night. My pregnant wife....
"Get out" he screamed. 
They took off the blindfold, I had no idea where we were but I perceived we were in a different state. Because of the language, I could guess what state we were, although I had never been in there before. 
They then dragged me to a bushy area through the tall grasses and to the other side where there were no houses.
Then again they began chatting in their language,
"Finish the job, that's what Lanry said right"
"Yes”, he gestured as he slid his finger across his throat. They were going to kill me 
As the first one set to get the gun, the other man turned to tell him something.
Then he walked away as he seemed to have gotten angry... he ran to tell the man something
By the time he was back, I was gone. The knife in his hand had somehow found its way to the ground.
I ran through the bushes, I heard the men curse intensely, a few gunshots.... I lay in the grass still till I was sure they were gone. 
Walked into a compound and begged for clothes. Went to a police station, reported the incident and then found my way back home.
My wife was worried sick, I looked in her eyes, "why didn't you tell me"
"Honey, I was scared, an extra mouth to feed, I didn't know how you would take it"
"What happened to you? Where when how? Did you call the office?
I narrated everything to her as she silently sobbed and thanked God over and over again.
I took my kids out that day, I was not ready to face my job yet. 
Later that night, a colleague informed me that the office already knew about the incident and they requested I came in the next morning.
"The tanker never showed up, that’s about a million worth of oil in that tank, you took the company's car, got into an accident, probably dented the car, called the police and feigned an attempted murder on your life?"
He went on the blab a little more and then told me I was sacked. 
My last pay was put towards the company’s car. Lanry looked at me and said, " I'm sorry everything ended up like this". 
As I walked out of the office, all I could think about was my kids, my wife; she was pregnant... and I was jobless.



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